JAMES YOUNG BAND – Raised By Wolves (1995) Out of print
As requested, here’s Styx guitarist JAMES YOUNG third solo album “Raised By Wolves“, a quite hard to find CD released amid the grunge in 1995, hence a quite obscure pressing now out of print. JY of course here musically remains faithful to his roots, and the album style is a classic rock crossing with melodic hard rock of all times.
In the first half of the ’90s Styx wasn’t much active, so JY founded his JAMES YOUNG GROUP, and following his two ’80s solo albums recorded this third opus titled ”Raised By Wolves”.
The record featured songs penned from the ENUFF Z’NUFF writing team of Chip Enuff & Donnie Vie, admirers of JY since their teens. Young returned the favour by gracing a number of tracks on ENUFF Z’NUFF’s ‘Paraphernalia’ album. Talented Styx band mate Glen Burtnik contributed with a couple of songs and aided in the studio as well.
”Raised By Wolves” is a melodic hard rock album classic in songwriting & playing, but it’s pretty unique for the genre regarding its production: I never heard the drums / bass mix like here into any other recording. And we like it!
For ‘Raised By Wolves’ Young assembled a band comprising vocalist / guitarist Michael Baran (previously a member of the Trent Reznor led The Urge), skilled 4&8 fretless bassist Hank Horton (touring member of Dennis DeYoung’s solo band), Pride Of Lions’ keyboard player Lou DePasqua, and drummer Ken Harck (Tami Show, Wild Blue).
As said, ‘Raised By Wolves” sounds like no-other. It’s the mix too, where the drum bass joins the bass where the sound results different. You can actually hear a fretless bass in action here.
Regarding the songs, all are strong, the more you listen the more you like them.
While there’s external songwriters like Burtnick, Chip Enuff & Donnie Vie, half of the songs were composed by JY with the band members, so this is more a ‘band’ recording than a solo.
Highly Recommended
1 – Faith, Love, And Hope
2 – Don’t Get Mad
3 – Into The Fire
4 – Heart’s Not The Same
5 – Amazing Grace
6 – Love (And Love Alone)
7 – Let’s Do It Everywhere
8 – Heaven In Your Heart
9 – City Of Holy Faith
James Young – vocals, guitars
Ken Harck – drums, percussion and vocals
Hank Horton – fretted and unfretted basses, vocals, percussion
Michael Baran – guitars, vocals
Lou D’Pasqua – keyboards, acoustic guitar and vocals
Glen Burtnik – keyboards, backing vocals
out of print
