50SHR #12: Justin Sayne (Idaho)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #12: IDAHO

 

Band: Justin Sayne
Release: Big Tools
Year: 1990
Line-up: Darren Robinette (vocals), Wayne Coyle (guitar), Rico Weisman (bass), Russ Pfeifer (keyboards), Jeff Job (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   New One   4:38 2.   Here And Now   4:19 3.   Run In The Night   3:50 4.   Nobody (Loves You Like I Do)   3:57 5.   Money   5:14 6.   Burning Embers   6:34 7.   Keeper Of The Key   4:10 8.   Balanced On The Edge   2:41 9.   Flames Beat The Blues   3:25 10.   Can't Take It Away   2:55 11.   What If It Were You   4:00 12.   Touchin' The Fire   3:14 13.   I Know Why   4:31

Fletchanator's comment: Get outside of the big cities and into some of these less-populated states and it can become hard to find a whole lot of hard rock/hair metal bands. Luckily for us the band Justin Sayne originated in Boise, Idaho and snubbed country music for something a bit rockier.
I say "a bit" because Justin Sayne definitely fall into the AOR category. They do have some decent guitar solos, but there's an abundance of keyboards and other pomp ingredients, putting them firmly in the league of Survivor, Boston and REO Speedwagon.
Singer Darren Robinette has a pretty decent voice - it wavers a bit on some of the more pompous songs but is best showcased on rocking tunes like Run In The Night and Flames Beat The Blues - while Wayne Coyle shows off some good guitar skills. Again, the keyboards are prominent so if you don't like that you're best avoiding this one.
Decent keyboard-oriented AOR, definitely worth a listen, especially if you're a fan of the genre.

 

Download