Cry of Love, a four piece band from North Carolina must be doing something right. "Peace Pipe" and "Bad Thing," the first two releases from their Columbia debut Brother have both hit #1 and #2 on Billboard's National Album Rock Tracks chart. The band also opens stadium dates for biggies like Robert Plant and Aerosmith, before headlining a club tour of their own.

However, I am having trouble figuring out what all the hype is about. I have to wonder about a band who admits the "vibe of the studio was going to have more impact on the album than anything," referring to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio which has recorded the likes of the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin in its renowned past.

It seems vocalist Kenny Holland, guitarist Audley Freed, bassist Robert Kearns, and drummer Jason Patterson wear their classic rock infuences on their sleeves with a collection of songs that sound like second-rate covers at best.

"Highway Jones" gets things going with a fusion of seventies guitar rock set to an acclerated nineties beat. The album sounds promising with Holland's vocals (try to imagine Bon Scott and Paul Rogers) and some ass-kicking guitar work by Freed, until Cry of Love get too comfortable with themselves. "Pretty as You Please" and "Too Cold for Winter" are downright boring, replete with worn out blues riffs and unimaginative drumming. The same can be said for "Hand Me Down" and "Gotta Love Me," which add nothing new to the AM sounds of the seventies with their stoned, mid-tempo beats and stoic guitars.

Personally, I feel it is too soon for classic rock to reinvent itself or make a comeback, of which Brother is a classic example. However, the fact that Cry of Love doesn't attempt to hide their roots under a glam metal stance like many of their modern day counterparts does give them an edge. Though classic rock may be a dinosaur for the ages, at least Cry of Love has a lock on the market.

Reviewer:  Don Kroeller Jr., courtesy of Flash Magazine.