Logic should dictate that any musical artist with over 35 years and 17 albums of recorded history should be known in households across the world. And yet the name John Waite still might not ring a bell.
No matter. Because anyone with a radio has heard his songs many times over.
From his hits with the 70's band The Babys, ("Isn't It Time" & "Every Time I Think Of You") to his chart-topping solo and possibly career-defining single "Missing You," plus 2 more top five hits ("When I See You Smile" & "Price Of Love") with the "Super Group" Bad English and music featured in the films "Vision Quest," "About Last Night," "Days Of Thunder," & "True Romance" John Waite has been around and is here to stay!
So here we are in 2011, and after a string of solo CDs that were more acoustic than electric, Waite is once again trying to recapture his rock roots with "Rough & Tumble," his first CD of all original material since 2001's "Figure In A Landscape."
The CD kicks off with the title track. With it's heavy guitar riffs and down and dirty lyrics like "it's gonna take the National Guard to tear us apart when things get hard" you are immediately transported back to John's "Bad English" days. That's right: John Waite wants you to believe that he is back and once again ready to be… rough and tumble!
The first 6 tracks on "Rough & Tumble" are absolutely perfect. The CD starts so strong that you might not ever get to the last few tracks; you simply won't be able to stop listening to these 6 over and over again!
There's "Evil" with it's catchy bass line and almost danceable groove, "Skyward" an upbeat positive song about feeling good about yourself and a couple of remakes too including Waite's own "Mr. Wonderful" from his 1982 debut solo album "Ignition" and the Tina Turner penned rocker "Sweet Rhode Island Red." The lyrics to this song seem to be autobiographical about Turner's life so having someone else sing them and have that person be a man seems a little weird but for me it works. I applaud Waite for putting himself out there and letting the listener know that a good song is a good song no matter who sings it.
Now, if you're wondering "where are the ballads" they are here too including "If You Ever Get Lonely" a song about a lost love who isn't coming back. It would definitely be a #1 single if this were 1989 (and trust me that's a good thing)!
The CD ends with kind of a mixed bag of tunes that range from quirky spoken word "Peace Of Mind" to countrified acoustic "Hanging Tree."
Although this is not a CD full of flat out kick-ass rock songs - as the title "Rough & Tumble" would suggest - this is still a solid effort from one of my favorite singer/songwriters. It definitely deserves to be heard.
Drumroll please… 7 out of 10 drumsticks!!!
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