This is the album we've been waiting for Shout to do. Forget holding back and playing it safe, let out all the stops and go for broke! Shout is back and they're definitely in your face! This is like Van Halen meets Foreigner. It's fast, punchy, melodic, and out of control. Chuck King and Ken Tamplin are cuttin' loose on this one, leaving a trail of broken guitar strings in the studio. I'm sure of it. "Borderline" kicks off the album with tons of energy and never lets up until it's over. There's enough commercial hooks and Coverdale-type pouts to please everyone in radioland, bridging the gap between pop music and heavy metal perfectly. It's hot, dude. What can I say? Standout cuts for me are: "Faith, Hope and Love"; "Waiting on You"; and the title track. There's not a filler song here, just one hot tune after another. "Faith, Hope and Love" has an infectious chorus that won't leave my memory. It's one of the tamer cuts, but it's got a hook that goes in deep and grabs ya. "Getting Ready" has a cool blues-inspired riff and a gutsy vocal performance by Ken Tamplin in the call/response chorus with the rest of the band. You better believe this one's gonna be a crowd pleaser live. Ken was nice enough to offer a timed list of all the guitar players, whose riffs grace the title track. The times listed aren't accurate, though. The first pressing had a misprint. It would've been nice to watch the cd timer and see who does which riff. It's still possible, because the players are listed chronologically. The guitar hot shots appearing are: Marty Friedman; Lanny Cordola; Michael Angelo; Joey Price; Randy Hansen; and Alex Masi. Another hot guitar tidbit is the 29-second Beethoven piece, "Moonlight Sonata (In 32nd Notes)". "Ain't Givin' Up" is Shout's "Pay the Bills Song". It's a good song about relationships, which may afford Shout some valuable secular airplay. Well, that's the end of this rant and rave review, and guess what? Shout didn't pay me to do this!
