This labor of love by Jon Raleigh is a great album for fans of classic rock and roll. “Rollo Time” draws it’s power pop influences from some great 70s bands, like Bad Company, Led Zepplin, Alice Cooper and proto-metal bands like Black Sabbath. The first song “Maintenance Time” is the poppiest of the bunch and resembles Matthew Sweet and The Shazam. After this the songs get a bit heavier with a strong rhythm section, which is powered their riffs to perfection. “Float down the River” uses this beat driven rhythm to plow the song into your ear, much like a Weezer tune. “Travel the World” is my favorite tune on the album, it has just the right amount of guitar crunch and harmonies with a great hook in the chorus. Is it any wonder that both Rollo Time and Cheap Trick are both from Illinois? The next tune “Don’t” flirts with that proto-metal sound, and “Cut Me To the Quick” sounds like a lost track from the band, Free with a chorus that morphs into Todd Rundgren’s Utopia. I love this melding of styles, and it’s also a standout track with great guitar solo. Also notable is the very Zepplin-like ballad “Teach to Grow” with multi-tracking guitars weaving some magic here. Although the melody didn’t thrill me, the lyrics impressed me in “Moth and Butterfly” the albums closer. For those who love meat-and-potatoes power pop, it’s time for “Rollo Time”
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