Living Like a Runaway

Lita Ford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Steamhammer Us
• ASIN: B006ZMJ0T4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,659 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2012 release, the eighth studio album from the Hard Rock icon and former Runaways guitarist. The album was co-written and produced by rock guitarist Gary Hoey.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, thank God! June 19, 2012

By my alias

Format:MP3 Music

After I bought Wicked Wonderland I had lost a little faith in a lot of things, one of them being that my love for Lita had been misplaced all these years. I did a bit of research into who this guy was on that album and found out it was her husband, who was in some band sometime. Anyway, I'm certain his musical tastes influenced hers back then. To this day I cannot bring myself to listen to that album.

But this is not about that album, its about this one, and this one is a goodie!

The production quality is crisp and clear, and Lita sounds every bit as good as she ever has. The first few tracks are reminiscent of the album Black (which you need to go order if you don't have it), the subject matter being sort of dark. I admit, I want to be inspired to believe in love or inspired to party, or reminisce about good old days or, well anything uplifting. But given the events of her divorce I'm sure Lita has some laundry to air. And this is okay because sometimes life sucks and we need to vent.

Anyway, the first few songs are solid rock, not anthems... just good ole guitar based rock n roll. The guitar is where it should be; not over bearing but following along with melody and occasionally becoming a stellar focal point.

Then you arrive at track 4, the title track. The mood suddenly changes, the guitar changes, and that part of Lita's voice that we all remember comes rushing in. That earnest, yearning part that brings out her emotional side, where it sounds almost like she is fighting tears. This is the range where she shines, and makes the listener feel.

From there Lita can do no wrong, proving with each song why we loved her so much back in the day. "Relentless" is a classic throwback to that era.... The song "Mother", a letter to her children, is as touching as it is beautiful. Part ballad for any son/daughter and part proclamation of her side of events, its a definite highlight on the record, as are "Asylum" and "Love 2 Hate U".

If you are a fan of Lita's heyday, if you feel alienated by Wicked Wonderland, or if you are a new fan discovering this classic artist, you will enjoy this album immensely! Read more ›

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lita's back!! June 19, 2012

By James Andrews

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

OHHHHH Yea, Lita's Back

Like almost all Lita fans, I bought Wicked Wonderland and thought what da ...!!??

Then I read of Lita's personal despair and that she announced a new album that was going to be very personal and, as she said - `back to her fans'.

This is it! Strong 80s rock has never died and now it is reborn through Lita's cathartic, beautifully strong album. This is an honest, mature album, but still carries the punch from the era. Like a Runaway reconnects the one true Queen of Rock to her loyal listeners and, hopefully, lightning strikes its way into all the iPods of everyone after our generation so those listeners will be future fans.

Buy this, in whatever format, and enjoy the work of this strong, admirable lady.

Lita Ford's new release doesn't just show the talents of a lady rocker. It shows the incredible things one can produce when they channel their personal life experience and pain into their art.

My only regret - that I didn't get the two bonus tracks from the limited edition. I feel I cheated myself.

Bless you Lita Ford, and may your future - both for you and your boys - be bright.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Successfully Exorcised The Demon Of Wicked Wonderland! June 30, 2012

By D. Kellems

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wrote perhaps the most scathing review on Amazon for Lita's previous CD "Wicked Wonderland" and am happy to offer my whole-hearted recommendation for this CD. I thought at the time that her husband was way too heavy handed in the making of that CD and, as it turns out, many other things as well according to Lita herself. It's a shame about her marriage and all the upheaval that's occurred since then, but great pain often results in great art. I believe that getting her feelings out in the process of making this CD should help the healing begin in earnest. All that being said, this is a damn fine CD that to me sounds like a cross between the vibes of "Dancing on the Edge" and "Stiletto". Lita is hungry again and has something to prove and it shows in spades. The title track is breezy and fun but still has a tinge of sadness to it that gives it even greater weight. "Luv 2 Hate U" has a similar vibe musically with different subject matter and Gary Hoey does a nice job sharing vocals with Lita on it. (He did a hell of a job producing this cd as well). "Mother" is this CD's equivalent to "Lisa" from Stiletto with the writers perspective changed and musically it's quite similar as well, both beautiful and wistfully sad. Much of the rest of the CD is the hungry, angry, I-will-overcome side of Lita. "Devil In My Head" is the pinnacle of the angrier tracks and rocks with a fantastic heavy groove to it. "Branded", "Hate", "Asylum", the mysterious sounding "The Mask", "Relentless", and "Bad Neighborhood" all thrive on the upraised-middle-finger-with-conviction-behind-it vibe. Needless to say, playing most of these tracks while driving on the highway is a speeding ticket waiting to happen.... Lita ends the CD with a rousing rendition of the Elton John classic "The Bitch Is Back" that really wraps things up on an upbeat note. The only track out of the twelve on the Deluxe Edition that I don't really care for is the Nikki Sixx penned "A Song To Slit Your Wrists To". 11 keepers out of 12 tracks on any CD that doesn't say "Greatest Hits" or "The Best Of" is remarkable to say the least. I read recently on MelodicRock.com that this CD sold less than 1,000 copies in its debut week in the USA which is a fornicating shame. Do yourself and Lita a favor and buy this CD, the Deluxe Edition of course. If you liked her before, you can't possibly go wrong here. This deserves to be heard....and thank you for a great CD Lita. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars LIVING LIKE A Star Once Again! August 20, 2012

By Jef Fazekas VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Mayans must have been right....the world IS coming to an end in December! How else could you explain that, for a short period of time there, I was actually liking Lita Ford's new LIVING LIKE A RUNAWAY album better than Bonnie Raitt's latest, SLIPSTREAM? No doubt about it...the end is nigh!
How could this be? After 1995's lackluster BLACK and 2009's disasterous WICKED WONDERLAND, I was pretty sure that Ford's time had (long since) come and gone. Well, that's not the case....LIVING LIKE A RUNAWAY is her most melodic, concise ~ yet rocking! ~ release to date. It also sports her best batch of vocals EVER! (It's clear she's taken some SERIOUS voice lessons!).
Much of the credit for the disc's overall togetherness has to go to producer Gary Hoey....he's totally brought out the best in and of Ford. Doing a complete 180 from the noisy, sloppy, obnoxious WONDERLAND, Hoey has helped craft a batch of songs that are structured and full of melody, yet still totally kick it.
Granted, there are still some Metal 101 moments that look and sound silly coming from a woman (or anyone, for that matter!) approaching 54, but, overall, this disc is a revelation.
Things start off slowly with the rather generic "Branded." With lyrics straight out of the "Metal Songwriting For Beginners" handbook ("I don't wanna hear you screaming my name/I'm so tired of playing the same ol' game"), the song veers close to parody. However, Ford delivers the track with such intensity and honesty that, by track's end, she makes it work. Not a classic....but O.K.
If you took Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" and mashed it with Metallica's "Enter Sandman", then added a dash of Joan Jett's vocals from the mid-to-late 80's, the result would be "Hate...." With it's buzz-saw arrangement (special kudos to Hoey for his menacing bass lines!), snarling lead vocal and chilling lyrics ("Last night on the evening news/I heard his name and it turned my head/Something 'bout a local boy/And fifteen people dead"), this is that rare metal/hard rock animal...a timely song that tells a timely tale. VERY cool.
There's an intensity to "The Mask" that's just spine-tingling. The arrangement pounds away, wearing you down (in a good way!). It's the perfect back drop for a song about communication (or the lack there of!), and how it can all fall apart. Add in another great vocal and you have a killer cut!
Ford slows things down just a bit for the disc's thoughtful title track. There's a nice, easy-going groove to "Living Like A Runaway" that's really appealing and a nice change of pace. There's a real honesty and vulnerability ~ something you don't often get from Ford ~ in lines like "I remember when I was 17/Riding in the back of a black limousine/I used to stare at the stars and ask for God to please/Guide me/In the right direction", resulting in one of the album's premiere tracks.
"Relentless" just exudes attitude, what with it's bristling arrangement, tight instrumentation and cocky lead vocal. (Granted, I think June Millington, Bonnie Raitt and Nancy Wilson might take exception to the line "And I play guitar like no chick they'd ever seen!"). This is a fun one, and it's clear that Ford is having a good time with it. A good direction for her to keep moving in...!
It's at this point that the disc gets a tad bit spotty. For instance, "Mother", while totally heartfelt, gets a bit preachy/whiney/snarky. While there's no doubting Ford's sincerity, blasting her ex for her two sons ~ and the world~ to hear might not be the best idea. "Heartfelt" can quickly become "over-wrought", teetering on "calculated" and "bitter." In the end, Ford pulls it off ~ barely! ~ but in the future, she needs to work on her self-editing. An "A" for effort...a "B-" for execution.
There's more of that generic vibe going on with "Devil In My Head" that is...well, pretty boring. There really isn't much that works here....uninspired arrangement? Check. Run of the mill lead vocal? Check. Cliched lyrics (ranging from howling wind to the Reaper to 9 lives)? Check, check and check! If I didn't know better, I would swear that this major misstep was a left over outtake from WICKED WONDERLAND. The album's only real clunker.
I go back and forth with "Asylum" ~ at times I think it's a bit too precious and paint-by-the-numbers, with Ford trying too hard to be profound. However, other times ~ and, in the end, it's the majority of the time! ~ the song wins me over. Much like with "Mother", Ford is on the edge of over-indulgence here...however, unlike that earlier cut, she manages to pull back, resulting in a cut that at times is nakedly raw.
Up next are the standard disc's last ~ and best! ~ two tracks, "Luv 2 Hate U", a sparkling duet with Hoey, and the Pink-flavored "A Song To Slit Your Wrists By." Some might argue that these two cuts are too pop-oriented for Ford, but I disagree....Hoey (who has a GREAT voice!) perfectly complements Ford, while "A Song...." shows a whole other quirky/edgy side to La Lita. This is Lita Ford stretching, and good for her!
The bonus tracks on the limited edition are a mixed bag...."Bad Neighborhood" is more cliched schlock, while Ford's take on Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back" is an absolute winner.....awash in horns, this is a new sound for her, and it SO works! Once again, bravo for stretching!!!
So where does this leave Lita Ford? Well, with Joan Jett devolving into nothing more than a greatest-hits live act who's happy to recycle a "Best Of" package every five years or so, Ford could end up as the Runaway who makes the biggest difference. We all know she's a rocker ~ she's more than proven that! ~ now we need to see what kind of an artist she is. Hopefully, LIVING LIKE A RUNAWAY is just an inkling of things to come! (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics). Read more ›