John Waite
Rough & Tumble

Tracks
1. Rough & Tumble
2. Shadows of Love
3. Evil
4. If You Ever Get Lonely
5. Skyward
6. Sweet Rhode Island Red
7. Love’s Goin’ Out of Style
8. Better Off Gone
9. Further The Sky
10. Peace of Mind
11. Mr. Wonderful (Bonus Track)
12. Hanging Tree (Bonus Track)


Band:
John Waite – Vocals
Luis Maldonado – Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Shane Fontayne – Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic and Baritone Guitar
Kyle Cook – Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Programming and Harmony Vocals
Tim Hogan – Low End David Santos – Bass Guitar
Mike Webb – Hammond B3 Organ
Billy Wilkes – Drums and Percussion
Fred Eltringham – Drums and Percussion
Rodger Carter – Drums and Percussion
Bobby Keys – Saxophone
Jennifer Paige – Background Vocals


Discography:
Ignition (1982)
No Brakes (1984)
Mask of Smiles (1985)
Rovers Return (1987)
Temple Bar (1995)
When You Were Mine (1997)
Figure in a Landscape (2001)
The Hard Way (2004)
Downtown: Journey of a Heart (2007)


Guests:


Info

Released 21/1-2011
Reviewed 13/1-2011


Links:
johnwaite.com
myspace
frontiers

This record has a cover featuring a man in a leather jacket, that is usually something that means a boring album with a tired old person singing boring songs. John Waite is the tired old man on this cover, he has a history in bands that are called Bad English and The Babys. He also have managed to reach the very top of Billboard hot 100, but that is really not important for this review it is just a history for you who wants or needs it.

Musically it is rock music with a country tune in it and with focus on melodies. The production is clean and not really possible to complain about. There are twelve tracks on the album of which two are bonus tracks, the last two. The time it takes to complete a play of this album is just short of fifty minutes which is an okay length of time, bit towards the longer side but not usually a problem.

This album begins with the title track, a grip that is usually not good since it signals that they put the best first and then hopes the record will make it through the other songs before the listener dies from boredom. This title track is as is customary one of the better tracks on the album which in this case means that it is an okay track, not good in any way, just okay. And from that you can clearly note that I do not really fancy this album.

Sure this album is not all bad, track five which is called Skywards is a really good track a track of a quality that is nowhere else to find on this album. The track following for example, called Sweet Rhode Island Red is a really awful track, ridiculous, boring, rubbish and terrible are a few other words that can be said, abomination might be the best term for it. The general feel of this album is that it is quite dull and not interesting at all, besides the excellent Skywards of course.

I think the sense of avoiding albums with a person close on the cover is still something that apply, had I taken that advice I would have never bought this album. Now we got it to review and so I did but I can assure you that there is not even a remote possibility that I would buy this record, the good song I could have gotten from iTunes or something like that if I wanted it.

If you like country inspired rock music that sounds old and dated, tired and bored, simple and dull, this might be something for you, but if you as me like good music with some energy and some feel I can assure you that this is nothing to buy; no with this record John Waite creates what is for me the worst album of this year so far.

HHHHHHH

Label - Frontier Records
Three similar bands - Bad English/The Babys/Hurtsmile
Rating: HHHHHHH
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm