Album Review: Turborider by Reckless Love
– By Rob Jones –
Reckless Love has always been about making music that is all about having a good time. Their first three albums were very much inspired by bands like Van Halen, Early Poison, and Bon Jovi, But more modern sounding. Their last album Invader took on a more pop sound, an element that was always slightly there but became more prominent on that album, and it left more than a few fans confused. But artists are people, and people evolve. Artistic evolution is what you will hear on Turborider, it’s not devoid of what they’ve done before, but it is very unique in their catalog. Here we have a fusion of 80s music styles where melodic hard rock meets synth-pop, which works to significant effect. The album starts with the title track, which shifts between mellow synth wave and driving stadium-worthy guitar playing. Singer Olli Herman displays his varied vocal range pretty well here.
“Eyes Of A Maniac” is more of a straight-up synth-wave track, subtle on the guitars and heavier on dance-worthy synth rhythms.
“Outrun” is supposedly where they figured out what the rest of the album would sound like. This is my favorite song on the album where I feel they marry the two styles exceptionally well, A mid-tempo song perfect for summertime.
One track I’ve heard mixed opinions on is the cover they do on this album of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark At The Moon,” which I think is actually a pretty cool version, it’s still quite a bit like original, but it does have the electronic drum kit sounds that tie it to the rest of the album.
“Like A Cobra” is another excellent mid-tempo synth rocker. “89 Sparkle” is pretty much a pop track that Bruno Mars probably would’ve made had he been around in the late 80s.
“Prodigal Sons” ends the album on the only harder song other than the title track.
If you know this band and are only interested in their old sound, then this isn’t your album, Although the guitar playing in these songs by Pepe Reckless is incredible, which you’ll definitely like. But if you come into this album with an open mind, you’ll find a very well-orchestrated fusion of styles that is both refreshing and exciting.
Turborider is a fantastic album that succeeds in its experiment. The music here not only fits their vibe but really sounds like they’d been doing this style far longer.
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