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LONG WAY HOME
Nothing like a new album from a bunch of aging headbangers to get the blood-pumping, eh?
Long Way Home is the latest release from Dokken, whose lineup has changed one more time, further distancing the band from any link they had with their 1980s counterparts. Reb Beach, who had replaced George Lynch, has now been replaced by John Norum, who you may remember from EUROPE as well as Don Dokken's solo effort. Jeff Pilson, who is now involved in a project with George Lynch, has been replaced by Barry Sparks. Mick Brown and Don Dokken are the sole original members. The end result, surprisingly, is a very Dokken-sounding record...just a little more mellow than usual.
Don's voice is holding up well...a lot better than his hair, actually...and he's able to convincingly wail through songs like "Sunless Days" , "Under the Gun" , and "You"....but he sounds like he's lost some range...which is normal, considering he's in his forties.
Norum's solos sound like they belong here. My biggest gripe with Reb Beach being in Dokken is that he was shredding like Reb Beach...which is great when he's playing Winger songs, or even with Alice Cooper...but George Lynch's style is so distinctive, that when you don't have those tones in a song, it seems lacking.
Long Way Home marks a much softer side of Dokken than has been seen in a while. Case and point: "Goodbye My friend" is a piano and acoustic ballad about lost love and dealing with the pain that goes in hand with it. Not a new concept; not by a long shot, but the tone of the song is not something we would have heard on earlier Dokken discs.
Long Way Home is a solid release; they're not going to win any Grammies for this one, but if you can catch 'em out on their club tour, they might be worth a peek.
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