Jim Peterik
The Songs
(Self-Release)
The name may not be familiar, but you should know the songs, “Eye Of The Tiger” by his band Survivor, “Heavy Metal” by Sammy Hagar from the movie of the same name, and “Caught Up In You” by 38 Special – just a few examples. He has taken those songs and given them a new twist, mellow and relaxed versions that give you a chance to hear them in a different take.
It starts with his first big hit from the Ides Of March, “Vehicle” which was a million seller back in 1970, and was the fastest-selling record in Warner Bros. history. The version here is great with a nice mellow version that gets the album off to a great start. Peterik’s vocals are smooth and full of emotion as he goes through his catalog of songs and shows his love for the music that he has created. The musicianship is outstanding throughout the album, and shows that he can still find great people to perform with. Yes, “Eye Of The Tiger” is here in a new form, kind of bluegrass, and it works really well. It has taken the song from an arena blasting track, to an intimate and fun song that you could see done around a campfire and people just smiling and singing along. “Caught Up In You” is arranged almost like late Beatles and makes for a great track that works really well. “Hold On Loosely” is turned into a mournful and sad song that pulls at your heartstrings as a slow and mellow rendition. Other standouts are “I Can’t Hold Back,” and “Heavy Metal.” The production is clean and gives the instruments plenty of room to be heard with a great mix.
If you are a stick in the mud, this might not be for you, but if you want to hear familiar songs done in a new way, then this is the album for you. It shows that a great song is a great song and in the right hands, will always be a classic. An album to put on the stereo and open your ears to that is something both new, yet classic at the same time.
