The New Tempo
The first time I toyed with TNT was way back in 1987 with the Billboard busting effort ‘Tell No Tales’ where I was introduced to the very US sounding operatic vocals of Tony Harnell, still a fave singer to this day. We fast forward in our DeLoreans to the present and it’s the first time I’ve witnessed the new TNT complete with ex Shy/Siam singer Tony Mills, yet another fave singer. So it must be good, mustn’t it?
Well for starters, after listening to it once, I’m really, really struggling to think of some nice stuff to say. I remember Tony sounding very high pitch and very Geoff Tate like. He can still sing but he's no Harnell.
I don’t know what direction they have gone for but it’s not fully working for me. I’m not a huge fan but I do own 4 TNT albums, so I’d like to think I know a little about them. Its a brave choice that TNT are not pandering to the TNT faithful and giving them a late 80’s sounding album. Eureka! That’s the issue! It’s not the 80’s anymore so TNT have to move on and deliver what they can in 2008, not 1988. There’s very little 80’s influence in the 2008 TNT. They have changed their vibe, groove and overall sound which will be difficult for some to take in.
The first couple of songs are so different they threw me quite a bit. Opener ‘Hello, Hello’ is a very 60’s sounding song with a nod to the Beatles thrown in for good measure. ‘Peter Sellers Blues’ is the strangest of titles which I found difficult to get my head around, but has some great guitar work from Ronni. However there are some positives on offer. The Tekro/Mills partnership is starting to bear fruit. For this album to work you need to ignore the past TNT and concentrate on the present. Its their new sound so get past it. The production is good, the songs punchy enough. The highlights of the new partnership are the long ‘Me and Dad’, a lengthy ballad, a little too long, but good all the same.
Listening to it more, its an album of two halves, the second half being more consistant than the first, and hopefully the template for the future should there be one. ‘Atlantis’ has a good groove to it and is a grower. ‘Taste of Honey’ has a mellow groove, and it’s a definite Mills type song, as is the next, ‘Bottle of Wine’ and they state their intent for the new TNT.
Another mellow ballad appears next with ‘Missing Kind’ another opportunity for Mills to show his style. ‘Love of My Life’ is a very pop/rock song, which maintains the new TNT groove of the previous songs.
Finally ‘ Had It, Lost It, Found It’ ends on a high. A rockier offering than most on the album and is the closest to a Harnell TNT sound you’re ever likely to get
All in all, it’s a lot better that I first thought, but for this to work, old die hards need to get past the fact that Harnell is gone, long live the new in Mills. Promising.