Customer Reviews

Unusual Heat

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Let me say that I'm a big Lou Gramm fan and think his work with Foreigner is superb! The first release "Foreigner" is in my mind one of the best rock albums ever and a stunning debut. Lou is a main reason for such a fast start for the band.

"Unusual Heat" is a departure as Johnny Edwards took over from Lou. Johnny did a great job but by the time he hopped on board the Foreigner hit machine had slowed as well as the momentum. As a result, "Unusual Heat" appeared on the scene at a difficult time for the band.

Yet, it must be said that Johnny Edwards did a fine job singing and that this is a solid release from Foreigner. Most likely it's for diehard fans since it's available only as an import but, on it's own, "Unusual Heat" is a credible rock effort.

Because this album doesn't feature Lou Gramm on vocals, a lot of Foreigner fans are quick to dismiss it. That's their loss.

No, this isn't the greatest Foreigner album you'll ever hear, but it is a GOOD album. Several excellent songs like "Lowdown and Dirty", "Safe in My Heart", "I'll Fight For You", etc.

I had the good fortune of hearing Foreigner touring to support this album and saw their opening show on the tour. Johnny Edwards was FANTASTIC on vocals that night (especially on the Gramm-era songs) and was clearly very nervous and seeking approval from the crowd. He got it by doing an excellent job, which you can also hear on this CD.

I just wish that Foreigner wouldn't basically ignore this CD and would start playing songs from it on their tours...

Foreigner's album "Unusual Heat" has the distinction of being the first Foreigner album not to feature Lou Gramm on vocals. Johnny Edwards (formerly of the Louisville, KY metal band Buster Brown) capably adds raw rock fervor to the Foreigner sound. Unfortunately, Mick Jones's songwriting isn't up to snuff on this album, as it seems that Mick was torn between writing power ballads and the rock anthems that made Foreigner famous. This is not one of Foreigner's best efforts, but I still enjoy the album on the whole.

Getting right to the point, 'Unusual Heat' was the infamous Foreigner album from 1991, featuring a replacement singer. Lou Gramm had left the band to pursue a solo career and Mick Jones made an effort to carry on with new singer, Johnny Edwards. Edwards, previously with King Kobra, was one of several singers who Jones was considering for the spot. At one point, Sean Harris from Diamondhead was in the running.

Given the complete failure of 'Unusual Heat' commercially, one would not expect very much from listening to this album. However, fans of good melodic rock or AOR from the late 1980's and early 1990's won't be disappointed. The first three cuts from this album all got a little airplay, though none of them charted.

Johnny Edwards is not Lou Gramm and there isn't anybody who will dispute this. Now that we've established this, Edwards has some fine pipes and doesn't drag down this release. Sure, Edwards is the type of singer who was a dime a dozen in 1991 and doesn't do anything to distinguish himself, unlike Gramm. However, it isn't the fault of Edwards that 'Unusual Heat' failed to sell.

The eleven songs included are the textbook rockers and ballads that Foreigner were known for with Lou Gramm. Granted, there is some stuff here that doesn't sound like classic Foreigner. A few tunes could have easily been recorded by the Brian Howe version of Bad Company, Damn Yankees, Tesla or perhaps Night Ranger. Johnny Edwards is one of the key contributors on the songwriting, so he leaves his own stamp on the band and this album. However, it isn't hard to imagine Lou Gramm singing some of these songs. This material isn't that far removed from his very own Shadowking project, around this time.

"Only Heaven Knows" opens the album in strong fashion, with a catchy chorus. "Lowdown and Dirty" is the big rocker from the album, with a good riff. "I'll Fight For You" is one of the ballads from the album and a fairly good one. "Moment of Truth" is another rocker, this one could have easily been sung by Lou. "Ready For The Rain" has arguably the best chorus on 'Unusual Heat' and could have had success if pushed as a hit. "When The Night Comes Down" tends to be the favorite from most Foreigner fans who were receptive to this album. "Safe In My Heart" could have been used on 'Inside Information', the previous album. It is probably the strongest of the ballads from this release. "No Hiding Place" suffers lyrically but probably boasts the most attitude. "Flesh Wound" may qualify as the weakest track here, but it isn't completely terrible. The title track, closing this album, is a more seductive number that never would have worked as a single but could have been a fan favorite if this album had sold a few more copies.

Truth is, there isn't a bad song on here. While overall, this isn't the strongest Foreigner release, it has less filler tracks than some of the other albums. 'Unusual Heat' quickly went into the bargain bin across the country and it is a shame. If Lou Gramm had been singing these songs or if Mick Jones had chosen to do this album under a different band name, I see no reason why this couldn't have gone gold.

Lou Gramm returned to Foreigner a year later, to reunite with the band for some new songs on a best of release. 'The Very Best and Beyond' was released only a year after this album but did not include a single cut from 'Unusual Heat.' Lou and the band never performed anything off of this one live. You only would have heard material from 'Unusual Heat' in concert if you happened to catch the Johnny Edwards lineup live. Of course, record sales have something to do with it. To promote the release of this album, Foreigner also released a promotional cd called 'Profiled', in which they related that the plan was to carry on long-term with Johnny Edwards in Foreigner. How quick things change.

Later on, Foreigner did issue an anthology or two that represented 'Unusual Heat' with one cut ("Lowdown and Dirty", I believe). Not too long ago, Lou did an interview with the web site Classic Rock Revisited, in which he gave his opinion of this lineup of Foreigner. It is still archived and an interesting read for any fans who stumble on this review.

As of the fall of 2005, Lou Gramm is no longer in Foreigner and has again been replaced. The current singer is Kelly Hansen, formerly of Hurricane, and they have been touring with a revamped lineup. It is interesting to see, with Mick Jones being the only remaining original, if the new version of Foreigner decides to dust off something from this album in their future setlists. I'm sure they might do it, just to spite Gramm.

Ultimately, 'Unusual Heat' brings to mind Steve Augeri replacing Steve Perry in Journey. There are the good points and the bad points. Despite that, I highly recommend this to someone who enjoyed Damn Yankees or the 1980's-90's edition of Bad Company. Foreigner fans, with an open mind, will also like this fairly well. To be honest, the best songs here are superior to some of the cuts that Lou recorded after he returned to the band. There are a few moments on here that are better than the Foreigner swan song, 'Mr. Moonlight' in 1995. Furthermore, the three new cuts Gramm recorded with Foreigner in 1992, for 'The Very Best and Beyond' are no better than what you'll find here. Some people might not enjoy reading that but it is the truth.

It's a real shame that Foreigner's 1991 release Unusual Heat has such a bad reputation. This, of course, was the only Foreigner album (until their new incarnation) that did not feature longtime vocalist Lou Gramm. Gramm was off launching a fairly successful solo career, so one-time King Kobra singer Johnny Edwards stepped in.

Of course Edwards is no Lou Gramm, but he still did a damn fine job. He's got a rich, strong voice that is not very far removed from what Foreigner fans are used to. The songwriting on Unusual Heat was quite good as well. The songs on this album could just as easily have fit on Agent Provocateur or Inside Information, and the track "When the Night Comes Down" is one of the band's best songs. Overall, this is a very solid album, and is an example of late 80's/early 90's AOR at its best. It's certainly a worthy addition to the Foreigner legacy.

I understand that Gramm's absence has a big impact on how people view this album, but if you listen to it objectively, I believe it stands the test of time quite well. Of course, I feel the same way about the Brian Howe-era Bad Company albums as well, so take that for what it's worth!

I'll keep it short... This album by Foreigner sounds more or less exactly like Bad Company's "Holy water". Best song is "Low down and dirty". It's decent polished rock of average standard from a time gone by. Maybe it's not Hair Metal but sure it's close to.

It's not bad but it's not great.

Look....as a die hard Foreigner fan, sure....I mourned Lou's departure.....but HELLO?!?!?! GET OVER IT!!! NO ONE likes change.....change sux. This album IS a tad different from Foreigner Mark I.......but still......IT ROCKS. Johnny is NOT Lou Gramm.....but WOW....and this is a cliche......but....HERE'S JOHNNY!!!!!!!!! This guy can do stuff with his voice I'd LOVE to see ANYONE try these days. He put a new trademark sound to this self-destructive band.....and this album IS one of the best. It is sad that the sniffling change-phobia babies never gave it a chance. The FIRST listen to the title track has EVERY one of the people I have listen to it tapping their toes and banging the steering wheel by the time the chorus makes it's kick-butt presence known.
"I'll Fight For You" is a damn good ballad and SHAME on you for calling it WEAK. "Ready For the Rain to Fall?" HELLOOOOO???? Classic Rock alert!!!!!! "When the Night Comes Down" would have been number one had it been done by ANYONE else....but some cry babies decided to NOT let this album see the light of day. Grow up people.
SOME people need an education on music......and if an Ego driven Leader decides to take off....let him go....better things JUST MIGHT happen without him.........

Obviously this album lacks a little something as a Foreigner album without Lou Gramm's all-time classic, soulful vocals. Nonetheless, in a way this sounds a bit more like some of the early classic Foreigner albums with the high level of background vocals that had been lacking on the previous two albums. Johnny Edwards does a more than adequate job singing these songs, which as a whole are very good but not quite vintage.

"Only Heaven Knows" is a catchy, melodic track to lead off the album. "Lowdown And Dirty" was the one song I heard on the radio from this album. This was an enjoyable rocker with a bit of an edge to it. "I'll Fight For You" is a different-sounding power ballad that is 6 minutes long. With these songs, the album gets off to a strong start.

Then come more average rockers like "Moment Of Truth" and "Mountain Of Love". Not bad, but not quite to the level of other Foreigner songs. Next, however, comes a couple of gems. "Ready For The Rain" is a fine, melodic anthem that has a different feel to it. Even better is the next track, "When The Night Comes Down", which has an amazing chorus and an emotional message. This is the best track on the album and Johhny's best vocal effort of them all. Then comes the most traditional ballad on the album, the pretty if somewhat non-descript "Safe In My Heart".

The album then closes with three rockers, none of which really catch my attention but all of which are decent. The closing title track is probably the strongest of the three.

I can understand the backlash against this album, since Lou Gramm is so important to the identity of Foreigner music. I also admittedly bought it back when it came out simply as a curiousity and due to the fact that I had every previous Foreigner album. While this doesn't quite stand up to the other Foreigner albums, it is still worth a listen. Johnny Edwards' vocal style is something that I think many melodic rock fans would enjoy. This album is clearly worth a bit more than simply "artist catalog completion purposes." A decent rock record.

When this album was released in 1991, I hated it. Actually, I just hated the two songs I'd heard from it on the radio, "Lowdown and Dirty" and "I'll Fight for You." That was enough for me. I thought the songs were a bit lame and I was of the opinion "No Lou Gramm, it's not Foreigner." I was in high school at the time and loved the band's first four albums. But it's strange how things can change over time. Twenty years later, I decided to give this entire album a listen just for the heck of it, fully prepared to hate it, and was really surprised to discover that I actually like it! In fact, I like it enough to listen to it over and over. The typical Foreigner sound is alive and well on this album. Johnny Edwards does a really decent job on vocals. The album has the mix of rockers and ballads that one would expect of Foreigner, and the ballads on this one have a slightly harder edge than usual. And the rockers really rock! Lots of good guitar riffs here. A few of the songs are a little weak lyrically, but they do sound good. "Safe In My Heart" is slightly reminiscent of "I Don't Want to Live Without You," except it's more energetic, which is really a good thing. "Only Heaven Knows," "Moment of Truth," "Ready For the Rain," "Safe In My Heart," "I'll Fight For You" and "Lowdown and Dirty" stand out to me as the best tracks on the album, the last two ironically, since I thought they were weak when I first heard them in 1991. Some fans will undoubtedly disagree with me, but I actually think this is a stronger, more consistent album than either "Agent Provocateur" or "Inside Information," the latter of which is now my least favorite Foreigner album. I think the main problem with "Unusual Heat" was that fans were too quick to dismiss it, like I did, because of Lou Gramm's absence.

The bottom line here is that I think this album is very underrated and well worth checking out. If you hated it years ago like I did, give it a second chance...you might like it this time around. I sure do!

Because this album doesn't feature Lou Gramm on vocals, a lot of Foreigner fans are quick to dismiss it. That's their loss.

No, this isn't the greatest Foreigner album you'll ever hear, but it is a GOOD album. Several excellent songs like "Lowdown and Dirty", "Safe in My Heart", "I'll Fight For You", etc.

I had the good fortune of hearing Foreigner touring to support this album and saw their opening show on the tour. Johnny Edwards was FANTASTIC on vocals that night (especially on the Gramm-era songs) and was clearly very nervous and seeking approval from the crowd. He got it by doing an excellent job, which you can also hear on this CD.

I just wish that Foreigner wouldn't basically ignore this CD and would start playing songs from it on their tours...