I promise not to try to convince you that Night Ranger is the greatest rock band ever. Far from it, they really are only mediocre (until you start throwing in "bands" like N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys, then they look positively brilliant.) Their first album, Dawn Patrol, is a rough demonstration of what’s to come. Happy, rock tunes, lots of guitars. The kind of stuff you listen to at parties where there won’t be a lot of dancing. It’s really only marginally dancable.

Their first big hit was "Don’t Tell Me You Love Me" It’s energetic and fun. Not Mozart, but none of it is.

The second track was also a hit. "Sing Me Away" is an early power ballad. It relies heavily in synthesizer making it a lovely period piece, but Journey had not yet perfected the power ballad form yet so Night Ranger couldn’t borrow it until their next album.

Track 4, "Call My Name," starts out as a sweet ballad, but about a minute into the song it swings up into typical Night Ranger heavy rock.

Track 7, "Young Girl in Love" is one of my favorites. It just reminds me of high school. It’s very, not immature, but young in its outlook. It doesn’t actually mention real ‘issues’ of any kind, but it alludes to a possible teen pregnancy (or maybe I’m reading into things yet again.)

My other real favorite on this album is "Penny." Not surprisingly it returns to the same themes in "Young Girl In Love," i.e. girl in question doesn’t love the singer as she should. It’s the kind of desperate adoration that every 16 year old girl longs for and probably won’t get.

The other tracks on the album are just fine. They play in the tradition of Journey and the Steve Miller Band with a bit more of an edge. Kind of a pop-y, hard rock. You won’t find the meaning of life in these lyrics, but it also won’t distract you if you’re trying to work and have it playing in the back ground.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: At Work