First class melodic rock album
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 05/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There was a whole host of overlooked bands from the late 80's and early 90's, but House of Lords is probably the one band that absolutely should have been a major hit in that era but for whatever reason went largely unnoticed. After the band's breakup, singer James Christian released his first solo album.
Released in 1994, Rude Awakening found Christian continuing the same melodic rock style as House of Lords, which is a plus when you consider some of the era's other artists and their weak attempts at grunge. Pretty much no one bought the album, but that's beside the point. Rude Awakening is unapologetically a classic AOR album full of rock anthems, love songs, guitar hooks, and the kind of songs that will have you flipping your Bic and singing along in no time flat. Christian is one of the genre's best vocalists, and his performance here is every bit as good as it was with House of Lords. It doesn't hurt that he is backed up by some of the best and the brightest in the business, including Mike Slamer (Streets), Lanny Cordola (House of Lords), Mitch Perry (MSG) and Mark Baker (Signal).
If you liked House of Lords, you need to buy this album. If you like melodic rock, you need to buy this album. It's so full of great AOR songs that it's almost pointless to try and single out the best tracks. Great, great stuff from an artist that never lost his way.
NOTE: The 1999 reissue of Rude Awakening features a hefty 6 bonus tracks, including new studio material, demo versions of House of Lords material, and a nice live acoustic medley. All of the additional tracks are of the same high caliber as the rest of the album, and make this reissue well worth searching for."
Awesome Melodic Rock
ANTHONY CONIGLIO | u.s.a | 09/09/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this album from ex-house of lords singer is a classic.he does what he knows best write a good song and sing it to mercy!!! lots of good stuff here if ya like acoustic ballads and hard rock. their is few albums out ther elike this."