SONG REVIEWED: "Cross"
THIS AIN'T NO HAIR BAND. OF COURSE, YOU DON'T NEED ME TO TELL YOU THAT. ONE OF THE MAIN PROBLEMS THAT KIP WINGER HAS HAD BREAKING BACK INTO THE MAINSTREAM IS THE STIGMA THAT SURROUNDS HIS FORMER BAND, WINGER; CHEESY HAIR BAND. MIND YOU, EVERYONE IN THAT BNAD WAS A FANTASTIC MUSICIAN AND PERFORMER, BUT THE BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD MOCKERY THAT FOLLOWED THEM IN THE EARLY NINETIES DESTROYED WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT CAREER BAND.
"CROSS", AS WELL AS ALL OF THE SONGS ON "SONGS FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR", IS A MUCH MORE INTROSPECTIVE AND SOUL-SEARCHING THAN "THISCONVERSATIONSEEMSLIKEADREAM"...NOT THAT HIS LAST RELEASE WAS TERRIBLY COMMERCIAL. THIS MAN HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF PAIN. ONE OF THE OPENING LINES IS "STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING I LOVED...FELL SO DEEP TO RISE ABOVE"... KIP HAS EXPERIENCED LOSS, AND DOESN'T PULL ANY PUNCHES SHOWING YOU IN HIS SONGS... IF ANYTHING, YOU CAN COMPARE KIP WINGER'S MUSIC TO STING; IT'S MELODIC AND HUMMABLE, BUT STILL VERY INTRICATE. "CROSS" IS THE FIRST TRACK ON THE DISC, AND FEATURES LAYERED ACOUSTIC GUITARS, ELECTRIC GUITARS, AND SOME VERY HAUNTING VOCALS IN THE BACKGROUND. KIP HAS BECOME QUITE THE ARRANGER IN HIS OLD AGE. FEATURED ON THIS TRACK ARE FORMER BANDMATE, ROD MORGENSTEIN ON DRUMS, ANDY TIMMONS ON GUITAR, ROBBY ROTHCHILD ON PERCUSSION, AND PAULA DeTUILLO ON BACKING VOCALS. KIP WINGER SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH EXCELLENT MUSICIANS, THAT'S FOR DAMN SURE. WITH ANY LUCK, U.S. RADIO STATIONS WILL PICK UP ON THIS GREAT DISC. CHANCES ARE LIKELY THAT THEY WON'T.
