High Road

High Road carries on the direction of the acclaimed Somewhere in California and further updates the breezy melodic hard rock so characteristic of NIGHT RANGER. The strong lineup centered on Jack Blades, Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy pushes dynamic guitars and wide-opening choruses to the front, delivering a fresh momentum that belies the band’s veteran status. It is proof that a band entering its reappraisal period keeps producing high-quality songs without losing steam, well stocked with up-tempo numbers built for the stage. It is a record that sustains the good form of the comeback period. Led by the title track “High Road,” catchy hooks and clear guitar work line up, and the balance of drive and melody is kept throughout. It carries a melodic strength recalling the early classics while the production stays firmly contemporary, so a current-day vitality stands out over nostalgia. Rather than reaching for flashy experiments, the band consistently refines its own royal road at a high level, giving the album strong appeal to longtime fans and new listeners alike. Keeping a melodic sense continuous with the 1980s classics while the playing burns with the heat of a present-tense band, it is an emblematic gem of the reappraisal-era NIGHT RANGER.