So, despite the fact that music from that period does still strike a chord in me, it is not something I choose to listen to very often... yes on occasion I will dust off the prog rock or the *gasp* hair metal, but I assure you those "episodes" (as my counselor likes to refer to them) are few and far between.

As a result, I was somewhat cautious about reviewing Gemini Five's Babylon Rockets CD ... All right, all right! I was downright trepidacious about it! I mean, come one ... I just know that with a little research it could be proven that an over exposure to glam metal at an impressionable age is somehow to blame for my manic instabilities but, pet theories aside, I am actually glad I faced my fear and spun this disc. Not just once, mind you, but for 3 and a half hours straight!

Simply put, this disc is happy, feel good music. It definitely has an 80's glam metal feel to it but with a more modern sound. For the most part, Gemini Five cranks out one hook-laden, shout-a-long song after another. Almost all the tunes are upbeat ... even the ballads (if they could be called such) are lively sounding. Of special interest: the cover of Dead Or Alive's classic "You Spin me Round (Like A Record)" remains faithful enough to the original, but is performed with a cockiness and swagger that really makes it sound fresh.

With all these superlatives, perhaps a small disclaimer is in order. Babylon Rockets is not an earth-shattering, genre-defining, cancer-curing, musical masterpiece - it is simply a good CD that hearkens back to a time when the world wasn't quite so dark and heavy. Let some of that light(ness) back into your life and give spin this one...

As for me, well ... I will just have to make peace with my memories, 'cause this CD has found a permanent place in my party playlist.