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Bailey: Long Way Down

Melodic Hard Rock

4.0/5.0

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Frontiers Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 21.11.2014

Bailey is Nigel Bailey, vocalist and bassist for the UK hard rock act Three Lions. He steps out of that role for his first solo album, Long Way Down, a mere eight months from the release of the Three Lions album.

Nigel Bailey

In some sense, then, Long Way Down could be an addendum or another chapter to Three Lions. Part deux, if you will. Bailey basically sticks with English melodic hard rock, but adds bigger and heavier riffs, giving most songs a metal edge. One wonders if these are some songs that didn't make the cut for that previous album or simply something Bailey had another vision for. Regardless of the context, Bailey continues to craft some catchy hard rock tunes that spin around his coherent lyrics, sense of melody, harmony, and groove, and memorable refrains. These elements allow the arrangements to fit into an AOR wrapper. These get topped with an abundance of great riffs and ripping lead guitar solos.

The result is that most of Long Way Down features kickin' rockers like Dirty Angel, Bad Reputation, Feed The Flames, and Dirty Little Secret. Others, like the title cut and Ticket to Yesterday have a more moderate churning pace and development. While not bad songs, they don't quite have the spirit of the others. Bailey throws in a few songs that dial back on the heavier riffage. Stay and Somewhere in Oslo lean more towards that light AOR angle. Curiously, or not, I found the most interesting song to be the longest, In The Name of the King. The song tells more of a story, has more of a melodic metal edge, and Bailey's vocals are spot on, both melodic and passionate. After Three Lions and Bailey, I wonder if Nigel Bailey will develop a real presence in UK rock. He should as Long Way Down is solid and entertaining material. Recommended.

Nigel Bailey - In the Name of the King (Official Video)

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Vocalist and bass player Nigel Bailey steps out of the shadow of Three Lions to present some heavier UK melodic hard rock, and delivers some entertaining material.

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