Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Foreigner
Foreigner tabs Foreigner discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Foreigner guitar tabs

CD reviews

Can't Slow Down

Foreigner - Can't Slow Down Audio CD

A fair review of the Foreigner "Can't Slow Down" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Foreigner reviews here, or go back to the Foreigner tabs.

Band: Foreigner
Title: Can't Slow Down
Rating:

Release Date: 2009-09-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks:

Worth getting.
First of all, when a band finds a new lead singer, to replace one, who has given an identifiable sound to the group, and has co-written many hits, unfortunately, the group becomes a tribute band of itself. I'm going to echo most of the other reviews here. Like Journey, Styx, and some others, Foreigner has found a frontman to emulate a particular sound. I am not against this, as a group needs to push forward, but a singer should be the best at what he does, and not become a cheap copy of someone else. I believe Kelly Hansen is a good replacement for Lou Gramm, sounding similar, but not trying to copy everything.

CD1 of the set contains new songs, sung by Hansen, and they are a good mix of rockers and ballads. He has an "airier" sound to his voice than Gramm did.

I don't know why CD2, containing the band's original hit recordings, weren't redone, featuring the new members' lineup. We all own CDs of the past. It could have been interesting. Foreigner's second biggest hit was "Waiting For a Girl Like You", and it was completely left off the CD.

The DVD was good, a lot better than "Alive and Rockin'", at least, from a production standpoint. .

FOREIGNER WITH A PUNCH!
I've even seen the original Foreigner in concert with Lou Gramm. I've been into Foreigner since the first album. On Friday, October 16, 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing the new line up at Bergen Pac in New Jersey. I have to say, I was very amazed by how the new line up had more "PUNCH" to them! The show was 100% pure Rockin Foreigner. The new CD "Can't Slow Down" truly stands up to the older Foreigner CD's/Albums. It's a great deal. You get the new album, hits remixed, and a live dvd. It will certainly satisfy the older and newer listeners of Foreigner. It's also great to see the band is still on Atlantic Records through Rhino/Warner Bros. They've truly done a lot for Atlantic Records since they signed with them. I remember when Foreigner performed at The Atlantic Records Anniversary at Madison Square Garden. When I first put the new CD in my player, I totally had an open mind about it, and really wanted to see what the new line up could do. Well, without a doubt this band is not a Foreigner tribute band. Mick Jones truly went back to the drawing board and recrerated a great Rock Band that will be around for a long time.

All right, Foreigner's back!
It's been nearly 15 years since their disappointing reunion album Mr. I was wondering if Foreigner, which now consists of original guitarist Mick Jones and several new members (including Kelly Hansen of Hurricane and Jeff Pilson of Dokken) would ever make a new studio album. Moonlight. The new Foreigner is back and ready to turn the page with Can't Slow Down. Hopping on the classic rock trend, Can't Slow Down is only available at a certain large retailer (sounds like "schmal schmart"). Journey went this route with their last album Revelation and it was a huge success, so expect more of that kind of thing in the future. Like Journey, Foreigner made their new album a special 3-disc set, with a bonus CD and DVD in addition to the main album.

Disc 1 is the new album. Lineup changes aside, Can't Slow Down is absolutely a "real" Foreigner album, and is a darned good one at that. It's a much better album than the lackluster 1996 reunion album Mr. Moonlight, and manages to capture that classic Foreigner sound while maintaining a (slightly) modern feel. The album is full of very well-written songs. "Can't Slow Down" and "Give Me a Sign" are great singles, and "Too Late" could have been a Double Vision b-side. There are a couple of tracks I'd call filler ("Lonely", "Living In a Dream"), but for the most part this is a very impressive melodic rock album with strong musical performances and some very impressive vocals. Kelly Hansen sounds incredible here. He comes extremely close to Lou Gramm's signature style while maintaining his own individual voice. Background vocals from Jeff Pilson - a great frontman in his own right - only add to the great vocal performances on Can't Slow Down.

Disc 2 is a collection of 10 of Foreigner's best known hits, remixed by producer Marti Frederiksen. Not to belabor the Journey comparison, but I would much rather they had included versions of these songs performed by the new lineup rather than just remixing the old versions. The remixes are interesting enough, and it makes for a terrific-sounding "greatest hits" album, but I seriously doubt I'll listen to this disc more than once.

Disc 3 is a live DVD that is culled from several recent Foreigner performances. You can tell from the mid-song wardrobe and daytime/nighttime changes that it was pieced together. It's a pretty interesting addition, and the band gives a very impressive performance throughout. It's interesting to note the age and relative indifference of the audience. I know I'd be having a lot more fun at a Foreigner show! It's also worth pointing out that they break from the music between songs to show behind the scenes footage, which is a major pet peeve of mine. Give me the whole concert uninterrupted and save the rest for bonus material.

The packaging is pretty flimsy for a 3-disc set. That's another area where the last Journey album, with its think gatefold digipack and vibrant colors, was superior. This package would be sketchy for a single-disc release, let alone a deluxe set like Can't Slow Down.

Minor issues aside, Can't Slow Down is still a great release, and the 3-disc set is a bargain when you consider the album's relatively low price. Between this release and the Lou Gramm Band debut, Foreigner fans have a lot to be happy about this year. .

Without LOU GRAMM,but it's still FOREIGNER!
Obviously,they are Lou Gramm faithfulls who don't want FOREIGNER to continue without Lou. Do not listen to the jerks who rated this cd just 1 star. Mick Jones may be the only original member left but to me,he is FOREIGNER. The guy founded the band,came up with the band name,wrote or co-wrote almost every foreigner tune,and co-produced all foreigner albums. I was sad to hear about Lou's departure from the band but right now,I'm happy again because this new line-up really rocks.

IMO,this is a very strong effort by the band. There is something for everybody on this cd. TOO LATE,LONELY,AS LONG AS I LIVE,CANT SLOW DOWN,WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE,sound like tracks out of their earlier albums. IN PIECES,I'LL BE HOME TONITE,CAN'T GIVE UP,sounds more 80's. There are rockers,mid-tempos,and ballads and they are all good. Do yourself a favor. Get a copy. Even if you don't like the new tunes,you'll like the remixed greatest hits cd. The cd is only 12 dollars at wal-mart.

Telegraphed
The story now is out about the creative differences between Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones. Foreigner without Lou Gramm is a tough pill to swallow. With that said, Jones was and still is the architect of the band's sound. And former Hurricane vocalist Kelly Hansen makes the grade. Hansen sounds like a youthful Gramm. But some of the same fans who grew weary following "4" will also hear Jones' obsession with sounding adult contemporary yet again. "Can't Slow Down" leads off this collection as a promising slice of "Head Games" era sounding nostalgia. But then things begin to change. "In Pieces" is a mid-tempo repetitive AC sounding track that doesn't follow "Slow Down" very well. Next is "When It Comes To Love". A pure ballad that hearkens back to the "Agent Provacateur" era. A perfect fit for early '90's soft rock radio. "Living In A Dream" picks up the pace a bit, but lacks the grit and force of the lead off track. "I Can't Give Up" opens with a Beatlesque piano and a sparse lead vocal from Hansen. Jones still seems bent on getting on some radio stations with this stuff. The tracks are all instantly melodic and memorable. The problem is that fans of the first four albums will wonder why the band didn't truly do a retrofit of their earlier work. "Ready" is the next track that veers closer to the old stuff, but still misses. The guitar work doesn't have that identifiable edge that defined the band even on their off albums. "Give Me A Sign" is a pop tune with a hint of that classic sound that made this band famous. "I'll Be Home Tonight" is another song that is a bit too ordinary and slow for this collection. It's great formula though and it sounds like it could be a hit. It's just too mellow and doesn't really challenge Hansen at all vocally. "Too Late" is the song that made the last Foreigner "Best of" package and is a dead ringer for their classic era. It's a shame more of this album didn't live up to this standard. "Lonely" is another mushy kind of pop number that doesn't flush out enough guitar. The mix on this album is mostly a wall of sound whereas old Foreigner was more instrumentally identifiable. "As Long As I Live" is yet another ballad. A smooth song that has great hooks but doesn't contain the bite of anything classic. "Angel Tonight" almost gets back to the signature sound from the harder moments from the '80's. Not bad. "Fool For You Anyway" is a remake of a super excellent album track from the first Foreigner album. It's done in a laid back style that stays true to the original but could almost make it to Motown. All and all, this album is chocked full of melodic pop-rock minus the "Hot Blooded" sound and certainly nothing even close to "Dirty White Boy". Maybe this is just an aging rock band acting their age. This is not an effort even close to what Journey or AC/DC did on their way back from obscurity. The bonus here is 2 more discs worth of material including cleaner and more bottom end friendly versions of their classic hits and a concert DVD that shows that the live act may be better than their new studio work. Lou Gramm may have lost most of his vocal skills, but he can still rock. I"m not even sure if Kelly Hansen isn't wondering where the guitars went in the mix. This is a great set for value, but a mediocre attempt at a completely new Foreigner album.

You can see a complete list of all Foreigner discography, or go back to the Foreigner tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.