Night Songs

Night Songs is the debut album by the Philadelphia-formed Cinderella, which brought the grit of blues and 1970s rock into the glitz of 1980s hard rock. Released on Mercury in 1986, it is carried by the raspy voice of Tom Keifer (vocals/guitar), which lends the songs danger and an earthy power. Backed by guitarist Jeff LaBar and bassist Eric Brittingham, Keifer wrote every track; the band was discovered and championed by Jon Bon Jovi, whose push helped land their deal. Opening for labelmates Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet tour was also a major boost to their breakthrough. The lead single “Shake Me” failed to chart, but the power ballad “Nobody's Fool” that followed became a number 13 US hit, and with MTV exposure the band’s name spread fast. The direct drive of the anthem “Shake Me” and “Somebody Save Me,” and the momentum of the title track, show ability beyond mere trend. With big choruses yet the heat of old rock and roll underneath, the album reached number 3 in the US and went triple platinum, still loved as a hair-metal classic.