KELLY KEAGY - "TIME PASSES" (2001)




I must say right away that this is the single best album that I have ever listened to. I haven't been this excited since the last Night Ranger album "Seven" came out in 1998, and even back then I wasn't as excited as I am right NOW! Maybe it's because it's a brand new album by a member of Night Ranger, maybe it's because it's Kelly Keagy - my idol. One of the most talented drummers and lead singers in music. Kelly shows his special way of singing and playing in all the projects he is involed in. I have listened to the album "Time Passes" a million times already, and I will listen to each track as I review it. Many many great superstars of rock music are featured on this album. Check out these awesome musicians that you can hear on "Time Passes"; Jack Blades, Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson (these guys don't need any introduction, right? hehe!), Jim Peterik (of Survivor) and Kevin Chalfant (of Two Fires) and many more! This album has made me jump, bang my head, stop my feet, and even cry tears of happiness. Kelly is THE man! =)

"Anything Goes" : Duhhh-dahhh!!! What an awesome opener this is! This is just what I expected to hear from Kelly! This is an amazing and HUGE stadium-rocker which reminds me alot of just about any classic Night Ranger tune. The tune features screaming guitars, powerful drums, and a beat that is pumping along just like Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". It goes duh-dah-duh-dah all the way thru. Just like the train in the music video to "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". Kelly pumps those drums all the way through! I love it! The lyrics are very cool, and easy to sing along to. Kelly's vocals are as awesome as ever, and he keeps on singing his longues out in this song! This song makes for a great single. Kelly's drumming gets more advanced throughout the song, which is good! I totally love Kelly's way of playing those DW drums. Nice little guitar solo too! Hehe! Is that Jeff Watson shredding away? Kelly's "HEY wait a minute" after the first chorus is sooo cool! This man can scream! :)

"Acid Rain" : Oh yeah!!! After the opening track, which ROCKS, the second track follows with dynamite!!! When I heard the BAD-ASS opening guitar licks to this song, I knew this was going to be something special. But I didn't know it was going to be THIS special! This has got to be one of the baddest, hardest and coolest songs I've heard in a while. Wow!!! The drumming hit me aright away. I love the drumming in this tune. More advanced style than in the first track. Kelly is very hard hitting in this song. And his vocals are dark and he sings with a great attitude in this song. The lyrics are awesome as well. You can really hear that Jack Blades wrote this song, along with Jim Peterik. Typical hard-hitting Jack Blades lyrics! Gotta love that dude for his songwriting skills. This song is very well produced and the whole arrangement is totally killer. Killer gitar solo too! But the drums are better!!! Oh yeah!!!

"Time Passes" : The title track and a goodie! This little gem starts off very differently and very light. But there light stops. After the first verse and chorus, the song shifts gear from light into HARD! The lyrics are so good. And Kelly's way of singing and expressing his emotions through his vocals is awesome! This song became a favorite of mine on the very first listen!! Love the way the song goes up just a tad on the last choruses! This song features some really nice acousting guitar playing by Kelly himself along with tasty bass playing also by Kelly. This is a man with a lot of talents! Not only is he a killer drummer and lead vocalist, but he can also play guitar, bass and keyboards. Wow!! A perfect third track after two very hard rockin' tracks.

"Before Anybody Knows I'm Gone" : And the album just keeps on rockin with hard tracks! I LOVE THIS ALBUM! Awesome medium-paced intro that goes into a faster gear right away. The lyrics just hits you. "The heart of the city has got no heart at all, it never understand the dreams of people like me". Oh Yeah baby! This song is also pumping away, just like the train in Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" video. Love this tune! The chorus is awesome and surprises you! The drumming is KILLER in this song!! I love the way Kelly puts in those fills! The drum soloing in the end of the song is also totally awesome! The song goes bluesy in the end, which I totally dig! Cool guitar hook on this one. And this is another fine piece of melodic hard rock and keeps lifting the album up. None of the tracks so far have put the album down a bit. It's all going up!

"Too Much To Ask" : This is an medium-paced tune that show off Kelly's deep varm vocals right in the beginning and gives me chills. It's that good. The combination of heartwarming lyrics and awesome vocals really make this song. Then thee huge chorus kicks in and the song gets even better. The lyrics keep on getting more and more beautiful. Kevin Chalfant from the kick ass band Two Fires co-wrote this song along with Kelly Keagy and Jim Peterik. He's a very talented singer and songwriter, and did a very good job with the lyrics to this song. And then the bridge comes and the song blows the scale. The bridge is totally beautiful and melodic and Kelly sounds better than ever in this song, and on this album, and I really don't know what words to use now, it's all soooo good!!!!

"Bottled Up" : Starts off with a dark vibe and a BANG and gets even darker and heavier. Hard hitting drums by Kelly and he does one of his trademark screams right when the drums kick in. The lyrics are sooo good in this tune. They are very dark. For example "I know I won't be missed when I'm gone" is proof that this song is dark. The guitars are screaming and bad. Right before the gitar solo Kelly does another awesome scream. The gutar solo is very cool. Lots of keyboards in this tune, wich I love! Bruce Gaitsch did an awesome job laying down the keys in this song. You might remember Bruce from the awesome rock band King Of Hearts. By the way, their "1989" album is a favorite of mine!

"Too Close To The Sun" : This is a mid-paced tune and kind of a different song that starts off with a long and nice keyboard intro. A soft guitar blends into the intro and Kelly starts singing. Just like all the rest of the songs on this album, this song has many surprises in it. I'm talking about the way the chorus goes and the bridge, and the way Kelly is singing. The guitar solo is very tasty. I could tell it was Brad Gillis playing on this tune before I checked it out inside the CD bookled. And the bridge after the solo is awesome!

"Wrong Again" : This is another kick-ass hard rockin' tune! This songs is from the Night Ranger-trio sessions back in the early 1990's with Kelly Keahy, Gary Moon and Brad Gillis. The intro sounds very much like the intro to the Night Ranger song "Rumors In The Air", but that's where the similarity ends. This songs features advanced drumming by Kelly, wonderful lead vocals by Kelly AND Gary Moon, and some screaming, rockin' guitar work by Brad Gillis. The guitar solo is simply amazing!!! Brad Gillis sets his Fender Strat on fire! Hot stuff!! This song puts the pace up by a couple of beats. Kelly's voice, cool lyrics and lots of cool hooks and licks makes this song awesome!

"When There Is A Woman" : This is the most beautiful song I have heard. Period. This lyrics in this ballad are so moving they made me cry. "She knows me so well. Believes in me more than life itself..." How's that for lyrics? They are simply beautiful!!! Kelly's vocals in this song are totally astounding. His voice is so clear, warm and powerful, and he fully uses his killer voice in this song. The melody in this song will send chills down your spine. I know it did that to me. Also, the bridge is the single best one I've EVER heard in a song. It totally surprises you when you hear it. It's so good to know that some musicians out there, like Kelly Keagy, sing songs with lyrics that mean something. And I promise you, the lyrics in this song mean a lot! Jim Peterik did an absolutely stunning job writing the lyrics to this beautiful ballad. Absolutely LOVE the lyrics in this song, so so much! Smooth guitar solo as well in this song. Again, Kelly's vocals in this song are simply amazing. It all sounds so beautiful!! This song makes me think about my girlfriend.... *sigh* :O)

"The Journey" : Alright, another KILLER track that keep lift the album up and up. The song starts off moody and light with a nice, clean guitar, and Kelly singing, PACKED full with emotions. This is a power-ballad, and one of the best I have ever heard! This song is a big big big anthem! The lyrics are awesome in this song. It's about life itself. A very beautiful song. Kelly's vocals are heartwarming, and they will make you want to get up and enjoy life to it's fullest! The bridge is awesome too, and glides right into an amwesome guitar solo! And the song just keeps on riding until the end.. What a song! Those lyrics are so beautiful and strong! Could easily have been a #1 hit around the world...

"The Moon" : This acoustic song is a total showcase for Kelly's warm voice. This style of this song reminds me alot of Night Ranger's "Let Him Run". Both songs are beautiful, but this song is something special, and a great last track on the album. This is Kelly singing at his best, and he shows a lot of emotion as he sings the lyrics to this song. These vocals are so good. They are totally Kelly! Nice vibe in this song with the acoustic guitar going. This song has no drums, but that's not a problem, as the album is FULL of drums in the first 10 tracks! :) Kelly's "ooooohhhh's" after the middle part of this song are just awesome. This is trademark Kelly Keagy singing. And a beautiful song. The last three songs on this album are the most beautiful songs on the album. This is the most relaxing track of them all. LOVE IT!!!

Album Rating: 10 out of 10