Album Review: Night Ranger - ATBPO

I'm not entirely sure why, but a lot of older rock and metal fans don't like to admit that their favorite bands were never as big as they seemed at the time, or they were only big for the wrong reasons. Night Ranger was not big, but they did have one real hit, and that makes people mad. "Sister Christian" is an enduring classic of the 80s, but it's not a rocker, so you hear plenty of people whining that it's all people know about the band. That's just how things work. Of course people who hear a ballad on the radio aren't always going to be interested in hearing that same band playing harder rock stuff on their albums. You have to put up with the more casual fans, but how many of the following Night Ranger albums never would have been made if not for the success of that ballad?

All these years later, Night Ranger is still together, and still putting out records. They seem to be less bothered by their lot in the rock world than a lot of the fans are, so I have respect for them continuing to do what they do, even if they're never going to rise to a higher level again.

This record is full of songs that will go down well on the State Fair concert circuit, assuming the people don't have their heads buried in their phones at the mention of "a new song". Night Ranger is a band of their time, but their 80s styled rock doesn't sounds nearly as dated as a lot of the younger bands who are trying to capture the same spirit. I will say, though, that I get a little taken out of the moment when the chorus to "Bring It All Home To Me" comes around. It starts with "baby, baby, baby", and while there isn't anything unusual about that, I was in the particular frame of mind to wonder why we use that term. Calling your partner 'baby' is creepy, if you really stop and think about what you're saying. Anyway...

There's also "Hard To Make It Easy", where the band is going full-on Think Lizzy, both in the twin guitar harmonies and the vocal lines. It stands out from the rest of the album, and I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing. It almost doesn't sound like Night Ranger, compared to the other songs. It's one of those experiments you often see bands tack on at the end of an album, where you can easily ignore it, but this one is front-and-center.

Night Ranger is essentially known for one song, and this album explains a lot of the reasons why. There are plenty of good songs, yes, but there isn't any one song that snaps your head back and makes it clear it's a hit in waiting. Also, the album's stylistic diversity can be an asset for many, but it does make it harder to embrace all the various bits that makes up Night Ranger's identity. There isn't one sound that embodies who they are.

When we boil it down, "ATBPO" is a fine album, but it doesn't have many songs on it that rise above the usual 80s rock revivalism. Night Ranger fans will be happy with another album added to the collection, but the rest of us are going to still be a bit confused why Night Ranger is so often held up as a case of a band that deserved so much more. I enjoyed this album just fine, but I don't hear anything more than that.a