Idle Cure

Item: Eclipse
Author: Roger Appelinski

Eclipse

(1994)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

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Label Salt MusicThe LighthouseJune 1994

aor arena rock melodic rock

Time and again we have seen that some time off helps a group return with a great album. For Idle Cure, this seems to be the case. While their record company (as most do) touts that this is their best release to date, I think they might be right.

Most of the album is the rough rock style that Idle Cure is known for. It brought back great memories of their debut release. The thing I like best about the group is how effectively they play their edgy background vocals off of the gritty lead vocals of Steve Shannon-commonly trading lines in the chorus.

Mark Ambrose (guitars & bgvs) and Pete Lomakin (Keys & bgvs) are joined by new member Glenn Pearce (guitars & bgvs) and several studio musicians (Jon Knox on drums, Mark Hill on bass, and others) to round out the sound. The band also works for the first time with Billy Smiley at the production reins.

The guitar intro of "What's Your Point of View" quickly leads to a rough and hearty "Yeah!," which sets the stage for this cooking project. It offers to share about God with a friend and to get him to qualify his "point of view." "Pour Out My Soul" has an anthemic touch as it affirms a commitment to the Lord. "Two Hearts" is a driving arena rock track encouraging a man to honor his wedding vow, to "give it all you've got/don't give up, give it one last shot." "Never Say Goodbye" is the first time the project takes a breath. It's a ballad about Lomakin's father passing away. It's not a worn-out AC-type ballad-there's some grit to it.

The guitars immediately fire up for another hot track, "Burning Gomorrah." It compares our society to Gomorrah, as "for sin, there's a price to be paid." "Living Water" is a slower rock tune, sharing the realization that after we get tired of searching for pleasure in the world-we'll live forever drinking the living water. "Shake it Up," my favorite track, follows. A hard rock tune with a driving bass beat, it encourages us to shake up the world by sharing our Savior with them. "Merciful Man" starts with a gentle piano background, but by the second verse sounds like a ballad that Bryan Adams would come up with. Another song encouraging us to share with the world-it offers "if we have the heart that lends a hand/God will bless this merciful man." "The Only Thing" affirms that "the only thing that's left for me/is to serve the One who set me free" in a lighter, almost pop-rock format. Closing the project is "Bring Me Through the Day," a rocking reminder that "when we're walking together [with the Lord]/no one can get in the way."

If you haven't heard the band before, and you like rock with some grit, then you should appreciate this one. If you are familiar with Idle Cure, I think this will have everything you like about the band in one nice package.