Karma

Karma is the fifth album, on which Winger showed themselves a high-level hard-rock band not reducible to a pop image. Released on Frontiers in 2009, it was Kip Winger’s attempt to fuse the catchy, song-first side of the first two albums with the thinking-man side of the last two. The title, he has said, marks the band’s path coming full circle. It was recorded in Nashville and produced by Kip himself. Led by the opener “Deal with the Devil,” which got an official video, heavy guitars, intricately interlocking rhythm and taut singing give the songs sharp drive. Per Reb Beach, up-tempo, Mötley Crüe-ish, head-banging party rock lines the album, while longer builds like the six-minute “Supernova” and “Witness” also appear. It keeps strong melody while the overall feel is clearly heavy, and treating technique and hooks with equal heat is what makes it convincing. A dense record of a mature Winger, beyond pop-metal.