On his third solo album now,
Kevin Lee appears to have put his days with the Lonesome city Kings well behind him.
What he brings is the iconic status bestowed on him by Dave Reynolds, Kerrang, arbiter of all things good about melodic rock back in the eighties and nineties. But I was never really convinced by Lee. To me, his powerpop was always, well . . . underpowered.
'Flip The Switch' rebalances the equation in favour of rock, with cranked up guitars and solid, resonating rhythms.
There are no instant fixes on
'Flip The Switch'. On the basis that easy triumphs aren't the most rewarding, persistence is the word here. Gradually, Lee's skill as a songwriter begins to grab hold and all the pieces fall into place.
That said,
'Built To Burn' is a weak opener, but thereafter the songs are consistently strong.
They unfold along conventional lines. The radio friendly '
All I Want' recalls Roger McGuinn in all his high, lonesome splendour.
'Can't Believe You're Mine' is reminiscent of Tom Petty's guitar driven, American heartland rock.
Lee carves out his own unique identity with the immense '
Won't Shed A Tear'. His loser in love shows a flinty edge of defiance on a heartstring tugging melody, underlined by sighing strings and chiming chords.
The driving
'She's On Fire' is fuelled by Brent Seatter' s sparkling axework,
'Mr.Misery' takes on a harder edged riff and closer
'End Of The Line' comes close to
'Won't Shed a Tear' as album standout. Producer, Josh Shapera builds it up incrementally to the rhythm of a pounding beat, culminating in a beautifully understated chorus and sudden fade. It's a magnificently apposite end to a cracking little album.
Written by
Brian Thursday, April 5, 2007
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