Best known for his time in Survivor, during which time he co-wrote their biggest hit, Eye of the Tiger, Jim Peterik needs no introduction to most long-time rock fans. Having also co-written music for Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar and REO Speedwagon alongside his own solo career and time in Pride Of Lions and various other side projects, he has been prolific during his long career. Having started the World Stage project over twenty years ago, it has well served Peterik’s thought that the musical and spiritual collaboration of great artists and friends could be special. Having worked with a wide range of rock luminaries over the years, the concept behind Roots and Shoots is to present songs that feature a combination of both classic and emerging rock stars.
Roots and Shoots Volume Two follows the first album released earlier this year and opens with the high tempo American Dreamer featuring Dave Mikulskis, a singer from an 1980s covers band called Hi-Infidelity – a name that will conjure much love from AOR fans; he delivers a vocal that would have been at home on many albums of the 1980s. Lyrically, American Dreamer is full of inspiring, if extremely cliched phrases; however, deep, conceptual messages is not what this album is about. Your Own Hero slows things down a little, with vocalist Mike Reno (Loverboy) and Peterik combining on a track which, in places, draws on a more bluesy approach. Peterik shows us that interesting guitar solos do not have to played at break neck speeds and here he peppers the track with thoughtful embellishments that serve rather than dominate the song.
Mukulskis and Peterik alternate lead vocals and voice on Stronger Than You Know is by far the most important instrument on the track. The musical accompaniment is sedate, without much of real interest happening throughout, but this is no doubt intentional to allow listeners to focus on the voice and lyrics, which, like a few songs on the album focus on inner resilience and determination. After two slower songs, All That’s Mine to Give, while well sung by Peterik’s Pride Of Lions’ bandmate Toby Hitchcock, is one too many ballads in a row. Despite the undoubted quality of Hitchcock’s voice, the track itself is a little too cloyingly sweet and does not work as well as the best of the slower material on the album.
What emerges as a palate cleanser after the treacly All That’s Mine To Give, Been To The Mountain (with Jason Scheff of Chicago) - while not a return to the faster pace of American Dreamer - effectively balances its melody and power with the uplifting guitar breaks and buoyant solo from Peterik. It is a contender for the best song on the album. Hitchcock returns – more successfully this time - on Forever Endeavour, which sees synths taking a more prominent role in certain sections. Lyrically, it would be good to see a little more variation on the album, as Stronger Than You Know, All That’s Mine To Give and Forever Endeavour all cover similar themes. Another ‘Shoots’ part of the album is Rise Again featuring Kevin Farris, who seems to be thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to work with Peterik. A mid-paced rocker, with some interesting hooks and soaring moments from Peterik, it begins to add, a least a little, much needed pace back into the album.
Peterik’s first band – The Ides of March, of which he is still a member, produce one of the most fun and interesting offerings – We Can Fly. With a country / jazz rock inflected delivery, it brings something quite different to Roots and Shoots Volume Two, which by this point is refreshingly welcome. Loves Lives drops the tempo once again but Cathy Richardson (Jefferson Airplane) brings something grander to proceedings and consequently, it does not suffer from the overly schmaltzy approach of some of the earlier tracks. The same could be said for Until (with Neil Donnell of Chicago) which opens with piano and plaintive acoustic guitar and later incorporates well considered brass enhancements. Although it is another slow song, it brings another atmosphere to the album with its restrained but classy approach.
Sophia Sheth (an emerging artist from Chicago) delivers a bright vocal to Hit Of Freedom and it is interesting to see Peterik produce something that is far more pop inspired than anything else here. In some ways it is out of character with the rest of the album; however, it adds some necessary energy and diversity to the second half. Roots and Shoots Volume Two ends with Peterik taking the lead vocals on another mid-tempo, orchestrally infused song and finally sees him let rip with a trademark solo.
No-one can deny the long-term quality Jim Peterik has brought to the world of AOR and music in general over several decades. That being said, Roots and Shoots Volume Two does not always hit the heights of his strongest material. Although there is some solid song writing here, it certainly would have benefited from a couple more tracks in the vein of American Dreamer and - although not all listeners will agree – there are times, most notably in the first half of the album, where it becomes a little bogged down in consecutive, slower tracks. Even with that in mind, the fact that Peterik is still making some quality music and involving up and coming artists in the process, should be commended. What is admirable about the album is that it takes no account whatsoever of current musical fades and is simply an attempt to produce melodic, catchy rock that recaptures and celebrates what made it such a popular artform when it first came to the fore. Nevertheless, if the track listing had been a little different, the moments of variation a little more distributed and the occasional interweaving of higher tempos had occurred, it could have been a more consistently engaging experience rather than an intermittently interesting one.
Roots and Shoots Volume Two is released on 9th August 2024
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