Player - Too Many Reasons

Player

Too Many Reasons

by CJ "Music God" Plain at 21 March 2013, 7:19 PM

PLAYER is a band with a long history. Originally formed in 1977 by Beckett and JC Crowley, they were soon joined by Ron Moss and John Frieson. Best known for their international smash song, "Baby Come Back", the band is making a comeback with a new lineup. "Too Many Reasons" is another of the growing list of amazing records being released by Frontiers Records.

The band has had a number of hits over the years; as well as Beckett having written hits songs for a number of bands including: HEART, Kenny Rogers, POCO, Janet Jackson, SURVIVOR, and most recently, Vanessa Hudgens.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this, honestly. Ron Moss has gone on to be a leading cast member of the hit soap opera, "The Bold & The Beautiful" and PLAYER really hasn't done much over the past decade as a band. Often, making a comeback after such a long period, spells trouble for bands.

The album starts with a solid kick in the song, "Man On Fire". It has a punchy guitar riff and Beckett's voice has tons of fire. It's a great way to start and lets you know that band is here to prove something. "Precious" is a great song and really reminds one of the band NELSON. It has that classic, double harmony and keyboards NELSON made famous on "After The Rain". It's a definite catchy tune.

"Tell Me" starts with a big, thumping bass line and more great vocals. "You're My Addiction" is the first of the two songs that Ron Moss performs lead vocals on and also has that NELSON feel. Another winner. And so the album continues throughout.

This is a great album full of classy, catchy, tunes that will have you singing along to the giant-size melodies. There are enough hooks in these tunes to catch a blue fin tuna. This album, which I wasn't sure of in the beginning has wormed its way into my music rotation and hasn't left in the past couple weeks.

The playing on this top notch. Rob Math, JC Love, and Craig Philo really shine in their roles. The songs are superbly written and the production is crystal clear. This is a winner on every level in my book. If I had any complaint on this record, it would only be that some of the lyrics seemed a bit cheesy but honestly, I can't even complain about that. The lyrics take absolutely nothing away from the power of this record.

While this may not be everybody's cup of tea, if you're a fan of AOR style Rock, you can't go wrong with this. This is as solid as anything I've heard this year.