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RUSSELL/GUNS
Medusa
Frontiers Music 2024

Frontiers is king when it comes to putting together studio 'supergroups', getting them to write new music, record it, release it and do little to nothing into the promotion before they've released another and it's forgotten. Most of the time these albums are an afterthought because they aren't that good. They're rushed, forced, contrived and uninspired. This time around it's former GREAT WHITE frontman JACK RUSSELL and the 'social justice internet warrior', TRACII GUNS who has been part of a handful of these fabricated 'supergroups'.

The title of the album is Medusa and it's a collection of tunes that are at times slight departures from the blues-rock that we've come to expect from Russell and the sleaze rock that Guns is best known for. Having said that, the songs do 'rock' but in a different way with 'some' of the duo's musical influence from their respective bands. "Next In Line" comes from the angle of the blues with rockin' riffage. There's their nod to AOR on "Tell Me Why", which showcases Tracii's guitar skills. The tune is a throwback to the early 80s and the era of the dreaded 'corporate rock'. The two aforementioned are representative of what we hear throughout the album. There's more AOR rockers in "Give Me The Night", "In And Out of Love", more blues infused rockers "Coming Down", "Where I Belong", " For You", and "Back Into Your Arms". The title track "Medusa" is a mid-tempo, punchy rocker, but it's probably the weakest song of the lot. It doesn't really go anywhere.

Medusa is a surprisingly strong effort, I say that only because these types of albums are cranked out like widgets by the label and this is one of those times that they hit the mark. Hopefully it doesn't get lost in the flood of new 2024 releases.

3.5 Out Of 5.0