4.5 out of 5 Stars!

If you will, imagine Robin Trower’s classic Bridge Of Sighs album with a lead vocalist who’s a cross between Paul Rodgers (in bluesy raspiness) and Glenn Hughes (in Stevie Wonder-type funkiness) and you have Cry Of Love. Then again, picture Bad Company (any early albums) or Trapeze (circa the Medusa or You Are The Music… albums) with Robin Trower in the lead guitarist role, and once again you have Cry Of Love. Then again, the band’s Roots-Rock approach also brings to mind other similarly styled groups such as The Black Crowes, Humble Pie, and Free, with even a touch of Southern Rock in the vein of Ram Jam, Brother Cane, and the like.

As a random example of what I’m talking about, I dare anyone to listen to Cry Of Love’s “Bad Thing” and not make a comparison to Bad Company’s classic track “Can’t Get Enough,” especially when it comes to the chorus. Hmmm…wait a moment…”Bad Thing”/Bad Company? A bit eerie, but completely apt.

Anyway, Brother is fun album overall, and along with “Bad Thing,” it contains other exceptional Hard Rock tracks such as the rough ‘n’ tumble opener “Highway Jones,” as well as “Carnival,” “Too Cold in the Winter,” “Peace Pipe,” “Pretty As You Please,” “Drive It Home,” and the slow and bluesy “Saving Grace.”

I actually purchased this CD back when it came out, but as a fluke, a shot in the dark, based only on the fact that it “looked interesting enough” in my BMG Music Club catalogue. I needed to fulfill my purchase agreement with the club, you see, so I took a gamble, ordered the album, and crossed my fingers. Well, considering the type of music crammed onto the CD, I can say I won big!

So for those seeking some gritty and melodic Hard Rock with tasty guitar riffage from Audley Freed (who would end up joining The Black Crowes) and an exceptional vocalist named Kelly Holland (who sadly passed away several years ago), then look no further than Cry Of Love, one of the best bands “no one ever heard of.”

Kelly Holland…RIP.

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