The Return of the Ace

I got an email last week asking me if I knew anything about Ace Frehley’s upcoming album. I had to profess ignorance, as I’ve pretty much lost track of Space Ace’s doings the last few years. A couple of exchanges later, I learned that Ace does indeed have a new album scheduled for release September 15.

Anomaly is Ace’s first new release of new material since 1989’s Trouble Walkin’. Twenty years? No wonder I’ve lost track.

According to Rolling Stone, the new disk “shows why many rock and metal guitarists list ‘Space Ace’ as a prime six-string influence.” I can tell you the lead single, “Outer Space,” is vintage Ace. The heavy rock is reminiscent of classic Kiss and I swear I can hear Ace borrowing Paul Stanley’s riff from that Rock and Roll Over chestnut “Take Me”. Even when he tosses out lines such as “It’s like I told you, I came from outer space / That’s how I know your name,” it doesn’t seem too goofy. If anyone can pull it off, Space Ace can.

Ace compares this album favorably to his first solo effort, the classic Ace Frehley disk from the Kiss solo albums. “Everybody keeps talking about my first solo album,” he told Rolling Stone. “I keep thinking, ‘Right now, I feel exactly like I did after I finished mixing that record.’ I kind of knew I had something hot, that everybody was going to like.”

I’m pretty excited to hear the rest of the album, which is more than I can say about any upcoming Kiss releases. In addition to 12 original tracks (and if you buy from iTunes, you get a bonus 13th track), Ace also covers the Sweet’s “Fox on the Run,” which is an excellent choice. I can absolutely hear Ace doing great justice to that song.

In addition to “Outer Space,” I’ve also got a small handful of live Ace tracks recorded early last year in Los Angeles. I thought I had more specific venue and date info, but I can’t immediately find it.

Outer Space.mp3

Rip It Out (live).mp3
Parasite (live).mp3
Snowblind (live).mp3
New York Groove (live).mp3
Love Gun (live).mp3
Cold Gin (live).mp3

Labels: classic rock, covers, hard rock, live music, new stuff

posted by aikin @ 7:15 AM