In a slight departure on the bumpy road back to
Gary Rossington
's rightful place in
Lynyrd Skynyrd
, the guitarist and his wife,
Dale Krantz-Rossington
, formed this group after the dissolution of
the Rossington Collins Band
. As expected, the guitars remain the anchor of the group, but the raw power that drove most of the
Skynyrd
sound is nowhere to be found. In its place is the slick, overly chorused commercial sound that slowly evolved through the mid-'80s, giving this
Wounded Bird
reissue a very dated feeling throughout. The ferociousness that defined
Southern rock
is nowhere to be found on
"Honest Hearts,"
a synth-driven song that sounds like an emulation of
Heart
's commercial chart-toppers, while the title track has a level of melodrama that wouldn't be out of place on a
Bonnie Tyler
record. It's not bad as far as material from this era goes, and lead vocalist/wife
Krantz-Rossington
has capable, passionately sincere vocal chops that complement the music well. Those looking for a treasure containing Southern-fried
rock & roll
will be disappointed, but fans of emotion-packed anthemic
rock
will be well served by checking this out. ~ Rob Theakston