Reviewed by Alex Figgis

After some 10 years apart, Ken Tamplin returns once again heading up celebrated glam rock group Shout. Boasting (tie classic line up of Chuck King (guitars/vocals), Loren Robinson (bass/vocals), Joe GatJeta (drums) and Ken Tamplin (vocals/guitar), 'Shout Back' should be a return to form. The story goes something like this. Last year, Shout topped a poll taken by UK's Z Records of bands people most wanted to see re-forming. This caused Tamplin to put together the superb compilation album 'Brave Days Of Old', complete with three previously unreleased tracks; "AD/BC", "I Just Want To Celebrate" (both contained herein} and a cover of the classic rock anthem "Freeride". This led to Tamplin getting together with the original Shout line up, resulting in 'Shout Back'. Despite the likes of the hard hitting "No Way, No How", "Y2K" or the quirky anthem "More Than Kisses", all showcasing the band's signature sound of tight rhythms and crisp delivery; '...Back' does not show much of a progression stylistically since '89s In Your Face'. Usually one associates Tamplin with a keen sense of wit when it comes to songwriting; but with lines such as the crass "...Hob knobs, big snobs and booby jobs..", one rather feels cheated somehow. What does not help is the fact that the album's art work is poor with little information, merely adding to the overall disappointment of '...Back'. An average release from one of the greats in melodic hard rock.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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