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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 19.05.2016
Nope. Never heard of them. And I was around back in the Eighties. Dan Reed Network, led and fronted by vocalist Dan Reed, had several albums in the pipe between 1986 and 1991, with a few singles, some minor success, though larger in the UK and Europe, and even some label support along the way. After the band disbanded, all the members stayed active in the music industry. Then fate caught up with them in 2012 for a 25th year reunion in their hometown of Portland. The chemistry was reinvigorated enough to give another album a go. Here's the aptly titled Fight Another Day as Dan Reed and his network return to the AOR melodic rock ring.
Discovering Dan Reed Network (DRN), you find them described by fans and others as AOR melodic rock touched with funk in jazz arrangements. I suppose so. While some songs can be bolder like Stand Tall, this is not hard or heavy rock. No. Their rock is much smoother, almost ethereal in substance, thanks to Reed's smooth and silky vocal presence. By far his vocals, the vocal arrangements, and the inherent and persuasive harmonies are the distinct and definitive characteristic of the band.
After this, it's the natural and effortless rock groove informed by the sultry bounce of funk. This is toe-tapping music, curving into dance music. The Brave, Give It Love, and Sharp Turn trip those wires. But mostly the songs of Fight Another Day simply remind you of smooth gliding soft rock, possibly with that glide being too reserved for some; maybe something simply too slow like a low country stream where you can barely define a current. In other words, this is rather tame and unobtrusive stuff. I'm not saying it will put you to sleep, but it might be handy to play for an afternoon nap.
All in all, Fight Another Day reminds me of something old, from another time, something forgotten. But that's just me. I'm sure fans of Dan Reed Network will be pleasantly pleased with this new album.
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Fight Another Day reminds me of something old, from another time, something forgotten. But that's just me. I'm sure fans of Dan Reed Network will be pleasantly pleased with this new album.
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