Dare was founded by Darren Wharton, the former keyboard player for Thin Lizzy. Dare made quite an impact at the time with the first few Dare disks. This is mainly due to the highly accessible quality songs from the now singer, some of which he wrote witch guitar player Vinny Burns (Ten). And while on later albums the sound mellowed, this is an album filled to the brim with melodic rock. Or maybe Rock, with a capital.
First track Abandon is actually telling a lot about what is on offer here. Darren proves a more than decent singer with a warm voice and a little edge. The melody is instant, and the production is crisp and powerful throughout. Follow up Into The Fire is of the same high calibre. Third track Nothing Is Stringer Than Love, slows things down a bit, but still hold the listeners attention with ease. Next is Runaway, again with a chorus you´ll be humming for days.
Under The Sun, opens with a Burns solo, the way we all know he can. And while you´d expect the track to burst out into an up-tempo beat, that moment is delayed until you can´t take it no more. Only to prove it´s a mid tempo track with again a blistering Burns solo. The Raindance offers some folk melodies on keyboards, a thing Dare would be doing a lot more later.
And so I could go on. This is a stunning disk, that to this day sounds fresh. If you don´t already have it, track it down and spoil yourself a bit. You know you deserve it 😉 And Dare too…
