UNRULY CHILD-Big Blue World

Frontiers Music srl

August 17, 2019 by Michel van de Moosdijk - More about our team

It is always something to look forward too when Unruly Child announces a new studio record. Marcie Free is always a pleasure to hear and it seems as if time does not matter for the purity and quality of Marcie’s voice. Guitarist Bruce Gowdy and keyboardist Guy Allison are equal quality musicians as well. I am not sure if drummer Jay Schellen and bass player Larry Antonino were also involved with this album. Schellen is touring a lot with Yes while Antonino is involved with Pablo Cruise and was a surprise and superb singer on the last The Michael Thompson Band album ‘Love & Beyond’. The promo pictures for the release of this Unruly Child CD do not include Antonino and Schellen so I am not sure what is going on here. Looking at the record as a whole ‘Big Blue World’ seems to be softer than predecessor ‘Can’t Go Home’ and is now even more AOR-orientated than ever before in the rich career of this group. I don’t have a real problem with that as the ten songs may not add too many new elements towards the sound of Unruly Child, the songs and the execution of them leaves nothing to be desired. Free nails it. The tone might be a bit more modest in comparison with the early days, the colour and purity is still there and it gives songs like the pure AOR-rocker ,,Will We Give Up Today’’ that extra dimension that you expect from this band. Also the start of ,,Beneath A Steady The Rain’’ with just piano and the voice of Marcie is just stunning to hear. A breathtaking song, maybe not very heavy but something different indeed from a band that takes a more adventurous approach on this particular song. It was just the vibe that this album needed. It does not always have to be fast and furious, smooth and subtle can do the trick sometimes as well as is the case on this song. ‘Big Blue World’ is a touch softer perhaps but at the end of the day it is that voice and the songs combined with an exquisite total sound that drags this record to a high level that seems to have become standard for Unruly Child.