High and the Mighty

Personnel: Donnie Iris (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Kevin Valentine (vocals, drums, percussion); Marty Lee (guitar, background vocals); Mark Avsec (piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Albritton McClain (drums, background vocals).
Photographer: Alan Messer.
Donnie Iris maintains his high level of quality rock and power-pop with 1982's The High and the Mighty, although it is the lesser of his four MCA albums. Iris receives solo credit, but his muscular band the Cruisers -- guitarist Marty Lee, keyboardist/producer Mark Avsec, bass guitarist Albritton McClain and drummer Kevin Valentine -- again provides the musical backing. The Cruisers also provide background vocals in addition to Iris' own multitracked harmonies. "Tough World," a supernaturally catchy tune and a modest hit single, is the album's obvious highlight. "I Wanna Tell Her" is an irresistibly tight rocker. Iris ably covers the Dave Clark Five's classic "Glad All Over." The loose flow of "Parallel Time" shows Iris' experimental bent. "The High and the Mighty" has an aggressive marching beat and what sounds like about a million harmony vocal overdubs. The breezy pop of "This Time It Must Be Love" is enhanced by a clever chorus. With just eight songs, including one cover tune and "Love Is Magic" being a rare solo songwriting contribution from McClain, perhaps The High and the Mighty was hastily recorded with a shortage of original material. Even if it's true, Iris' The High and the Mighty is still light years ahead of inferior but more popular albums from the 1980s. ~ Bret Adams