Loverboy Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
After establishing themselves as a multi-platinum arena act with Get Lucky, Loverboy continued to crank out their unique new wave-tinged style of AOR on Keep It Up. Although this album's hits weren't as large or as indelible as those from Get Lucky, Keep It Up is actually a more consistent album. This time, the songs that hit the charts were "Hot Girls in Love" and "Queen of the Broken Hearts." The former is an up-tempo tune in the classic Loverboy style that dishes up a fist-pumping guitar rock tune fleshed out with slick synthesizer and organ textures. The latter song is a different, more complex animal: it's the surprisingly observant tale of a woman reluctant to fall in love that plays out over a hook-laden mid-tempo tune that plays off meditative guitar-laden verses against a synth-driven chorus that suddenly accelerates the tempo to a dance-pop level. Elsewhere, the album combines AOR hooks with lush instrumental treatments that approach prog rock: "Prime of Your Life" and "One Sided Love Affair" are built on stately, almost classical synthesizer riffs, while "Danger Zone" boasts a complex arrangement that alternates moody electronics with dramatic guitar bombast. "Meltdown" is another tune in this artsy vein: it's a slow rocker that combines the heaviest guitar riffs on the album with layered synth parts reminiscent of Rush. None of the other tunes on Keep It Up are as instantly accessible as its hits, but everything is arranged and performed with care. As a result, the album doesn't suffer from the inconsistent songs that marred Get Lucky and succeeds as a fully realized album of pop/rock. In short, Keep It Up is a worthwhile listen for Loverboy fans and anyone who is into 1980s AOR. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although their later albums produced better-known hits, this debut offering from Loverboy is one of their best albums. Despite their later reputation as AOR hitmakers, Loverboy was marketed as a new wave group early on and this album makes it easy to see why: plenty of the songs feature the herky-jerky yet dance-friendly tempo associated with many new wave groups and sleek synthesizer textures form a central part of the group's sound. The most impressive songs are the ones that earned the band their early airplay: "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" is a radio-ready rocker that slickly balances mid-tempo guitar riffs with surging synthesizer lines, and "Turn Me Loose" is a clever multi-genre hybrid that blends hard rock guitar, a disco-ready beat, and new wave keyboard flourishes into a final product with across-the-board appeal. The remaining songs are just as interesting as the hits because they hop from genre to genre with style and energy: "Teenage Overdose" blends gritty heavy metal guitar riffs with snarling punk-style lyrics and a pop melody, while "Little Girl" filters rockabilly through new wave sonic techniques to create a retro-styled power pop tune worthy of Cheap Trick. These ambitious hybrids are performed with style and economy by the band, and special note should also be taken of Mike Reno's vocals: whether he's paying tribute to Elvis Presley on "Little Girl" or hitting the peak of his falsetto range in "Turn Me Loose," he tackles every number with energy and verve. The end result may be kitschy, but it is undeniably well crafted and makes perfect car stereo listening (the ultimate compliment for an AOR record). In short, Loverboy is a must for the group's fans and an excellent pick for anyone who enjoys the pop/rock of the 1980s. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
'Just Getting Started'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 10
Label Rockstar
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What The Critics Say
Skepticism is bound to arise anytime a superstar pop/rock band whose commercial peak was well over 20 years ago slaps an optimistic title like Just Getting Started on its first studio album in over ten years. But there's something joyful and inspiring about Loverboy re-emerging with fresh material in the iTunes/Myspace generation yet feeling no need to update or tweak the classic, high-spirited sound that helped define arena rock in the '80s. In fact, it's "Almost Paradise" listening to this powerhouse Canadian fivesome (including new bassist Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve, who replaced the late Scott Smith in 2001) as they work for the weekend again. Having dispensed with the puns based on their biggest collective hit and frontman Mike Reno's signature duet ballad with Ann Wilson, we can get down to the business of enjoying Loverboy circa 2007. The hard chugging title track has all the elements the band is famous for -- blistering guitars, an irresistibly anthemic hook, classic clichés that we can completely forgive ("ain't over yet," "finger on the trigger") and Reno's gritty vocals. That same, can't miss crunchy pop formula drives two of the project's other instant classics, "One of Them Days" and "Lost with You." The similarly hard-hitting "Stranded" was the song that broke the creative logjam that had held up Reno for years -- and the catharsis shows. But Loverboy wasn't all just playful bombast and corporate rock hooks. Back in the day, they were also brilliant power pop tearjerking balladeers, a poignant tradition they carry on here convincingly with "Fade to Black," the torchy and plaintive "I Would Die for You," and especially "The One That Got Away," the disc's first single that was inspired by Reno's divorce. Fortunately, Loverboy don't leave their old fans (and newly curious listeners) high and dry and sad and lonely for long -- "As Good as It Gets" is unabashed, uplifting rock romance all the way, a testament to second chances and romantic and spiritual rebirth. Just like the album itself, which is a welcome return to form by a band that's too much fun to stay skeptical about for long. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
'Loverboy VI'
Release Date 9/30/1997
Tracks 12
Label CMC International
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What The Critics Say
After a full decade off, Loverboy reunited in 1997 for VI. Like many of their peers, Loverboy wasn't able to secure a contract with a major label and decided to attach themselves to CMC International, an imprint specializing in veteran rockers. While the group certainly doesn't reach the heights of Get Lucky, they don't embarrass themselves. There certainly are some mediocre cuts scattered throughout the record, but the best moments make the record worthwhile for longtime Loverboy fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After making a promising start with their self-titled debut, Loverboy hit the big time in 1981 with Get Lucky. This canny combination of AOR hooks and new wave production gloss boasts some memorable radio-ready tunes but isn't as solid an album as its success might lead one to believe. The best tunes on Get Lucky were the songs that became its hit singles: "Working for the Weekend" is a party anthem that blends some gutsy hard-rock guitar riffs with a synthesizer-drenched new wave rhythm arrangement to become a huge hit, while "The Lucky Ones" layers clever lyrics about the jealousy that success inspires in others over a song that mixes pomp rock grandeur with a punchy AOR arrangement full of gutsy yet slick guitar riffs. Loverboy got additional airplay with "When It's Over," a moody power ballad that boasts a show-stoppingly emotional vocal performance from Mike Reno, and "Take Me to the Top," a sleek mid-tempo piece built on a hypnotic synthesizer arrangement. The rest of Get Lucky isn't as impressive as these hits because it relies on filler to pad the album out: "Gangs in the Street" is an overwrought song about street tensions whose lyrics are melodramatic to the point of being unintentionally funny, and "Emotional" is a sloppy bar band jam with annoyingly sexist lyrics and an awful vocal from Paul Dean. Due to this overabundance of less than stellar tracks, Get Lucky fails to be as consistent a listen as Loverboy or Keep It Up, but offers enough solid tracks to please the group's fans and AOR fanatics. Other listeners may want to check out the album's highlights on a compilation before picking it up. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although it went gold, Wildside made it clear that Loverboy's polished hard rock formula was running out of gas. Still, the band was able to manage a couple of good Loverboy rockers, such as the Top 40 hit "Notorious," to make it worthwhile for long-time followers of the group. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Lovin' Every Minute of It'
Release Date 1/1/1985
Tracks 9
Label Columbia
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What The Critics Say
Lacking Paul Dean's amicable guitar chug or Mike Reno's excitable vocal pounce, 1985's Lovin' Every Minute of It fails to sport anything as catchy as "Working for the Weekend" or as rock steady as "The Kid Is Hot Tonite," and because of this, the album comes off as one of the band's poorest releases. Although the title track cracked the Top Ten, its lethargic, see-saw pace fell short of what the band had put into past hits. Even in ballad form, Loverboy sounds uninspired and bland with "This Could Be the Night," which actually made it to number ten on the charts. The Jim Vallance-Bryan Adams-penned "Dangerous" almost works, but filler like "Bullet in the Chamber," "Friday Night," and "Steal the Thunder" lowers the album's stock substantially, proving that their knack for writing uproarious but catchy radio rock material was now behind them. Both this album and 1987's Wildside mark the group's digression into arena rock prosaicness, and anything that is the least bit appealing from Lovin' Every Minute of It is best heard alongside their biggest hits on one of their compilations. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
