Charlemagne Charlemagne
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
A blast from the past, Charlemagne rises again from the big LA glam club scene of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s with their self-titled release, Charlemagne. Fans of hair metal rejoice!
Formed in the tail end of the ‘80s by four guys who met in various LA and Hollywood music programs, Charlemagne followed the tried-and-true hair metal formula. Influences of other bands are obvious (Dokken, Ratt, Danger Danger, etc.), but the same can be said of most of the other LA acts of the era. The band locked into the standard metal quartet model: vocals (Raymond “Raym” Barrett Jr.), single guitar (Scott Oliver), bass (Lee Bryan) & drums (Ken Kowalski). Charlemagne recorded their self-titled debut (and only) album in 1994, and Eonian Records has just released a newly remastered version.
The CD opens with “Secret Romeo,” a dated song with somewhat cheesy lyrics – although it is vocally and instrumentally quite good. “I Don’t Wanna Lie,” although once again hindered by formulaic lyrics, displays the musical talent of the band. Barrett’s vocals are strong, Oliver’s guitar work is excellent – a hooky rhythm line and a really solid lead break, and the bottom end provided by Bryan and Kowalski drives the song along. Charlemagne ups the power and grittiness with “She’s Only Young”, and then goes for traditional power with “So Far Away” – great guitars, great vocals, great riff overall. “Is It Ever Easy” opens with a mellow acoustic intro that leads into some impressive blues tinged rock with a catchy chorus. “I’ve Got You” is a nicely arranged softer song. Bassist Lee Bryan gets an opportunity to show off a bit on “Chance Is Calling”, and Scott Oliver’s guitar work on the short instrumental “Last Chance” would make George Lynch proud. “Wait And See” is the required (but well executed) “power ballad”. “I’m Not That Easy” is a real “happy rock” pop tune that seems very out of place. It is the only weak song on the album – perhaps just stuffed in as a time-filler. The band recovers and wraps the album strongly with the crunchy, kicky guitar tune “I Wish I Knew.”
The production and engineering on the initial version must have been well done, as the remastered version sounds fabulous. The quality of musicianship is excellent, and it is obvious that all of the band members were very talented players. With the right deal and few lucky breaks these guys could have been major stars. After 15 years, Charlemagne still plays well.
If you remember legendary clubs of the Sunset Strip – The Whiskey, The Troubadour, The Roxy, Gazzarri’s and numerous others, you’ll slip into this music as easily as you step into your favorite old pair of hi-tops. While there is nothing groundbreaking here, Charlemagne does capture the overriding essence of ‘80s music- it is supposed to be fun. Love them or hate them, the ‘80s did lay the groundwork for many of today’s artists – so drop this one into your cassette Walkman and enjoy the memories.
Label: Eonian Records
Web:
http://www.eonianrecords.com/b-charlemagne/charlemagne.html
http://www.myspace.com/officialcharlemagnepage
Track Listing:
01.Secret Romeo
02. I Don’t Wanna Lie
03. She’s Only Young
04. So Far Away
05. Is It Ever Easy
06. I’ve Got You
07. Chance Is Calling
08. Last Chance
09. Wait And See
10. I’m Not That Easy
11. I Wish I Knew
HRH Rating: 8/10