CD REVIEW: CROSSROCK – Come On Baby

Shane | 24 January 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: CROSSROCK – Come On Baby
Lion’s Pride Music
December, 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9 ½ /10

Classy, uplifting, lightly accented melodic hard rock from São Paulo, Brazil, Crossrock have nailed the late ‘80s hair metal styles that ruled the rock world at the time.

Opener Call You is reminiscent of early Dokken, with vocalist/guitarist Rane Cross possessing a similar timbre to his voice as Don Dokken. Tonight keeps up the high quality with an enormous double bass drum sound from J.P. and some classy Def Leppard-styled guitar work from Cross and Israel Nicoletti.

It’s All I Need would have been a huge hit if it had been released thirty years ago, it’s melody and stylish touch winning on all fronts.

I’ve mentioned melody, Dokken and Def Leppard – but just because Crossrock write catchy tunes and are fans of the big cock rockers, don’t for a moment think that there’s anything pop or bubblegum about them! Crossrock are a metal band – in the late ‘80s, heavy rock sense – and this may be the best melodic heavy rock album of the past year (it was released this time last year so I’m going to include it in the running as a 2015 album), jam-packed with woulda-coulda-shoulda-been megahits.

Any Road is a stadium-ready classic – frankly, every song here is. Without Love is the sort of semi-acoustic rocking ballad that Extreme used to do so well, whilst harmonica and blistering guitar propel Let’s Dance down the Nothin’ But A Good Time road. Hell, the title track is SO reminiscent of KISS that they even close out with a refrain from God Gave Rock n’ Roll to You II!

Come On Baby is a highly polished, extremely well played collection of hard rockers that are heavy on the melody, and straddle the cock n’ roll genre like a stripper giving a lap dance. A thoroughly enjoyable listen, this is a must have album for any fan of glammed up rock n’ roll.