DONNIE IRIS – Back On The Streets [Rock Candy remaster +2] (2021) *0dayrox Exclusive*

Rock Candy Records has just remastered & reloaded DONNIE IRIS‘ most celebrated Eighties albums with a pristine sound quality, and perhaps the best is debut “Back On The Streets“, in this reissue including two bonus tracks.
With a sound somewhere between Cheap Trick, The Cars, Foreigner and Loverboy with a dash of radio-friendly AOR, Iris and his kindred spirit producer, keyboard player & songwriter Mark Avsec formed Donnie Iris And The Cruisers in the late Seventies, releasing ”Back On The Streets” in 1980 and surprising many ranking in the Top 40 with its catchy tunes.

The big hit was “Ah! Leah!,” which, with its throbbing bassline and crunchy riffs, climbed to number 29, but there’s much more here.
The album’s other single, “I Can’t Hear You”, follows as a straight-ahead new wave rocker with rich harmonies in the choruses. “Joking” is an even more joyful with some cool synths over the crisp rock guitar riffs by Marty Lee Hoenes to reach a sound similar to The Cars earliest material.

Avsec’s “Shock Treatment” features a weird, synth lead intro before song proper kicks in led by the fine bass of guest Robert Peckman and the various vocal experiments make it almost sound like a show tune from a modern movie.
The album’s title song adds some variety with a real classic rock feel complete with distorted guitar riffing, synthesized orchestration and intense story-telling vocals, while “Agnes” is another dynamic rocker with a simple riff, cool vibe and call and response vocals.

Do not under any circumstances miss out on ”Too Young For Love”, and the brilliantly arranged ”You’re Only Dreaming” with its layers of multi-part harmonies and a superb affected vocal from Donnie.
There’s a frantic, sexually charged tune in “She’s So Wild”, which ends quite abruptly. The album then returns to the moderate power pop/melodic track with “Daddy Don’t Live Here Anymore”, with a vibe that has a bit of Cheap Trick influence and a cool, almost psychedelic synthesized organ lead by Avsec.

Wrapping things up is “Too Young to Love”, the closest thing to a ballad on this album albeit with tremendous musical dynamics such as a sax lead by Kenny Blake and Iris singing his heart out with dramatic, strained vocals to finish the album strongly.
As bonus, we have two very well live tracks recorded 1981 and showcasing how hot Iris and the guys were onstage.

Rock Candy’s remaster is excellent, crisp, giving ne life to an album which is among the best from 1980 in its genre. Put “Back On The Streets” alongside Cheap Trick, The Cars, Foreigner and Loverboy albums from the era.
Highly Recommended (contributors get lossless)

You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

01 – Ah! Leah!
02 – I Can’t Hear You
03 – Joking
04 – Shock Treatment
05 – Back On The Streets
06 – Agnes
07 – You’re Only Dreaming
08 – She’s So Wild
09 – Daddy Don’t Live Here Anymore
10 – Too Young To Love
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – Ah! Leah! (Live)
12 – I Can’t Hear You (Live)

Donnie Iris – lead and background vocals
Mark Avsec – piano, synthesizers, vocals
Marty Lee Hoenes – acoustic and electric guitars
Albritton McClain – bass guitar
Kevin Valentine – drums
additional musicians:
Kenny Blake – saxophone
Robert Peckman – bass on “Shock Treatment”

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www.aorheaven.com/index.php/englisch_b/bestseller/iris-donnie-back-on-the-streets-2-digitally-remastered.html