Night Ranger
ATBPO
(FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL)
Night Ranger—Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy, Brad Gillis, Eric Levy, and Keri Kelli—are back with their new album ATBPO (which stands for And The Band Played On). Not that this band really has ever gone away for all that long, but one could say they are ‘motoring’ along nicely with their usual rock/pop mix on this, their 12th studio release.
The heavy stomp one-two punch opening of “Coming For You” into “Bring It All Home To Me” sets the stage for the usual in-your-face popping this band has been known to deliver. Guitarists Gillis and Kelli deliver that classic Night Ranger double guitar riffing while drummer/lead vocalist Keagy (bassist Jack Blades is the other lead singer) growls through “Breakout” and “Monkey.”
The band even delivers a power ballad anthem “Dance,” sounding as if it was plucked from circa 1986 MTV rotation. While a slightly harder edged ballad (yes ATBPO has more than its share of ballads), “The Hardest Road,†speaks to our times and presents the best harmony between Blades and Keagy.
For an American band known for hits like “Sister Christian,” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” (to name but a few) Night Ranger still delivers on their promise of upbeat rockin’ sing-able hits. It’s as if they haven’t aged a day really.
