Shaw-Blades – Influence

Shaw-Blades – Influence / 2006 MTV / 11 Tracks / http://www.shawblades.com / http://www.mtv.com / Reviewed 28 March 2007

Jack Blades was in Night Ranger and Damn Yankees. Tommy Shaw was in Styx. Together they are Shaw-Blades, and they don’t play anything original on this album. Tracks confront listeners from acts like Seals & Crofts, Paul Simon, and the Mamas and the Papas. From these two individuals, who created some of the harder rock and hair metal of the seventies, eighties, and nineties, to hear a song like “Summer Breeze” just seems odd to me. While there should be no negative claims on the talent exerted by Shaw and Blades on this album, the choice in tracks is confusing as hell.

Especially when the band plays “Time of the Season”, only changing minor things and really crafting a song that does not reach the allure of the original. In fact, the only thing that can be construed as a positive development between the original song and the cover by Shaw-Blades is the clap-heavy breakdown present on the track. The guitar opening to a song like “Your Move” is again a testament to the ability of Shaw-Blades, but the lack of energy is again something that makes “Influence” a disc that does not shine as brightly as it could be. However, it does seem as if Shaw-Blades do get into a slightly harder sound with the end of “Your Move” and the opening of “I Am a Rock”. The band gets into a Jethro Tull type of art-rock (albeit with a heavy dollop of pop-rock present), into what has to be their first single on this disc. “Lucky Man” is another track that brings Shaw-Blades somewhat into a rock type of style, but further solidifies them in the classic / adult contemporary sound.

The one thing that I would have to strongly recommend that Shaw and Blades do would have to be craft their own songs, so that individuals can hear how well they would mesh in regards to their own arrangements and instrumentation. The guitar arrangements during “Lucky Man” are a step forward for Shaw-Blades, but there needs to be much more done in creating their own sound before Shaw-Blades can be a rock act that can stand with all of the other bands on the market. Skip out on this disc and hope that Shaw-Blades can come out with something more impressive in the next few years. Maybe see them live, but that would be all I could suggest at this juncture.

Top Tracks: Dirty Work, Lucky Man

Rating: 4.8/10

[JMcQ]