Naughty Boys
R U Naughty Enough Artist Service

by Edwin van Hoof
Staff Writer

Comments: Now if you take the time to set aside your prejudice regarding the drop dead horrible artwork and ditto CD title, you might discover one of the finest melodic rock CD’s of this year. Naughty Boys are reviving the old days of hair metal with panache and passion … here we go!

R U Naughty Enough bears the clichés of rock, yet it also captures a band in fine shape reviving the monstrous hammering melodic rock tunes of the '80s and '90s. All performed with a punch and a kick in the b*tt. Drums and bass providing a hard fundament underneath, where guitars fire away great riffs and spectacular solos. The music is hookladen and powerful, where the melodies are ear mingling.

Opening “Only God” and the White Lion reminiscent “I Will” shred away seriously, but the magic unfolds more and more towards the mid section where Naughty Boys are delivering some top notch melodic hymns. “Trail of Tears” with some excellent guitar melodies and ear mingling (slick) chorus should make every fan jump for joy. “Last Man Standing” has a dark and slow pace empowering the lyrics, where party crackers like the arena rockers “Stay” and “2 Worlds Collide”. Rolling drums in combination with excellent keyboards swirls and ongoing solo shred in “Bitter Tears” offer different side of a well known melodic rock recipe.

The drop dead gorgeous rock ballad “After the Rain” with fine tuned acoustic guitars and classical piano grows on you with its power chords and soaring vocals in the excellent chorus. “Close my Eyes” easily matches the quality delivered by renowned acts from the heydays of melodic rock. The piano boosted intimacy on “Learn to Fly” provides a window of frailty that is smashed while the song unfolds. “Something to Believe In” ends the album with another powerful rock ballad that is packed with power and passion. Sure; the name White Lion will be haunting this remarkable CD mainly due to vocalist Mikael Sandvik with his hoarse voice reminiscent of Tramp's, but the overall feel of the record is much in the vein of WL majestic releases. Naughty Boys easily captures the spirit of those days to inject them with true and honest passion, plus a ton of energy and ditto production.

Naughty Boys deliver their goods with tremendous skills and passion for music. The melodic fire crackers are all top notch tunes with high energy outbursts back and forth, keenly interfered by some of the finest rock ballads of the decade. The band not only proves to be skilful and loyal to their music, they also managed to pump the sound with modern day production techniques that only make it more worthwhile. All in all, this is one of the most spectacular releases of the year!

Band Members:
Mikael Sandvik - Vocals
Morgan Valentin - Keyboard
Hans Olsson - Guitar
Jonas Ludvigsson - Drums
Robert Norberg - Bass

Track Listing:
Only God
I Will
After The Rain
Trail Of Tears
Last Man Standing
Stay
Close My Eyes
Bitter Tears
Is This Love
Learn To Fly
Nothing Can Bring Me Down
2 Worlds Collide
Something To Believe In

HRH rating: 9.2/10