Music review: Tom Keifer 鈥� 鈥楻ise鈥�
I鈥檝e been a fan of Tom Keifer since the early days of Cinderella. No, not the Disney character, but the Philadelphia-based band that burst on the music scene in the mid-1980s with gutsy hard rock tunes like 鈥淕ypsy Road,鈥� 鈥淪hake Me,鈥� 鈥淣obody鈥檚 Fool,鈥� 鈥淪omebody Save Me鈥� and 鈥淒on鈥檛 Know What You鈥檝e Got (Till It鈥檚 Gone).鈥�
Although Cinderella鈥檚 fame seemed to fizzle out by 1995, Keifer kept the faith on his own and eventually delivered his first solo album in 2013. 鈥淭he Way Life Goes鈥� featured the raspy-voiced frontman continuing Cinderella鈥檚 formula for belting out gritty rock 鈥榥鈥� roll numbers with a bluesy punch added for good measure.
Six years later, Keifer resurfaces with his second solo release that proves it was well worth the wait. 鈥淩ise鈥� was made loud to be played loud.
The 58-year-old singer can still deliver the goods with a commanding voice that provides plenty of muscle to the potent musical assault provided by guitarist Tony Higbee, bassist Billy Mercer, keyboardist Kory Myers and drummer Jarred Pope.
鈥淩ise鈥� serves as a triumphant call to stand up to the forces that try to drag you down and prevent you from reaching the heights that allow you to shine and prosper.
鈥淭ouching the Divine鈥� is the rousing album opener that offers an inspiring message to erase the dark days blanketing the soul through mercy, grace and faith in order to be able to stand firmly in a higher place of deliverance.
鈥淭he Death of Me鈥� speaks to resisting personal demons and the sinful temptations they offer with Keifer growling, 鈥淭ry to break me, bleed me, shoot me with disease/You ain鈥檛 gonna be the death of me.鈥�
While tracks like 鈥淟ife Was Here,鈥� 鈥淎ll Amped Up鈥� and 鈥淗ype鈥� assertively fuel Keifer鈥檚 simmering lyrics, some softer tracks add an aspect of vulnerability to the album鈥檚 overall tone.
The piano ballad 鈥淭aste for the Pain鈥� is an engaging exercise in resiliency and determination. Keifer seems to bare his soul as he declares, 鈥淚鈥檝e been shattered by crueler than you.鈥�
The album comes full circle from the scorching opener to the gentle closer. 鈥淵ou Believe in Me鈥� is a soft acoustic track that passionately proclaims the glorious feeling of having someone truly believe in you and what you can do.
Having seen Keifer perform two years ago, I highly recommend catching the Pennsylvania native when he makes an area appearance for a show on October 17 at Jergel鈥檚 Rhythm Grille in Warrendale.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at clinton43@me.com.