Album Review — Mike Tramp

Mike Tramp — Second Time Around

Someone finally realized it might be a good time to release a record. With everyone home and listening to lots of music, Mike Tramp has released “Second Time Around”. Tramp has been relatively busy in the last few years as this album drops 13 months after “Stray From The Flock”. I usually have a few days with a record before reviewing, but this time we’ll do a first time listen review to celebrate a new release.

“All Of My Life” starts the record and from the very beginning I’m reminded that this isn’t White Lion. This sounds more like Bruce Springsteen or maybe more modern Bon Jovi. It’s upbeat but not heavy and nearly seven minutes long. We’re off to a good start.

“The Road” is up next and has a slightly slower tempo than “All Of My Life”. There’s a female backing vocal in the chorus that is a nice touch. A decent mid-tempo track.

There’s another drop in tempo with “Anymore”. This one suffers a bit from not going anywhere musically. It’s a lot of the same for five minutes. Not a bad song, just not that interesting.

Things get back going a bit with “Come On”. We aren’t cranked up all the way yet, but it’s upbeat and mid-tempo. This is pretty straight forward, no frills rock.

An interesting start to “Between Good And Bad”. It almost sounds Who-like at the beginning which then turns to a Thin Lizzy sounding track. I like this one. There’s a little more attitude here and the song has a little more character to it which makes it a lot more interesting. More of this please.

“Lay Down Your Guns” brings the tempo back down but there’s a little more going on here. There’s a little organ in the background and we get some more female tandem vocals in the bridge. Although not an uptempo track, there’s some good energy with this one, even at over six minutes.

“Highway” starts off with piano which we haven’t heard much of. I like where this is going from the start. This one builds a bit to the chorus and settles in at the second verse. I was hoping this one would be a little more driving than it is, but still a good track.

“No Tomorrow” starts with a heavier guitar riff which is nice to hear. I wouldn’t call the track heavy, but it’s definitely guitar centric with a little faster tempo. I might have moved this one up to earlier in the track listing to help with the flow.

Another upbeat track with “Back To You”. The flow of the record is a little uneven. I think the front end could have used some more upbeat tracks as we get a couple back to back near the end. More good use of the organ and the backing vocals.

“When She Cries” wraps up the album with a ballad. We get mostly acoustic guitar and piano. Tramp’s emotive vocal works well here. This might be my favorite track. It’s a relatively simple song but brings a lot of emotion.

I’m still getting used to Mike Tramp not fronting White Lion even though it’s been multiple decades since the band broke up. But once I settle in, this is a solid record. It could have used some re-sequencing to help with the flow, but overall, it’s a good record.

If you have enjoyed Tramp’s solo career, this is definitely one to check out. It’s not like you don’t have some time on your hands.

85 out of 100

Track Listing

01. All Of My Life *
02. The Road
03. Anymore
04. Come On
05. Between Good And Bad *
06. Lay Down Your Guns
07. Highway *
08. No Tomorrow
09. Back To You *
10. When She Cries *

*Best Songs