Nazareth
2XS

Last drops of international success for Nazareth following this thirteenth effort dated 1982, almost reaching the moment of being relegated forever to a cult band, good for a hard core of enthusiasts who grew up with them from the start, plus some rock 'n' roll novice eager to have a comprehensive picture of the musical movement he admires.

Virtues of Nazareth: rugged and penetrating vocals, distinctively personal, of the frontman; good melodic/timbral predisposition and variety of the guitarist; always prioritized melodic search; beautiful friendship and cohesion, both human and musical, among all four companions on this adventure.

Limits of Nazareth: personality far from overwhelming; vocals that are characteristic, yes, but certainly not at levels of quality and charm of excellence; all sorts of floundering from the eighties onward, as a classic strategy to stay afloat in a critical era for classic rock.

Well, what's good about this album? Certainly not the opening “Love Leads to Madness,” which is pure Americana style, between Springsteen and Tom Petty, to be clear. Made for the US audience and indeed welcomed with some success there. Personally, it bores me, while I'm engaged by the following “Boys in the Band,” authentically Nazareth: fast, abrasive, concise.

On “You Love Another,” again a thumbs down: it's a reggae mantra in the style of “The Bed's Too Big Without You” by Police: a “fake”-sounding, very dated bass line that remains the same throughout, a little upstroke guitar, electronic drum inserts, and the singer who can’t get over the fact that “She loves another,” without adding anything to the concept. In contrast, “Gatecrash” is a rowdy rock 'n' roll, which highlights even more how the pianist John Locke, formerly a guest on previous works and now formally incorporated into the group, is everywhere: not good.

On the other hand, “Games” is good, exuding authentic hard rock à la Nazareth: full-on voice, loud guitars, declamatory and glorious momentum. Just as, and even more so, “Back to the Trenches”: Dan McCafferty's raspy throat is at full power, the foundational riff is solid and satisfying, instrumental breaks are creative and aim for the noble goal of making you want to hear the main riff again. That's the way. Good music. Heavy.

“Dream On,” needless to say, is the ballad (not the Aerosmith one) and it sounds good, an obvious single also well received in the USA. Entertains greatly only to be forgotten right after unless you play it once a week for three consecutive months since it's good, “professional,” but it reminds you of a thousand other similar ones. Ultimately better is the following “Lonely in the Night,” endowed with a certain lyricism even if adorned with synthesizer strokes, a somber tribute to the current synth-pop decade.

“Preservation” is the worst of the bunch: danceable (?), falsely sneering, arranged with repetitive rhythmic guitar cells... it seems assembled by a computer. The umpteenth return to the familiar sound of Nazareth happens right away with “Take the Rap”: not a single rap passage though (menos mal), all massive rock ‘n’ roll, yet gently softened by a little piano; the final effect is the most typical of a Nazareth listen: total genericness within the genre, hand in hand with an equally total, pleasant entertainment capacity.

This doesn't hold for the concluding “Mexico” which, in honor of the title, features a display of double flamenco guitar (ah, right: from this album and for a while, a second guitarist accompanies founding member Manny Charlton). In this work, the good habit of this band concludes their projects with a “heavy” piece.

Verdict: the usual three-star Nazareth album. 6 ½. 20 thirtieths of an exam. 70/110 of a degree. By the way... the band's name doesn’t derive from the genesis of Jesus Christ, but rather (esticazzi?) from a town in Pennsylvania, not too far from New York.