II

2 great voices of rock on 1 record!

Glenn Hughes + Joe Lynn Turner = EXCELLENCE!!!

Love The Product, Excellent Seller, THANK YOU!

The freshman effort of this power duo was powerful to say the least. Bringing many decades of vocal experience, HTP was an immediate force to be reckoned with. Steeped in shades of Purple and aligned with the Rainbow connection, the project was dynamic and utterly appealing. I was not sure how they would follow up this outstanding album. The easy route would have been to reduplicate and continue to draw on their roots. While doing this, HTP have also decided to expand their wings and present a little in musical exploration beyond their family tree and once again with resounding results.My immediate first reaction was one of disappointment. The production was not quite as polished as the prior project, nor were the songs as immediately gratifying. However, the first impression was not to endure once the album had been revisited. The lack of polish translated to a raw and more powerful performance anchored by Hughes' long time songwriter and guitarist JJ Marsh as well as the repeat appearance of Shane Gaalass on drums.While there is familiarity with the music, at the same time there is some exploration in line. The most obvious one can be found courtesy of the mystical and Zeppelin influenced mid tempo rocker "Let`s Talk About It Later". This song is downright grimy and dirty and closes out the album in grand style. JJ Marsh just rips here both on the riffs as well as the soloing. Additional Zeppelin influences can be found on one of the albums many standout tracks "Losing My Head" that includes a mesmerizing chorus. It doesn't hurt to have a guest appearance from Red Hot Chili Pepper's Chad Smith on drums and the guitar wizard Steve Vai. Smith assaults his skins and cymbals pounding the song along like a Bonham juggernaut making it one of the albums most distinctive tracks.So what about the vocal performances? Well, Hughes as always is in full peacock presentation continuing to justify his label as the Voice of Rock. As for JLT my initial reaction was "Hey Joe! Where are you?" Not realizing that he too has spread his wings and widened his vocal range keeping up with the Voice of Rock without sounding forced. Indicative of this is his performance on the opening track "Revelation" that is nothing short of a testosterone driven rock and roller. Simply stated Joe Lynn Turner's performance supports the old age proverbial statement that iron sharpens iron as these two cats challenge one and another to higher levels of vocal consciousness.That aside there is the tried and true formula of Purple and Rainbow influences courtesy of the "Hold On" and "Time And Time Again". The blistering "Hold On" brings on memories of the better moments of the feisty and funky "Stormbringer" era of Purple. Meanwhile, "Time And Time Again" revisits Rainbow's "Street Of Dreams" epoch. Otherwise, there is a little bit of everything for everyone such as the anthem riddled "Burning The Sky" or the upbeat vocal histrionics of "Goodbye Friday" presented in an ultra cohesive fashion. Meanwhile, Marsh and Ed Roth battle it out via a guitar-keyboard exchange. Otherwise, the bonus track "Keep On Shining" continues a similar path this time featuring the shredding of axeman Jeff Kollman.There is not a dud to be found on this album and frankly very little to fault. The HTP debut was one of the best albums of 2002. While I might be sounding redundant "HTP 2" deserves the same accolades for the year 2003 as one of the years best. Years of experience and a clear joy of working with each other, Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner bring out the best in each other that only benefits the listening public. And I thank them for setting their egos aside to bring us this magnificent follow up. I can only imagine what they might have in store for us in the year 2004.

The guitar playing is the best feature of this album. On first listen, the singers may be great but they seem to scream more than sing considering how talented Joe Lynn Turner is that shrouded the experience as disappointing. "Revelation" reminds me of a Cheap Trick style song just done on the power of crack and Glenn Hughes screaming - JLT's part is nice. Listening to it a second time, it sounds better than the first so it is probably one of those albums that grows on you too. "Going my way" is a great song that stands out. JLT just has such depth and power without screaming out. The guitar doesn't cover up the vocals and gives it a good rock rhythm. "Hold on" and "Lost Dreams" are also good solid rock songs. I think the couple of screamo songs just colored my initial listen as disappointing but subsequent ones the guitars and JLT bring out better responses.

In the last few years I have rediscovered the music of Glenn Hughes. Having only heard Glenn's 80s stuff which by all means wasn't that impressive, I went on a whim and bought Voodoo Hill simply because I liked the guitarist Dario Mollo. I could barely recognize the vocalist. Was this the same man from the less than enthusiastic Black Sabbath lineup of the mid eighties?This finally encouraged me to seek out more Glenn Hughes material including Deep Purple and his own solo material. Finally I wondered upon the first Hughes Turner Project featuring, of course, Glenn and former Rainbow and Deep Purple vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. While I liked his Deep Purple contributions (though it was extremely short lived) I cant say his Rainbow material ever grew on me.The Hughes Turner Project CD proved that my distaste for JLT was only skin deep and wasn't a reflection of the enormous talent the man posesses. The combination of the two of the most underrated vocalists in rock made for one hell of a CD.Finally I opted to get the sequel, expecting another valiant and enjoyable effort, but in return I got was is damn near a flawless CD. The vocals display much more emotion that its predessor and the music has a wider range. From the ultra heavy, to the ultra melodic, to the ultra soulful, this disc only took a few spins before I realized it would not be leaving my CD player anytime soon.Sadly, Glenn has informed the public that this will be the last HTP CD. And while that is bad news for fans like me who yearn for more, if ever there was a way to go out, then this is it!

The 2nd project by these guys is asgood if not better than the 1st. Ifyou are a fan of these guys or theformer bands then this is for you.This is real rock n roll playedwith heart & soul. Great songwriting& singing that is hard to come bythese days. Long Live Rock n Roll!

Would be better if there was less screaming and whining vocals from Mr Hughes. JLT is very smoothe though.I thought I'd like it more than I did.

Un album davvero gustoso, che cercavo già da un po'. Per veri rocker

As Hughes said himself "This may sound pretentious but it`s the album Deep Purple would like to write but don`t currently seem able to".

Les deux voix d'or du hard rock se sont à nouveau réunies pour nous offir ce beau cadeau de noel. Les organes vocaux de HUGUES et LYNN TURNER se complètent à merveille, tour à tour, chauds, veloutés puis rageurs et hurleurs tels des possédés. Possédés par la musique, bien sur ; ce que reflète bien cet album ou quelques guests se sont invités comme steve VAI, le mythique gratteux qui y va de son solo sur "LOSING MY HEAD" aux accents orientaux kashmiriens. Certaines compos sont, certes, un peu plus faibles, mais l'ensemble reste homogène heavy, et rien que pour ces deux voix uniques, le CD vaut le détour.

第一作にあったＤＰやレインボウ系の曲が少なくなり、コーラスを多用しています。それがＨＴＰのよさを引き出しています。ＧＬＥＮＮ　ＨＵＧＨＥＳ好みの楽曲が多いような気がしますが、ＪＪの音のこもったギターが泣かせます。ＧＬＥＮＮのアドバイスで（？）、痩せつつあるＪＬＴと来年の来日に期待しましょう。

Hughes und Turner sind gut bei Stimme und bieten einen Schwung Hardrocknummern, die sich überwiegend auf traditionellem Grund bewegen, dabei aber nicht altbacken wirken. Neu ist freilich auch wenig und zu keinem Zeitpunkt wird das Niveau erreicht, das man sich von einer derartigen Kooperation erwarten dürfte. Dazu sind die Songs zu schwach und die Musiker zu austauschbar. Bei der NUmmer mit Steve Vai und Chad Smith wird besonders deutlich, wie Musiker der Extraklasse einen Song aus der Beliebigkeit heben können. Ansonsten herscht Durchscnitt vor. Im Unterschied zum Vorgänger des Duos wirkt Nr. 2 etwas moderner, dadurch freilich auch unentschlossener. Man wollte es wohl allen recht machen.