A new album by John Waite is something I look at with much interest. Waite is a legendary voice of sorts in the melodic rock/AOR world, with songs like “Isn’t It Time”, “Missing You”, “Change”, “In Dreams” and “When I See You Smile” having his name all over them. His offerings the last several years have been sparse with just some re-recordings and live albums to choose from. So it is with welcome ears I get a chance to listen to an album of all new material.
It seems 2011 sees Mr. Waite taking a slightly new approach and coming up with some twists and turns to go along with his usual melodic rock nature. His voice is sounding as strong and distinctive as ever and his collaborative efforts with Kyle Cook (MATCHBOX TWENTY guitarist/songwriter) has brought a fresh new feel to his music. That sound is evidenced on such new tracks like “Evil” which is something of a sultry, groovy number and lead single “If You Ever Get Lonely”, which is a strong ballad in the mold of other Waite classic soft rock tunes. The album is still very melodic at its core but just has a different feel. It’s a new Waite feel but still the same old John Waite at the same time if that makes any sense.
“Skyward” is a mellow rock number with acoustics all over it and has a great vocal performance stamped all over it. The song “Sweet Rhode Island Red” is an old IKE & TINA TURNER number which Waite tackles with conviction and you get to see how great of a rock and roll voice he possess on a number like this. You also get another cover of sorts on the album as Waite has included a new version of his track “Mr. Wonderful”, which originally appeared on his “Ignition” album in 1982.
“Better Off Gone” is a cool classic rock sounding number with a very melodic nature and some inspired guitar tones. The song is another of the stronger tracks on “Rough & Tumble”. While the song “Peace Of Mind” is a different sounding number for Waite, it works pretty well and has some cool guitar riffs to compliment its slightly eccentric vibe. The extremely mellow and bluesy “Hanging Tree” closes out the album and brings to close a welcome new record to the John Waite catalog.
Come February 22, 2011 be on the lookout for “Rough & Tumble”.
