Guardian

Item: Swing Swang Swung
Author: Robert Berman

Swing Swang Swung

(1994)

Reviewed by Robert Berman

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Label Pakaderm Records / MyrrhThe LighthouseJanuary 1995

acoustic rock blues rock classic rock southern rock

At last, we have proof that a band really can make the transition from 80's arena metal to 90's rock. On their latest release, Guardian abandons the polished, layered sound of its previous two albums and reinvents itself as a completely credible blues-rock outfit. A strong acoustic rhythm backs nearly every track on the new disc. But this is no "unplugged" album of ballads like "The Captain" and "Never Say Goodbye" from their old releases. The more appropriate comparison would be Extreme's "Hole Hearted," and drums and electric runs grace most of the songs.

Other influences may be found here as well. "Rich Man Over the Line" sounds like a sincere attempt to write a new Beatles song, which may or may not be a great idea. The main riff in "C'mon Everyone" is close to the outro from Phil Keaggy's "Celebrate." And the album's final song, "Why Don't We" takes the drum roll from The Choir's "Consider" and lays a Motownish vocal on top. Not to say that these bits were lifted from those songs, though it might sound that way.

But by and large, this album sounds like Guardian more than it sounds like anyone else, which is a new development. Guardian no longer fits in the AOR jungle of Journey, Def Leppard, and yes, Petra. Lead singer Jamie Rowe is as likely to sing in a baritone growl as in his more accustomed high tenor, and frequently even the growl is gone, revealing a smooth, confident sound underneath.

This album is loaded with the sort of fun you might expect from such a bizarre title. "Preacher and the Bear" is a 1930s big-band jazz number reminiscent of Van Halen's "Big Bad Billy" song from the Diver Down album, and the pseudo scat elsewhere avoids falling into self-parody. We can only hope that Guardian's next album will contain more of Swing's chancy creativity and not more same-old-same-old; we can also hope that more of the 80s Christian bands still lurking around will take a chance and find new wheels as Guardian has, before the 90's run out too.