I’ve been looking forward to the new DANGER DANGER album for a while as they are not only one of my favorites from back in the day but also because vocalist Ted Poley is back in the mix. Not only does the band have a history of writing a catchy tune but Poley has that unmistakable vocal that is pretty much quintessential in this genre.

“Revolve” opens with “ That’s What I’m Talking About”, and when I first heard the title I thought it would be another one of those signature “tongue-in-cheek” rockers from the band that they’ve written countless times before. But the song is really more “mature” sounding with its classy arrangement and delivery. The song is similar to some of the finer Ted Poley solo material and a solid AOR-styled opener.

“Ghost of Love” opens with some fine guitar sounds from Rob Marcello and leads right into a prime melodic rocker. This is classy, first-rate DANGER DANGER and Poley turns in his usual impressive vocal. I’ve seen the band in concert a few times over the last several years and I knew Marcello was a talented player but his tone on the record is just awesome.

“Killin’ Love” is a moody, mid-tempo tune with another fine vocal performance and some nice underlying keyboards. I said it earlier but this is definitely a more refined sound from the band and one I like a lot. I alluded to this in my review of the POLEY/RIVERA “Only Human” release and that is, that I think Poley has a voice that is suited to classy, melodic rock and with the strong writing pedigree of DANGER DANGER it makes for a strong release so far.

“Hearts On Fire” is another vintage and anthem-like tune from the band that has had a knack for writing those types of tunes in its history. Poley handles these types of tunes with a special conviction that only he has. You’ll be singing along to the chorus in no time on this one.

“Fugitive” gives us the first ballad of the record and again Poley has the voice for these types of tunes but this ballad maybe doesn’t quite measure up to the emotional quality of past DANGER DANGER ballads. It’s a little paint-by-numbers if you ask me.

Next up is “Keep On Keepin’ On”. The song is more along the lines of the “care free” attitude that some of the earlier DANGER DANGER material had. A little basic in the lyric department but a fun song to blast with the windows down in the summer of 1989! If only we could step back in time!

“Rocket To Your Heart” is another one of those new mature sounding DD tunes which actually has a very modern and current sounding feel and at times the arrangement and underlying sounds reminded me of… ready for this… COLDPLAY! Now don’t worry as DANGER DANGER hasn’t gone of and went alternative at all. The song is a mega-melodic tune but with an overall more mature (that word again, I know) and updated sound. The song is still rooted in the melodic AOR genre and this sound suits the band very well.

“F.U.$.” is very DEF LEPPARD sounding but the lyrics, although they make you smirk, are a little much and the song is the type I always felt the band could do without. Although it’s wrapped up in a decent arrangement the song just wont go down as a favorite for me.

“Beautiful Regret” brings the record back up to speed and again sounds like something I could hear coming off a Ted Poley solo record.

The second ballad of the record comes in the form of “Never Give Up” and this one is more along the lines of the DANGER DANGER ballad sound we all know and love. Poley turns in another top-notch performance on this one and you get a tasteful solo from Marcello to top things off.

The record is rounded out with “Dirty Mind” and as the opening chords struck I thought I was hearing a cover of the WHO classic “Baba O’Riley”! That thought was quickly put to rest though as the tune turned into another melodic AOR rocker with catchy chorus.

As mentioned more than a couple times, this is a more updated and mature sound from the band and I guess if consider it’s been 16 years since they last recorded with Ted Poley in tow it really makes sense. It’s definitely a welcome return for one of the more endearing bands of the genre and if not for a couple of songs that were off the mark for me, I would be including this one near the top half of my list of albums of the year. Welcome back boys, now let’s get to some more extensive touring on U.S. soil and things will really be great!