Search - Cinderella :: Live at The Keyclub

Rock N'Roll is back!

Craig M. Alexander | Monticello, IL | 07/21/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This live CD of Cinderella's Live at the Keyclub is a perfect complement to Once Upon A... Tom Keifer's voice has as much of an edge to it as ever and every song sends chills down your back. I've always liked much of this band's music, but it wasn't until recently that I immersed myself in them.From the opening riff of The More Things Change to Shake Me, the songs never lose intensity. I particularly like how they go straight from Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone) to Nobobdy's Fool. Shelter Me and Night Songs are a couple of the highlights on this CD; Tom does a good job trying to get the crowd to participate, though they could have been louder.Don't be deterred by the fact that VH-1 has branded Cinderella as just another 80's hard rock act. The simple fact is that if you like Rock N'Roll, you'll enjoy this disc. With the release of this CD, it would seem to this fan that Cinderella is serious about making music and has no plans to throw in the towel. As Keifer says in Coming Home, "I took a walk down a road, it's the road I was meant to stay." I can only hope that they'll be on the road soon promoting it."

Quality Rock and Roll that will never be regarded as such

D. Rausch | United States | 03/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cinderella and a few other "hair bands" (will we ever get to stop using that term, folks?) have it worse than anybody. This is because there couldn't be any more of an extreme difference between 1) the reality of how good this band is and 2) how they are doomed to be looked back upon as a shameful waste by egoidiot critics. Let's focus on Cinderella, shall we? Jon Bon Jovi "discovered" them, which although that isn't a free pass for artistic integrity, it should damn well get people's attention. This band started as a "hair band", to make it at the time, but were VERY QUICK to legitimately become a quality rock band. Nothing more than that, but a damn good rock band at the very worst.
Don't know Cinderella? I'm not one to immediately suggest live and hits albums, but this album is VERY GOOD. Almost recommendable as an introductory suggestion. Other than the fact that the band continues to shy away from one of the most underrated albums of all time, "Still Climbing," they do blend just the right amount of their other material to make a PERFECTLY paced setlist. Even their early stuff from "Night Songs" sounds more credible here.
Already know Cinderella and don't have this? I can approximate your respect for them will ATLEAST double upon hearing this album. There are subtle string/keyboard arrangements underneath that are at times more than just decoration. Somebody in this band knows how to orchestrate!!!!! Drummer Fred Coury plays such great violin accompaniments in spots, I'd like to see them play a Kansas cover! I think they could handle it. Listen to the textures on brilliant pieces such as "Nobody's Fool" and "Heartbreak Station" and you may very well ponder why Cinderella will probably have only ever gotten a 15 minute chunk of real fame. Not that I don't think they aren't better suited for a bar/club environment, however....
That is why this album is so good. It is "raw"; not in a sense of crappy production-it was mixed very well! But it is raw in an energetic and emotional sense. The band's staple rockers "Gypsy Road", "The More Things Change", and even 86's "Somebody Save Me", sound almost unbelievably fresh, timeless, and "un-hairmetal". This album is a must as it proves they have a hunger and drive, still today, that most of "today's acts" have no clue about. They never sold out and changed their sound, but they did evolve better than almost any other band in rock history, it's just that few people know it. If I saw them at a club and didn't know who they were, I'd have no idea they were "just another piece of 80's driftwood." Which I maintain they are not!!! And for all of you wondering why I'm using much of my breath on the hair topic and don't care either way, just think of it this way: you are ahead of the rest, these are topics that must be included when seriously reviewing a work by a band such as Cinderella.
My personal favorite, "Shelter Me," is beyond perfect. The most amazing piano solo of the night compliments the usual soulful guitar work. As a piano player myself, it's great to see Cinderella using that instrument for more than just a three chord comp.
Cinderella is not fake and pretensious, and this is the album to confirm that. I believe that so much, I think an AC/DC fan is the perfect example of someone who, if not into Cinderella, might have some respect after spinning this album.Rock and Roll will never die. And don't you let it. Check out this album."

Cinderella rules

D. Rausch | 07/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This band is awesome. The CD rocks. That's all that needs to be said. They always offered more than most of their peers from the late 80s, with a bluesy background to many of their songs. And they are really good live. "Gypsy Road," "Shake Me," and "Shelter Me" are among my favorites on this CD."