Reach Review

[Eyeof]

After listening to Reash again last night, I thought it would be interesting a couple of years later to go back in and look at Andrew's song by song review of Reach and see how after several listens his or our perceptions may have changed or not changed...

Reach sets the album up for a flying start - a mid-tempo melodic rocker with a classic Survivor verse which sees the great Jimi Jamison controlling the song's melody with his voice. The chorus is instantly memorable, but I could imagine it flying just a little higher had there been more backing vocals. A nice balance of keyboards and acoustic and electric guitars drives the song.

____

Fire Makes Steel sees Frankie switch to a harder edge guitar sound and a darker overall mood. This is one of the more famous Survivor cuts from the early 90s sessions.
It has aged pretty well and fits in fine here, offering a flurry of guitars and another strong chorus.

Nevertheless changes the tempo yet again – this time back to the same vibe as the opening track, but rather with Frankie Sullivan on lead vocal. Frankie's voice isn't as strong as Jimi's and is perhaps an octave higher. The song itself is very pleasant. Easy on the ears, strong chorus and a nice melodic hook. I'm not sure however, that its position within the album is quite right and I would have dropped it down a couple of places.

Jimi returns for what is the first of two very strong ballads. Seconds Away isn't a typical Survivor power ballad and nor is the track that follows One More Chance.
Both are sultry and moody ballads with strong sentimental lyrics and emotional vocals.
Jimi's voice alters a little here – I think he has concentrated on capturing the emotional aspect of the song rather than perfecting a usually smooth vocal. While rough around the edges, One More Chance certainly gets my attention as a very fine ballad.

For the first few listens I classed the next track Gimmie The Word as another slow track. And while the album could have definitely benefited from a more uptemo number in this slot, the track itself isn't a ballad. Rather, it is a subtle rocker with a strong lead guitar presence, but a restrained tempo and a dark and moody vibe. Keyboards are right back in the mix and Jimi's voice is again raspier and less polished than we have come to expect from him.

The Rhythm Of Your Heart is probably my biggest disappointment of the album. It's a fine ballad in itself, but what we really needed at this point was a big rocker and let's be honest – how many people out there already have this track in demo form?

Coming from Jimi's own solo album sessions in 1999, the track is ok, but if it wasn't considered for Jimi's Empires album – why now?

At this point I am really hanging for a rocker, but it doesn't come in an expected form. Rather I Don't represents how Survivor has changed in 2006.

This track could have been a hard rocker with an anthem chorus, but instead it is driven by a flurry of acoustic guitars – which do sound impressive – along with a more restrained and moody vocal. The chorus and tempo rise, but not as far as they might have done on the past. It's as if the band keep a lid on things going too over the top. They should have let things go some more.

Half Of My Heart is yet another ballad. This time it's a mid-tempo pop ballad and again signifies a mellower new approach from the band. A fine ballad with some soulful guitar playing, I do think some of the impact is lost due to the amount of ballads featured.

Talkin' 'Bout Love is the surprise of the album for me. This track typifies everything I love about Survivor – a nice uptempo pace, a melodic verse, bridge then a monster chorus with some big harmony vocals.
The twist here is that it's Frankie Sullivan on lead vocals. This blows his earlier track away and really is a much needed boost of adrenalin for the record. A couple more tracks like this and the opening track would have made a world of difference for those missing the old days.

Don't Give Up keeps the tempo moving, which is a definite plus. Jimi's back in control and delivers a good vocal. The chorus may not be as instant as the last song or the title track, but it does offer a taste of classic style Survivor.

Home closes out the album and yes, it's another very slow song. Home is a sentimental track without a big chorus, rather Jimi Jamison's vocal and Frankie Sullivan's lead guitar to guide the track through its paces. To be honest, I think I'll end the album with Don't Give Up on most listens.
The Bottom Line

I think Reach offers some great new Survivor tunes and I also think for the most part it sounds well put together. What it is, is something different for the guys and a new stage of their history, albeit, a somewhat mellower stage.
The production style is different, the hard rock edge is not there and the music isn't as polished as in the past. I know some fans will miss these elements. Personally, I could live with all of this a little easier if I could have had two extra uptempo tracks in place of 2 ballads.
But for something a little more reflective, Reach certainly offers some soulful melodic rock.

[Slander]

After listening to Reash again last night, I thought it would be interesting a couple of years later to go back in and look at Andrew's song by song review of Reach and see how after several listens his or our perceptions may have changed or not changed...

Reach sets the album up for a flying start - a mid-tempo melodic rocker with a classic Survivor verse which sees the great Jimi Jamison controlling the song's melody with his voice. The chorus is instantly memorable, but I could imagine it flying just a little higher had there been more backing vocals. A nice balance of keyboards and acoustic and electric guitars drives the song.

____

Fire Makes Steel sees Frankie switch to a harder edge guitar sound and a darker overall mood. This is one of the more famous Survivor cuts from the early 90s sessions.
It has aged pretty well and fits in fine here, offering a flurry of guitars and another strong chorus.

Nevertheless changes the tempo yet again – this time back to the same vibe as the opening track, but rather with Frankie Sullivan on lead vocal. Frankie's voice isn't as strong as Jimi's and is perhaps an octave higher. The song itself is very pleasant. Easy on the ears, strong chorus and a nice melodic hook. I'm not sure however, that its position within the album is quite right and I would have dropped it down a couple of places.

Jimi returns for what is the first of two very strong ballads. Seconds Away isn't a typical Survivor power ballad and nor is the track that follows One More Chance.
Both are sultry and moody ballads with strong sentimental lyrics and emotional vocals.
Jimi's voice alters a little here – I think he has concentrated on capturing the emotional aspect of the song rather than perfecting a usually smooth vocal. While rough around the edges, One More Chance certainly gets my attention as a very fine ballad.

For the first few listens I classed the next track Gimmie The Word as another slow track. And while the album could have definitely benefited from a more uptemo number in this slot, the track itself isn't a ballad. Rather, it is a subtle rocker with a strong lead guitar presence, but a restrained tempo and a dark and moody vibe. Keyboards are right back in the mix and Jimi's voice is again raspier and less polished than we have come to expect from him.

The Rhythm Of Your Heart is probably my biggest disappointment of the album. It's a fine ballad in itself, but what we really needed at this point was a big rocker and let's be honest – how many people out there already have this track in demo form?

Coming from Jimi's own solo album sessions in 1999, the track is ok, but if it wasn't considered for Jimi's Empires album – why now?

At this point I am really hanging for a rocker, but it doesn't come in an expected form. Rather I Don't represents how Survivor has changed in 2006.

This track could have been a hard rocker with an anthem chorus, but instead it is driven by a flurry of acoustic guitars – which do sound impressive – along with a more restrained and moody vocal. The chorus and tempo rise, but not as far as they might have done on the past. It's as if the band keep a lid on things going too over the top. They should have let things go some more.

Half Of My Heart is yet another ballad. This time it's a mid-tempo pop ballad and again signifies a mellower new approach from the band. A fine ballad with some soulful guitar playing, I do think some of the impact is lost due to the amount of ballads featured.

Talkin' 'Bout Love is the surprise of the album for me. This track typifies everything I love about Survivor – a nice uptempo pace, a melodic verse, bridge then a monster chorus with some big harmony vocals.
The twist here is that it's Frankie Sullivan on lead vocals. This blows his earlier track away and really is a much needed boost of adrenalin for the record. A couple more tracks like this and the opening track would have made a world of difference for those missing the old days.

Don't Give Up keeps the tempo moving, which is a definite plus. Jimi's back in control and delivers a good vocal. The chorus may not be as instant as the last song or the title track, but it does offer a taste of classic style Survivor.

Home closes out the album and yes, it's another very slow song. Home is a sentimental track without a big chorus, rather Jimi Jamison's vocal and Frankie Sullivan's lead guitar to guide the track through its paces. To be honest, I think I'll end the album with Don't Give Up on most listens.
The Bottom Line

I think Reach offers some great new Survivor tunes and I also think for the most part it sounds well put together. What it is, is something different for the guys and a new stage of their history, albeit, a somewhat mellower stage.
The production style is different, the hard rock edge is not there and the music isn't as polished as in the past. I know some fans will miss these elements. Personally, I could live with all of this a little easier if I could have had two extra uptempo tracks in place of 2 ballads.
But for something a little more reflective, Reach certainly offers some soulful melodic rock.

I still like many things about this album some 4 years later although I wish it were a bit heavier. Reach, FMS, Gimme The Word, and Talkin' About Love don't have to take a back seat to anything in the Survivor catalog. Having said that there is filler here and that is disappointing. I hope the assumed upcoming effort ROCKS.

[Andrew]

I was too kind too this album at the time.

[Ehwmatt]

Reach, FMS, Gimme the Word, Seconds Away, and Talkin Bout Love (KILLER TUNE!) make the album worth the price of admission for me. I was just rockin out to Reach and Talkin Bout Love on the guitar tonight... first time I'd spun those tunes in a while.

Crossroads Moment has it beat pretty handily though.

[Eyeof]

To me I gave the album quite a few listens...really, my favorite songs on this album were all retreads and I like the originals better (FMS, Seconds Away)...I think TBL is okay, but I'm not the fan of it some are....I did like Reach....and to be honest I thought Home was okay...

[Eyeof]

I honestly prefer to listen to the FMS demos over Reach however....although a few songs are more polished, I like the way they were done on FMS and overall I like the FMS demos better...