DAN REED NETWORK

DAN REED NETWORK – “Let’s Hear It For The King”

By Colonel Angus

DAN REED NETWORK seemed to make a bigger splash across the pond which is odd since they hail from Portland, Oregon. They had all the right ingredients to make a major impact on the MTV generation with their radio friendly melodic rock with a bit of funk thrown in. I last came across the band back in 2016 for the “Fight Another Day” release and I was only half sold. Half of that record was really, really good but the other half I felt was filler with the tunes going nowhere. When they put out their “Origins” album in 2018, I didn’t really bother checking it out based on the previous release but now that 2022 has arrived, I was given “Let’s Hear It For The King” disk for review. I don’t know if it was down time due to Covid or if the band really focused and wrote songs that played to strengths but they filled this disk with mostly great tunes (with a few that are stellar).

“Let’s Hear It For The King” starts off really strong with 4 tracks that set the mood for the record. “Are You Ready” contains an infectious chorus as does “Homegrown” with the latter adding a little funky edge including some great sax playing. Normally I’m not a ballad guy but “I See Angels” has such a great summer laid back feel that I can’t help but love it. Things get a little harder with “Just Might Get It” but the melody and chorus really hold this track together nicely. After this, things take a little detour to a place that doesn’t work for me. The next two tunes “Last Day On Saturn” and the title track fall flat in my opinion. It’s a shame as the album is named after the latter but it just does nothing for me. Luckily, things turn around and the band is back on track with a selection of quality material. The best of the rest would be “Pretty Karma”, “Stumble”, and ‘The Ghost Inside” but that’s not to say that each of the others don’t demand repeated plays. With every spin, I start to like more and more of the latter tracks and “Unfuck My World” keeps floating to the top. It has a nice groove and reminds me a little of a band called GIANT who put out a few great albums.

Most of this album is more than solid with only a couple of missteps after the initial run of 4 great tracks. Of the 13 track on offer here, with only 2 managing to fall below expectations, to me, constitutes a great record. I’m glad that I gave DAN REED NETWORK another chance because “Let’s Hear It For The King” will remain on my playlist for quite some time. My suggestion is that whether or not you were familiar with the band’s previous offerings, you should definitely give this one a purchase. I wasn’t impressed with “Fight Another Day” but I’m certainly on board with this one.

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DAN REED NETWORK