Album Review — Hardline

Hardline — Heart, Mind And Soul

Hardline is back with their latest release “Heart, Mind And Soul”. Johnny Gioeli has been quite prolific over the last few years with a solo record, a release with Dean Castronovo and now the second Hardline record in the last two years.

The band has stuck close to their original sound back when Neal Schon was in the band at the start. From the first few notes of the opening track, “Fuel To The Fire”, you can hear the Neal Schon influence on this rockin’ opener.

“Surrender” starts with another Schon-like riff. The opening verses reminds me of a track of the fantastic Survivor record “Too Hot To Sleep”. The big chorus makes this one a keeper.

“If I Could I Would” definitely has that new Journey sound throughout from the keyboard accents to the slow build. The strong start continues.

“Like That” continues the string of high quality songs, this one a little more moody.

The nearly seven minute “Heavenly” has that epic ballad feel that features some strong guitar work at the end. Gioeli hits all the notes and shows he’s just as strong as he was back on the debut record.

Other highlights include “The Curse”, which sounds like it’s off the debut record with a bit of a “Dr. Love” feel to it. “Heartless” and “80s Moment” are both quality rockin’ tracks that remind me of some of the newer releases from Tokyo Motor First and The Defiants.

The mostly acoustic “We Belong” closes out the record.

I really like this record. It gets off to a fantastic start which draws you in and keeps you engaged. Gioeli is on a nice roll of quality records but this one might be the best so far. It’s a nice combination of the first record with that more updated sound we’ve heard recently from the band.

If you are a fan of the first Hardline record but haven’t heard them since, this would be a great record to start with. For those that have followed along with the band and Gioeli’s career, I’m sure you are quite happy with “Heart, Mind and Soul”. I know I am.

95 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Fuel To The Fire*
2. Surrender*
3. If I Could I Would*
4. Like That
5. Heavenly
6. Waiting For Your Fall
7. The Curse*
8. Heartless*
9. Searching For Grace
10. ’80s Moment*
11. We Belong

*Best Songs