SHADOW KING A ONE-OFF AOR SUPERGROUP WHICH HAD JUST ENOUGH ROCK UNDER THE BONNET

https://youtu.be/sXEch8aU3xg?si=u7qY6y94lOXIDWP5

Over the past year on Lost Treasures I have road tested a few things on the Anglo-American rock band Foreigner, a band that has been maligned by critics for most of the past 30 years, accused from anything from over-indulging with overdubbing in the studio to being the inventors of the `dreaded` power ballad. 

At least on the latter I don't know what the problem is, you could listen to worse things I reckon. Anyhow, before I let this blog turn into some two thousand word epic, I will sidestep a lot of adlib which I could dribble on about Foreigner and how `I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS` is still the best rock ballad of all time and instead showcase an obscure gem that former lead singer in Foreigner Lou Gramm recorded in 1991 with a group of other soft rockers under the band name SHADOW KING. 

The self titled adult-orientated rock masterpiece is considered by many AOR fans to be the ultimate of its genre, with just the right amount of rock attitude and melodic hooks for a mature audience.

The album obviously does bear a few

similarities to Foreigner, having Lou Gramm singing at his best throughout, but unlike Gramm`s two solo outings in the late 80`s, this album has a bit more grunt under the bonnet and isn`t second generation Foreigner.

Gramm is backed up by his old band mate from his 70`s band BLACK SHEEP by the name of Bruce Turgon on bass, rhythm and keyboards, eventual Def Leppard guitarist and former Ronnie James Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, who was a really good gothic metal head while playing for Dio, and Kevin Valentine, who only played drums and provided background vocals, like the other two as well.

Like any AOR album, the tendency was for the songs to be a bit too melodramatic and browbeating about lost love and everything to do with wanting to get into a girl`s pants. 

Not that there is anything wrong with wanting to do that but I guess I would sooner just do it rather than listen to somebody singing that I should (laugh). 

No truly, SHADOW KING is good rock solid AOR with a wonderfully textured atmosphere which is taken to the next level mostly because of the guitar genius of Vivian Campbell, he puts in a performance here which was his best since Dio`s legendary metal debut HOLY DIVER back in the early 80`s. 

The power ballads include the opening gem WHAT WOULD IT TAKE, I WANT YOU, the immensely tantalising and erotic THIS
HEART OF STONE, the rollicking DANGER IN THE DANCE OF LOVE and the absolutely spinetingling, haunting acoustic only final track RUSSIA which arguably contains the best vocal which Gramm ever sung in his life. 

The unrelenting boogey of ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, with it`s Free-like guitar assault reminds me of early Foreigner and that band`s lead guitarist, Mick Jones.

The song BOY is also fantastic, mainly for its
inspired gang backing vocals, no doubt with a hint of Def Leppard intended. 

SHADOW KING would dissolve as quickly as the band formed unfortunately, Campbell would go on to join Def Leppard for 1992`s ADRENALIZER, at the same time Gramm got back together with Mick Jones to re-form Foreigner to record and release three new songs for a greatest hits album released in 1992. 

I am no longer the AOR fan I once was, too many women have done the wrong thing by me over the years, and that`s why power love ballads don't quite have the same appeal with me like they did back in the bad old days.

But I have a soft spot for this album, it rocks enough to allow you to forget that it is generally classed as AOR.