Toseland
Renegade

James Toseland is a two-time superbike world champion who had to refocus his attention after having to prematurely end his racing career. He sure should have the determination, grit and will to succeed that made him double world champion to help aid him in his musical quest as well. The name Toseland as a band however hides more than just the man named James, it is a band and Renegade is their first album. It was first released in Britain but now Metalville is releasing it to the world, slightly longer and slightly more exclusive.

Musically it is hard rock, powerful with catchy hooks and a strong production. Toseland is a pretty good vocalist and they have a lot going for them with catchy choruses and soulful ballads. Fans of hardrock will most likely not be alienated by anything these guys do, their music is pretty much paint-by-numbers in character and novelty is certainly not a word that comes to mind when listening to this album. Toseland might live more on his past as a biker and world champion than his addition to the musical world, at least considering that it sounds like the genre is known to sound. The variation is enough and the playing time probably won’t scare too many fans away – I would say that it is a quality production.

And the songs aren’t too shabby either. The energy and drive is good but as I stated before, the lack of novelty quickly becomes apparent when listening to the album. I Doubt that any but the more engaged genre fans will find this fantastic, although I also doubt that anyone would find it terrible. It is a solid album that only has one small flaw and that is the fact that it becomes repetitive quite quickly. Small doses of the album should serve anyone very well, I like the album quite a bit but only if I don’t play it too much – the songs feel a little bit simple and they grab you easily but they don’t keep you for long as the depth is lacking.

I like all the songs, Singer in a Band, Crash Landing and Emergency are my favourites however. There are several songs with hit potential on the album even though none of them is one of those amazing timeless tracks that skyrockets the mood of an album. In the end I think that Toseland has put together a rather good album, though I would like a more novel approach in a future release.

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