Style: pop rock, adult alternative, blues-rock
Label: Mercury
Year: 1980
Home: New York
Members: Peter Criss ~ vocals/drums/percussion
Stan Penridge ~ guitars/b. vocals
David Wolfert ~ guitars/synthesizer
Tony Mercandante ~ bass/b. vocals
Stu Woods ~ bass
Benny Harrison ~ keyboards/b. vocals
Ed Walsh, Greg Zanthus Winter ~ synthesizer
David Buskin ~ b. vocals
George Young ~ saxophone
This, Peter's second solo album, has its collection of lovers & fierce haters. Comparing it to what came before I think this album shows an increase in Peter's confidence as a musician & singer. Its like he found his legs after doing his first solo album. This is a much stronger album, & the one I would recommend to hear first. He sings with more confidence. Peter often belts out like a blues rocker here to great effect. He lets his voice fly like a bird like he's auditioning to take over from Paul as Kiss' frontman. The album also holds up & gels better musically to me than his debut, which had good moments but felt unfocused in his drive to explore new musical avenues. Though, really, I find Peter's solo career more unfocused than not, with one good album not meaning what will follow will be in the same mold. I feel he has never founds himself solo-wise, with age & changing music styles not helping, just as long as he is known as something more than just the guy who sang "Beth" & played drums. He wants to do more, & particularly do things Kiss would never dream of doing. Or, at least, softer songs, more emotional & contemplative songs, songs that groove or pop over being full of pomp & roar. Yet, the problem is that his singing career really revolves around "Beth." One should note that his solo career focuses on his singing, not his drumming. "By Myself" doesn't even have any drums. There's also no drum solos to be found. Too often it feels like he's aiming for "Beth Part II" or The-It-Sounds-Like-Beth-But-Really-Isn't-Song. That was a great song, but it was a one time only moment. So what do you do when your one hit was a near fluke in sound? Well, I'm guessing Peter has crowned himself a sort a crooner, even if "Beth" was faux-crooning. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. He tries his best, but the material isn't always right for him. When he does hit a groove it becomes apparent what works for him, & what doesn't. The end result might have been stronger if it was more focused on one style, versus experimenting with different flavors. It should be noted this is really a pop album, not a rock album, though it has rock songs & elements. For some it may be a bit shocking if they are expecting Kiss. This follows more with what he was going for on his solo debut, while moving from hard rock to pop rock & back again. "In Trouble Again" sounds like it is going for an Ace Frehley groove & might be the closest thing to Kiss. The title track, "Words", "By Myself" & "Where Will They Run" is '70's pop with all the musical cliches that sound incredibly dated & a bit weak instrumentation-wise all these decades later. Think heavy on the keyboards with disco beats. They will hit or miss likely depending on how you like the classic 70's groove sound. I do like "I Found Love," which has all the keyboards but pops & rocks making it sound like a 70's hit in the making if only it came a few years earlier, & with nothing in common with "Beth." This is a highlight of the album. "There's Nothing Better" mixes things up with some Chicago blues, wailing guitars, shuffle groove & horns included. This is another highlight of the album for me, if for no other reason than its different than Kiss & really works for Peter's raspy voice. This bluesy approach is carried over for a second success in his cover of the Rascals' "You Better Run." Its raw, rough, & perfect. Though, perhaps it succeeds better than the more polished pop songs because it doesn't try to take itself too seriously. Though, "I Feel Like Letting Go" is one I struggle to recommend. It feels far too much like "Beth", but without the good lyrics. Its about as generically bland as rock lyrics come. It literally feels like he grabbed random song titles & put them together. The one thing that redeems this, or makes it a struggle to recommend, is he tears it up vocally putting his heart into it like no other song here. Its just too bad he has nothing to say. I see many Kiss fans proclaim the wonders of this album, but I really don't know if it was due to the fact it was not Kiss, over how well it actually holds up. Its not bad, but its not great. I feel like letting it just go.
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