“Origins Vol. 1”
Ace Frehley
eOne Music
Tracks: 12
Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The one and only Ace Frehley is back with a brand new album of reworked hard rock classics titled “Origins Vol. 1” The 12 track album is being released April 15th via eOne Music and accompanying the former Kiss guitarist is a slew of hard rock notables ranging from Slash and John 5 to Lita Ford and Kiss front-man Paul Stanley. Yes you read that correctly! “Origins Vol. 1” will take you on a rocket ride through some of Ace’s influences while also paying homage to several songs from Ace’s own groundbreaking career with Kiss.
When an artist chooses to release an album of covers it usually ends up being a love or hate relationship for myself. Even before listening to the album I am thinking things like “will the artist do the original songs justice?” And, “will the artists own performance be on point?” among a few other things. Despite being a diehard Frehley fan since my early teens I still had to ponder those thoughts just before checking out “Origins Vol.1” as I was a touch skeptical. Right out of the gate the latest offering from the original and only “Space Man” came out swinging quickly erasing any doubt I may have had lurking around my brain. Tracks like Cream’s “White Room” and The Troggs “Wild Thing” which features a guest appearance by Lita Ford hold true to the original versions however with an immense amount of added grit and bite courtesy of Frehley’s signature playing style. Other notable tracks are a crushing version of Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” (probably my favorite of the 12 tracks) an in your face rendition of Kiss’s “Parasite” featuring Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 and a really cool version of Free’s “Fire and Water” featuring none other than Paul Stanley on vocals. (This is the first time in 18 years that Paul and Ace have appeared on a track together)
It doesn’t matter how dedicated of an Ace fan you are “Origins Vol. 1” is a must have for any fan of hard rock music. Great song selection and performances make this an album you can throw on anytime and be treated to a great listen. No its not new original material but it is literally the next best thing as Ace continues to shine with his latest offering.
Track Listing:
1.) White Room (Cream)
2.) Street Fighting Man (Rolling Stones)
3.) Spanish Castle Magic (Jimi Hendrix) feat. John 5
4.) Fire and Water (Free) feat. Paul Stanley
5.) Emerald (Thin Lizzy ) feat.Slash
6.) Bring It On Home (Led Zeppelin)
7.) Wild Thing (The Troggs) feat. Lita Ford
8.) Parasite (Kiss) feat. John 5
9.) Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)
10.) Cold Gin (Kiss) feat. Mike McCready
11.) Till The End of the Day (The Kinks)
12.) Rock n Roll Hell (Kiss)
