Dan Reed Network is a funk rock band formed by Dan Reed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1984. They released several albums during the mid- to late-1980s and scored a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. The Slam album was generally accepted as their standout release.
After a long hiatus (1991 album Heat was the last studio record), the band return with Fight Another Day.
For longtime fans, the good news is that all the ingredients you loved are there, with the classy vocals and grooving melodies being intact. The bad news is that the whole album is substandard in terms of imagination, fire and balls! It is completely a wimp fest of the highest order – the guitars being mixed so low that it is impossible to love it as a rock fan. The groove is also largely lost, except on the two standout tracks “Infected” and “Give It Love“.
To my mind, this record should have come out the gate with a harder edge. Given that Slam had Nile Rogers pulling the production duties, this collection is lost in a vapid haze of blandness and this is a lost opportunity to get back the funk rock crown. I absolutely detest the songs “Reunite” and “Champion“, which could be pop songs from Boys II Men or Taylor Swift…pure garbage!
I hate being negative about records, but this is outrageously bland and devoid of any real emotion or fire. The whole of the record is nothing to do with fighting, but more of midlife meandering, the like of which Sting has drifted into post The Police.
Listen to “Infect” or “Give It Love” and see what could have been a great record. The bass and guitars are higher in the mix and there is a groove to them. This album is swamped in keyboards and damped down drums. If you want proper funk rock with attitude, get into Letlive. Or revisit King’s X. Even hardcore bands such as Atreyu have more heart and groove than this pile of vapid tosh.
Fight Another Day…I think not!
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