Joe Lynn Turner - Hurry Up and Wait

The meat of the album is of course the songs, and there is varying quality, as with most releases.

1. "No Room for Love" - is typical hard rock fare and serves as a nice opener to get the album off on the right foot. While not spectacular, it is fitting.
2. "Guilty Heart" - pumps it up a few more notches, with a huge melodic flavored swinging chorus and electric trills and thrills offered up by the former Savatage duo Pitrelli and Caffery. Joe Lynn Turner sounds absolutely fantastic, as he should, since he's the star of the show. His voice hasn't lost anything over the years, but just improved tenfold.
3. "Sex and Money" - is a cool song that is perfect for sing-along sessions or long car rides. Bouncy rhythm increases its addiction with the horn fills, which in that aspect remind me of Lynch Mob's "Tangled in the Web" but that's where the comparision ends between those two. The repetition of the title in every other verse, grinds the words in.
4. "Shine On" - Breathtaking and atmospheric, Turner sounds like an angel with that lucious voice soaring over the background tapestry of voices. But I have to ask, why is this the bonus track? This song is far too wonderful to have not been on the regular release of the album, and I feel sorry for the Japanese, who were denied this beautiful ballad. Lighter than the clouds in Heaven and one of the shining stars of "Hurry Up and Wait".
5. "Blueprint for the Blues" - This song is, as the title says. The vocals are typically rough around the edges, adding a deep depth of personality and the guitar is handled masterfully by Tony Bruno who squeezes the bluesy notes out with relative ease. It flows authentically with that nice slicing edge of melodic rock on the side.
6. "The Game of Rock N Roll" - Take a dash of early 80s Rainbow, and a spice of Deep Purple, toss them together, and this is an example of what would result. Unfortunately its neither as good as "Difficult to Cure" or "Slaves and Masters". A bad lyrical mess of "One day you're pumping gas, next day you are jumpin' jack flash, it's a gas, gas, gas", is somewhat saved by Turner in the rushed delivery and the musical 'build up', it speeds by before you can really get a mental grasp on what exactly has just been sung the first few times, right over the head. The guitar bit at the end is especially nice touch for a finisher.
7. "Too Much is Not Enough" - Straightforward 'cover' or is it a 'remake', of Deep Purple's "Too Much Is Not Enough". JLT sang on the original and wrote it along with Bob Held and Alan Greenwood, the latter was a driving force behind Turner's first solo release back in 1985. This 'version' of the song seems much more vocal driven than the one situated on 1990's "Slaves and Masters" and sports a much flashier production job, but otherwise is a very close match to the original. Of note is the fact Doogie White helps out the background vocals, yet they still seem a tad on the robotic side. I could not even come close to picking his voice out.
8. "Sentimental" - The nostalgia (or lack thereof) from past times, comes full force in this generic hard rocker. With a few gripping moments, and flashes of squealing guitar breaking free from the thick riffage grinding between chorus lines.
9. "Someday" - More Deep Purple-ish choruses and keys, for all practical purposes, this could have been written in the same writing session as "Too Much is Not Enough", since they share lots of similarities. Background vox here actually improve the song rather than hinder it.
10. "Days of Rage" - Prior to purchasing the album, this was the only tune I had heard, and its a smashing one at that. Hammond flavored keys, atmospheric guitar, and the bottom thumping bass give parts a darkened, moody feel, before Joe Lynn splits it wide open to a second, faster paced, pure rock and roll section, which climbs to a third tier featuring a nicely situated chorus. The haunting acoustic in the middle adds the perfect prelude to a furious guitar solo.
11. "We Will Survive" - The first time I experienced this one, the only word that came to mind was "fantastic" and that describes this 'un to a 't'. Classic Turner, with a heart stopping chorus that really comes into its own. An uplifting, upbeat song, rich in depth, with every piece falling into place with perfection. Pitrelli manages to squeeze yet another show stopping performance with a bitterly sweet guitar solo. One for the JLT hall of fame.
12. "Can't Face Another Night" - Not content with just going out with a bang, the album is topped off with a true tearjerker. Lush, emotionally gripping ballad, paved out by Joe's magnificent vocals, and more Pitrelli guitar wizardry. Showing off his natrual talent for writing touching lyrics, "This desperate heart is reaching out for you, 'cause I've had my share of loneliness, I don't know what to do, babe". A melodic ballad masterpiece on a par with his 1985 classic "Endlessly". Just smashing.

While "Hurry Up and Wait" does lack some of the magic of mid 80s "Rescue You", "Hurry Up and Wait" is a gigantic improvement over 1995s "Nothing's Changed". The song order is more consistant, with a nice mix of ballads, and rockers varying in tempo and of course, quality, with a blues tune thrown in for the heck of it. The result is a very worthy album, solid on all fronts. My only complaint is with a couple of songs which don't seem to be on the same level as the rest, and some at-times stiff background vocals. However, with the way the albums wraps up, mainly the last three songs, shows a fire lighted in the performers, and imagination put back in the songwriting. Also of note is the fact there are multiple versions of this album, with an array of bonus tracks, but the Japanese ended up with no extras this time, they all went to the Europeans. If you are searching for a great slice of pure rock n roll, with a few spicy moments of melodic magic, then look no further than "Hurry Up and Wait", with its variety and all-star cast, its sure to please.

Rating - 8.5
By Alanna Evans
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