Together with alum from the band
Boston,
Barry Goudreau put together an interesting nine songs recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. It's the distinctive
Boston guitar sound with more basic rock & roll. "What's a Fella to Do" could be a sequel to "Rock and Roll Band"; "Mean Woman Blues" goes in an almost
Foghat direction.
Fran Cosmo's vocals feel a bit more British than
Brad Delp, and "Leavin' Tonight" leans more toward producer
Mike Chapman and the sound of
the Sweet than one would expect.
Goudreau's guitar and Syb Hashian's drums are a powerful combo -- no bassist is listed. The song "Dreams" gave
Goudreau's self-titled debut the radio attention it deserved, and a bit of a following. This track definitely sounds like the band
Boston which, rumor has it, upset Tom Scholz. In 1992 singer Delp and guitarist
Goudreau joined
Brian Maes & the Memory. They rode the
Maes original "Until Your Love Comes Back Around" into the Top 30 in America, and the Return to Zero album was a nice reunion for the two major forces behind this. "Life Is What We Make It" and "Cold Cold World" are good slices of American hard rock. More refined than
Grand Funk Railroad and not as slick as the
Mickey Thomas version of
Starship, the
Barry Goudreau album is a fun record free from the restrictions of Scholz's meticulous production. While "Cold Cold World" may evoke thoughts of the song "Long Time," the string quartet on "Sailin' Away" gives the album a depth and identity. Just a bunch of professional musicians playing what they like and coming up with a gem.