Bride

Item: Drop
Author: Brian Vincent McGovern

Drop

(1995)

Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovern

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Label Rugged RecordsHeaven's Metal #54July/August 1995

blues rock hard rock heavy metal

I have waited for this album a long, long time. Usually when I wait so long for something, I tend to build it up in my mind, anticipating it to be something bigger than it could ever possibly be in reality. Drop exceeds fantasy. Change is definitely a good thing. The banjo in "Mamma" is surprising, yet delightful, as it blends well with the relaxed biker-music hard rock in that song. I was also surprised to hear mandolins in a few songs, but then I remembered that these guys started out doing southern gospel. I never thought I'd hear congas and African djembe drums on a Bride album. You can thank producer Dino Maddalone for that blessing.

I found a lot of heart-felt emotion on this record (I'd say it was "soulful," but you'd think Motown, and that's not it). The lyrics are some of Bride's most insightful to date: The tune "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" says, "I've learned to shut the world out and let the Spirit in. It's only when I am honest that miracles begin." Sure to win next year's Dove in the "I'd rather not sing along with the chorus" category is "I'm The Devil," a song in which Dale's voice convinces me he could play an outlaw in a modern western flick. It is sung from the perspective of such a character. It's a good 'n' gritty song you might hear playing on the TV show, "The Renegade." "Personal Savior" is blunt and true: "Everybody needs faith, not a sign. Everybody needs to carry their own cross..." Musically, this is the piece to which you'll say, "That's the Bride I know!" "Life is the Blues" is depressing, telling of a man, filled with regret, who has lived his life never finding true happiness. "He never said I love you, I want you to stay. He'd give his soul to relive that day." The song ends with the stream of light, "He heard his son singing."

For those scared of change, there's still a pile of jarring, long-haired rock & roll, but now it seems to be done more thoughtfully.