Search - Badlands :: Dusk

Going out with a bang!

TheManWhoKnewTooMuch | Rockville, USA | 02/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know, opinions are like a*#holes but it still makes me wonder what the people that gave 'Dusk' a lousy 1-star rating are smoking! How can you love 'Badlands' and 'Voodoo Highway' and NOT like this album even a little?! - Although these recordings were merely meant as demos, tracked live in-studio by the full band with no or minimal overdubs, the quality is never in question and the writing is consistantly strong. The vibe on 'Dusk' is somewhat darker and more brooding that especially the debut but once again Jake, Ray, Jeff and Greg create the perfect marriage between muscular, melodic hard rock, raw-yet-soulful blues, and groovin' 70's white boy funk that takes you back to the likes of Trapeze, James Gang, Zep, and Bolin-era Purple. And 'Healer', 'Tribal Moon', 'Walking Attitude' and 'The Fire Lasts Forever' (how appropriate a song title!) deliver in spades! And if you thought '3-Day Funk' was funkay wait until you put on 'Fat Cat' - pure joy! Also of note - 'Dusk' features the original version of 'The River', a beautiful, introspective ballad Greg Chaisson re-did on his 'It's About Time' solo album (w/ the Riversogs' Rob Lamothe on vocals; Rob coincidentally was also BADLANDS' first choice to replace Ray when he quit the band in '92), and 'Sun Red Sun' is a song Jake later re-moded E-Z-O-style for Wicked Alliance (where's the album, guys?) as 'Blood Provider'. It's also great to see the band finally put the epic 'Lord Knows' to tape after kicking it around for the debut album but ultimately deciding against it. Bottom line: There is A LOT to love here and I consider this album an unexpected gift from the rock gods as it gives us one last chance to hear the brilliant Ray Gillen do what he does best with the greatest 80's band to never attain superstar status. What a curtain call!"