Search - Glass Tiger :: Simple Mission

Too bad this was only a Canadian release...

T. LeBaron | NH | 09/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To put it succinctly...this album is amazing! I happened to hear an advance track from it before its release, and I contacted the Montreal radio station that played it...lo and behold, their program director sent me a promo copy (I've worked in radio for most of my life), and this whole album just blew me away. I had caught Glass Tiger on the Journey Raised on Radio tour back in 1987, and even their live performance couldn't have prepared me for this. This album compares to their previous albums as Hysteria compared to prior Def Leppard releases. In short, everything was in place and it held my attention for the entire 54 minutes (rare these days)...if you liked Don't Forget Me or I'm Still Searching from their two earlier albums, do yourself a favor and listen to Animal Heart, Love Me Like a Man, Rhythm of Your Love or...what the hell, just track the CD from beginning to end. Now they're back with a new best-of collection and an upcoming tour in 2005. Welcome back boys, and thanks for Simple Mission...a great rock album from a great Canadian band!"

GT Flexes Musical Muscle But Still Has Soft Touch On Ballads

Kelly G. Smith | Niagara Falls, NY USA | 07/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The band presents a harder edge in this third 1990 release. Vocalist Alan Frew unleashes his powerful voice with a bold and forceful earthiness only hinted at on their previous album Diamond Sun. Although I prefer Glass Tiger's softer side, there are some fine rock tracks here--including the uniquely paced title track. My personal favorite in this category is "Stand Or Fall" with its stirring blend of opposites--acoustic and electric, strength and sensitivity, gentleness and power. It has an uplifting quality rare in the rock genre, and Frew's masterful vocal reveals nobility and tenderness in the context of strength, and builds to a thrilling climax. Of the more rowdy rockers I prefer the last track "Love Me Like A Man" (it feels a bit more honest than "Animal Heart," which they released as a single). "Let's Talk" is a nice pop/rock combo, and "One To One" (another favorite) is a more seamless blend with the emphasis on pop, and a touch of playful sexiness in the vocal (especially the third verse). The latter song is probably the closest the album comes to the sweet upbeat pop of Glass Tiger's debut singles, but with the guitars upfront this time. The ballads are well represented here by three very different offerings: Comparatively speaking, "Where Did Our Love Go" is the most traditional rock ballad, but in the structure of the song and the sensitive emotional vocal, there is an underlying strength that adds to the overall effect. Rod Stewart joins the band for "My Town," in which Celtic lyricism flavored with the sound of a pub sing-along creates a beautiful mid-tempo tribute to Scotland accented with a bit of fife-and-drum style percussion. And lastly "Rescued"--a surprisingly effective melody considering the verse is based on a simple two-note alteration (with minimal piano accompaniment) brought to life by Frew's rich tone and perceptive phrasing. As for the album's more raucous side, occasionally there does seem to be an overly conscious attempt to prove themselves capable of playing hard rock, but that is just a minor criticism of a very enjoyable album, and besides, the tongue-in-cheek opening of "One Night Alone" lets us know they're having fun with it and invites us to join in. In general they do succeed in that "simple mission" of showing off some musical muscle, and yet the genre itself is one for which the band, and vocalist Alan Frew in particular, seem musically and emotionally overqualified, as is proved by the superior quality of his subsequent introspective and melodic solo releases. On Simple Mission Frew shows off a deeper resonance in his voice while retaining the remarkable power and clarity of his upper range. Yet for me, what sets him apart most of all from other gifted and accomplished rock tenors, is that his vocals never become an arrogant high-wire act, but are always suffused with warmth, enlivened by personality, and often touched with an appealing vulnerability humanizing his strength. It should be noted that two of the best cuts on this album, "One To One" and "Stand Or Fall" (one of their best--period), are not included on the hits collections Air Time and Premium Gold--they are only available here. Kelly G. Smith"