Chez Kane's 'Powerzone' - Album Review

One of the melodic rock/AOR surprises of 2021 was the self-titled debut album from British singer Chez Kane (which I reviewed here). Having previously seen Kane as part of the harder rocking seven-piece band Kane'd with her two sisters in 2019 opening for Tyketto, I was not expecting to see her as a Frontiers Records recording artist a couple of years later. Chez Kane, then, was very much a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed Kane'd set with Tyketto, but the band's recorded output has never really grabbed me - despite 2018's Show Me Your Skeleton being something of a fun listen. As a solo artist, though, Kane has taken something of a different direction. Whilst Kane'd are a hooky band, they are also very much a modern-sounding hard rock band - with songs structured in such a way to bring the best out of the three Kane sisters. With Chez Kane, though, Kane very much channelled her love of all things from the 1980s - and created something which was very a much a throwback to the hit AOR albums of that decade. The album was not purely a throwback, though, as it had a freshness and something of a modern sheen to it - but all of the hallmarks of 1980s AOR were present and correct, as is to be expected from a Frontiers Records release. Being a Frontiers Records release, Chez Kane was very much an in-house job, too. Despite Kane being the face and voice of the album, it was put together by Danny Rexon (Crazy Lixx) - who wrote all of the songs, played pretty much all of the instruments, and also produced the album. Frontiers Records is known for having such an approach to some of its albums, and I believe that Chez Kane was Rexon's first foray into putting together an album for someone other than himself and Crazy Lixx. Sound-wise, then, Chez Kane certainly had hints of Crazy Lixx's melodic sound - but was more AOR than hair metal. I still think that it is strange that Kane had no writing input at all, but the result was a very enjoyable album so it does not really matter - it just meant that the album had the air of something from the Frontiers Records production line, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on your point of view. Clearly wanting to capitalise on the success of Chez Kane, then, Rexon and Kane got to work on a second album pretty quickly, and the result is Powerzone - which was released back in October. In terms of sound, Powerzone is very similar to Chez Kane. The songs could have come from the same sessions, and all of the hallmarks that made Kane's debut album a fun listen return here. Despite this, though, for me Powerzone is not quite as strong as last year's release. There is still a lot to like here, but not as many of the songs are living in my brain in quite the same way as those on Chez Kane did - but the best cuts here are very much on a level with the best cuts from last year's album.

The album kicks off with its lead single, the hook-laden I Just Want You - which very much continues the sound established on Kane's first album. A pulsing synth riff opens the song, which is soon joined by a soaring guitar lead - and the track then explodes into a Survivor-esque mid-paced stomp, complete with booming drums and plenty of keyboards. As was the case on Chez Kane, the songs here are very much focused around Kane's vocal talents. There is generally little instrumental showboating here, and the focus throughout is on vocal hooks. Kane has a great voice, and her sultry tones are perfect to deliver this kind of harder-edged AOR. The chorus is a real ear worm, with big backing vocals and crunching power chords, whilst the verses swing with a surprisingly prominent bass line and the rhythmic drumming. There are guitar solos, but they tend to be on the short side. The one here is such, but it is very melodic and adds quite a lot to the song in my opinion - before a final reprise of the huge chorus ensures that the album puts its best foot forward. (The Things We Do) When We're Young in Love moves away from the tougher mid-paced swinging grooves of the relatively hard-hitting opening cut to instead up the pace somewhat and go for smoother sound overall. A stark guitar and keyboard intro sets the tone nicely, and the song is overall much more summery than the album's opener - and it feels like a concerted effort has been made here to make the song sound like it has come from the 1980s. The whole album sounds 1980s-inspired, but some songs feel more 'natural' in that skin than others - and (The Things We Do) When We're Young in Love feels like a deliberate attempt at that sound rather than a natural one. This is not necessarily a band thing, but for me it lacks the sultry sheen of the album's opening cut - with a more overt party tone present this time. That being said, the chorus is very accessible - and there are enough vocal hooks throughout to compensate for the relative lack of musical hooks. The album does better, but the song is still a fun cut - and the sort that would likely go down well live thanks to its overall bounce and big chorus. Rock You Up ups the heaviness somewhat, and goes for a more strident 1980s hard rock sound. A staccato drum groove opens the song, with a fists-in-the-air rendition of the chorus, before a soaring wordless vocal hook really pulls the listener in. After the fairly lightweight previous track, it is good to hear Kane really rocking out here. Rexon's guitars are weighty throughout, and the drumming really makes the song what it is - giving it a stadium-ready feel that is easy to latch onto. Subtle vocal harmonies and the occasional gang vocal throughout add to the vocal magic of the track - with the chorus being one of the album's most hard rocking moments in my opinion. The only disappointment is the tease of a big guitar solo that never happens, with a great shredded build-up that ultimately just leads to another chorus - when, perhaps, a guitar hero moment could have worked nicely.

Love Gone Wild ups the pace, and introduces the saxophone of Jesse Molloy. The opening musical hook sees his playing mix with Rexon's guitar leads, and the effect is suitably 1980s in vibe - before an urgent verse takes over that sees Kane letting her hair down a bit. There is definitely a brashness throughout this song which is not often on display throughout the rest of the album, but it works well - and in my opinion Kane really shines as a vocalist here. Her harder rock roots are definitely on display, but the song's arrangement is still very melodic - with the great saxophone hooks resurfacing throughout, including a pulsing solo, and plenty of synths. As much as I enjoy Kane's big AOR anthems, I really like this sound for her - and I would like to see her try some more urgent, strident melodic hard rock like this in the future. Children of Tomorrow Gone slows the pace, and goes for something of a ballad-esque feel. The song opens with some rolling piano melodies, which are soon joined by some synths and a hard-hitting drum groove - all of which bring New Jersey-era Bon Jovi to mind somewhat. Whilst the song feels like a ballad throughout, it still rocks and has a bit of an attitude. Kane's vocals during the chorus see her really pushing herself, whilst the verses are more soulful in tone - which is in-keeping with the big piano backing. Keyboards dominate throughout, and the guitars generally take a back seat here - providing a bit of a rhythm whilst dancing piano melodies and Kane's excellent vocal melodies dominate. A brief guitar solo then injects some additional melody into the song, but as is common here it does not stick around nearly long enough. This does not detract from the song overall, though, which is anther very enjoyable display of Kane's talents. The album then returns to a more hard rocking territory with the up-tempo title track, which channels some of the energy of Love Gone Wild whilst adding something of a hair metal edge. The song definitely sounds like something Rexon could have recorded with Crazy Lixx, as the guitars are more prominent here - and the overall energy is more driving. That being said, though, the overall mix is such that the song still feels at home on the album. The keyboards are higher in the mix than they would be on a Crazy Lixx album - and the verses are a little more toned down to allow Kane's big vocals to shine. Regardless, though, song still allows Kane to rock out in a big way - and she delivers another impressive performance throughout, especially during the snappy and riffy chorus. I'm Ready (For Your Love) keeps up the pace, but some of the sultry vibes from I Just Want You return somewhat - which makes for a fun mix of alluring vocals and hard rocking guitar riffing. The song is one of the album's most guitar-heavy pieces, and there is a real lack of prominent synths throughout - with a bluesy edge instead that is very pleasing. There is still an overall sheen and a big dose of 1980s melodic rock, but I like the more organic sound which has been achieved here. The song still feels at home on the album thanks to its smoothness, but it also stands out somewhat thanks to its riffy nature and the lack of big keyboards.

Nationwide gets back to the album's core sound, though, and pulls back on the big riffing of the last couple of numbers to return to the more deliberate 1980s-style sounds of (The Things We Do) When We're Young in Love. The keyboards return here, and the guitar riffing is generally pushed to the back of the mix. The song still has an upbeat feel, though, and the guitars do cut through occasionally, but generally this is keyboard and vocal-led piece - with a jaunty drum beat that keeps the energy levels high. For me, though, the song does not hit as hard as it could. The chorus is not as strong as some of the others here, and following two riffier songs it feels a bit tame despite its overall energy. There is nothing here that is genuinely weak, but in my opinion Nationwide is one of the album's lesser tracks - and it would have benefitted from being a bit weightier. Streets of Gold is another ballad-esque piece, and is somewhat similar to Children of Tomorrow Gone but with a more organic sound. The piano dominates throughout, with a slow drum beat keeping things ticking, and the chorus is one that grabs hold from the off - exploding out of the relative simplicity of the song's arrangement. I like how both of the slower songs here still have their rock credentials, though. Streets of Gold still has some weight to it, and Kane's vocal throughout has a surprising amount of grit. There is some guitar muscle during the choruses to help the song sound huge, and there is a solo that is actually of a decent length this time - which really adds to the song overall in my opinion. It is a great song thanks to the organic piano melodies and big chorus - and it shows that ballads can still rock somewhat. The album then comes to a close with the lengthy Guilty of Love. At over eight minutes long, Guilty of Love is easily the longest cut on the album, and of Kane's solo career so far. At first I thought that the song outstayed its welcome somewhat, but repeated listens have made it stick with me - although it perhaps could have been trimmed somewhat. For whatever reason, Rexon decided to save all of his instrumental showboating for this song, as the closing three or four minutes of the track are basically just an extended guitar solo. It is a very melodic solo, and it does work in the context of the song, but in a way I would have preferred a few of the album's earlier solos to have been fleshed out a bit rather than one long one being included at the end. Still, though, Guilty of Love has an excitement factor due to this lengthy guitar outro - and it only hits hard thanks to the great AOR melodies that preceded it, with one of the album's biggest choruses and plenty of driving keyboard stabs creating what ends up being a rather epic closing cut. Whilst I still think that Chez Kane is slightly the better album, there is still a lot to like about Powerzone and I like the fact that there are a few harder rocking tracks here - which is a sound I would like to see Kane experiment with more going forward. Funnily enough it is the smoother, more deliberate-sounding 1980s-style songs that feel the weakest here - with the relative grit of much of the rest of the album best showcasing Kane's considerable talents, providing much enjoyment along the way.

The album was released on 21st October 2022 via Frontiers Records. Below is Kane's promotional video for I Just Want You.