Album review: UNRULY CHILD – Can’t Go Home

UNRULY CHILD - Can't Go Home

Frontiers [Release Date 24.02.17]

It’s been six long years since Unruly Child made a triumphant comeback with their original line up featuring Marcie Free, as she now is, releasing the excellent ‘Worlds Collide’ album and headlining Firefest that year.

Opening track ‘The Only One’ marks their return in promising style with a good hook and layered vocals, albeit masked by a rather cluttered instrumental production. The arrangements are more spacious on the rest of the album, but it takes a downward turn with a series of bland, mellow and directionless numbers that remind me at times of Mike and the Mechanics and others guitarist Bruce Gowdy and keyboardist Guy Allison’s band World Trade.

‘She Can’t Go Home’ is a fine, atmospheric ballad, but too often the album descends into a yacht rock blandness, accentuated by the album cover and nautical metaphors (‘See If She Floats’). While technically sound, the album seems to lack passion and even Marcie’s fine voice, which in the days of Signal and the Mark Free solo album conveyed heartbreaking emotion, struggles to invest the songs with any fervour.

Belatedly things look up with the hi-tech prog of ‘Sunlit Sky’, which closes with fine guitar and synth solos, and ‘Someday Somehow’ which is an uptempo AOR anthem, only spoiled by inexplicable fake crowd noise.

I may be doing the album a disservice, but its mellowness will come as a disappointment to those expecting a repeat of Unruly Child’s 1992 debut or even ‘Worlds Collide’.  ** 1/2

Review by Andy Nathan


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 5 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 18 March 2024

GYPSY’S KISS We’ve Come To Play
FM Out Of The Blue (Frontiers)
SHOTGUN MISTRESS Shot Down (indie)
ATTIC THEORY Violent Delight (indie)
FLOYA Yume (FiXT)
SAHAJI Tell Me All Your Feelings (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 18 March 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 LEAVES’ EYES Myths Of Fate (AFM Records)
14:00-16:00 HOLLY LERSKI Sweet Decline (indie)


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply