Kip Winger. Nuff said? Perhaps. For some, the first thing that comes to mind is the jail-bait anthem of 1988 "Seventeen." For others, the name brings nothing but a blank stare. But, for a select few, the mind travels to a more excellent place... the fist-pumping call to irons: "Battle Stations," from the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey Soundtrack (or "Rare and Unreleased"). But hold on. Before you laugh or roll your eyes, writing Kip off as just another big hair glam-rock has-been... a bit of history.
1961, Charles Fredrick-Kip Winger is born in Denver, Colorado to 2 jazz musicians. He is introduced to classical music in his ballet class (!) and at age 16, begins a personal study of the greats. That same year, as the teenaged Kip sent a demo tape to Alan Parsons, he could never have expected that he would some day wind-up singing lead vocals for The Alan Parsons Project. As if that weren't enough, after studying composition in New York, Kip would go on to share the stage with Alice Cooper as his bass player! It wasn't until 1987 that Kip left AC to focus on his own project that would come to be known as the "Winger" we all know and love.
When Winger went the way of the buffalo as most 80's Metal bands have, Kip was only just beginning his career as a solo artist. It was in New Mexico that, face-to-face with personal tragedy, Kip released 3 solo albums before settling down in Nashville to begin work on his 4th solo creation: From The Moon To The Sun. Which is why we are gathered here today.
Personal vocals with an intimate feel like that of Peter Gabriel, and an occasional guitar slide recalling a David Gilmour-Pink Floyd, this work has the variety and story-telling feel of concept album. In fact, the track What We Are reminds me a bit of Kevin Gilbert's landmark Shaming of the True concept (A long and complex story for another day). And, by the end of the disc, I feel more like I've finished a movie than an album. A third of the tracks have found their way onto a playlist of mine entitled: Rainy Day. Strings, piano, 12-string guitar... you name it, this album has probably incorporated it somehow.
If you pride yourself on the diversity of you music library, and you are looking for something completely unexpected and different, this album is worth a shot. - Dave Boyd
The video below is Track #8 California a "MUST LISTEN."
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