Cinderella: 25 Years and Rocking!
Well if I have an opportunity to see Cinderella live, I do. Why? Because they strictly let their music do the talking. Jon Bon Jovi discovered them, which isn’t a free pass for artistic integrity, but it should damn well get people’s attention. The band started as a typical “hair band”, to make it at the time, but were extremely quick to legitimately become a quality rock band. I mean nothing better to hear than some heavy Blues Rock, is there? I didn’t think so, and nothing more than a damn fine rock band at the very worst.
Don’t know Cinderella!? I’m not one to immediately suggest live and hits albums, but a good place to start is to get a taste of what they offer. Seeing them live is almost recommendable as an introductory suggestion as well. Other than the fact that the band continues to shy away from one of the most underrated bands of their time, they do blend just the right amount of their other material to make a perfectly paced set list. Even their early stuff from “Night Songs” sounds better with age.
Already know Cinderella and haven’t seen them?! I can approximate your respect for them will at least double upon seeing them live. There are subtle string/keyboard arrangements underneath that are at times more than just decoration. Somebody in this band knows how to orchestrate. Listen to the textures on brilliant pieces such as “Nobody’s Fool” and “Heartbreak Station” and you may very well ponder why Cinderella will probably have only ever gotten a 15 minute chunk of real fame. It is “raw”; not in a sense of crappy performance-it was executed very well! But it is raw in an energetic and emotional sense. The band’s staple rockers, “Gypsy Road” and even “Somebody Save Me”, sound almost unbelievably fresh, timeless, and “un-hairmetal”. This band is a must see live, as it proves they have a hunger and drive, still today, that most of “today’s acts” have no clue about. They never sold out and changed their sound, but they did evolve better than almost any other band in rock history, it’s just that few people know it. If I saw them at a club and didn’t know who they were, I’d have no idea they were “just another piece of 80′s driftwood,” which I maintain they are not!!! And for all of you wondering why I’m using much of my breath on the hair topic and don’t care either way, just think of it this way, you are ahead of the rest, these are topics that must be included when seriously reviewing a work by a band such as Cinderella.
Tom Keifer gives us a taste of a talented multi-instrumentalist, as the lead vocalist playing the lead guitar, slide guitar, and grand piano. This band is a powerhouse, and I give them Thumbs up! Rock and Roll will never die, and don’t you let it!
Reviewed by Nick Belousov on 7/27/12