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Rating: The second album by Badlands (in 1999 a third posthumous one was released: "Dusk"), created by the former guitarist of the Ozzy Osbourne band: Jake E. Lee, during the "Bark At The Moon," "The Ultimate Sin" period, can truly be considered one of the brightest examples of hard blues from the nineties. Released in 1991, two years after the more polished and produced debut, which was still excellent, the band distinctly dirtied their sound with a more raw and essential production, embracing the seventies blues sound much cherished by bands like Free, Bad Company, Montrose, Whitesnake, and Led Zeppelin.
Led by Lee's six-string, which finally allowed him to fully express his great talent as a bluesman, this is however the album of Ray Gillen, one of the most talented singers of the '80s and unfortunately also one of the most unfortunate. Missed, for legal reasons, the chance of a lifetime, joining the mid-eighties Black Sabbath, those who were about to record "The Eternal Idol," with whom he managed to do some concerts and some demos, recoverable in rare bootlegs, his life was prematurely cut short by a terrible illness that took him away at only 34. Comparable to the best hard vocalists of the '70s, from Paul Rodgers to Robert Plant, with this album, inexplicably underrated at the time, Gillen had the chance for a career redemption, and more than fifteen years after his death, we can say he fully succeeded.
The album cover, depicting a forlorn little house, immersed in a swampy environment, is highly indicative of where the album will go. The supergroup completed by Greg Chaisson on bass and Jeff Martin on drums dives immediately from the initial "The Last Time" into a hard blues, with Lee's guitar taking center stage and an organ in the background laying a carpet for Gillen's unbeatable voice. Few weak points in this album. Authentic acoustic interludes are embedded with heavier riffs, as in "Show Me The Way". Gems of genuine hard blues are "Whiskey Dust", the splendid "Silver Horses", "3 Day Funk" (a funk blues that wouldn't look out of place on any Black Crowes album) while more metal-oriented songs like "Shine On", "Soul Stealer", and "Heaven's Train" bring back the past of the musicians in this band.
"Joe's Blues" is nothing more than a brief showcase of Lee's acoustic skills, while in "Voodoo Highway" they surprise us with an acoustic blues featuring Lee on Dobro. The final two gems are a cover of James Taylor, "Fire And Rain", naturally rendered in rock style, and "In A Dream", an a cappella song by Gillen, just to give further proof of his vocal versatility.
A small jewel to be passed down to posterity, to show that in the early '90s there was not only grunge but also bands like Badlands who, despite lasting only for two albums, managed to create a record full of warmth and tradition while keeping a foot in the present. Then it’s known that when two talents like Lee and Gillen have to coexist, sparks often fly. The band disbanded almost immediately, and the sad ending I've already told...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
06 Soul Stealer (02:58)
Oh
If you want my love
Just name a time and any place
If you want my love
Just name a time and any place, yeah, yeah
You need a backdoor, said I'd never leave
Oh, without a trace
If you want my heart
You can steal it if you want to
Yes, you can
If you want my heart
You can steal it if you want to, yeah, yeah
`Cause in your lovin' arms, sweet baby
Where you set me free, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Solo)
Take a chance on your love, sweet Jesus
Even though you're gonna break my heart with your evil ways
`Cause I love you, love you, love you, love you
Any time and any place now, baby
You ain't nothin' but a soul stealer
Think I'll take my chances
`Cause in your lovin' arms. sweet baby
Where you set me free-yeah
Any time, any place now baby
Oh, it's gonna make you blind
Yeah
11 Fire and Rain (03:40)
Oh oh oh oh, oh
Just yesterday morning
They never know you were gone
Susan, the plans they made put an end to you
I woke up this morning, and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to
Well, I've seen fire, and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, yeah
But I always thought that I'd see you again
Won't look down upon me Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
I just can't make it through another day
My body's aching, and my time, my time is at end
I just can't make it any other way, yeah
Well, I've seen fire, and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend (yeah)
But I always thought that I'd see you again
Sweet momma you're gone
(Solo)
I'm openin' my mind to easier times
My back turned to the sun
Lord knows, when the cold winds blow
It'll turn your head around
But there's only time on the telephone lines
To talk about the good things to come
Sweet dreams and war machines in pieces on the ground, yeah
Well, I've seen fire, and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, yeah
But I always thought that I'd see you again
And your gone, gone, gone, my baby
Sweet times don't wait for me no more
I can't go on living without you by my side
13 In a Dream (02:13)
When I'm down and feeling low
And confusion has touched my soul
How I need some place where I can hide away
Let me fall within your arms
Melt away this cold I feel
All I need is to hold you tonight
Hold me close when I'm cold
Let me hear your beating heart
Close my eyes far away in a dream
In the morning I wake
And I'm blessed by God's grace
Just to open my eyes to see your face
Hold you tonight, sweet child
Never let me go
Tell me everything, oh, will be alright
In the morning I wake
And I'm blessed by God's grace
Just to open my eyes to see your face
Just to open my eyes to see your face
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