Now this is good! Jimi Anderson I must admit was a name I hadn’t heard before, and reading his bio and seeing his background in cover bands all I can say is tat I’m so glad he’s finally had the chance to get his own material out there. This is a great album for lovers of classic rock – there’s plenty of melody in these grooves and listening you can truly appreciate the inspiration he has found in bands like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and even Foreigner as this guy has more than a bit of Lou Gramm about him to go with that touch of Coverdale.
‘Same old Song’ by way of an introduction is wonderful – it’s got punch, great drive and some serious vocals atop a great hook, classic rock at its timeless best. ‘Let’s Get Serious’ is just as good, a little more Whitesnake in feel, and the album keeps on delivering. We simply can’t do without the beautifully constructed AOR of ‘Feel Like Letting Go’ or the surefooted and tender ballad ‘Better This Way’.
Elsewhere some ‘seriously good music’ boxes are ticked with aplomb: Hard Rock is represented by ‘Welcome to the Revolution’ and ‘Higher Than Higher’ – two of my favourites; and there’s another killer ballad in ‘Where Do We Go From Here’. Everywhere you turn there’s quality and a decent amount of variety too with the slightly funky ride that is ‘Necessary People’ and the wonderfully crafted very ‘Foreigner’ closer ‘Oh Why’ which makes you wonder what Jimi would do with a pure AOR release!
It’s not often you find albums of this calibre by artists you’ve never heard, in truth this sounds like the mature release of a log-standing artist. There are some wonderful arrangements here and songs you will remember.
