Eight by Little Caesar (Golden Robot Records)
Eight by Little Caesar (Golden Robot Records)
Eight by Little Caesar (Golden Robot Records)Little Caesar was an integral part of the Los Angeles hair metal onslaught occurring in the late 80’s/early 90’s, but the band always seemed to strive for an even more timeless approach. When arrival of grunge declared rock and roll a dead factor, Little Caesar would continue to persevere, delivering some pretty kick ass albums in the process, such as Redemption and American Dream. It’s been six years since their last studio effort, and now Little Caesar returns with the dynamic Eight. Featuring 10 tracks of gloriously infectious hard rock anthems that will remain in your head long after the disc spins to its driving grand finale; Eight by Little Caesar clearly shows a band at the very height of their creative prowess. Featuring reflective lyrics set to a rock and rage soundtrack, Little Caesar is certain to thrill their longtime fans while surely gaining new converts along the way.
“Didn’t think about tomorrow, time was on my side!” Eight opens with the rip-roaring refrains of 21 Again, instantly hooking the listener in with its powerhouse riffs and superbly wistful lyrics. The rock continues tenfold with the diabolically infectious Mama Tried, destined to be a crowd favorite when performed live. “Too stupid for New York, too ugly for Hollywood” is the rollicking chorus of Vegas – a rock and roll fable where Sin City is your only viable option in a world gone wild. Crushed Velvet make you want to shake your booty even in spite of its “She used to be the Hollywood scene, now she’s coming apart at the seams” state of mind. Good Times is old fashioned down and dirty rock and roll celebrating this wild life with “these are the days that we won’t let fade away, as we chase all the bills that we pay.”
The second half of the Eight extravaganza commences with power ballad Time Enough For That, with vocalist Ron Young unleashing a persuasive amount of fervor and passion. Then it’s back to the rock and roll big time, as Straight Shooter fires at you with an all-out vengeance. Another Fine Mess shows Little Caesar slamming into Lanyard Skynyrd/Molly Hatchet territory with a scorching red hot sense of conviction. Morning is a wide-eyed look into the tribulations of the present while looking cautiously yet hopefully upon a new tomorrow “when the poison washes everything clean.” And then concluding Eight is That’s Alright, another Little Caesar classic in the making where thoughtful lyrics are wrapped tightly within a dynamic sensory overload – exhilarating to behold as you drive off the cliff to face even greater rock and roll glories and tribulations ahead.
In this modern day, Little Caesar is on fire and ready to rock your world like there’s literally no tomorrow. Featured within the ranks of the Little Caesar music mafia is Ron Young on vocals, Loren Molinare and Mark Tremalgia on dueling guitar and vocal assault, Pharoah Barrett on bass and vocals, and Tom Morris on drums. Eight is a rock solid effort, comparing very well to (and perhaps even exceeding) the classic Geffen recordings of the early 90’s. Produced with skillful precision by Bruce Witkin (whose own impressive credits include Marilyn Manson, Joe Perry, and L.A. Guns), expect Eight by Little Caesar to show up on more than a few Top Ten lists when this year spins to its iniquitous conclusion.
(Review by Ken Morton)
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