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Man, talk about avoiding the spotlight. After a brief stint in the early days of the rock band Dokken, he went on to become a driving force, making his mark on the music world as bassist for one of the best rock bands of the ‘80s, Ratt. Then, in 1992, when Ratt broke up (the first time) he virtually disappeared from the public eye, concentrating all his time and energy into his new recording studio, aptly named 'The Cellar'. But the fire to make music instead of helping others record it still burned deep inside him. Says Juan, "...there was an unrelenting desire in me to perform live again as a musician. In late 1997, I could no longer resist, it was time for me to form a band that I would be a part of for years to come…" That band is Liquid Sunday and this is his very first musical offering since his departure from Ratt. And what a musical offering it is!

From the very first moment it was inserted in to my player it begged to be played, and played LOUD. The first track, “Why?” sets the tone for the entire CD with the same style of chords and aggression that made Ratt a household name. One thing that should be noted about this release is that Juan plays all the instruments, save the drums, which are played by his brother Rick, who is no longer a part of the band. Juan plays bass, lead and rhythm guitars, and all lead and backing vocals. His voice performs quite admirably on all the tracks and begs the question as to why he never sang any of Ratt's tunes.

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Probably the biggest surprise to me was the fact that it is quite obvious that Juan didn't waste his years in Ratt simply playing the bass; he was taking cues and tips from Warren D. because Juan can fucking flat out play the lead guitar! The solos in tracks like “Why?” “Sacrifice” and “Scratch That Itch” bear witness to his prowess on the six string. And while I'm on the subject, it is also quite apparent after only a few listens that Juan's contributions to the song writing process in Ratt were far greater than he is actually given credit for. Has anyone else noticed that the quality of songs by Ratt has diminished somewhat since his departure? Nearly every track on this CD could have appeared on a Ratt opus. One in particular, the above mentioned “Sacrifice” sounds as if it were ripped straight from the vinyl of Invasion of your Privacy -- it's that good. Another track, “Love Doesn't Change,” has huge potential to become a radio hit if given the right push.

The production and layout of the CD are absolutely top notch. The sound is astounding, the kind that you go out and spend good money on a stereo for. Again, quoting Juan, "This record is intended to be heard from beginning to end, as a whole piece of work. Nothing was computerized or sampled on this record. This is an analog recording. Everything you hear was sung or played in real time. No short cuts were taken. Nothing was 'fixed in the mix'. No excuses." And Juan needs not make any. This is a perfectly solid recording, one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Two very big thumbs up! My thanks go out to Juan for providing a copy to me to review. Listening to the CD removes any explanation as to why someone would want to take them for their own: because it fucking ROCKS! So what's the bottom line you ask? This: Throw Pearcy's vocals on top of these tunes and THIS is the Ratt album that should have been!

You can check out clips from the CD as well as purchase it from either of Juan's websites: www.juancroucier.com or www.liquidsunday.com.

A very strong:

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