Bachman & Turner

Over the past two decades, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner never strayed far from each other -- usually playing in the form of some kind of reunion gig -- but 2010's Bachman & Turner marks their first recorded collaboration in two decades. It's no insult to say that apart from a handful of lyrical concerns, Bachman & Turner could have been released over 20 years ago, so faithful it is to the meat-and-potatoes hard rock recipe they first wrote when with BTO. The duo sounds a little worse for wear and the production bears a bit of a ragged, home-made fray but that rawness gives it a slight edge, making it seem less like an exercise in nostalgia than music the duo needed to get out. Of course, it's impossible to entirely discount nostalgia from this record -- making it like they did in the old days is part of the point, and it's for an audience that yearns for real rock made on real instruments. And the end result is certainly that: it may lack the hooks of BTO but it's big, noisy straight ahead rock & roll, ready for the taking whenever fans get a little tired of playing their old vinyl. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine