For most rock and roll bands, taking one step forward and two steps back wouldn’t be a recipe for success. But if you are Mick Jones, the lead guitarist and the sole remaining founding member in the legendary 1970s classic rock band, Foreigner, the formula works like a charm. It’s readily apparent on their first CD of new material in fifteen years (Can’t Slow Down) released last week on Rhino/Atlantic and distributed by Wal-Mart.
Relying on the tried and true formula that combines pulsating electric guitars, layers of lush keyboards; a splash of saxophone; and soaring, powerful, lead vocals; producers Mick Jones, Marti Fredericksen (“Aerosmith," “Buckcherry”), and Mark Ronson have managed to retain the signature instrumental sound of Foreigner’s first three albums from the 1970s (Foreigner, Double Vision, and Head Games). No need to change what has worked for the last 33 years. This new disc has a little bit of everything the band is known for. There are high energy full blown rock songs, some mid-tempo tunes, and a few power ballads. The step forward comes in the songwriting, most notably, the lyrics.
Lyrically, the subject matter of Foreigner’s classic songs typically addressed adolescent lust and relationships gone awry (“Hot Blooded,” “Urgent," “Dirty White Boy," “Blue Morning, Blue Day“, "Feels Like the First Time," and “Head Games”). On this new record, Jones and his songwriting partners (Kelly Hansen, Fredericksen, Steve McEwan, Russ Irwin, and Oliver Lieber) are still discussing relationships, but their messages come from the perspective of much more mature and much wiser men. The recurring themes are regret, responsibility, sorrow, hope, and acceptance. We’re also reminded that hindsight is always 20/20.
While the band’s lineup has changed a lot over the years, the new guys in the group (Kelly Hansen, lead vocals; Jeff Pilson, bass and vocals; Tom Gimbel, sax, guitars, vocals; Michael Bluestein, keyboards and vocals; and Brian Tichy, drums) have been touring consistently over the last five years playing the band’s back catalog. Along the way, they have brought an infusion of renewed energy and enthusiasm to the old classic songs on tour. Some of that excitement is present on this new studio collection as well.
Of course, the voice of Foreigner will always be Lou Gramm. Gramm and Jones worked in the trenches together to spearhead the artistic direction of the band during their glory years. In no way am I minimizing Gramm’s talent as a singer or the songwriting skills he brought to the band, but for those who are skeptical about the viability of bands who replace their original established singers (i.e., Journey replacing Steve Perry), don't be concerned about Hansen. Hansen has taken the baton from Gramm and is holding his own and then some. I’m convinced that Jones would not have tried to reform Foreigner without the right singer. Hansen is that guy. His voice is eerily similar to Gramm’s and he has about the same range. He knows his way around a stage and can work a crowd, too, so the band hasn’t missed a beat in concert with him out front.
Article comments
1 - Paul Roy
Great review Carl. I'm still formulating my opinion of this one, but my first impression was "what happened to Mick Jones' balls?" You can barely hear his guitar on this album. Half the album is ballads and the other half is rather lightweight rockers, but they are all still pretty good. Plenty of catchy melodies and Kelly Hansen sings his ass off. I can't say enough about the guy.
2 - Carl J. Mancuso
Paul, probably the one song you heard where Mick Jones let loose was his solo on "Lonely". But you're right, his guitars are not what drives the songs. It leads me to believe that the songwriting process began on keyboards for most of these tracks.
3 - steve williams
Definitely well worth the $12 spent on this 3 disc package! The new cd is overall quite good, but I don't see any new songs gaining the popularity that the old hits garnered. But some of the songs will blend nicely in a concert setting! I've been a fan of Kelly Hansen since the Hurricane days and his singing is still GREAT, he is also a great frontman. Big fan of Jeff Pilson (ex- Dokken)is a great Bass player/ singer. When you only have one original bandmember in the band such as Foreigner and all but one are replaced you are bound to lose some of the sound and 'majic' of days gone by, but they still do a superb job as can be expected. If you are a Foreigner fan go buy it !