Hughes Turner Project - HTP
MTM Music
Hard Rock
11 songs (61:14)
Release year: 2002
MTM Music
Reviewed by Mike
Untitled Document

Of Deep Purple and Rainbow fame, Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner have teamed up on this rocking CD simply titled, Hughes Turner Project. The influences from both bands are evident, featuring organ drenched hard rocking and slow tempo songs dotted with keyboard and piano use. Joe and Glenn alternate vocals back and forth between verses and create some wonderful harmonies together.

When I hit the play button, I was surprised at the heaviness of the first track, Devil's Road. It starts with a fast, driving riff and this track comes at you like a freight train thanks to Glenn's "in your face" bass guitar delivered with such urgency. This is the type of song that will surely please all the "air guitar" players out there. Next up, You Can't Stop Rock 'n Roll is groove based mid tempo rocker which is one of, if not the best examples of the masterful harmony vocals Glenn and Joe have put together on this album. The lyrics are a bit cliché, but the harmony vocals and the solo at about the three minute mark make this song a highlight of the album. Next is another song along the lines of the opening track in terms of heaviness in Missed Your Name. Hard hitting drums and cymbal crashes are in store for your ears with this number, and of course the harmony vocals instantly attach to your brain just like the first two tracks of this disc. Again, the bass guitar provides a solid backbone to this track, and there are some interesting solos after the three minute mark that deserve your attention.

After the first three tracks of the album, the pace takes a 180 degree turn for the next few tracks. Mystery of the Heart is a slow paced track with catchy chorus lines and a soft, yet memorable guitar lick in the background towards the middle of the song. Sister Midnight and Better Man are slow to mid paced tunes which fail to capture my interest. The groove throughout Better Man is very repetitious to the point I can't wait for the song to be over. These two tracks might best be described as filler material. Heaven's Missing an Angel is another ballad that wakes up at times with some energetic chorus lines and nice lead guitar work. Fade Away, is also very slow and just seems to drag on without any memorable harmony vocals or hooks to sink my teeth in to. After knocking my socks off with the first three tracks, the mood of the album abruptly slows down and remains there too long for my tastes. More importantly, these slower songs just don't have the fire and overall quality of their more rocking counterparts. For the most part, the middle part of this album lacks the energy and passion of the first part, and simply fails to captivate me. I find it very easy to simply skip along toward the end of the album where the mood picks up again.

The last three tracks of this album pick up where the first three left off. Ride The Storm features Glenn's monsterous bass guitar and a speedy riff to get things moving again. Of course, the harmony vocals prevail throughout and the background shredding add some extra flare to this number as well. Run Run Run follows up with more of the same, albeit not quite as heavy. On The Ledge is a mid tempo rocker clocking in at just over seven minutes and is very much reminiscent of Joe's days in Rainbow. The tempo changes, emotional vocals of both Joe and Glenn and the thick keyboard and organ textures will surely please fans Joe Lynn Turner era Rainbow.

In my opinion, Joe and Glenn are at their best with their hard rock numbers. The harmony vocals are top notch, Glenn's bass is at its authoritative best, and the songs are more memorable, and simply better. The slower numbers are average at best, and sound even weaker when stacked back to back to each other, sandwiched in between the monster hard rock anthems on this album. So, there are some wonderful songs to lead off the album and to conclude it, but sandwiched in between, the album certainly has its dull moments as well.

Killing Songs :
Devil's Road, You Can't Stop Rock 'n Roll, Missed Your Name, Ride the Storm
Mike quoted 67 / 100
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