Glenn succeeded big time with his writing style for this outing. It provides the listener the full spectrum of both Glenn and Joe's talent and allows them to highlight their star-studded careers. Combining the best of the Purple and Rainbow sounds of the 70's and 80's with a heavy dose of the modern day talent they both still exude on tracks like 'Mystery Of The Heart' and 'Heaven's Missing An Angel' just to name a couple.
The choice of core musicians to share in this winning formula include the outstanding keyboard wizardry of Vince di Cola, the always maturing guitar talents of JJ Marsh and drummer Shane Gaalaas. Guests include Paul Gilbert ("You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll"), John Sykes ("Heaven's Missing An Angel") and Akira Kajiyama ("Ride The Storm" & "Against The Wall") who bring their artistry to the forefront when they enter the project.
There's a chemistry going on throughout the album highlighted by the complimentary vocal talents of Hughes & Turner, while the other performers are perfect in their delivery of the ever-timeless rock'n'roll riffs and solos.
Highlights include the opener, 'Devils Road' with Glenn and Joe sharing thundering vocal deliveries with a thumping bass pumping in the background and keys and guitar riffs throughout! 'You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll' and 'Missed Your Name' are 'put your fist in the air' stompers yet include some great harmonies by both vocalists. 'Mystery Of The Heart' is Joe Lynn Turner's impressive solo number co-written with Glenn, for fans of 'Street Of Dreams' this one is going to bowl you over and is worth the price of admission alone. 'Sister Midnight' features some funky honky-tonk keyboard and guitar parts and vocal performances highlighted by Glenn who's in full swing on this one. There's also some smooth harmonies by both vocalists which "back in the day" would make this one a good candidate as a '45 single release. 'Heaven's Missing An Angel' is Glenn's solo performance with guitar duties provided by John Sykes. A classic from Glenn on this wonderful song, one minute you get the 'rock god' vocal delivery quickly followed by the soulful whisper that only he can perform. 'Run, Run, Run' is delivered with a 'bang your head' classic metal riff and shows off all the musicians on the track, this is definitely a 'top down, peddle to the medal' rocker! 'On The Ledge' starts off with Vince di Cola in fine form on keyboards with a classic mixture of 'Lord and Emerson' influenced passages, followed by the band gradually fading into a thunderous beat and then Glenn on a classic Hughes intro vocal, a rocking chorus follows shortly thereafter - this track is almost an anthem that would say 'this is what the HTP sound is all about'. A quick mention of 'Against The Wall' which you'll find as the Bonus Track on the Japanese release - a thunderous 4-1/2 minute rocker with Akira Kajimara and JJ sharing a classic Thin Lizzy style riff throughout the song, again Vince di Cola is outstanding and includes some bombarding vocals by both Glenn and Joe.
In conclusion, there isn't really a duff track on the CD, but the one's mentioned above deserve special mention.
This album is definitely made to be played live and this is one show we wouldn't want to miss and is definitely a prime candidate for a live CD release and should be considered for a DVD package to capture what will undoubtedly herald some breathtaking live performances.