audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) … Meat Loaf

audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) ... Meat Loaf

Bat Out Of Hell 3 came a decade too early. This should be it. The first two Bat albums consisted of Jim Steinman songs. The third broke that tradition. Braver, the title of which comes from a song I’ll get to shortly, takes it back. Every song is composed by Steinman, though they’re not really new. Most were performed years ago by other singers, the oldest going back to the 1970s. That makes this a Meat Loaf cover set.

Listen for an epic entitled Going All The Way Is Just The Start, a quote of which also titles the album. It’s one of the best songs Meat Loaf has ever sang and Jim Steinman has ever composed. Why it doesn’t Start the set like the similarly majestic Anything For Love did on Bat 2 is a mystery to me. Godz, a quirky military anthem, is fun, but Going All The Way is in a class by itself. Everything else here pales in comparison.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

audio review : Going All The Way Is Just The Start ( song ) … Meat Loaf ( featuring Karla DeVito + Ellen Foley )

This is an epic power ballad that rivals Anything For Love from Bat Out Of Hell 2. This is how part 3 should’ve began. Both songs have Meat Loaf on the main stage, singing his heart out with the help of, in this case, two female guests. Karla DeVito and Ellen Foley actually come close to stealing the show with their vocals, which are decidedly stronger than that of their leading man.

The best chunk of the song comes at about the final third, starting with the “prayer” bit; one of what sounds like three uplifting chorus sections. The magic is in the melodies, though the anthemic lyrics are also well composed. Both are credited to the legendary Jim Steinman with input from sidekick Don Black. This is Broadway musical music; a near-twelve-minute extravaganza.

my rating : 4 of 5

2016

audio review : Braver Than We Are ( album ) ... Meat Loaf