Russ Ballard – It‘s Good To Be Here
Label: BMG Rights
Release date: February 21st, 2020
Website: www.russballardmusic.com
If there are any fans of RUSS BALLARD outside hoping to get an album in the vein of his 1984 AOR masterpiece, they can stop reading immediately. The ten new cuts are nearly complete the opposite – bluesy, with a modern twist but far away from catchy. I must confess that the record is a constant grower. First time I listened to it I was shocked about the absence of a single commercial approach. But hey – the man turned 74 recently and it‘s great to hear him coming up with new material. And the more spins I give the CD, the better it gets.“The Misunderstood“ and “Annabel‘s Place“ have a good melody same as the opener “My Awakening“, but a song like “Colliding“ is way too depressing for me. In my opinion, “Proud Man“ is the highlight of this longplayer. More songs like these and I would really love the CD. For his younger fans he added re-worked versions of three of his classic cuts from the 70s and 80s namely “New York Groove“,“Since You‘ve Been Gone“ and “You Can Do Magic“, which sadly are far from reaching the magic of the undying originals. It‘s really good to have RUSS back but nevertheless the album is a double-edged sword!
6,5/10
Andreas Hoehn
Track List:
- My Awakening
- Time Machine
- Kickin’ The Can
- Annabel’s Place
- Wasted (The Last Ride)
- Colliding
- Tidal Wave
- The First Man That Ever Danced
- The Misunderstood
- Proud Man
- New York Groove
- Since You Been Gone
- You Can Do Magic
