(Album Review) SHAW BLADES - Hallucination (Warner Brothers 1995)

Originally written in 1995, previously unpublished

In and of itself, Hallucination does not crank enough firepower to rightly belong in The Mighty Decibel, but does grace its pages because of the players' involvement in Styx, Night Ranger and, most importantly, Damn Yankees. Yet, despite the obvious lack of power in its grooves, this album does come highly recommended as it is wimphem of the highest order.

Bright and uplifting, with beautiful vocal harmonies and a pristine sound, these childhood buddies sound like John Cougar (Pink Houses era rock'n'roll) on "I Stumble In" and "Come To be My Friend" and, in a fair world, the catchy brilliance of the title track and "Come To Be My Friend" would be AOR smash hits. If you find that you need some down time to recharge your batteries before the next round of decibel bashing mayhem, slap on some Shaw Blades and hum along until your Energizer rabbit is up and running again.

(9)

Update: Some 27 years later and my love of this album has only grown exponentially. Simply put, this is one of the greatest wimpy albums ever to grace our turntable here at the offices of The Mighty Decibel. Mandatory purchase. (10)