A Rocktopia user review by Speedy Hicks.
If like me you were raised on a healthy diet of UFO, Whitesnake, and in later years Thunder and Skin, in
fact any traditional British rock band then surely “Tara’s Secret” third album “Vertigo” will like me have
you smiling like a Cheshire cat, safe in the knowledge that these shores can still deliver great traditional
hard rock bands. I remember reviewing 2006’s enjoyable “Tomorrow The World” but the newie in front
of me is a big stride in the right direction with big choruses and even bigger riffs. Without trying to draw
on to many comparisons tracks such as “Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya” and “Homeland” are prime
Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi from their reckless and slippery era’s respectively. “Vertigo” sticks to the tried
and tested formula of grabbing the listener by the scruff of the neck with two belters to open the album,
firstly “Rock N Roll” Beauty Queen” and then the ridicously catchy “She’s My Baby” where the bragging
rights belong to vocalist “Johnny Trowbridge” with a set of lungs that bellow out the chorus in fine style.
If I had been paying more attention to the sleeve notes I would have realised “The Last 2 Know” was a duet
with the lovely “Sue Willets” so imagine my surprise when on this slow burner of a track her lovely voice
appeared exchanging vocals with JT, as much as like I the crunching riffs that run through the core of this
album surely “The Last 2 Know” has to be the stand out track, a wonderful ballad. If I had to have one minor
quibble with Vertigo that would be the inclusion of the piano led track “One More Chance” surely the bonus
tracks the funky and very chunky “GTBR” or even “Wildest Dreams” could have replaced “One More
Chance” in the original 10 tracks. Listening to the style of music that “Tara’s Secret” serve up it dawned on
me that the group are in a unique position especially in a live situation as they could appeal to a melodic
audience “Firefest” or a field full of Grizzly bikers “Bulldog Bash” either way the music on offer on this
CD is of a standard that many bands can only dream of emulating…. Impressive.
Speedy Hicks.