RC Music 2023
& KEITH ST JOHN –
Here To Stay
Dutch multi-instrumentalist enlists American singer and a host of six-string soloists to stake a claim to a piece of eternity.
Primarily a drummer, Ron Coolen knows the value of building a solid groove all too well, and that’s what the Rosmalen artist has been doing for decades – keeping his profile low until 2020’s “Rise” announced there was a new force to reckon with on a hard rock scene – and that’s what’s at the fore of his sophomore effort. While this record’s predecessor might seem patchy due to the presence of several vocalists, “Here To Stay” is a reflection of a lesson learned, with the previous posse of singers and co-composers limited to the venerated Keith St John and stellar cast of guitar players kept in check in favor of tune. And while one’s prone to find the dance-inducing “Heavy Metal Till I’m Dead” and its titular reprise, which bookend the album, a bit pretentious and in-your-face, ignoring humor stored in here should be at the listener’s own risk.
Passing over the platter’s vigor is not an option, though, with sweet fierceness revealing its electronica-tinctured facets from the very beginning, fueling Joey Concepcion’s six-string filigree and not letting up, only turning into a different sort of emotional tornado, even in the baroque serenade of “Jaded Eyes” where Coolen’s ivories sound magnificent enough to elevate the piece, abetted by Timo Somer’s fretboard flight, to celestial heights. And if the effect-laden a cappella intro to “You’re Just A Bad Dream” may suggest an AOR angle, this cut’s frayed riffs will remove saccharine edge from St John’s powerful voice to emphasize his pipes’ versatility that the harmonies of “Saints And Sinners” – in which Gus G’s flaming licks rage just as they do, shredding, in the lave-hot blues of “Firebird” – shed a brighter light on. Brighter to an extent of “Mr. Jones” swirling under the neon and radiating fun into the feisty rock ‘n’ roll of “Shake Me To The Floor” before the pulsing “Bust Me Out” infuses the album’s drift with irresistible glam lines, and “90 Shades Of Hell” slyly cools the glow to stress the song’s serious message.
So yes, given that Coolen’s here to stay, it’s good to have him as a fresh fixture on this scene.
****1/3
