Jack Blades - Rock ‘n’ Roll Ride

Second solo release for the singer/songwriter/frontman/producer/bass player of Night Ranger, Jack Blades, almost 8 years after the self-titled first effort. Jack is a well-known and respected musician in the rock scene and has delivered excellent songs, especially with his band Night Ranger. The album features some guest appearances from Blades’ Night Ranger band mates Brad Gillis, Kelly Keagy, Joel Hoekstra and Eric Levy, and a special guest contribution by Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander.

 

But when it comes to a solo release, it seems that he rather uses the most average material he has kept in the shelf. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ride” is not an exception to that… however, it is a quite diverse album… meaning that there are several songs that have a 70s (The Beatles) orientation, others are more 80s melodic rock and some have a more AOR flavor. Impartially, they’re balancing… in the average line. The nice sound does not make it any more interesting. “Hardest Word To say” is the best song here… while the single & video “Back In The Game” is very mediocre. The album is OK for a couple of listens but then nothing will occur. You will pretty much forget it after you listen to a few other albums. It’s not bad but it is rather generic and unexciting as a result… pretty forgettable too…