Liberty 'N Justice - Chasing a Cure (Roxx) 2011
1. Say Uncle (Paul Shortino of Quiet Riot / Rough Cut, Ron Keel of Keel & Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister) (4:27)
2. Throwing Stones (Donnie Vie of Enuff Z Nuff & JK Northrup of King Kobra) (4:16)
3. Paige’s Song (Philip Bardowell of Magdalen/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys & Tony Palacios of Guardian) (4:09)
4. Playing God (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Jeff Paris and Richard Kendrick of Near Life Experience) (3:47)
5. Chasing A Cure (Benny Mardones, John Pine & Bill Leverty of Firehouse) (4:29)
BONUS TRACKS
6. Black Or White (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Alton Hood of D.O.C., & JK Northrop of King Kobra) (3:57)
7. Quicksand Jesus (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge) (5:29)
8. Snake Eat Snake [electric version] (David Raymond Reeves & Don Webster of Neon Cross) (4:53)
9. Butterface (Mark Allen Lanoue of Biloxi & Joshua Perahia of Joshua) (3:56)
10. When Mullets Ruled The World (Philip Bardowell of Magdalen/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys & JK Northrop of King Kobra) (4:16)
11. Ground Zero (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge, Kerry Livgren of Kansas, & Carmine Appice) (8:20)
12. Eve [demo] (Tommy Denander on guitars) (3:18)
13. Damascus Road [demo] (Tommy Denander on guitars) (3:43)
"Chasing a Cure" was originally released as a 5-song, download only EP. It was released to try and raise money for The Epilepsy Foundation. It is now a 13 song CD consisting of the original 5 song EP and 8 bonus tracks. As with past Liberty 'n Justice album, the contributors are a who's who of 80's rock with well know guys like Carmine Appice, Paul Shortino, Eddie Ojeda, Kerry Livegrin, Kelly Keeling, etc. lending a hand. Of course, the main man behind the project is Justin Murr with Vic Rivera lending a hand in the songwriting process. The cover art was done by Rex Zachary, who is becoming well know for his cover designs. I myself was able to lend a hand in the layout of the digi-pack.
"Chasing a Cure" is a fairly melodic and mellow affair. It's almost like listening to an album of power ballads, with most songs oozing melancholy emotion. This is especially true of the original five song EP. "Paige's Song" is an acoustic based song written to and dedicated to Justin Murr's daughter, Trinity Paige Murr, who struggles with epilepsy. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at agand has battled through daily medication, hospital stays, cluster seizures, comas, three weeks in the ICU and even brain surgery.
Of the bonus tracks, "Butterface" is a modern hard rock song and probably the hardest rocking song on the album. "Eve" is another hard rocker, with a slightly modern flair. The song features strong female vocals, though the vocalist for this song isn't listed. "Snake Eat Snake" is a slow, melodic rocker featuring Neon Cross' David Raymond Reeves on vocals and Don Webster on guitar. This song, "Eve" and "Butterface" are really the only hard rock songs on the album. Overall, I suppose the music would best be described as AOR. I had assumed from the song titled that "When Mullets Ruled the World" would be a humor-filled rocker about the 80's rock scene, but it too is pretty much a ballad, probably best described as an 80's power ballad. "Ground Zero" is an epic, progressive rock song that sounds a bit like Kansas. This might be due to the fact that Kerry Livegrin penned the song. This song is definitely my favorite of the album. It features some stellar guitar work. "Black and White" is a Michael Jackson cover and "Quicksand Jesus" is a Skid Row cover. Not surprisingly, the album ends with another ballad, a demo version of "Damascus Road".
"Chasing a Cure" is the longest EP I own. Thirteen songs would definitely put it in the full length category. Money for the EP goes to a good cause. As such, I highly recommend picking up a copy. First 100 copies ordered through RoxxProductions.com also receives a Liberty 'N Justice guitar pick as a bonus.
www.roxxproductions.com
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ULTIMATUM - TOO METAL FOR WIKIPEDIA!