Baron - Love Valley

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, the name of the band, Baron, that is Peter Baron combines his talents for this ressurrected version of his previous band Active. Reformed and active again under its founder's last name, Baron is putting the spotlight on the three things they hold dear: fun, huge vocal harmonies and big thick guitars, two of these elements which are essential to the creation of a fine AOR product. Although Baron has not made it to the 'fine' area as of yet, "Love Valley" is still more than decent and provides several moments that are more than worthwhile. The album suffers only because it is split into two parts, the first five songs being produced by Eddie Kramer and the remaning five by Peter Baron himself in alternative sessions. The ones done by Kramer are much thicker and polished sounding but the second half of the album has some of the better tunage. Its a give and take situation but one we have to live with.

While atleast half the production is good, what does it sound like? "Love Valley" will contiunally surprise throughout on the first listen with its eclectic variety of tunes with its tracklist that just keeps on cycling through something different. Few themes are re-visited and some are handled much better than others by the band, and a few ideas they should have left in the closet. Almost every song can be matched up with a track from hard rock's varied past, but the outfit visits the varying sounds of Def Leppard and the blues meets mainstream pop of Aerosmith most often. Peter Baron has that Steven Tyler paint peeling edge and as you will see later on down the line can mimic that unmistakable sound to a perfection that he has down almost to a science. The other members, Troy Russek on bass, Marty Brasington on drums, Mario Piazaa on keys (but not enough!), and Greg Wolfe handling the majority of the guitars are all competant and do their jobs well but they lack a little of the spirit such a band should have. Maybe Baron's influence is a little overpowering?

01.] "Run From Your Love"
A wound up track that reaches for recent Def Leppard heights (think delightful sugary pop nonsense like "20th Century Sha La La Girl" from "Euphoria") but the guitars bite hard, snapping hungrily like alligators awaiting patiently for a bit of flesh in a rock n' roll river of love. The chorus has horns in it (good Lord!) and hones in for a hook. A um, fun, track that starts the disc off on the right foot.

02.] "Ship of Fools"
A striking rock anthem that begins rather innocently with subdued guitars chugging along contently in the background but as soon as the chorus kicks in with its descreet hints of synthesizer and deceptively adoring hooks, well anyone that succumbs to the power of the rock will be long gone. Peter counters his own lead with lyrical pieces like "gotta swim outta here" and other cutesy bits that compliment the theme nicely without resorting to too much cheese. Its definitely more on the meaty side, no leaning on synth here, despite having a very open ended sound.

03.] "In the Rain"
More acoustic than electric and soft in a plunky, stripped down fashion, this hovers close to the 'less is more' ballads of yesteryear that ripped up the charts after the 'bigger is better' fallout of the late 80s. So if ditties like Extreme's "More Than Words" and Mr. Big's "To Be With You" pops up in your head while listening to this then don't be too surprised, even though the chorus here allows for a larger array of instruments and is heavily piano driven. But for some reason it also reminds me of the gentler moments from Saigon Kick's "Water" disc.

04.] "Everybody Needs A Boost"
Funky Aerosmith inspired rock n'roll, if you can't hear the similiarties to that way sold out American band then you must be deaf! Not really my speed, even though lines like "went to the zoo lookin for the keeper" is definitely unique although cheese laden. The chorus has a bluesy feel and it does uphold the 'fun' end of the deal but....

05.] "Midnight Train"
...this is much more up my alley. Peter Baron sounds so much better when singing as himself instead of trying to be someone else. This is a major track for the album, moody and introspective it hits a few emotional chords and keeps blazing down the memory train picking up trails of love lost but not forgotten. Is past love ever forgotten? Does it ever leave your soul? Not when a photograph is found...stirring what was thought to be buried. Axewise it provides some thick and gorgeous notes played with lots of melody. The closest match to compare this to is Melodica's "Out of My Mind", but not nearly as heart wrenching.

06.] "Love Valley"
Every album has its stinker, and this one is no exception. When rock meets rap then something usually backfires along the way, as shown with this song which has more in common with Def Leppard, but in their darkest hour, that horrendous experimental stinkfest, "Slang". In fact, its kind of like a simmered down version of that title track, even lacking from that since it is devoid of any energy and kind of lumbers along painfully.

07.] "Fallen In Love Again"
A 'modern' but not "Slang" Def Leppard-ish bridge is the best part of the song by far, since it sports the heftiest melodic punch of the bunch. The rest is some kind of strange cross between the raunchy riff from Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me", a splash of AC/DC that is seen only on the odd verse or two and an overdosage of the potent Aerosmith sleazy blues pop sludge.

08.] "Jaded"
I wanted to dislike this one, with some slightly offkey vocals sounding out oddly at times, but even I must admit it sweetens the listener to the laid back and natural feel they were aiming for. The chorus is deceptively addictive, lulling one into a relaxed state. Joe Lynn Turner penned this one (and is a vocal guest, he's there in the background) and it proves he has definitely not lost his touch. Imagining JLT singing it kind of sours one on the existing version with Peter at the helm but its still a solid track that leans so heavily on the acoustic, the fear is there that a few strings would break in the process.

09.] "All I Want Is You"
Even as good as the lighter fare is, this is the kind of material where Baron really shines. A mix of the best of Cheap Trick and perhaps a dash of early Bon Jovi, its a mid-tempo track that's not quite a ballad but almost, straddling the fence proudly. Its a shame that it wasn't treated to the full quality production like the first five tracks of the album were, then it would have truly been a killer.

10.] "Corruptible"
Glam? Its kind of like a strange mutation of Kix, Saigon Kick, David Lee Roth and "Hot in the Shade" KISS with a modern twist that's not unwelcome at all. A strange mix indeed! Unfortunately it is not nearly as stunning as anything released by the bands it struggles to sound like but is a decent experimentation even though the results are definitely questionable.

11.] "Star Spangled"
The last song put in the can for the album is a tribute to those fallen in the 9/11 tragedy. An instrumental rock rendition of the Star Spangled Banner of epic porportions. Raw and spiritual, the emotion is definitely there. A sentimental, yet fitting way to end the album.

All in all, "Love Valley" is not a bad disc. Its diversity is its main blessing but also its outstanding drawback. Some of the styles the band visits stirs up the melodic beast in the blood and suits their capabilities well, but after hearing a catchy track like the instantly likeable anthem "Ship of Fools", then nonsense like the title track become almost laughable in comparision and more than a little painful to suffer through. Then again its that experimental spirit that gives us "Midnight Train", so it is not all for naught. The highs are really high and the lows sink almost too low, and there's still a bit of room left in there for what fits in the middle. Recommended for those that don't mind skipping a track or two, there's alot here to like, but some to hate as well.

Ratings and Wrap Up:
7.0
Songs - 7.0
Performance - 8.0
Production - first 5 tracks: 8.5/last 5 tracks: 7.0
Lyrics - 7.3

Hot Spots: "Midnight Train", "All I Want is You", "Ship of Fools"
Bottom Line: A promising band, with plenty of room to grow

Review by Alanna Evans -

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