Kev Rowland It's incredible to think that the debut Night Ranger album, 'Dawn Patrol' was released some thirty-five years before this one, yet Jack Blades (lead vocals, bass guitar), Brad Gillis (lead guitars) and Kelly Keagy (drums, lead vocals) are still there. Eric Levy joined on keyboards in 2011, while Keri Kelly (guitar) became a full member in 2014, although he had previously substituted for Joel Hoekstra. These guys were one of the original MTV darlings, selling millions of albums and releasing at least one bona fide classic single in "Sister Christian". They may not be hitting the charts like they used to, and their million-selling days are probably behind them, but that probably says more about the way that the music industry has changed as opposed to the music they are releasing.

The albums kicks off with "Somehow Someway", and it honestly sounds as if they are still as hungry for success as they were back when they started out. The guitars have just the right amount of edge and bite, the vocals are as solid as ever, and there is just hook after hook. I honestly think that it is impossible to play this album without a smile plastered right across your face as it is just one gem after another. I found that while writing the review I kept sitting back, listening to what was coming out of the speakers, and just really enjoying the music, and isn't that what it is all about when all is said and done? They may not be fashionable anymore, but this is a bloody great album, and don't let anyone tell you any different.

Time Signature Follow your heart...

Genre: hard rock

Boy, was I positively surprised by this release. Night Ranger's tenth effort "Somewhere in California" is a brilliant hard rock gemstone which is pleasing to the ear of the melody-loving hard rocker and metalhead.

There are plenty of highway-friendly hard rocking tracks with lots of power and classic guitar riffs and vocal melodies, while other tracks are a bit more advanced and characterized by some really impressive guitar work in the form of both blazing and technically impressive guitar solos and complex, yet appealing, guitar harmony leads galore.

Being quite AOR-oriented, there is a lot of focus on melody, and both verses and choruses are big and catchy - especially the vocal melodies in the choruses are extremely listener-friendly. True to tradition, there are of course also a couple of ballads on the album. I am quite critical towards ballads, as you may know, but I actually quite like the ballads on this album - I mean, who needs boybands when you have melodic power ballads?

Massively melodic and all brilliant, "Somewhere in California" is recommended to the melody-loving metalhead and hard rock fan.

Stephen I thought post-departure of Jeff Watson and the disastrous 'Hole In The Sun', Night Ranger is practically finished, but Blades and Keagy proved that they haven't reach the finish line yet. With 'Somewhere In California', the melodic giant within the band was awaken and deliver of what I called "the best album since Man In Motion".

The first single, 'Growin' Up In California', although contained the necessary 80s formula, it didn't appeal me first but after giving it a chance for some several intense spins, I know that Night Ranger is back on track again. 'Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)' springs to the air in the classic midtempo fashion of Night Ranger, the verse is bombastic and the chorus is powerful. 'Time of Our Lives' is a piano/acoustic ballad champion, check out the killer solos, a big wow for me! 'No Time To Lose Ya' is a brilliant midtempo gem and so is 'End of The Day', the riffs are excellent and carefully crafted.

By the book, it seems like a flawless album but I still stumbled on some patchy moments, such as 'Follow Your Heart' which put the band in a jazzy attempt but overall the song is just too average. 'Live For Today' is an interesting and risky effort to emulate Enuff Z'Nuff's style but failed to compete with the rest. The rest songs are good, some have wonderful solos, some have weaker choruses, but pretty satisfying at the end.

A brilliant comeback to the core sound but still can't touch the first four albums, if I need to sum up this record in one sentence. More hard rockin' and ironically, with the absent of Watson, the guitar parts are even bolder and thrilling. I hope it's a new era for the band and if they can keep up this speed for the next 3-4 albums ahead, it's about time to shake their 80s era off the top.

Stephen Kelly Keagy probably never had a thought that a simple story about his younger sister which was lyrically poured in "Sister Christian" could have propelled Night Ranger's name to the sky and boosted "Midnight Madness"' sales that this record eventually went off as their biggest selling album of all time. But this album is not all about that ballad, in fact, there are several real rockers that will steal your attention such as "(You Can Still) Rock In America", a classic concert anthem with Fitzgerald's fingers dancing swiftly on his keyboard and Watson/Gillis duo unleashed superb rhythm and solos; "Why Does Love Have To Change", an under-appreciated huge melodic rock tune, check out the beat-pumping chorus after the grandeur verse, simply stunning; or "Chippin' Away", a song that's rarely seen in their setlist but carried a big potential behind its back.

Going back to that ballad, I always think that "When You Close Your Eyes" is far superior compared to "Sister". It has killer arrangement and memorable chorus, side by side, this track is a sure winner, but nevertheless, both served as the important keys of this album. Two tracks that I think are subpar here are "Touch of Madness" and "Let Him Run", but "Rumours In The Air" and "Passion Play" are among the high standard and great examples of Night Ranger's capability of molding fine compositions.

Night Ranger's first three records are undoubtedly their best and since their formation in 1980, the band hasn't been able to produce any better output than this, and that also includes Jack Blades' side project, Damn Yankees, but I always keep out for their latest release as I'm secretly hoping that they will be able to push their limit and boundaries and knock this album down from the top, a respectable position of what I called 'their best album to date'.

Stephen First time I ever heard their name is by their timeless ballad, "Sister Christian", but I didn't realize that they have a monstrous debut. "Dawn Patrol", an 1982 release, is probably one of the pioneers of melodic rock movement which later gained huge popularity in the mid-80s. Night Ranger brought a fresh harmonic singing with some sweet rocking guitars and tender AOR touch, half of the album are packed with some uptempo catchy tunes, several midtempo and ballads, and most of them are strong and solid.

"Don't Tell Me You Love Me" is a classic fave, I can't believe I have missed this track in the first place, definitely a brilliant piece of beautiful music. I've also heard an acoustical rendition and it's surprisingly awesome as well. "Sing Me Away" is another fan-fave, a great sing-along track. "Eddie's Coming Out Tonight" is a smart combination of hard rock and AOR, I love this one. Some other great goodies here are "Young Girl In Love" and "Penny", and perhaps only the title track is the worst of the bunch.

"Dawn Patrol" is a fantastic start of the band. To listen to the duets of Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis is a thrilling experience. Jack Blades is unquestionably highly talented and you can witness his genius creativity in the other bands such as Damn Yankees and TMG. All in all, a magnificent album, highly recommended for fans of traditional heavy metal, glam metal, and melodic rock / AOR.