Chez Kane's 'Chez Kane' - Album Review

As much as I am a fan of progressive music, and many varieties of metal, I am just as much a fan of AOR and all forms of melodic rock. As is likely the case for many, bands like Journey and Foreigner were big gateways for me to the world of AOR - but over the years I have amassed a huge love for the genre, from the giants of the scene to many newer and more obscure acts. The Italian record label Frontiers has often been a hotbed of such music, and it is one of their most recent releases that we turn to today - the self-titled debut solo album from British singer Chez Kane. Kane, along with her two sisters, fronts the melodic rock band Kane'd - a seven-piece act who have released three albums and have made a bit of a name for themselves here in the UK rock scene. They have supported a number of rock, metal, and AOR bands over the years (I came across them in 2019 when I saw them open for Tyketto), and their songs are packed full of catchy hooks. I have only heard one of their albums, 2018's Show Me Your Skeleton, but it is a fun listen - and they are a band whose catalogue I need to explore further. Despite Kane'd's growing reputation, Kane has recently branched out on her own - and the result is Chez Kane which was released last month. While I am sure that her main focus will always be Kane'd, it is never a bad thing to try something new - and her debut solo album is a bit different to Kane'd. Kane'd have more of weightier sound than her debut solo album has, with a lot of hard rock grit to back up the hooks, while Chez Kane is more of a pure AOR album. There are some numbers here that rock a little harder, but on the whole this is a much poppier affair - which makes it a nice change of pace from her band's core sound. I have been enjoying Chez Kane's carefree, 1980s throwback sounds quite a lot over the past month - with its obvious similarities to bands like Heart and Vixen. Throw in some Pat Benatar and Survivor, and that is a pretty good approximation of the route taken here. The album contains a lot to enjoy for any AOR fan, but looking at the sleeve notes I wonder how much actual involvement Kane had in her debut solo effort. Frontiers are known for putting out a lot of albums from manufactured projects which are essentially vehicles for their in-house songwriters and producers - something that really dilutes the label's output despite some of these albums being enjoyable. I say this in the context of Chez Kane as Kane is not credited with writing any of the material here - with everything instead written and performed (with the exception of the vocals and some rare saxophone parts) by Danny Rexon (Crazy Lixx). This is not a bad thing in and of itself, as Rexon is a great songwriter and the album sounds really well put together, but it seems strange that Kane would not be involved in her own solo album (she is a co-writer in Kane'd after all). Rexon clearly wants to expand his résumé, and I believe that Chez Kane is his first foray into writing for and producing another artist. It does make me wonder if Frontiers are grooming him to become the next Alessandro Del Vecchio (who, thankfully, has not had anything to do with this album) - but this may be the cynic in me who has been burnt by Frontiers a handful of times over the years talking! Nevertheless, it is important to put such concerns to one side and to judge Chez Kane on its own merits - as the album itself is a very fun slab of AOR that many rock fans will enjoy.

While there are harder rocking moments here, the album opens with one of its most overtly-1980s throwback pieces - the smooth Better Than Love. A driving Jim Peterik-esque keyboard melody opens the song, with no attempt to hide its retro glee, but this is a track that goes for a smooth, more atmospheric approach rather than exploding into something heavier. While there are guitars here, they are largely relegated to providing a crunchy rhythm while the keyboards dominate. Crazy Lixx are more of a hair metal band, but they have always had an AOR side - and Better Than Love sounds like the natural continuation of that side of Rexon's songwrtiting. Despite having no input into the songwriting, Kane still owns the song however. Her voice is perfectly suited to this sort of atmospheric, yet hooky, AOR - and the chorus really sticks due to her sultry melodies. The choice to replace a traditional guitar solo with some smoky saxophone lines, courtesy of Jesse Molloy, was a good one too - with the lengthy saxophone parts perfectly tapping into the smoothness of the 1980s AOR scene. Moving onto All Of It, the album takes a harder rocking turn - with the song being much more anthemic, with chunky guitar riffing and a strong organ backing turning things up a notch. This song sounds more like Kane's work with Kane'd, but with more of a retro sound - thanks to some programmed drums (which I usually am not a fan of, but they work well in the context of this album) and more of a keyboard presence. If Better Than Love was a great example of Rexon's AOR side, then All Of It show off his arena rock side. This is more akin to his songwriting with Crazy Lixx - but with more of an emphasis on Bon Jovi-esque gang vocals. There is a real stadium-ready strut to be found in the track, and it is the sort of song that really needs to be played live one day. Rocket on the Radio has a bit of a sleazier vibe, and it sounds like a long-lost Crazy Lixx song - which makes me wonder if this is a track that Rexon intended for his main band but never recorded it. Nevertheless, the song fits nicely on the album, and takes the harder-hitting sound of All Of It but ups the pace. There is a lot of Vixen to be found here, with sharp guitar riffing and Kane's powerful vocals recalling the band's 1980s releases - but with Rexon's knack for huge hooks filling every nook and cranny of the piece. This album also showcases what a strong guitarist Rexon is. He has sometimes played rhythm guitar with Crazy Lixx, but here he handles all of the guitar parts - including the solos. While his solos might not be as shred-happy as one might expect, they are tasteful, melodic, and really fit the overall sound of the album nicely.

Get It On has a similar overall sound to Rocket on the Radio, but slowed down somewhat to incorporate a bit more of a groove - while parts of the verse embrace the pure AOR of the album's opening number. As a result the song is quite varied, and in many ways it sounds like a perfect mix of everything that has been heard on the album so far. Everything here is hung off the song's big chorus, which features lots of big vocal harmonies, while choppy guitar and synth riffs help to provide some energy elsewhere. Driving, ringing piano hooks are also used for similar effect during other parts of the song - with it shifting back and forth between being more guitar-heavy and more keyboard-focused. This would all be for nothing if the hooks were not up to scratch, but thankfully they are - with the chorus in particular being a winner. Too Late for Love, the album's lead single, returns to the pure AOR sound of the album's opening cut - with another driving synth riff taking centre stage. While parts of the song are a little tougher, with more of a guitar prominence to bulk things out, this is a track that largely lets Kane's vocals shine. With the exception of the main synth riff, and a smooth guitar solo, the main hooks come from Kane's vocals. The music is purely there to support her, and it allows the vocal melodies to really shine. It makes the song a perfect choice for a single as a result, as every vocal line is perfectly crafted to be as catchy as possible - and the synth riff is a perfect throwback to when bands like Survivor ruled the airwaves. Defender of the Heart is similar, but the pace is slowed down somewhat - creating a ballad-esque sound that builds on a number of the themes that the album has explored so far. Despite the slower pace, there is still something of an anthemic sound throughout - with a big drum sound and another strong chorus that is packed full of great hooks. Molloy once again lends his talents to the song, his saxophone duelling with Rexon's guitars during the opening moments - and again during a solo section later on. There are certainly strong Pat Benatar vibes throughout the track, and this is another song that is sure to go down well live with its big hooks and slower pace. Ball n' Chain sounds like another lost Crazy Lixx tune, with more of a glam metal strut and a heavier guitar presence found throughout. Despite this, there are still plenty of big AOR hooks to found here - and there is a riff that sounds very similar to one from Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer, which actually describes the sort of sound that the song is going for nicely. It is a big arena rock song with plenty of soaring vocal harmonies and an infectious pace - and it is one of the more strident pieces on the album.

Midnight Rendezvous is similar, but with the sleazier feel of Rocket on the Radio returning to give the song a big hair metal vibe. There is something of Lita Ford's late 1980s albums in Midnight Rendezvous, thanks to a bigger guitar presence throughout - and more overt glam metal aesthetic. This is one of the few songs here that lacks a big AOR influence, with a more organic hard rock sound present throughout. The keyboards here are much less prominent, with the guitars and drums really pushed to the fore to ensure that the song's heavier, rawer sound is allowed to make an impact. In the context of the album, the song feels like a 'letting your hair down' moment - and it allows Rexon to operate in his more familiar glam metal territory. Die in the Name of Love, which Rexon co-wrote with Michael Palace (Palace), returns to the album's core AOR sound - with a vibe very similar to Too Late for Love but with beefed up guitars and a slightly more sultry hard rock approach. The hard rock vibes never overpower the AOR hooks however, and the song is a great mix of many of the sounds explored throughout the album. I really like the slightly tougher approach taken here, but the keyboards still dominate - which gives the song a bite that is still really infectious and rooted in the album's 1980s throwback sound. Kane once again shines as a vocalist here - the hard rock grit that she deploys with Kane'd a little more prominent this time around despite the AOR hooks. The album comes to a close with the layered Dead End Street, a song that slows things down somewhat and goes for a denser, more atmospheric approach despite its tough rhythms. In some ways the song is quite similar to Defender of the Heart, but it feels much less like a ballad - with a pulsing bassline and a pounding drum groove keeping things sounding nice and weighty. A lengthy guitar solo contributes nicely to the song's hard rock credentials, while some more saxophone is subtly snuck into parts of the track to add depth. It is the sort of song that contains a lot of the sounds explored throughout the album, but all boiled down into a denser and more atmospheric sound - which gives it a bit of a unique feel. As a result, the song works well as a closing number - its more atmospheric approach allowing the album to perfectly fade to a close. While this more atmospheric closing moment is different from much of the rest of Chez Kane, it still feels like a fitting end. The album as a whole is much more upbeat, but the AOR vibes are retained right to the end. Chez Kane is an album that goes for a certain sound and really nails it, and Rexon is as good as anyone at capturing the spirit of that late 1980s AOR scene. Despite this however, the album still has a freshness to it - and it does not purely sound like a throwback. Fans of melodic rock are sure to enjoy what the album has to offer - and I would not be surprised to hear more music like this from Kane in the future.

The album was released on 12th March 2021 via Frontiers Records. Below is Kane's promotional video for Too Late for Love.