BURNS BLUE: What if CD PROMO 2003. Vinny Burns (Ten + DARE).  Wishbone Ash, FM, Ultravox members. Hard A.O.R. hard rock. Check audio

Description

PROMO CD.
RELEASE DATE 2003
DURATION 53:23
Check all samples: https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-if-mw0000467267
BURNS BLUE: What if?
The intense album-opener “”Cool Me Down”” sets a substantially misleading tone for Burns Blue’s “”What If…””: The song’s dramatic atmosphere and muscular guitar (supplied by Ten’s Vinny Burns) suggest Ten-like power, but that’s not really what Burns Blue is about. At its core, beneath its exceptionally strong instrumentation, “”What If…”” is a more pop-leaning pleasure, a hard-rockin’ blend of breezy, accessible songwriting and heavyweight guitar. The album doesn’t fully establish its identity until tracks seven and eight, with the energetic turns of the churning, Midwestern hard rocker “”Crazy”” and the uptempo yet dark hard A.O.R of “”She Wrote.”” Only then, after Burns Blue has revealed its true colors, can listeners fully appreciate highlights like the hard pop-metal charge of “”Straight,”” the bright power pop and bruising power chords of “”Deadly Sin,”” the post-’80s hard pomp of “”I’m Gonna Win,”” and the moody, mid-tempo atmospheric rock of “”Tomorrow Never Comes.””As a platter of pomp and grandeur, “”What If…”” disappoints, frequently hinting at such huge strength but rarely delivering. As a unique (occasionally Von Groove-y) synthesis of Westcoast/Midwest pop/AOR songwriting and fiery hard rock performances, however, the album is enormously compelling.

Vinny Burns: guitar [Asia, Burns Blue, Dare, Freeloaders, Ten, The Ladder, Three Lions, Ultravox]
Sam Blue: vocals [Ultravox] (picture below)

Pete Jupp: drums [FM, Samson, So!, The Ladder, Wildlife]
Bob Skeat: bass [The Ladder, Wildlife, Wishbone Ash]
Tracks
1. Cool Me Down
2. Straight
3. Deadly Sin
4. Don’t Wanna Know
5. Lover’s Game
6. I’m Gonna Win
7. Crazy
8. She Wrote
9. Tomorrow Never Comes
10. To One Side
11. Hung Out Too Dry
12. Where Are You Now
RELEASE DATE 2003
DURATION 53:23

PROMO CD.
Category: AOR
Year: 2003
Label: Frontiers Records (Italy)

Great CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While this album is musically diverse – Vinny’s guitar tone changes throughout as does Sam’s lead vocal – the production and song consistency helps the album flow easily from one track to the next. Each track has it’s own feel and is rarely duplicated, which again makes the album flow easily and quickly.
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What a nice album. All songs blend in perfectly. Great guitar work and nice vocals to go along. Some instantly catchy songs and some songs that grow on you. Really like this album ! Good aor/rock. Yep this CD is value for money. Go and get yourself a copy.
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This is a must!!! Vinny’s guitar sounds very good and the voice of Sam is fantastic! The best tracks are “”lover’s game”” and “”tomorrow never comes””. Melodic and well structured songs with good production. Track 1 and 9 are my fav.
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Burns Blue is the new exciting melodic rock band formed by former Ten lead guitar player, Vinny Burns (Dare, Asia, Ultravox) with lead singer Sam Blue (Ya Ya). Completing the line-up two greatly experienced musicians such as FM drummer Pete Jupp and Wishbone Ash bassist Bob Skeat. The album is one of the best melodic rock newcomers in the past few years from the UK melting elements of the sound of early Ten, FM (Taking it To The Streets/Aphrodisiac era) and Thunder.
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For those of you who have not yet bought this brilliant album, I can say with all my heart that it is an ABSOLUTE MUST for any discerning rock collection. Clear, melodic vocals, pumping guitar vibes, head-busting rhythm section……what more could you ask for? Definitely the next best thing.
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This CD is ALL great. what a great release! this is melodic rock in perfection. all killer songs, as catchy as can be. not a single filler here to find! one of my top 3 releases in 2003. 9,5/10
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Agreed ! GREAT album !! And if “”Tomorrow never comes”” isn’t a perfect example for PERFECT AOR, I don’t know what else is !! BUY !!
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With Vinny, you can`t get wrong ! Wonderful Album ! 8,5/10
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The guitarist and drummer from the two finest melodic rock bands ever join forces. Good fun ,solid, straight up rock. Updated guitar sound thanks to some new gear and good vocals. The best three: Straight, Don’t Wanna Know and Tomorrow Never Comes.
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This one is another great AOR-Album, much better than 99% what we hear in the Radio stations dayin-dayout. “”Tomorrow never comes”” is awesome and the outstanding track!!!!
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What a great surprise here!For 2 reasons.
1st this was another project of Vinny Burns and
2nd for the excellent productions and high quality songs!
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This is a very interesting release..in here we have Sam Blue (Ya-Ya),Vinny Burns (Dare/Ten) plus Pete Jupp(Fm)and a good bass player Bob Skeat…””Cool Me Down”” is such a solid track,very good one then we have a couple of catchy songs “”Straight”” & “”Deadly Sin””,””Don’t Wanna Know”” is a nice piece of AOR,enjoyable,also nice is “”Lover’s Game”” which is definitely a highlight,””She Wrote”” cool,””Tomorrow Never Comes”” is a soft number,nice indeed and “”Where Are You Now”” ends the album being a highlight too…really a good effort done by 3 artists that somehow gave the 80’s an unique importance in AOR music.88/100.

If you like straight-ahead, guitar-heavy rock, with vocals to match, Burns Blue’s What If … is your album.

Burns Blue is a conveniently named band – Vinny Burns on guitar, Sam Blue on vocals. See how easy it is, folks? They are a couple of veterans from other bands (Asia, Ultravox, etc.), and What If … is their debut album together. Drummer Pete Jupp and bassist Bob Skeat round out the band. I do think Skeat Burns would be a good name for a country band. Maybe if this whole “rock” thing doesn’t work out, we can see these guys on Austin City Limits, spitting tobacco juice around their steel guitars to the sawdust floor below, all the while cranking out twangy square dances and bootscootin’ boogies as Jethro promenades with his third cousin Betty Sue, hoping to cop a feel in the haymow when the song is over.

But I digress. There’s a Bad Company/Holy Water feel to the album, particularly the first song, “Cool Me Down.” I’m not saying it sounds like Bad Company; it just reminds me of parts of Holy Water. Maybe the difference between the phrases “sounds like” and “reminds me of” is a distinction without a real difference. But it makes me feel better to distinguish the two. And that’s what it’s all about – making me feel better about myself. There’s also a little McAuley-Schenker Group feel thrown in there for good measure. That might not be what Burns Blue was going for, but I like it anyway.

The second song, “Straight,” is little more than album-filler, but “Deadly Sin” is a catchy sing-along. “Don’t Wanna Know” is another damn good tune, with the added wrinkle of a saxophone in the background early, and later as a solo. It reminds me of the sax from Men At Work’s “Who Can It Be Now” that you could never get out of your head. Again, I’m not saying it “sounds like” that, it just reminds me …

The rest of the album is solid, including a standout in “Tomorrow Never Comes.” It has a dreamy, distant quality that takes you somewhere else for its five minutes: “It’s you that leads me home/ from the wilderness I roam/ I’ll be there tomorrow/ Tomorrow never comes.” “Tomorrow Never Comes” is a long, lonely drive late at night. Go ahead, you can feel a little depressed after listening to this one – it’s okay.

What If … is a well-produced album that sounds good, with musicians doing what they know how to do. What more can you ask for?

Debut album by the band formed by ex-Dare/Asia/Ten/Ultravox guitarist Vinny Burns and ex-Ultravox/Ya Ya vocalist Sam Blue. FM drummer Pete Jupp and Wishbone Ash bassist Bob Skeat rounds out the band. The band made their live debut at this year’s Gods Festival and made a good impression on the crowd.

The album is classic British melodic rock, which encompasses classic 70’s acts like Bad Company and more recent acts like the sadly missed FM and Skin. The two opening tracks are superb! ‘Cool Me Down’ storms out of the speakers with guitars to the front and Sam Blue’s vocals making the track. ‘Tell It To Me Straight’ is the closet to FM on here, another rocker with Vinny Burns switching from chunky riffs to quick solos. There are mellower moments in ‘Lover’s Game’, a slow burner with plenty of guitar. The sound is very clear and crisp throughout the record, with each song built on a strong rhythm line. ‘Crazy’ rumbles along nicely and ‘She Wrote’ has a slight Americana feel to it, adding a touch of variety to the proceedings. ‘Hung Out To Dry’ has a very catchy riff and would make a good single. No real fillers although ‘Where Are You Now’ is perhaps the weakest track on here.

Very strong debut from a band who deserve success and hopefully will get out onto the road as they are strong live as well. One heartily recommended for all melodic rock fans out there, especially those who hanker after FM and Skin.