80s Rock Fans, Romero’s Fans Will Most Appreciate Singer’s Latest LP

By: Philip Sayblack

​Ronnie Romero has been in the headlines a lot this year.  The singer, whose credits include work with Rainbow, The Michael Schenker Group, and The Ferrymen, saw that latter group release its latest album in January.  It was followed up late this spring with a new solo live recording and a brief tour this fall in support of his sophomore solo album, Backbone, which was itself released late last month through Frontiers Music.  That 10-song record is an engaging and entertaining offering in part for its musical arrangements.  The lyrical themes that accompany the noted musical material add to the interest in its own right.  The production puts the finishing touch to the whole, completing the presentation.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the recording.  All things considered they make Backbone an interesting new addition to this year’s field of new rock records.
Backbone, the newest solo offering from Ronnie Romero, is a record that is sure to appeal to established audiences of the famed singer.  The record’s appeal comes in part through its featured musical arrangements.  From one song to the next, the album’s musical arrangements clearly lean heavily on influences of the 80s hard rock scene.  At the same time, it should be noted that unlike so much of that music (maybe save for the softer ballad-esque woks here) the heavy rock compositions are not the cheesy over the top works that audiences came to know from the likes of Motley Crue, Ratt, and others of their ilk.  This even with the influence clearly there.  It does well to help keep the album’s musical content separate from those works and maintain its identity.  As a matter of fact, one could even argue to a point – in hindsight – that the album’s opener and title track actually boasts a little bit of a prog metal lean.  The use of the Hammond organ throughout so many of the arrangements against the heavy guitar lines and rich rhythm sections makes for just as much interest in the compositions maintaining their own identity.  At points, its use makes comparison to works from Deep Purple just as possible, odd as that may sound.  All things considered the blend of vintage hard rock and modern leanings throughout the album make the record’s musical body reason enough for audiences to check out the album at least once.
The musical content featured throughout the album are collectively just one notable aspect of the presentation herein.  The lyrical themes that accompany the musical material makes for its own interest.  Case in point is the album’s opener and title track.  This song comes across in relatively straightforward fashion as a familiar reminder to audiences to persevere through life’s tough times.  This as Romero sings, “In the shadows of the night/When the dark is so cold/And you feel the pain is not gone/Like a rising sun/With the light in our eyes/We prevail/In the fall/’Cause we listen to the sound/Of the magic that we found/Inside our souls/And a miracle is done.”  This metaphorical language makes pretty clear that this is a message of finding that inner strength, which will create our own “light” and in turn, lead to a miracle in those tough times.  Romero continues that seeming message in the song’s second verse, which states, “If this world would ever end/Like the book used to say/We’ll just find a reason to stay/Let’s turn the page/Let’s break the chains/Why keep us under the spell/’Cause we listen to the sound/Of the magic that we found/Inside our souls/When the miracle is gone/’Cause we are the backbone/Never refusing to fight/So bring the backbone/I’ll never leave you behind/We’ve got the power inside.”  That reminder that “we’ve got the power inside” is further reminder about finding that inner strength to push on.  Simply put, what Romero has done here is craft a song with a familiar message that delivered in accessible fashion.  Keeping that in mind it is a clear example of the importance of the album’s lyrical presentation.
After ‘Backbone,’ quite a number of the album’s remaining songs center on the same topic, that of relationships.  From ‘Running Over,’ to ‘Hideaway,’ to ‘Eternally’ audiences get plenty of that familiar topic.  Meanwhile, other songs,  such as ‘Keep on Falling’ and ‘Never Felt This Way’ come across as somewhat social commentary type works.  To that end, the lyrical content presented throughout the album offers more than its share of familiarity.  That familiarity and the accessibility of the overall lyrical content works with the album’s musical arrangements to make for another layer of interest for this album.
Putting the final touch to the album is its production.  Each song presented within Backbone is a presentation that expertly walks the line between rock and hard rock throughout the presentation.  There is so much going on in each song with the heaviness and depth of the instrumentations.  Thanks to the work put in behind the boards, each musician’s performance compliments well, that of his fellow band mate.  As a result, the production put into this record balances each song expertly, resulting in a positive aesthetic that is sure to appeal to Ronnie Romero’s established audiences.  To that end, the result of the production works with the album’s overall content to make the whole a work that Ronnie Romero’s audiences and more casual 80s rock fans will appreciate.
Backbone, the latest solo offering from Ronnie Romero, is a work that will certainly appeal to the singer’s established audiences.  That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  As noted, the arrangements throw back to the sounds of the 80s hard rock scene while also incorporating other elements, such as influence from Deep Purple.  The combination of influences makes for a presentation that musically, makes for reason to take in the album at least once.  The album’s lyrical themes are of their own note.  That is due to their accessibility and familiarity.  The record’s production ensures a positive aesthetic impact for audiences, putting the finishing touch to the whole.  All things considered they make Backbone a presentation that Romero’s targeted audiences will appreciate.
Backbone is available now.  More information on Backbone is available along with all of Ronnie Romero’s latest news at:
Website: https://ronnieromero.online
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ronnieromeroofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theronnieromero