Cats In Space - ‘Kick Start the Sun’

I first came across Cats in Space when they opened for Thunder on the ‘Rip It Up’ tour in 2017. I wasn’t impressed by the name, and I might have dismissed them out of hand without a listen. I was persuaded to give them a chance by some friends whose taste I trust. I didn’t regret it and became a fan from then on. While there are no big surprises on ‘Kick Start the Sun.’ This is classic Cats, sunny AOR with a smidgen of prog on top. The guitars are loud, and the keyboards cut through the tracks to be heard. It’s sunshine rock and we all need a little bit of that in our lives.

Half of the fun of a new Cats album is playing spot the influence. That’s still true on ‘Kick Start the Sun.’ All the usual influences are there, ELO, Queen, Styx, a hint of journey, and at times even a touch of Bon Jovi. Of course, the band that they recall most of all is Asia. This will be no surprise to those who know Greg Hart’s resume as he worked with Asia on the album Aqua, cowriting some of the songs. To highlight the sheer mix of influences, take a listen to the track ‘Charlie's Ego.’ It manages to come in with a keyboard sound that recalls The Monkees ‘Daydream Believer,’ has a spoken part midways through that could come straight out of Mott the Hoople’s ‘All the From Memphis,’ and still finds time before it finishes for some Brian May style guitar.

Damien Edwards second album with the band sees him building on his terrific debut on ‘Atlantis.’ Edwards brings a much more theatrical rock opera appeal to their sound. I find his vocals are much warmer than original singer Paul Manzi’s were.

To the album itself and some of the standout tracks. After initial short burst of the title track leading into the very proggy ‘King of Stars’ we come to the outstanding ‘Poke the Rich,’ which kicks the album into life. ‘Poke the Rich,’ which was also the lead single from the album, is an old-fashioned stomper that Slade would have been proud of in their eighties rebirth. It's practically glam, which is no bad thing to a person who grew up in the glam era. The harmonies on the track wouldn't it be out of place on a Queen record and the twin guitars of Dean Howard and Greg Hart intertwine and twist through the track. This is the first track that really hooks you, and after a few listens is very much an ear worm.

There's also proof here that you can teach an old cat new tricks. ‘Teenage Millionaires’ is the heaviest I can think of hearing the Cats on record. The track boasts a soaring guitar solo and Damian Edwards vocals are more intense than I've heard him on any of the cats tracks he's worked on so far. Without a doubt this track is one of my highlights on the album.

There was a riff at the start of the track ‘Fifty-one Pillow Bed,’ that is really annoying me. There's another tune lurking there. The band have put just enough of their own spin on it that I can't put my finger on what the song is. That isn't to take anything away from the track itself, which is another classic Cats track. I defy anybody to not find themselves singing and swaying along to this track before it reaches its conclusion.

The title track comes nearly two-thirds of the way through the album and provides another highlight. This is the track that carries the emotional heart of the album as we follow the song's protagonist. He leaves behind the woman he loves and heads off in search of adventure and to ‘Kick Start the Sun.’ Everything comes together on this track the playing is great, the singing is great, and the harmonies are right where they should be. Music and playing as good as this only serves to remind you what a farce the current state of British radio is. With the right exposure there's no reason that songs like this shouldn't be sitting in the top reaches of the charts.

The album also comes in a deluxe edition with a bonus disc. I’ll not go into details on every track, some of which are remixes/reworkings of songs on the main album. But there’s no filler here and I would recommend that any fans of the band get their hands on this version.