Surrounding himself with a sensational cast of studio pros including drummer
Steve Jordan
, bass players
TM Stevens
/
Doug Wimbish
(who would later join the ranks of
Living Colour
), and keyboard guru
Bernie Worrell
, in 1987,
Little Steven
would release
Freedom No Compromise
--
the E-Street-er
's third solo record to date. Synth-ladden textures, samples, and programming aside,
is an ambitious if somewhat over-produced effort. Although, certainly not as accomplished as
Steven
's sensational debut
Men Without Women
, the album features some fair to very good material. With a heavy political agenda in toe,
"Freedom"
opens the record.
is quickly followed by the riveting
"Trail of Broken Tears"
-- the latter hindered only by some ill-advised drum programming.
's weathered voice is in full-on
Bob Dylan
-meets-
Keith Richards
mode as he pronounces that "there ain't no love here, love's been sacrificed, promises buried beneath, the trail of broken tears." The Latin-flavored
"Pretoria"
runs side by side with the album's best track, the monstrous-sounding
"Bitter Fruit"
(a duet with
Ruben Blades
. And although the track sounds like one big party, upon closer inspection, it's clear that the song is a solemn condemnation on the state of intrusive U.S. anti-communism Reaganomics in Latin America. Surprisingly, in Europe, the track proved to be a massive hit for
. Coupled with the success of another one of
's tracks,
"No More Partys,"
the E-Street
sideman would return to the old continent as an arena sensation in his own right. Another track worth noting is
"Native American,"
a lackluster collaboration with
Bruce Springsteen
which yet again gets lost in some weak programming and over-produced synth action that results in the song sounding like a bad
UB40
outtake.
comes to an end with
"Sanctuary"
(a not so distant cousin of
). Overall, a good effort, but not a great one. For a better taste of the artist, spend some quality time with
. ~ John Franck