#3 — Night Ranger — Don’t Let Up

Growing up, Night Ranger was always my second favorite band after Journey. Unlike most bands from the time, the band is still mostly still together. They have taken long breaks over the years, but they’ve been on a good roll of releasing new music every 2 years or so.

Their latest release, Don’t Let Up, is classic Night Ranger. Dueling guitars and dueling lead vocals are all over the record. Jack Blades is certainly center stage as he takes lead vocals on most songs and is the main song writer. The band got away from their sound for a few albums in the late 90s-early 00s, but that classic Night Ranger sound is back.

There are some really great songs here. “Somehow Someway” kicks off the record in classic Night Ranger style. “Truth” sounds a little more like Blades’ solo stuff, but is a great song. “Comfort Me” is one of the best Night Ranger songs in two decades and “Jamie” sounds like it could have been on Dawn Patrol.

I really like every song on the record. It is classic Night Ranger without sounding too much like the first few albums. And that’s the key for these bands that have been around for three decades. Keep your sound without sounding stale. Night Ranger has done that and more.