BADGER (Extreme) – Time Will Tell (2014) *HQ* out of print

Outside of Extreme, bassist Pat Badger has played with Jason Bieler of Saigon Kick in Super TransAtlantic and of course Tribe Of Judah with Gary Cherone but has never really had his own project or solo effort. We all know what he brought to the table in all of these bands beyond his solid bass playing and that was his very underrated, extremely smooth harmonies.
It was time for Pat to release his solo album… singing lead vocals and playing bass in BADGER. ”Time Will Tell” was conceived when Bleu (one of Pat’s favorite artists and songwriters) sent Pat a batch of 35 songs. He was so inspired to record some of them and to co-write, so he jumped on the phone asking Bleu to come to Boston to start recording at Ice Station Zebra with Grammy award winning engineer Ducky Carlisle.
And how it sounds Extreme’s Pat Badger here? Put one part Cheap Trick, add in a touch of Queen, a sprinkle of Aerosmith, a dab of KISS and a small pinch of Van Halen and you have “Time Will Tell”, and a whole lot more.
Of course there’s Extreme related musicians collaborating; drummer Kevin Figueiredo, Joe Pessia (Hurtsmile), and Gary Cherone.
As requested, here’s the now hard to find “Time Will Tell”, with CD copies fetching over $200.

Pat Badger is really pushing his own personal boundaries here and putting himself out there in a way that he’s never done before in the past. Having never really been able to break through the Cherone/Bettencourt songwriting stronghold that was Extreme, Pat has enlisted the help of pop songwriter/producer extraordinaire Bleu in order to craft this album.
As you might expect from a Badger/Bleu collaboration the songs here are rocky, poppy, melodic and very, very catchy.

Of course there’s Extreme bandmates collaborating, as on the track “Lost And Found” which features Gary Cherone and, with Kevin Figueiredo behind the drum kit (who plays on all tracks) makes for a very nearly Extreme studio reunion.
Also, the main guitars are performed by Joe Pessia, the six-string man in Hurtsmile, Gary Cherone’s excellent band.
Is there anything for Extreme fans here then? Lots, and lots more but I’ll guess plenty of fans will have wetdreams over the riff oriented “Inside Out”, the most hard rocking and catchy song on the album which at the same time reminds Jeff Paris’ ’80s works.

“Whatever Happened 2 Us” is a buoyant and lively opener that should have you bouncing off the walls, then “Lie (Behind My Eyes)” is slower but I would qualify it as mid-tempo, not a ballad. Again very catchy and I kept finding myself singing the chorus on this one over and over.

“Losing Faith” had to be the toughest for Pat Badger because he wrote it following the passing of his mom. A slow paced in the vein of “Lie” and has touches of a string section in the background.
“Time Will Tell” starts out like a cartoon soundtrack for 14 seconds and then the guitar kicks in and we have a very Cheap Trick type vocal style and best the harmonies on the album. This song just oozes coolness and a poppy treat for the listener.

“Freak Me Out” is that up-tempo ‘summer driving with the windows down’ song. The lead guitar on here is particularly nice and comes out courtesy of Mr. Gary Hoey – catchy in a jump up and down sort of way.
“Suicidal Sunday” is the type of vocal that Pat might have had the hardest time with because it’s so up-tempo throughout with a higher range especially on the chorus. I have to mention that Mr. Badger has exceeded my expectations as lead vocalist.

“Lost and Found” is a fun, lively rocker with a very nice groove throughout. Having old friend Gary Cherone adding vocals in an almost duet style sure comes in handy. Cherone really hits some pretty high notes on the bridge and together they make this the ‘go to’ song on the record.
After the short one minute guitar instrumental from Joe Pessia “Into The Light” arrives last track “C’mon C’mon”, a strong catchy and uptempo cut which contains a ton of great harmonies and another quality vocal from Pat. I like the use of acoustic guitars at one point during the bridge.

After listening “Time Will Tell” I can safety affirm that Pat Badger has been underutilized within the ranks of Extreme, and like KISS did on Love Gun with Ace Frehley at the mic on ‘Shock Me’, I think it’s time for Pat Badger to have a lead vocal on the next Extreme record. ‘Shock Me’ indeed shocked a lot of KISS fans in 1977 with Ace’s first lead vocal and “Time Will Tell” will most likely have that same shock value on Extreme fans in 2014.

Pat Badger has proved one thing for sure, he is more than capable of writing and performing within the ranks of his own band. The fact that the band consists of not only superstar Bleu but old friends like Joe Pessia from Hurtsmile and Kevin Figueiredo from Extreme certainly makes Badger a future force to be reckoned with within the Rock genre.
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family of otters, polecats, weasels and wolverines. Badger the band should have long lasting power and be more in the vein of carnivores that derive their energy from a diet consisting of meaty tracks ready to rock your world.
Highly Recommended

01 – Whatever Happened 2 Us?
02 – Inside Out
03 – Lie (Behind My Eyes)
04 – Losing Faith
05 – When It Rains
06 – Time Will Tell
07 – Freak Me Out
08 – Suicidal Sunday
09 – Lost and Found
10 – Into the Light
11 – C’mon C’mon

Pat Badger – Vocals, Bass
Bleu – Guitars
Joe Pessia (Hurtsmile) – Guitars
Kevin Figueiredo (Extreme) – Drums
Gary Hoey – guest Lead Guitar
Gary Cherone – Vocals

Try Here:
www.amazon.com/Time-Will-Tell-Badger/dp/B00P4D49XM