38 Special - Resolution

Tracks:

Fade To Blue
Lust Can't Leave You Alone
Deja Voodoo
Find My Way Back
Changed By Love
After The Fire Is Gone
Miracle Man
Shelter Me
Homeless Guitar
Saving Grace
She Loves To Talk
Trouble
Shatter The Silence

Label: SPV Recording
Year: 1997
Producer: Joe Hardy, Don Barnes & Danny Chauncey

Total playing time: 60:11 m:s

The last time I remember paying much attention to what 38 Special were up to was around the time of 'Wide Eyed Southern Boys'. Some time after that I bought a greatest hits/best of album that contained tracks like Hold On Loosely etc. My other recollection of 38 Special is that when one of my friends heard some of that album he said something along the lines of "They sure love their guitars, don't they !".

38 Special have been quiet for some time. During this period they have been working with Jim Peterik of Survivor fame. Survivor are one of my favourite bands, so I was interested in finding out what this album turned out like. From the stories that have been floating about, I gather that this is actually the outcome of the second batch of recordings. The first batch of songs is supposed to have been very AOR. I can't remember who wasn't happy (band or record company), but the band returned to the studio for another shot at it.

Whilst I can still identify that unmistakable 38 Special sound, it's clear that they've been trying out new variations on the theme. In fact, I've read that the band describes this as their most varied album to date.

Just Can't Leave You Alone starts off in typical 38 Special style, but whereas in the past it would have been electric guitars, this one is driven along by acoustic guitars. Similarly After The Fire Is Gone. Fade To Blue has a country rock vibe a la Steve Earle and Shelter Me is dangerously close to New Country.

If you're in any doubt as to identity of the band, the big guitars come out for Deja Voodoo and Trouble as the band blast their brand of Southern Rock at you. Homeless Guitar follows more traditional Southern Rock patterns. A slow but gradual built up leads to the inevitable guitar workout. I like it. The bar room boogie of She Loves To Talk I don't like.

The AOR meet Southern Rock vibe that produced the likes of Hang On Loosely is back in evidence on Find My Way Back and Miracle Man. As you'd expect I like these two.

Of the two ballads, Changed By Love and Saving Grace, the latter works best. It is a beautiful acoustic guitar ballad. I'm just surprised to find this kind of material on a 38 Special album.

This is the first review I started writing this month. I got to end of the 3rd song and gave up. Several times I came back to start working on it again, but couldn't summon up the enthusiasm. They say that perseverance pays off and with this album, it is true to a certain extent. During the additional listens required to write this review, I've warmed to this one. To use yet another cliché, they say that variety is the spice of life (I apologise for using the S**** word). However, I think that the variety on offer here is part of the problem I'm having with this album. My old dinosaur brain can't cope with 38 Special doing something different to what I remember them for. Maybe I should have caught up on some of their older material instead.

Rating: 6/7