JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 – Crash of Life

The brilliant songwriter and guitarist Joel Hoekstra has not only done wonderful things for Whitesnake but also released a couple of fabulous solo records, the latest being this 12-track effort titled Crash of Life where he is joined by a stellar cast of friends and musicians, namely Vinny Appice, Tony Franklin, Jeff Scott Soto, Derek Sherinian, and Girish Pradhan.

Powerful hard rock with plenty of dynamics and interesting nuances to it seems a rather apt way to sum up what this album is all about, and the quality of the riffs and vocal melodies is simply undeniable. Robust and vigorous yet full of light and shade, Hoekstra has undoubtedly crafted some of the best songs of his career here and ones that contain lots of atmosphere and depth, which means that the material lends itself well to repeated listens and has longevity to it. In addition, the mix and production are immaculate and leave nothing to be desired. Although Running Games is still my favorite disc by Joel, Crash of Life is up there with the best of them and classy piece of work that boasts such captivating tunes as the emotionally charged epics named ‘Torn’ and ‘Over You’.