Album Review: Ronnie Atkins - One Shot

Today we come to another case where a critic can come across like an asshole. Ronnie Atkins is battling cancer, and is making the most of his time by releasing this solo album. Now, how exactly do you criticize a sick man's work without it sounding completely insensitive? I don't know if there is an answer to that, and I'm not sure there should be either. People talk when ugly stories come up that we need to be able to separate the art from the artist. Wouldn't the same also be true when the story would give us undue sympathy? It's an interesting question.

This is a true solo album, and not just a Pretty Maids record in disguise. Compared to the last couple of albums from his main band, this is a lighter, more positive batch of songs. His main gig has been getting heavier and more snarling, while this is an outlet for optimism and big, feel-good songs. So even with circumstances being what they are, Ronnie is trying to look on the bright side and make the most of his time. That is far easier to hear than if he had gone the other direction.

There's an interesting balance to these songs, where the overall approach is lighter than usual, and yet the guitar tone is saturated and thick. The tones are far heavier than the songs themselves would point toward, and I can't decide if it was a mistake to not play to the needs of the songs, or if providing some extra punch helps prop up some of these tracks. It might be a bit of both, to be honest.

The title track uses this approach to build an anthem to life that is the highlight of the entire record. It's a big, arena rocking ballad that serves as a call to arms, and shows the best of what Ronnie can do. His gritty voice takes what could be a saccharine song and makes it sound far more powerful. These songs go a long way to showing that Ronnie's voice can work across the rock spectrum. It works with the heaviest of Pretty Maids material, it works with the melodic rock of Nordic Union, and his voice is the best part of this softer rock as well.

"Before The Rise Of An Empire" is more 80s than the rest with some extra synths, and "Miles Away" has almost gospel backing vocals that carry a lot of the composition. It's unusual, but it loses some of its appeal when Ronnie throws in the groan-inducing lyric "a friend in need is a friend indeed". One line doesn't ruin a solid song, but it does make it harder to listen to. It's not as bad as when Taylor Swift told us "spelling is fun", but it's along those lines of not trying hard enough.

On first impressions, this album didn't appear to be all that impressive, but it grew on me the more I listened to it. These aren't songs with big riffs or the most obvious pop hooks, so it takes a little while for them to make their impact. When that happens, "One Shot" reveals itself to be well worth listening to. No, it's not as addictive as a Nordic Union album, but it's nice to hear Ronnie pouring so much of himself into a record. We can always use a few more songs that try to make us feel better.