Cruzh - 'Tropical Thunder'

You can quickly tell you are in 80s hair metal heaven with the title track which comes over like Motley Crue with its gritty riffing and a big gonzo chorus. “We Go Together” is a sunny romp in keeping with the tropical theme and things get a bit of a Def Lep tinge on “Turn Back Time” (not a Cher cover) especially on the word ‘photograph’. It’s a lovely melodic anthem and new boy Alex Waghorn gets to show his vocal chops on this one – some folks might remember him from Reach who were at HRH AOR a few years ago and supported Eclipse at Bannermans in a warm-up gig.

“Are You Ready” has got the big beats but the next track “Cady” is a whole different can of Lilt (with the totally tropical taste for those old enough to remember that soft drinks ad) as a fragile piano and vocal ballad. The last track “N.R.J.C.” is an acoustic ballad too.

“New York Nights” is a lovely mid-paced rocker reminiscent of Bon Jovi’s early work and features snatches of spoken word and electronic drums. It’s one of several tracks that has its own lyric video, but it’s the music not the lyrics you should buy this for- they’re not poets and they wisely keep it simple, which is fine by me and fits the music and attitude of the band. There are some top-quality songs though, especially “All You Need” which is another smooth and classy affair and “Paralyzed”, which benefits from some additional keyboards and is a real highlight.

All-in-all this is a very good desert island disc and it won’t just be Wilson the volleyball that enjoys it. The album cover would look nice on a light blue T-shirt too, preferably with the logo on the sleeve and some UK tour dates on the back.