Published on Aug 5, 2003
Attending junior high school in the Washington, D.C. area, I
vividly remember being exposed to several forms of “homegrown” for
the first time. The one I naturally took to was D.C./Baltimore area
rockers, Kix, right at the time they released their third
full-length album,
Midnite Dynamite. And while I may have chosen the form that
Mom would have initially preferred, the choice had as much to do
with the fact that DC/101 regularly featured the band on their
weekly “Local Licks” radio program to any parental advice she could
have given me.
My first impression of
Midnite Dynamite left me with a giddy feeling that Kix were
easily a more exciting version of Aerosmith during their toxic-twin
era. This Kix release had a heavy recorded tone to the songs and
thanks to some searing harmonica solos by vocalist Steve Whiteman,
one could easily spot elements of the same blues-based rock formula
that catapulted Aerosmith to the top of the charts.
Beginning with the self-titled track, Whiteman and company
resist the urge to race through a song and chorus that might
lyrically suggest otherwise. The vocalist allows guitarists Ronnie
Younkins and Brian Forsythe to prove that faster is not always
better as the two axemen set the table for Whiteman to masterfully
croon his way through the song.
While
Midnite Dynamite “hits” on the first song, it begins to
misfire as the songs “Red Hot (Black & Blue)” and “Bang Bang
(Balls of Fire)” suffer from weak and predictable lyric
composition. Whiteman’s screeching vocals save these songs from
being classified as filler and, as far as I’m concerned, his unique
vocal style kept any Kix song from entering the increasingly
ubiquitous landfill of cock-rock schlock that the 80’s were known
to have spawned. The two tracks listed above suffer from titles too
blasé to try and finesse a song and chorus around. A little
stronger turn of the ignition switch in amping up the guitars and
maybe these songs would have worked.
The hidden gem on
Midnite Dynamite is buried eight tracks deep into the
release. I’ve yet to understand why bands force listeners into this
game of hide n’ seek, but as always, the discovery of such a grand
track is always most fulfilling. “Cold Shower” is anchored by a
deep and dark bass line and features Whiteman delivering his lyrics
in a sinister fashion. The rhythm section of Kix, drummer Jimmy
Chalfant and bassist Donnie Purnell, accelerate the groove on this
song during the several instances they back Whiteman on his vocals.
And to top things off, Whiteman ices the track’s splendor with a
departing harmonica salute. “Cold Shower” is easily the most
dynamic track on the album.
In addition,
Midnite Dynamite benefits largely from the two tracks that
conclude the 10-song album. “Lie Like a Rug” and “Sex” are upbeat
boogie-blues rock n’ roll tunes which in retrospect, provide the
substance that distanced Kix from their mid-80’s L.A. metal scene
contemporaries.
Think of the last three songs matching up with a strong title
track and
Midnite Dynamite sandwiches its way into an album that could
have benefited from more than the regional exposure radio provided.
Any serious rock n’ roll fan would also do well to refrain from any
preconceived notions that Kix thrived or even belonged in the
largely shallow hair-metal scene of the 80’s. That being said,
Midnite Dynamite is an album that would fit comfortably into
any rock fan’s music collection.