I have been curious about this one for a while and a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to picking it up. Manraze is a trio that features Phil Collen of Def Leppard, Simon Laffy (formerly of the 70’s band Girl, which also featured Collen) and Paul Cook (formerly of the Sex Pistols).
The three of these musicians, for the most part, offer us some straight up in-your-face rock and roll. Gone are the overproduced and slick sounds that we are accustomed to hearing from Phil Collen in Def Leppard, this is raw material. And although it’s all fine rock and roll, there are a variety of different styles and influences coming through here.
It opens fast and furious with a great track titled This Is It. From here it moves into the first single, another catchy rock and roll track called Turn It Up. Twenty years ago this would have likely been a huge hit. From here the track Runnin’ Me Up offers a bit of a reggae and groovy feel and it’s also a great song. The next track changes gears again and brings us a smoother pop song called Every Second of Every Day. And that’s what this album is like, different styles coming through on each track, but all in all, three guys giving us great music.
One of the things I like about this album the most is Phil Collen handling the lead vocals as well as lead guitar. He does a great job on both. As for Def Leppard, throughout the album there are times when comparisons can be made. Every now and again a chorus or Collen’s vocals are unmistakably ‘Def Leppard’ish’. But it’s only at times, and this is not Def Leppard 2. Manraze are playing their own sound, and as I said before, it’s far less produced than what would be heard on a Def Leppard album.
Overall, a very solid effort, and from what I have been gathering, it has been getting a lot of great reviews. I’ve always loved Def Leppard and hope to hear a few more albums from them. But I hope Phil Collen can also continue to find the time to do both, because I would love to hear more albums from Manraze too. Grade B+.
Favorite tracks: This Is It, Turn It Up, Skin Crawl, Runnin’ Me Up
The three of these musicians, for the most part, offer us some straight up in-your-face rock and roll. Gone are the overproduced and slick sounds that we are accustomed to hearing from Phil Collen in Def Leppard, this is raw material. And although it’s all fine rock and roll, there are a variety of different styles and influences coming through here.
It opens fast and furious with a great track titled This Is It. From here it moves into the first single, another catchy rock and roll track called Turn It Up. Twenty years ago this would have likely been a huge hit. From here the track Runnin’ Me Up offers a bit of a reggae and groovy feel and it’s also a great song. The next track changes gears again and brings us a smoother pop song called Every Second of Every Day. And that’s what this album is like, different styles coming through on each track, but all in all, three guys giving us great music.
One of the things I like about this album the most is Phil Collen handling the lead vocals as well as lead guitar. He does a great job on both. As for Def Leppard, throughout the album there are times when comparisons can be made. Every now and again a chorus or Collen’s vocals are unmistakably ‘Def Leppard’ish’. But it’s only at times, and this is not Def Leppard 2. Manraze are playing their own sound, and as I said before, it’s far less produced than what would be heard on a Def Leppard album.
Overall, a very solid effort, and from what I have been gathering, it has been getting a lot of great reviews. I’ve always loved Def Leppard and hope to hear a few more albums from them. But I hope Phil Collen can also continue to find the time to do both, because I would love to hear more albums from Manraze too. Grade B+.
Favorite tracks: This Is It, Turn It Up, Skin Crawl, Runnin’ Me Up
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