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LOTS OF GREAT MUSIC & MUSICIANS!

Pete | Hudson, NH United States | 10/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I gave this album a try on a whim, and I'm glad I did... it was truly a delight! Jim Peterik is a great songwriter and he's assembled a great collection of musicians to perform his songs. My favorite is "Long Road Home" done with Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger, but there are many jewels on here. Check out "We Wish" and "To Miss Somebody" with Dennis DeYoung of Styx... great vocals on both tunes! One listen will win you over, too!"

Jim Peterik & Worldstage

Fred Monster | Zwijndrecht, Holland | 06/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"People who think Jim Peterik should only be writing Survivor songs should be warned about this album. Peterik has been in music over three decades now and during that period he's written and performed all kinds of music. He has also written for and worked with all kinds of different musicians as well and Jim has asked a lot of them to help him out on this album. To say they're the cream of the crop would be an understatement. Just take a look at the list above and you'll know what I mean. Redundant to say this is one top notch album, me thinks. The album is not exactly your average AOR album. One moment you hear a pop song, the other you hear a blues tune, while the following minute you hear a true AOR gem pass by. With all these different vocalists the album could have very easily turned out to be a mishmash, but I think it characterizes the great talent of Jim Peterik that it hasn't. From the first song, together with Southern Rock star Don Barnes (38 Special) to the closing (bonus-) track with Cathy Richardson, it all comes together very well. It's hard to mention highlights on an album like this, as actually the entire album consists of highlights. But I'll try. The first one for me is the opening track, Fade To Blue, recorded earlier for the 38 Special album Resolution (1997). I like this version better as the different (acoustic) arrangement completely does it for this song. What a masterpiece, and this is only song #1... The next highlight we find is To Miss Somebody. It is performed together with Dennis DeYoung of Styx and boy is this a catchy piece! Dennis may be looking old (look at the picture on the inlay and you'll know what I'm talking about) but what an incredible voice this man still has... Perfect! The third very remarkable song is a version of Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger. I don't know if this version would have become the hit the original was, but man, this is so much better than the original! Soulful vocals of both Jim and Jeff Boyle make this song to so much more than it ever was with Dave Bickler. And he's not exactly a bad singer either. But even more than is the case on Fade To Blue the arrangement is so much different, so much more powerful than on the original. Gets me shivers... The final song I'd like to share my thoughts on is called Vehicle. Originally recorded by Ides Of March (with Jim on vocals) this version with Buddy Guy is one of the few brassy blues songs that really do it for me. Buddy Guy is one ... of a blues guitarist and to all those people that are into the more commercial blues, I'd say take a listen to this song. You'll love it. Well, those were only four of the fifteen tracks that are featured on the album. That means there are eleven more starring people like like Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger), Tom Keifer (Cinderella), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Margaret Becker - to name some - you'll understand that we're talking about a unique project here. Unique and beautiful..."

Worth checking out, but know what to expect

jeffrey343 | Plano, TX United States | 10/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a huge Survivor fan for years, so I was very intrigued by this CD. I got it a couple of months ago, and it's been in the changer in my car since then.The first thing to know about this CD - each song features Jim singing a duet with the guest artist. His singing role is more prominent on some songs than others, but his voice is on every tune. I would say that he has the lead vocal role on just about every tune. But that's cool - he has a good voice. It's a lower voice than many rock singers - you can definitely tell a difference in timbre once Dennis DeYoung starts singing, for example - but it fits the music well. I didn't realize that Jim sang on each tune, and at first I was a little disappointed, but I'm over that now, because the result turned out so well.Second, this does not sound much like Survivor. Sure, some tunes have hints of the trademark Survivor sound, but this is more a mellow-ish AOR collection, for guys that have grown up some since the 1980's. Jim has done a good job of crafting songs that fit the style of the guest artist - the Don Barnes and Johnny Van Zant songs sound like Southern rock, the Kelly Keagy song sounds like Night Ranger, the song with the guys from Cheap Trick sounds like Cheap Trick, and so on. So, there is a lot of variety on this CD. The remake of "Eye Of The Tiger" is very nice - not nearly as raw as the original, but still a great anthem. I love both versions.The liner notes are great, all lyrics are included, and the CD quality is very good.If you are a fan of Survivor as well as the other guest artists, then I recommend you check this one out. It may not take you back to the '80's, but it is a great CD for this decade."