Kane Roberts | Unsung Radio

by Mark Allen
- Senior Columnist –

William Shakespeare once wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Well, to paraphrase the bard, a Kane Roberts album by any other name would still sound as sweet. You see, when the Rambo-emulating guitarist who gained a following by slinging an axe for Alice Cooper released his 3rd solo effort in ’99, he didn’t call it a Kane Roberts album, he called it Phoenix Down. Maybe he was trying to shed the ‘80s “stigma” of his name or maybe he just thought Phoenix Down sounded cool, but whatever the reason, the album was released with minimal buzz and failed to make much of a splash.

Following the release of Phoenix Down, Kane took a hiatus from which he has just recently emerged and picked up right where he left off—literally. Unsung Radio is a 2-disc set, of which disc #1 is a reissue of Phoenix Down, the only difference being that “Rebel Heart” from the original Phoenix Down has been replaced by “Walking on Shadows (Remix).” Now most Kane Roberts’ fans should already be well acquainted with Phoenix Down, but here’s a quick recap for the one or two that might have been in a coma the last 13 years, which is the only acceptable excuse for not owning this gem. Phoenix Down features some of the most modern tunes Kane has ever released while fully retaining melodic hard rock credibility. Even when the heavy guitars and aggressive vocals kick things up a notch or two, Kane never forgets to keep the catchiness high. And the non-modern tracks are pure melodic masterpieces, with choruses that soar high with slick harmonies and commercial hooks.

But you already knew that, so let’s move on to disc #2, which consists of unreleased songs, demos, guitar bits, and quick snippets of trivia from the mouth of Kane himself. Since the songs are the main selling point, the inclusion of all the commentary and guitar wanking may come across as indulgent and definitely affects the pace, but few people noodle on the guitar better than Kane and the conversation pieces offer insight into the songs as well as some humorous vignettes, including one involving the crotch of Stevie Nicks’ pantyhose. C’mon, who doesn’t want to hear that tantalizing tale?

Most of the songs sound like they could have been outtakes from Kane’s debut, meaning they are firmly entrenched in that ‘80s hard rock style, and while they lack a big, bombastic production, they don’t sound all mucked up and muddy either. In terms of songwriting quality, there is little here that rivals the best of Kane—think of these tunes as B-sides rather than hit single material—but they still showcase his ear for a good hook and skill with a guitar. You get gang vocal power on “City of Pain,” moody summertime angst on “Guns of Paradise,” hard-hitting heaviness on “Wrong” (which also features Kip Winger), head-banging riffs on “Louise,” and stacked harmonies and a sing-along chorus on “One Step to Heaven,” which just happens to be the album’s highlight.

No Kane Roberts fan will feel gypped if they spend some of their Christmas cash on this set. Unsung Radio gives you a lot of ‘80s bang for your buck and even if not every single track is a gem, you cannot accuse Kane of holding out on his fans. This collection will take you back to a time when radio played good music and Kane Roberts was hailed as a god of the guitar. And of course, to those of us who have good taste in rock ‘n’ roll, he still is.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock, ‘80s Metal

Musicians:
Kane Roberts (vocals, guitars)
Jim Peterik (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals)
Gene Allen (guitars)
Vinny Burns (guitars, keyboards)
Mike Slammer (guitars)
Dave Jonzz (guitars)
Steve Steele (bass, backing vocals)
Mike Davis (bass)
Danny Boy (bass)
Jim Jetski (drums, backing vocals)
Steve Deboard (drums)
Vassell Fundell (drums)
Cha Cho Rodriguez (drums)
Greg Morgan (drums)
Arthur Funaro (keyboards)
Sam Blue (backing vocals)
Steve Borden (backing vocals)
Chang Shapiro (backing vocals)
Laughing Boy E. (backing vocals)
Rob Athas (backing vocals)
Bubba Cashdollar (backing vocals)

Track Listing
(Disc #1)
1. Reckless
2. Walking On Shadows (Remix)
3. I Want It Again
4. Walk
5. Love Gone Wrong
6. In Another Life
7. Blind
8. Rain
9. Neverland
10. Alive and Well

(Disc #2)
1. Commentary #1
2. City of Pain
3. I Bleed For You
4. Guitar Stroke #1
5. Guns of Paradise
6. Commentary #2
7. One Step To Heaven
8. Blue Highway
9. Commentary #3
10. Wrong
11. Rain (Demo)
12. Guitar Stroke #2
13. Self Control
14. Commentary #4
15. In Another Life (Demo)
16. Commentary #5
17. I’m Waiting For You
18. Louise
19. Commentary #6

Webpage: www.kaneroberts.com

Label: Unsung Records

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

Kane Roberts | Saints & Sinners – Limited Edition

by Mark Allen
- Senior Columnist –

When Kane Roberts, the muscle-bound guitarist best known for slinging the axe for Alice Cooper on the legendary Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell albums, released this solo effort back in ‘91, he created one of the greatest melodic hard rock releases the genre has ever seen. Even to this day, Saints & Sinners has rarely been rivaled and remains a near-flawless example of how to craft hook-drenched ear candy. The songwriting talent of Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi combined with Roberts’ stellar guitar skills and the impeccable production from Sir Arthur Payson to create something magical.

Twenty-one years later, this classic album sounds just as good as it did back then. Actually, it sounds better. Because reissue specialists Yesterrock have gotten their mitts on it, given it a spiffy remastering, and released it back onto the market in a limited edition version (only 500 copies) that includes four unreleased bonus tracks. Given how great the album sounded back then, the remastering doesn’t significantly improve the quality, but even a diamond benefits from a little polish once in awhile. The primary appeal of this reissue, the main reason folks will consider shelling out hard-earned cash for an album they probably know by heart, is the bonus tracks. More on them in a moment…

Saints & Sinners was—and is—an over the top commercial hard rock album. Subtlety is not on the agenda; this is instant rock-‘n’-roll gratification. Someone told Roberts and company that bigger is better and they decided that if bigger is better, than massive and huge were the only way to go, and go that way they did. The hooks are not merely big—they are humongous, and they are legion. The choruses are monstrous sing-along anthems that soar so high they bump their heads on Heaven’s basement and every one of them is slathered in wall-of-sound harmony vocals that provide the knockout punch, the coup de grace, the cherry on top. Take all that and toss in the terrific guitar playing of Roberts and you have the sort of stuff melodic hard rock wet dreams are made of.

But what about the bonus tracks… are they equally orgasmic? Well, not exactly; you’ll want to approach these new songs with your expectations dialed down to a realistic level. First off, these tracks are demo quality. Decent demos, mind you, but they lack the slick production that defines the rest of the album, sporting a much rawer vibe. But as for the songs themselves…

“House Burning Down” is a solid heavy rocker. No, it doesn’t hold a candle to the studio tracks, but the chorus has a decent (if slightly generic) hook and plenty of big ’80-style backing vocals and Roberts absolutely rips it up on the solo. “Waiting For You” is a bluesy rocker with a poppy feel that really goes against the grain of the rest of the album. Not nails-on-chalkboard bad… but bad enough. The pop edge almost makes you involuntarily bop your head, but you’ll be head-bopping while thinking, “Why the hell am I listening to this crap?” Following this moment of clarity you will hit the Skip button and be rewarded with “Dirty Blonde,” which happens to be the best of the bonus tracks, a vintage commercial rocker with catchy hooks and a sing-along chorus spiced up with smooth harmonies and gang backups. Rounding out the new stuff is “White Trash,” another throwaway standard issue rock song. So basically what you get is one good bonus track, one solid, and two skippers.

If you have ignored this masterpiece for all these years, then this is an absolutely essential purchase. For those who already own and love this album… well, the remastering makes minimal improvement and the bonus tracks are hit and miss affairs, but this version is still an upgrade and therefore the one to own. Angels crooning in your ear could not sound sweeter than this slice of melodic rock paradise.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Band:
Kane Roberts (vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar)
John McCurry (guitar)
Steve Steele (bass)
Myron Grombacher (drums)
Chuck Kentis (keyboards)

Track Listing
1. Wild Nights
2. Twisted
3. Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?
4. Dance Little Sister
5. Rebel Heart
6. You Always Want It
7. Fighter
8. I’m Not Lookin’ For An Angel
9. Too Far Gone
10. It’s Only Over For You
11. House Burning Down
12. Waiting For You
13. Dirty Blonde
14. White Trash

Label: Yesterrock

Webpage: www.kaneroberts.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10