4 out of 5 Stars!

Any new music from Joe Lynn Turner is on my “auto-buy” list, and with the ex-Rainbow/Deep Purple vocalist having been involved in so many various groups, one-off projects, and his own solo albums through the decades, that means I’ve made a ton of purchases with his name on them, and most everything he does is high on quality.

Mother’s Army, a “supergroup” also including guitarist Jeff Watson (Night Ranger), bassist Bob Daisley (Rainbow/Uriah Heep/Black Sabbath), and drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge/Cactus/King Kobra), was one such band that fell into that “auto-buy” category, and Fire on the Moon—the final of the band’s three releases—is rather an enjoyable affair.

Oddly enough, the band’s previous album (Planet Earth) didn’t quite hit the right mark for me, was a major step down in quality from the promising debut, and in Turner’s overall discography, ended up being one of my least favorite of all the albums on which he appears.

Therefore, I remember not holding out much hope for this collection upon its arrival in 1998, but thankfully, on the mighty opener “N.D.E.” and the tunes “No Religion,” “Way Out of the World,” “Moruroa Atoll,” “Another Dimension,” and the rip-roaring title track “Fire on the Moon,” the band actually sounded rejuvenated and more inspired, perhaps because legendary drummer Aynsley Dunbar replaced Appice and added some “fresh blood” to the mix.

Regardless of the reason, Mother’s Army ended its existence on a melodic and blazing high note, and Turner’s performance was, as always, impressive and clearly showed why he’s been so in demand all these years.

Get The Album Now!