Brian Howe – Circus Bar
Frontiers
www.frontiers.it

Rating: C

Brian Howe has been milking the past for decades.  The one time replacement singer in Bad Company has now released a solo album titled Circus Bar.  Most of the album is co-written with Brooks Paschal but one wonders how much is actually Howe because there is very little of his hard rocking past here.  Granted, the boy can still sing.  He sounds great.  The songs, taken one at a time are pleasant but when put back-to-back have numbing effect.  In other words, there is nothing wrong with this music but there is nothing really original or excellent about it either.  

Opening track “I’m Back” and “How About That” are good rockers and the highlights of the set.  Howe treads on his Bad Co days with a remake of “Holy Water,” this time making it a love song.   

Fans of melodic rock will love this one but the rest of us will just like it.  Not a bad effort but not a great effort either.  Oddly enough, one could see many of these songs being hits on the weird and wacky country market with just a few changes.  Maybe if Brian begins donning a cowboy hat then he may get a hit out of this batch.  

-          Jeb Wright