Search - Burning Rain :: Pleasure to Burn

Great driving tunes

Paul Lawrence | Australia | 03/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The last review I posted mentioned how I'd test driven a car just prior to writing my review and that the thing worked fine. As did the stereo. As did the couple of new albums I took along for the ride. One was Phantom Blue and their offering of Build to Perform and the other was this release here.



Burning Rain albums can be hard to track down, but keep on checking their profile and eventually you'll get lucky. And lucky you will be for while this album does lack a certain kill factor - that chutzpah or X factor - it's a very solid release and eminently suitable for when you want to listen to music that sounds like familiar tales told well. The guitarist here is Doug Aldrich so you know that the guitar playing will be quality. There is a reason this guy has had such a lengthy career as side man to some of the stars of the genre.



The music is full bodied, occasionally cheeky and the rest of the band are given their due roles. Aldrichs' guitar isn't all over the rest of the band. Vocals by Keith St John are smooth and good - how is this guy not a 'name'? The album does have a few tracks that don't convince me 100% but they are surrounded by honest hard rock that isn't too hysterical but has its sense of fun firmly intact. And the production by the main man himself is honest, traditional and perfectly in keeping with the wattage enclosed.



If you want traditional hard rock that doesn't spend it's time looking like hard rock but actually trying to get record sales from teenage girls then this is your ticket as it's a well crafted album nicely suited to kicking back at home with or playing at volume in the car."