|  Comments:
Mike Tramp is one of the few guys out there still trying to be a
“rock star.” He’s got the snarl, he’s got
the attitude, and he plays a type of music that calls for neither.
Notorious for being brief and employing wit belligerently on the
dry side during his interviews (check out the Hardrock Haven interview
with him: http://www.hardrockhaven.net/interviews/mtramp.php
for further explanation), he also shouts from the mountain tops
-- or at least his Web site -- his rock star agenda. Ever the Luddite,
Tramp admits as much (from his Web site): “And also those
damn Mobile phones, I fucking hate them, hate them with a passion.
Yes of course I have one, and it Goddamn rings every minute, Guess
who's calling me.” So the vehemence is there, albeit he could
find a better focus for his rage …
And
on that note, Tramp recently released an album titled Songs
I Left Behind, a hodge-podge of tracks that although never
made any of his solo releases, he felt they still were superior
songs due their day. “Looking back to them, I realized that
this material was still better than a lot of the albums that are
being released today,” Tramp said, on his press release for
the CD. Confident and a bit egocentric, Tramp has run the gamut
from fronting one of the biggest bands in the world during White
Lion’s reign, to playing small shows and venues, all while
maintaining his aura of “rocker.” In other words, he’s
a survivor.
But
is the music as good as he notes? The CD is over an hour long, and
full of songs that definitely deserve to be heard. If they all sounded
as tight as the first track, “Sometimes,” then this
would be one of the highlights of the year. The guitars are somewhat
noisy, during the verses, and the song itself is clean, catchy,
and just damn good. The second you hear his voice, you know it’s
Tramp.
He
gets surprisingly upbeat on the second song, “Do It While
You Can,” basically reiterating that whole “he who hesitates
is lost” thing. While not entirely melodic during the verses,
the chorus sucks you almost as well as White Lion did back in day.
“If you hesitate you are going to be forgotten. Are you waiting
for a chance that won’t show up?” Smart lyrics, another
well constructed tune, and a surprise that this didn’t make
any of his other releases.
Tramp
shows sort of a honky-tonk version of himself on the third song,
“Over and Out.” This is the sort of music you’d
love to hear in a smoke filled bar while guzzling Beam like it’s
the day before Lent and you gave up boozing for the duration. His
rhyme scheme is odd, but works, and the song is much rawer than
we are used to from Tramp. Probably the best song on the CD. Again,
his lyrics are cutting: “You thought that I was only joking,
when I spat in your face and told you, I never wanna see you crying,
or hear you crying, no not again.” This might be the best
song of his solo career, unless “Better Off” is.
The
leftovers start popping up after this strong beginning. He includes
a couple sappy ballads, and while he does them as well as anyone
out there … they are still sappy ballads. “Love Won’t
Wait On Me” is instantly forgettable in that aspect, but still
not a bad listen. “Darkness” is a much better turn on
this type of song, the last track on the CD, a gloomy, melancholy
song. Well, you can’t really compare the two, since “Darkness”
isn’t as sappy, just a slow, acoustic song, albeit a little
more earnest than need be.
The
type of song on this CD that shows his talent is “One for
Anger, Two for Pain.” He conveys a real honesty in much of
his music, and his lyrics show that he means everything he writes.
Although not known for his lyrical prowess, people might want to
rethink Tramp, because he puts in the effort, and succeeds 90 percent
of the time, lyrically. “When my anger’s building up,
only you can make it stop … well I know if I got you, I’ll
make it through.” That’s a hell of a lot better way
of telling someone you need them by saying, “baby, I love
you.” Tramp has this stuff figured out.
Some
of the other songs that probably shouldn’t have been left
behind are “Show Me,” “I Don’t Believe Anymore,”
and the touching “Think About the Times.”
With
Tramp, you have to take the good with the bad. He’s a little
quirky, and was the guy who co-authored “Wait,” so there
are times when the substance just isn’t there. But, on the
other hand, his ability to write with this realness, this honestly,
just doesn’t rear it’s head that often in the music
industry. Fans of Tramp will be gushing over this release, but people
who are not Tramp fans should definitely check this out, because
he’s not the same commercial product you remember from White
Lion’s hey-day. He’s a smarter, meaner, and more talented
version of his former self.
|
