Don’t expect to hear “Can’t Get Enough” or “Seventeen” on the latest Winger album SEVEN, but musically the band has never been better.
This is exactly what we should expect from an 80’s band decades later as the member are all around 60 years old. I would certainly hope they’re not singing about the same stuff as they were in 1989, that would be pretty strange.
We still get songs about love, that’s timeless at any age. But we get some social commentary as well that’s vague enough for anyone to appreciate. In other words, you can sort of imagine songs like “Proud Desperado” however you’d like to, and in this world of insanity we live in, we’re already living in our own truths.
Winger seems to be going through the same spiritual crises as many of us are in songs like “Heaven’s Falling”, Tears Of Blood”, “Resurrect Me” and others. The lyrics are introspective and sometimes quite dark. Kip’s voice is still strong, but he’s gotten a little more “edge” to his voice that actually adds to the textures of the music.
I mention early that the band was musically at their best, Reb Beach had always been a very accomplished guitarist, but the atmosphere he creates on this album is quite impressive. His tones are great, I wish they were a bit heavier at times, but overall, the mix suites the music perfectly.
Kip’s bass playing has always been solid and with a drummer like Rod Morgenstein you’re going to have a top-notch rhythm section. Winger has always been right in the pocket with a killer groove and they’re deep in it again on this album.
Winger has always danced on the edge of Prog-Rock. I know that sounds funny but when you really listen there’s a lot going on with the music. Kip once told me they were going for a “KISS meets YES” vibe and I think that’s a pretty decent assessment, even if they don’t technically sound like either band.
One thing I did find was that the “heaviness” of the subject matter did start to wear on my after awhile. If you’re a fan of the first two Winger albums you might find the same thing, the lack of “fun”, but as I said earlier, this is NOT the same band as it was back then, so just be prepared for a more serious listening session.
It’s too early to say this was their best or worse album, in reality it’s probably in the middle somewhere for me personally, but it’s almost impossible to compare albums put out close to 30 years apart from each other. Regardless, it’s a dang fine piece of work worth having in your library.
Subscribe to the Winger YouTube Channel: 
/ @wingertv | Subscribe to the Frontiers Records YouTube Channel: http://radi.al/SubscribeFrontiers
https://www.facebook.com/WingerTheBand/
https://www.wingertheband.com/
