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Frontiers [Release date: 15.04.22]
Ronnie Romero’s taken an opportunity that not many singers get. Given the chance to record an album of covers, he’s deep dived into his favourite back catalogues and emerged with some unsung classics in his hands.
The definitive, blue collar American rock of Grand Funk Railroad, ‘Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother’ kicks off the album in raucous style. Romero loves this song, you can tell. Many do, it’s been covered numerous times. Most notably a funky, full fat version by Monster Magnet. This one gets under the music’s skin. Great opener.
And who would have thought this tough as teak metal vocalist would be picking out great, if little known, melodic rock/AOR tracks by Survivor, Bad Company 2.0 and Foreigner.
‘Backstreet Love Affair’ (from Survivor 1986 album, When Seconds Count) was a perfect FM radio staple. An AOR fix for summer night romance.
Written by Brit producer Terry Thomas, and vocalist Brian Howe, ‘No Smoke Without Fire’ was a top ten US hit for Bad Company MkII. It came from the band’s much derided Dangerous Age (1989), the second album which dared to take the band into AOR/Melodic Rock territory.
Then when you take Foreigner’s romantic, soulful, ‘Girl On The Moon’ into account you can see the melodic rock/AOR pattern emerging.
Even taking a fiercely dramatic version of Kansas’s ‘Play The Game’ and a convincing faux rap on Russ Ballard’s minor hit, ‘Voices’ into account, it’s a brave decision by Romero to include so much (high quality) AOR material, from bands often belittled by Metal fans.
But … Romero has seized the chance with both hands. His versions sound authentic, nuanced, and sung with conviction, revealing that there’s much more to Romero than meets the eye. Our only complaint, given the album’s title, is that there’s no Journey cover here. Next time perhaps. ***1/2
Review by Brian McGowan
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