Feature: Albums that time forgot – SARAYA – When The Blackbird Sings

April 16th, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

SARAYA - When The Blackbird Sings

Polygram (1991)

There was a lot happening at the turn of the eighties and a glut of excellent CDs (and bands) that were destined for obscurity.

We’ll feature some in this series, but these were good times for melodic hard rock that produced albums like Tyketto’s Don’t Come Easy (1991) and House of Lords’ Sahara (1991). Of course grunge came along to queer their pitch.

Saraya harks back to the split ends of hair metal, and a time when ‘Fluff’ Freeman had a rock show on Radio 1.

The band – from New Jersey – formed around vocalist Sandi Saraya and keyboard player Greg Munier in 1987 and they debuted on Polydor in 1989 when they were called ‘the new Bon Jovi’. The band’s second album When The Blackbird Sings consolidated their sound which blended elements of the best female-fronted rock with out-and-out rock swagger.

What’s more, this album sounds better now than it ever did. The guitars (Tony “Bruno” Rey) are fantastic, the songs immediate yet durable, and of course Sandi’s vocals are a standout. She was influenced by Chrissie Hynde and Ann Wilson of Heart.

In a Kerrang interview in 1989, she also cited Glenn Hughes as a major influence and in particular the album ‘Hughes Thrall’.

The second album, released in May 1991 and produced by Peter Collins (Queensryche and Rush), was more polished than the debut but Munier had left the band during recording, disagreeing with the the more guitar-oriented direction. Barry Dunaway who had played with Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Lynn Turner replaced Gary Taylor on bass.

Tracks like ‘Queen of Sheba’ grab your attention from the first guitar chords, and Saraya’s vocals juxtaposed with Bruno’s chorused figures evoke Chrissie Hynde in a heavy metal band.

‘Bring Back The Light’ has a Whitesnake-esque ‘Still Of The Night’ feel to it, ‘Hitchin’ A Ride’ starts with a bluesy motif before Bruno’s chunky chords cut in. And there are echoes of Joan Jett and The Runaways in ‘When You See Me Again’. ‘Lion’s Den’ has all the swagger of prime-time Aerosmith. ‘In The Shade Of The Sun’ is simply wonderful, dramatically building to another stinging Bruno guitar solo and arguably one of the finest songs of the late hair metal era.

‘The Seducer’ was released as a single and drew attention, via MTV, to Sandi Saraya’s photogenic qualities although this was surprisingly played down for the band’s debut release.

Of the band members, Bruno – who co-wrote the album with Sandi Saraya – has played with glam metal band Danger Danger and Joan Jett.

In 2007 GRTR! US correspondent Steve Janowicz endeavoured to track down Sandi Saraya but discovered she was raising five kids and home schooling them, and “has devoted her life to God”. One other reason for distancing herself from the music is that – sadly – band co-founder Munier died of a pneumonia-related illness in 2006.

The now-defunct Firefest festival (UK) attempted to effect a band reformation in 2010 but this fell down in financial negotiation.

In 2019 there was news that Sandi Saraya and Tony Bruno were preparing material for a new album, apparently a natural successor to their sophomore release.

Any female-fronted hard rock band should look to Saraya as the blueprint.

Recommended albums
When The Blackbird Sings (Polydor 849087-2, 1991)

Worth investigating:
Saraya (Polydor 837 764-1, 1989)
Chrissy Steele Magnet To Steele (Chrysalis F2 21843, 1991)
Don’t worry about the corny title, this is another excellent female-fronted rocker from 1991.

2020 Vision - Rock. Reviewed. Revisited.

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