LITTLE CAESAR – Little Caesar [Japan HR/HM 1000 Vol.4 series] (2022) HQ

Universal Music Japan has started this year another campaign of their ‘HR/HM 1000‘ series, that meaning the reissue of long time out of print albums from their Hard Rock / Heavy Metal catalog at the price of 1000 Yen = about 9,5 USD.
As part of the 2022 HR-HM 1000 Vol.4 series we get LITTLE CAESAR‘s kick ass self-titled album ”Little Caesar”, now available again with a quality pressing and affordable price.
Signed by a major record label, with guru John Kalodner doing A&R work, and produced by expert Bob Rock you know what to expect; a big, huge sound with melting clean guitars and reverb all over the place, capturing the band in its hard rocking full force.

Soulful bluesy hard rock was all the rage in 1990, with the likes of the Black Crowes, The London Quireboys, Badlands, etc, hitting the charts. Was Little Caesar just one too many bands? They didn’t have the impact of these, though they certainly stacked up in the quality department.
Lead howler Ron Young’s lungs are enviable, with a gritty drawl and authenticity to go.

“Down-N-Dirty” opens with a clean-punchy mainstream rocking sound unmistakably 1990’s, and the groove continues through “Hard Times” which puts out a killer street rock vibe, able to tangle with any Hollywood competition. Next, the cover of “Chain of Fools” serves to show off Young’s limitless talents, done into a hard rock adaptation.
Diversity points are earned for a stellar ballad called “In Your Arms”, delivering on a solid soul vibe. Young’s voice is the focus, revealing depth track after track. There’s a darker turn on “From the Start”, foreboding but with anthemic chorus. The fun “Rock and Roll State of Mind” is a cool, harmonica-inflected blues burner.

“Drive it Home” takes the car/sex metaphors to a dirtier level. Another dusky ballad called “Midtown” changes the mood and the groove. A ballad with balls and a banjo? Then, “Cajun Panther” is its own descriptive, but the slippery guitar will hook you right in. The next song, “Wrong Side of the Tracks” is actually closer to the mainstream and rocks with single potential.
There’s a unique feel on “I Wish It Would Rain”. It may be another ballad but its southern flavouring make it clearly different from anything on the radio in 1990. “Little Queenie” nails the soulful hard rock vibe one last time, going out in style, but also with a song that doesn’t really sound like a closer. Perhaps a little song shuffling would have put “Little Queenie” in a better spot to showcase its strengths.

”Little Caesar” is a strong, bluesy hard rock album with that early ’90s American sound we all love. The band mix commercial tunes with soulful rockers plenty of meat, a record which deserves much more praise than it earned.
Highly Recommended

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01 – Down-N-Dirty
02 – Hard Times
03 – Chain Of Fools
04 – In Your Arms
05 – From The Start
06 – Rock-N-Roll State Of Mind
07 – Drive It Home
08 – Midtown
09 – Cajun Panther
10 – Wrong Side Of The Tracks
11 – I Wish It Would Rain
12 – Little Queenie

Ron Young – lead vocals
Jimmy Hayne (Apache) – guitars, vocals
Louren Molinare – guitar, vocals
Tom Morris – drums
Fidel Paniagua – bass, vocals
with:
John Webster – keyboards
Jimmie wood – harp
Mark LaFrance, Dave Steele – vocals

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-79843