The album opens with one of three iterations of its title track. The main song Kickstart the Sun sits in the middle of the tracklist - but the album opens and closes with shorter versions of it. The intro version is essentially an a cappella vocal rendition of part of the song, with the voices of Edwards, Hart, and regular collaborator Mick Wilson (Flame; 10cc) all mixing together to create a rather Queen-like sound. Despite the grandeur of sound that the three voices create, the album's intro is still relatively low key - and the album really gets going proper when King of Stars kicks in after a minute of so. The seven minute-plus track is very much a representation of what the album is about - as it contains the classic Cats in Space sound with a number of other bells and whistles. It opens with a drum barrage from Steevi Bacon, which then leads into the song's soaring chorus. Opening the song with its chorus works well, as it instantly showcases Edwards' powerful voice - and the driving guitars and Hart and Dean Howard create a hard rocking bed. Some of the songs here feature a one-man horn section, and King of Stars is one of the tracks that features the talents of Jack Birchwood. His horns add a lot to the powerful chorus, and help it to sound even bigger, without changing the overall character of the band's sound. The additions are generally used fairly subtly throughout the album, but they all help to enhance the band's trademark sound. The focus is still very much on the core, though. King of Stars is powerful due to the band's usual hard rock guitar approach, as well as the varied keyboard playing of Andy Stewart. His piano playing is all over the song, adding driving melodies, whilst the synths fill all of the gaps with retro shimmering noise. The song has a pretty dynamic arrangement, too, with slower sections that feature on Edwards' voice and the piano, whilst other moments are more upbeat - such as during Howard's melodic guitar solo. It is a great song which showcases both the classic Cats in Space sound as well as their expanded ambition here - and it opens the album in fine fashion. The album's two main singles follow, and they very much feel like classic Cats in Space numbers with very accessible choruses and plenty of hooks. Poke the Witch is up the first, which is a mid-paced glam rock stomper that sounds like Cats in Space singles past. The song is very piano driven, with Stewart's playing dominating the verses, whilst Edwards makes his vocal hooks sound effortless. The verses have a bit of a staccato stomp thanks to the piano melodies and Bacon's drumming, whilst the chorus soars in a rather laid back way - with plenty of big vocal harmonies. The vocal interplay between Edwards, Hart, and bassist Jeff Brown is as good as ever here - and the chorus sounds massive thanks to their voices intertwining. A guitar solo section started by Howard and closed by Hart adds some additional melodies to the song, but overall this is a track that is very much characterised by old-school piano hooks and a big chorus.
Teenage Millionaires follows, and the album's second single is a much more upbeat and hard rocking cut. It reminds me somewhat of Queen's first couple of albums, and even some of the early hooky numbers from Uriah Heep - particularly during the chorus which has some very Uriah Heep-esque vocal harmonies. Bacon's drumming helps to build the song, switching from focusing around a floor tom pattern to a more traditional beat, whilst the guitar riffing is a bit more in-your-face this time. Pulsing keyboards add a strong pomp rock edge to the track, which is almost Magnum-esque at times, whilst Hart and Howard lay down the occasional twin-guitar lead to act as punctuation between different sections of the song. Howard also lays down a relatively short, but blistering, guitar solo which builds on the overall vibe of the song nicely. Songs like this are as hard rocking as Cats in Space get, but it still contains the band's usual approach to melody - and the chorus is one of the hookiest here in my opinion. Goodbye to the American Dream is much more low key, and goes for a more atmospheric sound. Cats in Space have written songs like this before, and they excel at this more spacey sound. Stewart's electric piano forms the basis of the verses, which Edwards then croons atop. Depth is added by the pedal steel swells of session player B. J. Cole, who has contributed to a huge amount of well-known albums over the years. His additions are subtle, but they add a lot of depth, and he is featured on a few songs throughout the album. The song is still quite dynamic, though. The verses are quite slow, but the choruses are more rocking in nature - with more of a driving rock sound that includes plenty of guitars and more horns from Birchwood. 1,000,000 Miles is more of a ballad, which is again based around the piano playing of Stewart. The first verse is essentially just the piano and Edwards' voice, with the occasional sparkling synth hook, which is continued on into the first chorus. The song does expand as it moves along though, with the rest of the band joining in from the second verse onward. Hart creates some of his trademark Boston-esque guitar orchestrations during the verses, which add a grand sound, whilst the addition of the rest of the band and some big vocal harmonies boost the second chorus. Howard's guitar solo is similarly grand, too, and it apes some of the chorus vocal hooks - pushing the overall emotional side of the song further. It is perhaps one of the band's best ballads yet, and it is one that I return to often. Fifty-One Pillow Bed then returns to something of a simpler 1970s glam rock sound, but there is a smoothness to it that certainly helps the track to sound a bit more modern. The additions that have made some of the preceding songs sound bigger are absent here, and the track is very much old-school Cats in Space in sound as a result. Edwards' vocals here are perhaps less dramatic, but they are no less melodic - and his chorus hooks are perhaps the best part of the song. Hart's guitar solo channels those old Rockman-esque guitar tones, recalling early Boston, whilst the three-man choir of Edwards, Hart, and Brown effortlessly bring the chorus to life. The song has been a favourite since my first listen to the album, and its hooks are ever-present in my brain.
Charlie's Ego is somewhat similar in style to Poke the Witch, and the short pop rocker is packed with driving piano melodies. Even the chorus has a similar hook to Poke the Witch, which I imagine is deliberate as there are lyrical references to witches throughout the song, but it is somewhat grander overall thanks to some more of Hart's guitar orchestrations. They inject lots of epic melodies into the choruses - whilst Howard's tougher guitar rhythms add weight. As the song moves along it feels heavier than Poke the Witch, too, and it goes to grander heights with its endless guitar hooks and the vocal additions of Julie Maguire (Space Elevator) - whose powerful voice mixes nicely with Edwards' as the song moves towards its end. The album's title track follows, and it is another longer piece with plenty of dynamic movements. It builds up gradually as it moves along, and opens slowly with Stewart's piano and Edwards' voice. The chorus is reminiscent of the album's intro, but this time it has a piano backing to add further depth. Synths and percussion are slowly added into the mix following the first chorus - and it is here where the song starts to build. The second verse and chorus feel bigger - but things change following this as the rest of the band come in and the first of a number of guitar solos adds some excitement. From this point on the song is generally more hard rocking, although it remains a grander-sounding mid-paced piece. It never roars out of the blocks, but the heavier guitars and occasional bursts of organ give the song more weight - whilst lots of emphasis is placed on vocal harmonies, with Maguire again adding her voice to the mix (including some closing high notes which inject some additional power). Following the expansive and powerful Kickstart the Sun, the band then dial things down somewhat with the more acoustic-based A Big Balloon. Hart's acoustic guitars form a jaunty backing for Edwards' vocals, whilst some snaking bass playing from Brown adds depth. Despite the song's acoustic base, though, it manages to create a big sound - particularly as it moves along. A few different instruments are featured throughout, too. Hart plays a short sitar solo, which is not something commonly heard within the context of Cats in Space, whilst Stewart also lays down a keyboard solo - again, not a common factor in the band's sound. As such, the song adds something different to the album - whilst still containing many of the band's usual approaches to melody. Another song that does things a little differently is Smoke & Mirrors - although, like the previous song, there is still plenty of the band's trademark sound throughout. The main difference here is the approach to the background vocals - which feels very American. Despite taking influence from some American bands, Cats in Space's sound is very British at its core. The big vocal harmonies here, though, are very American-sounding - but they sound massive and easily fit in with the song's more driving rock sound. Piano once again forms the basis of the track, with its driving rhythms, whilst Hart's lengthy lead guitar showcase, which features some talkbox moments, is a bit more virtuoso in nature than usual. There are still lots of classic vocal hooks, though, and the chorus is another winner - with those big late 1970s vocal harmonies bringing it to life.
Hero is much more of a low key piece, as it is another piano ballad which essentially just features Stewart's piano playing and the emotional vocals of Edwards. Bacon wrote the lyrics, and it is says in the album's booklet that it is dedicated to someone who died very young in 1981. As such it is a heartfelt piece, and it is fitting that the vocals are very much the focus. Hart adds some additional synths and some ringing band bell melodies throughout, but they are sparsely used - with the focus instead being on the piano and Edwards' warm vocals. It is a short song, but it acts a breather before the home straight - which then kicks off with Last Dance Saloon. The song is a co-write between Hart and Wilson - so it feels like a bit of a throwback to the band's earlier albums. Wilson co-wrote much of the band's first three albums, and it is nice to see another co-write included here. Despite not being a long song, it has a very expansive sound. There are lots of big vocal hooks throughout, and there are strings added by Ian Cooper. The strings, including lots of violin hooks, make the song stand out in a big way - as there are no other songs here that utilise them in this way. The song soars as a result, but there is still plenty of the band's usual organic sound - with more piano melodies throughout and a great instrumental section which opens as a blistering Hart guitar solo and ends with dancing synths. The last 'main' song here is the lengthy Bootleg Bandoleros. At over eight minutes in length, it is the longest Cats in Space song yet - and I get the impression from interviews with Hart that it is the song here which he is the most proud of. As is to be expected, the song is quite a dynamic piece and it moves back and forth between quieter sections and those which are more hard rocking. It actually takes quite a while to get going, and the first section of the song is fairly low key. It features a lot of acoustic guitars, which Edwards sings over the top of, whilst occasional piano melodies and other musical swells join the fray. Hart has clearly enjoyed opening his box of toys here, as tubular bells, a dulcimer, and various synths are used throughout - and they all rear their heads occasionally adding something unique as the song builds. Unsurprisingly, though, the song does soon start rocking out. It never really loses its acoustic base, as it is generally still there in the mix adding depth, but the band does soon kick in in a big way - and the first proper chorus is a real moment of pomp rock goodness thanks to some driving guitars and more big vocal harmonies. Perhaps the best moment of the song for me, though, is the lengthy guitar solo section - which sees Hart and Howard trading solos back and forth in a furious and hard rocking manner. The song then continues in this way, with another reprise of the soaring chorus and a powerful closing section that sees pulsing keyboard stabs and some heroic Edwards vocals. The album then comes to a close with a reprise of the title track, with mournful harmonica from Bacon adding a different edge. It essentially just includes the song's chorus again, with a powerful, slower arrangement - which Howard then solos over, his fast-fingered playing acting as a great crescendo for the overall album. It is a great way to end things, and it is a great to see how far Cats in Space have come in a relatively short period of time. In time Kickstart the Sun may become my favourite album by the band, but I still feel like there is much to discover within it. That being said, though, I already love the album and a few of the songs here are real favourites. As such, it is a triumph from the six-piece - and I will definitely be listening to a lot over the coming months, and my opinion of it will only improve I am sure.
The album was released on 29th July 2022 via Harmony Factory. Below is the band's promotional video for Poke the Witch.
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