Tyketto's 'Closer to the Sun' - Album Review

For fans of the New York-based melodic rock band Tyketto, although three of the current members of the band actually hail from the UK, the wait for their sixth studio album has been a long one. As much as I love the band, and I have been lucky enough to see them live quite a few times over the years, I think that it is fair to say that they have not been the most prolific over the years. The band can trace their history back to 1987, but their much-lauded debut album Don't Come Easy did not drop until 1991 - by which point their brand of melodic rock and hair metal was already on the decline. Like many bands that launched around that time, had they come to the party a few years earlier their career trajectory might have been quite different - but Don't Come Easy clearly did not meet Geffen's expectations, which led to their second album Strength in Numbers being delayed until 1994 when it was finally released on a much smaller label. By this point, any hopes of hitting big were essentially over - and frontman Danny Vaughn left the band, which led to the often-forgotten Shine from 1995 featuring future Journey frontman Steve Augeri in his place. The band broke up soon after and, save for brief reunions in 2004 and 2007, were dormant until a full-time reunion in 2008. This reunion eventually saw all four of the Don't Come Easy line-up together again - which led to 2012's strong Dig in Deep, the band's first album for 17 years. Over the years, though, the original/classic-era members have all fallen away. Guitarist Brooke St. James was the first to leave for health reasons - with bassist Jimi Kennedy following him out the door not much later. Vaughn soldiered on with original drummer Michael Clayton for a number of years, releasing another strong album in Reach (which I reviewed here) in 2016 - but what had become a fairly stable era for the band came to an end in 2023, with the departures of Clayton and St. James' replacement Chris Green. The pandemic had ensured that no Tyketto activity had taken place for a while - and losing both Clayton and Green left Vaughn without his recent co-writers and his main partner in the band since the start. I think that he considered putting the band to bed, and he has since described a 2023 UK tour with FM and Dare, which debuted the current line-up, as make or break for Tyketto going forward. The new line-up clearly gelled quickly, though, and over the past couple of years the band has been quite busy - both on the road an in the studio. As such, last month saw the release of the band's long-awaited sixth studio album Closer to the Sun - 10 years on from Reach. Bassist Chris Childs and keyboard player Ged Rylands, the latter of whom is now the longest-serving member of the band aside from Vaughn, return from Reach - with Closer to the Sun seeing the debuts of both guitarist Harry Scott Elliott (Kane'd) and drummer Johnny Dee (World War III; Waysted; Britny Fox; Doro). Vaughn and Dee go back many years, having both been a part of Waysted's 1986 album Save Your Prayers, but, despite this, Vaughn is now the only original Tyketto member left - and, without Clayton in situ, there is now no-one left in the band who played on Shine. That being said, Closer to the Sun sounds like a Tyketto album - rather than one of Vaughn's solo albums. His solo albums tend to be a bit more laid back and vocal-driven - but Closer to the Sun rocks like a Tyketto album should, even if Vaughn wrote many of the songs alone. Both Elliott and Childs have a couple of writing credits each, with the latter co-producing the album with Vaughn and also mixing it.

Performance-wise it seems like quite a team effort, with everyone credited with backing vocals and percussion - whilst Vaughn and Childs also chipped in with some extra keyboards. A number of session players also contributed, again mostly on keyboards, but rising AOR star Chez Kane (Kane'd) also added plenty of backing vocals. Despite being a melodic rock band, I generally find that Tyketto's albums take a few listens to fully appreciate. I liked Reach when it came out but I like it a lot more now, and I feel like Closer to the Sun will be similar. It has already grown on me quite a bit since first hearing it - but each listen only improves my opinion of it. Opening cut Higher Than High is a good example of this. It was released as the album's lead single, and I did not really like it at first as it felt a bit too bluesy - but now I think that it is a strong track. Tyketto have done songs like this before, of course, but it seemed like a strange choice for a lead single - given what the band's other 'big' songs sound like. A mid-paced rocker, the song is based around a bluesy and quite hard rocking riff from Elliott - which is backed by hollow drumming from Dee and some Hammond organ. There is little of the band's AOR sparkle here, with the overall sound being quite organic. The bluesiness is retained throughout, whilst flashy synths and keyboards are never utilised - with the organ present during the whole song. Big backing vocals are kept to a minimum, although there are some subtle harmonies during the hooky chorus, whilst Vaughn also includes a harmonica solo later on - in place of a typical guitar solo. Elliott does add a brief solo later on, but overall a more organic sound is allowed to shine here - and multiple listens to it have allowed the hooks to stick. Starts with a Feeling moves into more of an AOR territory - as Vaughn co-wrote the song with Jim Peterik (The Ides of March; Survivor; Pride of Lions). The song is not as bombastic nor as overt as many of Peterik's compositions can be, but it fits nicely into the Tyketto sound - mixing a slightly tougher rock sound with big melodies. It is the first song here to feature Vaughn's trademark acoustic guitar presence throughout - with the verses largely built around his vocals, which sound as powerful as ever, and acoustic guitar - whilst Childs' busy bass playing and a subtle drum groove from Dee give the song a surprising amount of energy. Elliott is largely in the background here, but his choppy rhythms sit in the background to add depth - whilst occasional soaring guitar leads cut in to add a 1980s AOR edge, before a lengthier solo later allows him to show off. The chorus does contain a few Peterikisms in terms of melodic choices, but there is enough of Vaughn here to root the song in the Tyketto canon comfortably. Bad for Good returns to a more hard rocking sound - and it feels like the first song here which really introduces Elliott in a big way. His bluesy riffing during the opening number was strong, but the riffing here is more typical of the Tyketto sound - and the guitars essentially dominate throughout. Keyboards are kept to a minimum, with Elliott driving everything during a song which he co-wrote. The main riff feels weighty, whilst the verses are also on the heavier side at times despite the guitar chords sometimes hanging somewhat to allow the rhythm section to shine through. The chorus is where the song really comes alive, though, with additional percussion giving it a real groove - whilst some vocal harmonies make Vaughn's pointed and hooky vocal melodies sound massive. Elliott's best guitar solo on the album up to this point follows later on - and those who love the harder rock side of Tyketto will love this one. I can see it becoming a live favourite thanks to its massive chorus and driving riffing.

The best song here, though, is single We Rise. I heard it a couple of times on the radio before the album came out - so I was surprised when the album version included an acoustic intro. The acoustic guitar and gentle vocal intro adds a lot to the song, though, so when the big guitar chords and drums crash in they feel even more powerful. This is another pretty hard rocking track, but it is that perfect mix of hard rock and AOR that Tyketto have always done so well. It feels like a modern version of a song like Wings in my opinion - and it has the hooks to back it up. Everything about this song is memorable. The stop-start strut of the verses is full of hard rock power, whilst the soaring chorus with big vocal harmonies and melodies is easily the album's hookiest moment. The later instrumental section is great, too, with Rylands kicking it off with a synth solo before Elliott takes over with some shredding. Elliott closes things out with another big solo, too, Neal Schon style, and it is easily the best song the band have written since releasing Strength in Numbers over 30 years ago. Donnowhuddidis, hideous title aside, is a bit of a step down following the previous anthem - and it is one of the album's least interesting songs in my opinion. There are few weaker spots here, but this is one of them - and the song has a bit of a barroom boogie sound which I am not sure is something I really want from Tyketto. Thunder's touring keyboard player Sam Tanner adds the piano to the song, and his ever-present playing is a bit too bluesy and southern rock-esque for Tyketto. There is a fun groove throughout the song, but it feels a little laboured - and lacking in the band's usual crunch and hard rock firepower. Without his usual co-writers here, many of the album's songs were written by Vaughn alone - and this is maybe a song which would have been better suited to a solo album rather than a Tyketto album. Thankfully this moment of weakness only lasts for a few minutes, as the title track then comes along to kick things back into a higher gear. It is another song which really feels like classic Tyketto - starting from a gentle acoustic base before ramping up towards an anthemic chorus. Part-ballad and part-rocker, the song reminds me of similar tracks in this vein like Sail Away or The Run - with Vaughn delivering the song with plenty of emotion, whilst the whole band pull together to create something memorable. Musically, there is nothing especially flashy here. The riffing is quite restrained, with the acoustic guitars and subtle keyboards often dominating - but Dee's percussive drumming and the weight that Elliott adds when he crashes in ensures that the song's journey feels natural, and there is another Schon-esque closing guitar solo. If it was not for We Rise, too, Closer to the Sun would probably win the album's 'Best Chorus' award - as it is another excellent one. Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky) is a cover of the Roxette song from their 1994 album Crash! Boom! Bang!. I know very little about Roxette apart from the obvious big songs, but this rhythmic and organic song works well in the hands of Tyketto - even if it is not one of my favourite cuts here. The sound of the song returns somewhat to the blues of the opening number - albeit with a more percussive feel. Organ and harmonica return, whilst Elliott's guitar playing feels a bit more organic and stripped back throughout. The percussive and hollow sound does shake things up a bit, though, and Vaughn really gets to let rip on the harmonica throughout.

Hit Me Where It Hurts returns to the classic hard rocking Tyketto sound - and it is another number which nicely mixes hard rock and AOR sounds, even if the former largely dominates. The chorus has some AOR sparkle, thanks to Vaughn's fast-paced vocal delivery and some shimmering keyboards, but there is a lot of weight on show here. There are similarities to Bad for Good, then, in the way that Elliott drives everything - although he did not co-write this one. Nevertheless, his big guitar riffing is ever-present here. He is perhaps less busy during the chorus - but the verses have a great classic rock kinetic energy thanks to his snaking riffing, whilst his later guitar solo is one of the album's longest and best. When Tyketto really rock out like this the band really feel fiery and powerful - and this track is another overall album highlight for me thanks to its hooks and energy. One thing that is always guaranteed with each Tyketto album is a huge ballad, and The Picture ticks that box here. Unlike the title track which felt like part-ballad and part-rocker, The Picture is a true ballad - with Vaughn singing over some gentle piano early on, whilst subtle, sombre guitar melodies are added for depth. Vaughn has always written excellent ballads and his Peter Cetera-times-10 voice is the perfect vehicle for them - as he always manages to include so much emotion in each one. Arrangement-wise, this ballad is pretty typical - with slower verses and a bigger-sounding chorus - with the rest of the band adding weight during the latter. The piano is generally left to dominate elsewhere, handled by session player Nigel Hopkins, and the lack of a big guitar solo is something of a surprise. The song is crying out for one - and the lack of such is perhaps holding this song back from being one of Tyketto's best ballads. Far and Away is also a slower number, but it takes a different path - essentially being an acoustic-led, somewhat folky number. Vaughn's vocals and acoustic guitar dominate the song, and it takes a while for anything else to meaningfully join in. Later verses and chorus renditions are backed by some percussive drumming and bigger vocal arrangements, but really the song does not shift much from its organic and acoustic-led base. Tyketto have done songs like this in the past, but this may have been another number best saved for a Vaughn solo album - as it does not really make much use of the band's talents. Later on, some additional melodies are added by session violinist Elizabeth Prendergast, further adding to the folky vibes - moving the song further away from Tyketto's core sound. The album then comes to a close with The Brave, a rockier song that returns to something more typical. Acoustic guitar-driven still, though, the song has an organic and heartland rock-esque feel - with ringing piano chords earlier on and during the later chorus which recall Bruce Springsteen's approach to the instrument - whilst occasional guitar leads add colour atop the busy acoustic guitars and driving rhythm section. The song may not be as involved as some others here, but there is a simplicity to the hooks throughout which work for me. The chorus sticks nicely - and Dee turns in a strong performance on the drums, with some busy fills later on. There is space for one more big guitar solo towards the end, too, and the song ends the album on an up-tempo high - with acoustic guitar and ringing piano closing things out nicely. A couple of songs aside which sound more like Vaughn solo numbers that do not capitalise on the band's power, Closer to the Sun is, overall, an excellent album. It could well the band's best since Strength in Numbers and there are some cuts here which will surely become live favourites over the years. That mix of hard rock and AOR which has always served the band so well strikes gold again here - and I am looking forward to seeing the band live again in a couple of weeks time, where I will hopefully hear a few of these cuts performed.

The album was released on 20th March 2026 via Silver Lining Music. Below is the band's promotional video for We Rise.