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Mike & The Mechanics: The Road

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Sony Music
Released: 2011.04.18
Time:
 46:00
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Mike Rutherford, Christopher Neil, Graham Stack
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.mikeandthemechanics.com
Appears with: Mike Rutherford, Genesis, Paul Carrack
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] The Road (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/M.Sutton) - 4:20
[2] Reach Out [Touch The Sun] (M.Rutherford/A.Roachford/J.Norton/B.Weaver) - 4:03
[3] Try To Save Me (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/A.Roachford) - 3:47
[4] Background Noise (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/A.Carstens) - 4:15
[5] I Don't Do Love (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/T.Howar/A.Roachford) - 4:34
[6] Heaven Doesn't Care (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/M.Sutton) - 3:37
[7] It Only Hurts For A While (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/A.Carstens) - 4:09
[8] Walking On Water (M.Rutherford/A.Roachford/J.Norton/B.Weaver) - 3:41
[9] Hunt You Down (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/A.Carstens) - 3:44
[10] Oh No (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/T.Howar) - 4:17
[11] You Can Be The Rock (M.Rutherford/Ch.Neil/A.Roachford) - 5:17

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Mike Rutherford - Guitar, Bass, Programming; Producer on [1,3-7,9-11]
Andrew Roachford - Lead & Backing Vocals, Wurlitzer
Tim Howar - Lead & Backing Vocals
Gary Wallis - Drums
Anthony Drennan - Guitar
Luke Juby - Keyboards

Arno Carstens - Lead Vocal on [4,7,9]
Martin Sutton - Programming, Guitar
Peter Adams - Hammond Organ
Toby Chapman - Keyboards
Harry Rutherford - Drums on [4,9] & Additional Programming, Engineer, Mixing
Jamie Norton - Keyboards on [2,8]
Ben Weaver - Guitar on [2], Bass on [8]
George Hewlett - Organ on [9]
Hugo Flower - Guitar on [9]
Jamie Moses - Guitar on [3]
Ben Robins - Programming on [3,10]
Christopher Neil - Backing Vocals, Producer
Hazel Fernandez - Backing Vocals
Beverley Brown - Backing Vocals
Mary Pearce - Backing Vocals
Barrow Hills School Choir on [6]

Graham Stack - Producer on [2,8]
Harry Rutherford - Engineer, Mixing
Dick Beetham - Mastering
Greg Jakobek - Design
Paddy Balls - Photography
Carsten Windhorst - Photography
Stephen Roachford - Management
Tony Smith - Management

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded at Fisher Lane Farm Studios with additional recording at Churchfield Studio, London and Tree House Studios, Cape Town 2009-2010.



The Road (2011) After Genesis’s Turn It On Again tour and Carrack’s success on his own, with records and tours where he also sang some Mechanics songs, the time came to re-establish Mike + The Mechanics in its original and open form: a writing project mainly between Mike and Chris Neil, now back in the producer seat, next to new blood furnished by composers like Martin Sutton, Norton + Weaver (from the Take That writing team) and the South African singer Arno Carstens, who eventually also sang three songs.

For the lead vocals, however, Mike chose Andrew Roachford, already successful on his own in the 90’s, and the Canadian Tim Howar. In spite of a fully renewed band, the album maintains the Mechanics essence which had been lost on Rewired, and even if the showbiz world is now projected towards new musical forms, there is still a need for the melodic Mechanics style. The album went to No. 42 in the UK charts.

www.mikeandthemechanics.com



December 2009 marked the moment that Mike Rutherford revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that he was working on new material for Mike + The Mechanics. Both co-writing and taking to the mic on the new album is one of the most successful UK R& B acts of the 90’s Andrew Roachford. Breaking into the UK music scene in his early twenties, Roachford stormed the UK Charts with the anthem ‘Cuddly Toy’ and became Columbia’s biggest selling UK act for ten years.

Joining Roachford and sharing the vocal duties is Tim Howar, a Canadian singer who came to the UK ten years ago to start a band in the country where his icons were born. He formed and toured with Vantramp supporting the likes of Rod Stewart, Paulo Nutini, the Sugarbabes and Newton Faulkner.
Formed in 1984, Mike + The Mechanics was a side project that would go on to sell over 10 million records worldwide. Originally featuring vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young (formerly of Sad Café), the group developed a rich catalogue of hit after hit including "Silent Running", "All I Need Is A Miracle", "Over My Shoulder" and the massive worldwide hit single "The Living Years".




Following the death of Paul Young and the departure of Paul Carrack, Mike + the Mechanics' only original member, Mike Rutherford, returns with a brand-new lineup for The Road, their first studio album since 2004's Rewired. Perhaps indicative of the talents of their two former vocalists, the former Genesis guitarist has brought in three different frontmen to fill their shoes: Canadian performer Tim Howar, who played Rod Stewart in the musical Tonight's the Night; South African singer/songwriter Arno Carstens, who left during its recording to pursue his solo career; and, most famously, Andrew Roachford, who scored several hits in the late '80s/early '90s with his funk-rock band namesake. It's a shame that the latter's heartfelt soulful vocals aren't utilized more often, as his six contributions are by far the strongest, whether it's the soaring pop/rock of "Try to Save Me," the gospel-tinged title track, or the driving AOR of "Walking on Water." While the rest of the album may provide a few more interesting twists to their trademark MOR acoustic sound, the other two vocalists can't match his impassioned tones. "Heaven Doesn't Care" echoes the anthemic quality of their U.S. number one "The Living Years" with its uplifting children's choir, while "Oh No" is a subtle slice of understated dance-pop, but both are beaten into submission by Howar's overblown tones, which struggle to leave his musical theater background behind, while Carstens appears to sleepwalk his way through the old-fashioned country-pop of "Hunt You Down" and the suitably titled "Background Noise." Even by Mike + the Mechanics' easy listening standard, The Road may be just a little too pedestrian, but there's still enough potential here to suggest that if they promote Roachford to full-time status next time round, they can survive the absence of their two former leading men.

Jon O'Brien - All Music Guide




After a 6-year dry spell, Mike Rutherford’s Mike and the Mechanics have released their seventh studio record, ‘The Road’. With new vocalists in the form of Andrew Roachford and Tim Hower, the change in musical genre will be a shock to some, but there remain some remnants of classic Mechanics deep within these 11 tracks.
Mike and the Mechanics – The RoadAlthough starting out with such promise, the material admittedly wavers in the bulk of the record. Perhaps in trying to avoid the cliché of contemporary returns to ’80s music, Rutherford’s new posse have strayed back in time, dazzled the music with some current trends, and attempted to portray the tracks as original. The result is a rather plain, but nevertheless, softly intricate record.

The rash bass beats of ‘Oh No’ reminisce directly back to a past Rick Astley. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I am not sure. Clouded by the haze of bouncy synths and programmed drums, the majority of the songs result in the listener pondering why, for a guitarist of such calibre as Rutherford, a more centrally-guitar-based record is not delivered from ‘The Road.’ However, once the distortion kicks in for the guitar solo of title track ‘The Road’, dedicated fans will instantly be reminded of the elements of classic Mechanics. The only accusation one can conjure is why there are so few of these elegantly beautiful instrumental sections in Mike and the Mechanics’s latest release.

‘Background Noise’ is a subtle, serene track. Nonetheless, the sustained staccato guitar notes of Rutherford immediately grace the soft vocal textures. It’s the ’80s all over again, yet with a profound sense of melodious maturity. The fluentness of both the singers’ vocals is undeniable, but overall both Roachford and Hower lack the distinct fervour of the ‘Two Pauls.’ Although tracks such as ‘You Can Be’ and ‘Heaven Doesn’t Care’ strike the classic Mechanics ballad chord, you sadly won’t find anything comparable to ‘The Living Years’ on ‘The Road’.

For the more varied classic rock fan, ‘The Road’ has a striking resemblance to Boston’s ‘Corporate America’: the shared vocal sections, the occasional guitar solo, the artificial instrumentation. There are many similarities, except the former was released almost a decade ago. From what it seems, Mike and the Mechanics have taken a chronological step back with ‘The Road’. Perhaps the record needs a more guitar-influenced direction to distinguish them from any old ’80s revival band. It’s a gentle homage to the decade from which they thrived, but whether it remains valid for today’s generation is debatable. All the same, without trying to avoid cliché, the album is a long ‘Road’ indeed, but there are certainly a few gems along the way.

© There Goes The Fear Music Blog, by Marc Saunders




With two new vocalists, UK’s R&B vocal sensation Andrew Roachford and Canadian-born (now residing in the UK) Tim Howar, there is a fresh new sound for Mike + The Mechanics. ”Background Noise” starts things off with a silky smooth vocal delivery. Excellent guitar playing begins here and is found on several tracks. “Heaven Doesn’t Care” starts out slow to build nicely into a chiseled in stone Mike + the Mechanics instant classic. “Hunt You Down” is a really good “I am going to get your love” type of song. The organ and drums stand out on this one. There is also an excellent guitar solo.

“I Don’t Do Love” has that  Mike + the Mechanics feel to it that can be done by no other. This is my favorite cut on the release. “It Only Hurts For Awhile” should be a hit in Europe or the UK. It seems quite a shame the airplay has evaporated in the USA. They are in fine form here. “Oh No” features an intriguing beat. Is there anything not very good here? The answer is no. “Reach Out” has a captivating keyboard sound with more great vocals. The title track “The Road” has some great lead guitar on it. You could find repeated listening may be in order. Pretty nice beat also.

“Try To Save Me” has simply got an catchy infectious sound with more great guitar and lead vocals.”Walking on Water” is a great Pop/Rock sounding song. “You Can Be” has some great percussion on it and an awesome vocal performance, as is on the entire release. A really nice Rock sound here with another stellar guitar solo, perhaps the best one on here. I enjoyed this immensely and am giving it four and one half stars.

Kenneth E. Oquist - ArtsandEntertainmentPlayground.com



The Road is the seventh studio album by Mike + The Mechanics, released in 2011. This was the first album released by the band following the departure of Paul Carrack. Following the release of Rewired and the supporting tour, Paul Carrack decided to leave the band and the group went on hiatus. In 2009, rumours surfaced that Mike Rutherford had plans to resurrect the band and had begun working on a new album. At the time, it was reported that Andrew Roachford would become the new singer. Soon after, two other names were mentioned: Arno Carstens and Tim Howar. Early sessions, with Carstens as singer, produced the songs "Background Noise", "It Only Hurts for a While", and "Hunt You Down". However, Carstens left to focus on his third solo album, Wonderful Wild, resulting in Howar joining the band. The sessions continued through 2010 with Roachford viewed as the successor to Paul Carrack and Howar the successor to Paul Young. By the end of 2010, it was officially announced that the trio of Rutherford, Roachford and Howar had recorded a new Mechanics album called The Road. On stage they are supported by drummer Gary Wallis and guitarist Anthony Drennan, both of whom also play on the album. The album was released in April 2011. It is the first Mike + The Mechanics album released by Sony Music.

Wikipedia.org
 

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