THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: cinderella (Page 1 of 2)

CINDERELLA – Still Climbing

November 27, 2023 /

I have to say, I was amazed that this album actually came out on a major label. Every other “Hair” band at the time were being released from contracts, as the musical landscape had changed so much in such a short space of time. Tom Keifer was certainly ahead of the curve with steering the band down a more bluesier approach, as nearly every new rock band today have done the same. The album had some rough reviews upon its release, which were totally unfounded as a lot of journalists just wanted to be hip to what was now relevant, but me… I love it!

Cinderella are still one hell of a rock and roll band, and there are some smokin’ tracks for you to savour. Bad Attitude Shuffle opens the album with some old school blues swagger before that very familiar Cinderella groove kicks in. All Comes Down has that kind of Aerosmith swing, it’s one of my favourite tunes. Freewheelin’ is my favourite tune however, this is the one song that would be at home on any of their albums. It’s got a kickass uptempo groove with some great slide playing, and Keifer just firing off those lyrics.

Other than a live album, that was it from Cinderella. It’s a shame because you feel like they had more than four albums in them.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

CINDERELLA – Live At The Key Club

November 25, 2022 /

This album was originally released on CD in ’99 and it contained fourteen tracks, whereas this version has been shrunk to fit on a single record with only ten tracks. You basically get the beginning and the end.

“No overdubs to fix the rubs” is proudly displayed on the back cover. It is a warts and all performance and that’s how it should be. No songs played from Still Climbing, they are just concentrating on what they do best. Great versions of The More Things Change, Push Push, Somebody Save Me, and my favourite, Shake Me. They always were a great live band and this is a pretty good recording captured in a hot and sweaty club.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

CINDERELLA – Heartbreak Station

May 17, 2022 /

I’ve always looked on this album as the runt of the family. Initially, it didn’t shake my tree as the first two did. The vibe was a lot more rootsy and blues, and the glam took a back seat. The album was still platinum selling, and the two singles, Shelter Me, and The More Things Change, did quite well. This album feels a lot more at home listening to it today than it did upon the release, as the whole retro thing is big right now.

The More Things Change gets things off and grooving, and there is a big Steve Earle feel to it. Love’s Got Me Doing Time has a great funky vibe, and is very reminiscent of Aerosmith. Shelter Me starts with a stripped down country blues groove that leads into an almost gospel chorus. Heartbreak Station is a ballad with a rootsy blues vibe with some nice slide playing. Sick For The Cure feels like I’m listening to a beefed up version of The Faces. One For Rock And Roll is pure barn burning country.

Side 2 kicks off with Dead Man’s Road, and we are still deep in country blues territory. Make Your Own Way is about as glam as this album gets, but with a big country rock feel. Although Electric Love starts like the Byrds, but the groove is seventies with a hint of RnB. Loves Gone Bad has a very seventies classic rock feel with a killer hook and chorus. We close out the album with Winds Of Change, a big production ballad with a heavy Americana vibe.

I still feel as though the album is a poor relation to the first two – it’s like listening to a different band but with the same singer. The obvious change in style from hair rock to a rootsy blues band was maybe a wrong move, but a year later grunge would wipe out most bands anyway, so I guess you go with what you feel.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

CINDERELLA – Long Cold Winter

November 15, 2021 /

For a band that had such a following at the time, they only made 4 albums and only two of which are worth owning: their first album, Night Songs, and this beauty. This was a bit of a left turn for them at the time as Night Songs was a glam rock masterpiece, but this album has a much more bluesy roots feel to it. Sure, it still rocks hard, but there is a huge tip of the hat to bands like The Faces and traditional blues.

Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone) was a huge single from the album and made them stars due to heavy MTV rotation. It’s the rockier tracks that are my favourites, namely Bad Seamstress Blues, Gypsy Road, and the superb Second Wind which is the big up-tempo track on the album. It was the title track that got every critics attention, as it’s a big nod to traditional blues and a flagship for the whole album.

Two slightly dodgy follow up records, health issues, and grunge unfortunately put an end to the band, as it did a lot of a others, but still they left behind two kick ass records.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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