Growing up, my mother always made me listen to her music: Bad Company, The Eagles, The Police, etc. Often, I petitioned for listening to “cooler” music, but now I take those words back. I find myself regularly in the mood for some classic rock, and I now understand that you honestly can’t get any cooler than such true examples of rock & roll. The band Great Lakes echoes ‘70s and ‘80s rock & roll while making a sound all their own. Great Lakes’ 5th album release Wild Vision combines the true essence of rock & roll with country instrumentation and a bent towards nature.
“Bird Flying” and “Wild Again” are great reflections of the classic rock & roll vibe with a twist. “Bird Flying” begins with an electric guitar opener that oozes sex appeal. The electric guitar pops back in midway through the song and again at the end. Although the solos are not quite as long as The Eagles’ “Hotel California” solo, Great Lakes’ use of the electric guitar is just as seductive. “Wild Again” uses drums, bass, electric guitar, pedal steel, synthesizer, and even cello to create a very full rock & roll sound with moments of dissonance. The entire song builds to a climax at the end following the last chorus. Picture it: the lyrics “I want to be Wild again/ wild again/ wild again” repeat as the instruments go wild into this magnificent, all-instruments on-deck-outro (with space sounds, to boot)!
“Beauties of the Way,” “Blood on my Tooth,” and “Shot at and Missed” are unique rock & roll experiences. “Beauties of the Way” begins with a drums/guitar beat that instantly reminds me of ‘90s hit “The Way” by Fastball. As the song continues, more guitars and a pedal steel are added. By the end of the track, the initial ‘90s beat is long forgotten and the electric guitar leads the way to another far-out ending. “Blood on my Tooth” has more of a toned-down sound with minimal percussion and a great acoustic guitar rhythm. Then out of nowhere comes this funky, Doors-esque bass line. The lyrics in “Blood on my Tooth” are also very rock & roll: “You shouldn’t have asked if you did not want to get hurt.” “Shot at and Missed” throws you yet again into their funky rock & roll world and includes fun lyrics like, “To the wild/I Go”.
“Kin to the Mountain,” “Nature is Always True” and “I Stay, You Go” have more of a country rock feel, similar to the The Eagles, established through their instrumentation. These songs feature the acoustic guitar and pedal steel more than the other tracks. Great Lakes still maintained their rock sound in these tracks, they just toned it down a bit and featured more acoustic instruments. By softening up their instrumentation, listeners are also enabled to take more notice to the harmonic male/female vocal combination and poetic lyrics.
The lyrics and titles of Wild Vision’s tracks expose Great Lakes’ bent towards nature. I mean, with a name like Great Lakes and an album like Wild Visions, the focus on nature is already pretty evident. “Swim the River,” “Bird Flying,” “Kin to the Mountain,” “Wild Again,” and “Nature is Always True” are the titles of the first five songs–all related to nature. “Kin to the Mountain” contains some of the best nature-focused lyrics on the album, opening with the chorus: “I am kin to the mountain/ kin to the sea/ my name is lightning/ wild vision I’ve seen.” That is a lyric to chew on.
Great Lakes blew me away with Wild Vision. The male/female vocal pairing is harmonic and genuine, but the instrumentation is really what shines in this album. Wild Vision is nothing but true rock & roll. —Krisann Janowitz