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Lonerider: Attitude
Lonerider - Attitude Music Review

Lonerider: Attitude

Melodic Hard Rock
3.5/5.0

Website (Label)
Escape Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 17.04.2019 | Released: 26.04.2019

It's time for one more UK super group. Lonerider gathers together several long time veterans of classic rock: Steve Overland (FM, Shadowman), Steve Morris (Heartland, Shadowman), Chris Childs (Thunder) and legendary drummer Simon Kirke of Free and Bad Company. You're never too old to rock n roll.

Lonerider Photo - Click For Larger Image

Lonerider

With such distinguished personnel, perhaps you would like to take a guess at Lonerider's sound? Classic rock is the broader category, but than add some Seventies heavy steadiness, a dash of blues and, with Overland behind the mic, some smooth soul feeling. Indeed, somewhere along years, these guys missed Eighties spandex metal, Nineties grunge and alt indie rock, and the 21st Century revisiting the same. Me? Seventies, deja vu all over again. Lonerider made feel like I was in high school again. A Summer friday night is upon me and I'm off to hear my favorite local band at the town fire hall. Am I suggesting Lonerider sounds old? Some listeners may think so.

Nevertheless, Lonerider still delivers solid classic melodic hard rock, abundant with strong riffs and killer leads, plenty of groove from the rhythm section, and then wrapped in accessible melodies, vocal harmony, and catchy refrains. But, honestly, I connected more with songs that were up beat in tempo and groove like My Imagination, Angel Without Wings, and One In A Million. After these, I enjoyed the blues-infused slide guitar Fast Train. There was some of the same in Rock N Roll Dreamer, but the song was mercilessly slow going. I had the same feeling with Wanted Man which, to me, was trying to revisit early Bad Company, but missed the mark. Alternatively, Yesterday Heroes turned more upon an accessible AOR groove thanks to the ambitious melody, guitar harmony, and fine vocal harmony, especially in the chorus. It's easily the best song here. So what to conclude then? Revisiting classic retro rock, akin to the 1970's, Lonerider's Attitude hits the mark, bringing the past to the present with skill and imagination. But will anybody under 40 get it? I wonder.


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The Bottom Line

Revisiting classic retro rock, akin to the 1970's, Lonerider's Attitude hits the mark, bringing the past to the present with skill and imagination. But will anybody under 40 get it? I wonder.

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