{"id":22421,"date":"2012-09-24T12:51:44","date_gmt":"2012-09-24T17:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=22421"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:23:51","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:23:51","slug":"tango-down-identity-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/tango-down-identity-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Tango Down | Identity Crisis<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller<\/span>
\n– Managing Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"TangoThree albums in, and the talented Tango Down are on their third singer in as many albums. The interesting evolution of the band is that on their debut, Take One<\/em>, the music (then and now mostly written by guitarist Scott \u201cRif\u201d Miller) owned a bit of a Cheap Trick feel at times, meaning it was perfect for then-singer Phil Naro. If you remember Naro (Talas, Druckfarben, etc.) he\u2019s a unique, multi-faceted vocalist whose vocal delivery is smooth as Silk (yes, the chocolate flavored soy juice) and regular silk. When Naro vacated the post, a true Hair Metal singer stepped in, Alex Barbieri, on Damage Control<\/em>, and the music became more sexually charged, more fun all around, and much closer to Firehouse, playing to Barbieri\u2019s strengths. Throw all of that out the window now, because on the new album, the vocal \u201cman amongst boys\u201d takes the reins, David Reece, of Accept and Bangalore Choir fame. Tango Down is now a mature, gritty, bluesy machine, but still somehow upholds those trademark hyper-melodic choruses, making for a unique blend of styles on Identity Crisis \u2026 and thus the name? <\/p>\n

The band wastes no time in flaunting their new attitude on the first track \u201cCryin\u2019 to Me,\u201d with Rif maniacally riffing away with sharp, bubbling leads before Reece starts singing. It\u2019s not typical to hear aggression in Tango Down, but Reece is the perfect man for the job. He\u2019s cynical, biting, and yet melodic as hell. This is a smart way to re-unveil Tango Down. <\/p>\n

\u201cDream Child\u201d is old school Metal, with guitars coming at you like Keel or Ratt or maybe some Dokken. There\u2019s a bit of a sinister groove here, a crescendo to a bad place as the song catapults to the actual uplifting chorus. Throughout the album, you are going to keep thinking \u201cJoe Lynn Turner and Whitesnake helped write this album\u201d and that vibe is prevalent throughout. Reece\u2019s scream before the guitar solo is so throaty and testosterone-ridden you\u2019ll be taking note that Tango Down is a new animal.<\/p>\n

One of the tracks the band will probably highlight sooner or later is \u201cBlame.\u201d This is a much more AOR-leaning track, still with a bite and is a representative mid-tempo rocker. The nearly a capella passage after Rif\u2019s heated solo is a bit goosebump-inducing \u2014 it\u2019s that good.<\/p>\n

Still, no matter what Tango Down tries, the songs that stick out are the semi-burners like \u201cEnlighten Me,\u201d those riff-driven compositions that do harken back to a time when good music was played on the radio. With Reece\u2019s blues-soaked vocal style, he just adds a weight to the music you\u2019ve didn\u2019t quite hear before from Tango Down. <\/p>\n

Speaking of not hearing something before, \u201cMagic Pudding\u201d ends the fracas with a majestic mauling. This is Tango Down? This is HEAVY, and grinding, and an outright sexual onslaught. Even in their own words, which they call \u201cswamp rock blues Whitesnake style\u201d and their own \u201cCrying in the Rain,\u201d that barely goes far enough to define it. It\u2019s a version of a Reece song recorded from before, so may you have heard it before, but it also might be the best track on the release; and how often do albums END with the best track? <\/p>\n

On top of those over-the-top vocal melodies during the choruses, Reece\u2019s vocal mastery, and expert songwriting, the album was once again mixed by Ty Sims and produced by Erik Johnson and Ty Sims, who have their hand in production efforts in most of the aurally dynamic releases from Kivel Records over the past few years. This is one of those albums you\u2019ll have to stretch to find something you don\u2019t like. Hell, even the cover art is spot on. If Tango Down was going through an \u201cidentity crisis\u201d before the release of this new album, it\u2019s clear they know who they are today. <\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1. Cryin\u2019 to Me
\n2. Alone
\n3. Dream Child
\n4. Blame
\n5. Corners of My Mind
\n6. Enlighten Me
\n7. Back to Life
\n8. Hearts Catch Fire
\n9. Calling Out
\n10. Magic Pudding<\/p>\n

Band:
\nDavid Reece
\nScott Rif Miller- Guitars
\nChris Konys- Bass
\nKeith Michaels- Drums<\/p>\n

Label: Kivel Records<\/p>\n

Web: www.kivelrecords.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.3\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller – Managing Editor — Three albums in, and the talented Tango Down are on their third singer in as many albums. The interesting evolution of the band is that on their debut, […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[336,5082,1370,334,389,1297],"class_list":{"0":"post-22421","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-damage-control","9":"tag-phil-naro","10":"tag-review","11":"tag-tango-down","12":"tag-ty-sims"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22421\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}