Unruly Child
Worlds Collide

Genre: Melodic Rock

The Unruly Child are a band well known to those who appreciate that melodic rock/AOR with a clear 80s influence where melodies reign supreme and the singer's voice amazes with expression and warmth. This is precisely the case with Unruly Child, who feature none other than singer Mark Free on the mic, ex-singer of King Cobra, Signal, who in the late 80s and 90s established himself as a top-notch singer in the AOR scene alongside the likes of Jamison and Gramm, releasing gems like Signal's debut (1990), his solo album "Long Way From Love" (1993), and of course the debut of Unruly Child (1991).

Many, however, will know that Mark, in the mid-90s, decided to change gender, becoming Ms. Marcie Free, after years that were undoubtedly tumultuous and emotionally impactful enough to title her second solo album "Tormented" (1996).

This event, in my opinion, is the key to understanding and better appreciating this welcome return of Bruce Gowdy’s band after a full 7 years since their last studio work (UCIII, 2003, with Philip Bardowell on the mic) and a remarkable 18 years since their debut with Free.

Let's just say it straight away, the performance is still great, but the years are noticeable even on the great Marcie, who seems to have lost some of that grit and strength she had years ago.

The album nonetheless flows well, thanks to an excellent production and respectable songwriting that make "Worlds Collide" a good album, with tracks like the lively "When We Were Young", "Insane" (with a great interpretation by Free), the "aggressive" "Love Is Blind" with its nice leading riff and a chorus worthy of the name, moving through "Read My Mind" with its typical 80s sound and a Signal aftertaste, and finishing with the classic hit expected from a band of this genre, in this case, called "Very First Time": catchy enough, winning melody, excellent musicians' performance in playing and choruses, and Free's usual high-level performance. Very few dips in tension throughout the album and a lot of quality, making Worlds Collide an essential purchase for all lovers of melodic rock. For everyone else, give it a listen; you won't regret it.