Barry Goudreau

I'm sure that almost everyone reading this review has heard of the band "Boston". But I don't think many of you are familiar with one of the ex-guitarists from Boston, Barry Goudreau. Goudreau played a vital part in Boston, providing the band with that famous Rockman guitar sound, as well as his guitar slides, melodic leads and rhythm playing. In 1980, Goudreau released his first solo album. This release could have easily been regarded as Boston's third album because three-fifths of Boston perform on it, making the songs sound exactly like a Boston album. Brad Delp, lead vocalist of Boston, sings on six of the nine tracks. The other three songs are sung by Fran Cosmo, who sounds a lot like Delp. In addition, Boston drummer Sib Hashian provides the percussion, and Barry Goudreau handles all guitar parts. The first track is "Hard Luck". If you played this song to anyone, they would swear it was Boston. It has very distinctive Boston sound, making the guitar and vocals dead give-aways. Fran Cosmo's clear, energetic vocals, as well as Goudreau's electric guitar chops and a touch of twelve string acoustic guitar make "Nothin To Lose" a very melodic track. "What's A Fella To Do" and "Mean Woman Blues" are both sung by Delp. "What's A Fella To Do" is a true hard rock tune with a bit of harmonica added towards the end. "Mean Woman Blues" has a catchy rhythm and blues riff and is very reminiscent of "Smokin" from Boston's debut album. It is a tune about a husband who has to deal with a wife that likes to beat on him. Sib Hashian provides some mean drum rolls at the end of the song. Track five is "Leavin' Tonight", which is sung by Cosmo. He really hits the high notes on this one, and Goudreau plays some excellent guitar licks. "Dreams" was one of the only tracks to receive a sufficient amount of air play. It could have fit perfectly on Boston's first album. This tune is a heavy power rocker performed in the Boston vain. "Life Is What We Make It" is a very up beat and energetic song with Delp performing the vocals. Once again Goudreau shows his true talent as a lead and rhythm guitarist. "Sailin' Away" is a pretty acoustic ballad. Delp handles the vocal parts and he is accompanied by a string quartet and an accordian. The song gives you the feeling of being all alone on a boat on a warm summer day. The last song is "Cold, Cold World". Cosmo really shines as a lead vocalist on this track, and Goudrea's soloing had that Boston sound and feel to it. The Barry Goudreau solo album is a true gem for any Boston fan. If you are interested in hearing what some of the tracks sound like, go to www.cdnow.com and do a search for Barry Goudreau.