Outlaws-Soldier of Fortune

Soldier of fortune

Henry Paul returns to the Outlaws . His sound and style helps bring the sound of this band back to the triumphant sounds of the early days of songs like Hurry Sundown and There Goes Another Love Song . Cold Harbor is a great tune that sends chills down your spine recalling this battle of the civil war . The title cut as well as Whatcha Don't Do showcase the bands rocking side as well . It's a shame that rock radio never gave this album the time of day . But sadly by the mid 80's , rock radio was not giving the time of day to southern rock anyway and killed record sales for this type of music . If you love this band's early stuff , then buy this CD .

Originally released in 1986, Soldiers of Fortune is the eighth studio album from long-running Southern rockers The Outlaws. Like a lot of other Southern rock bands in the mid `80s, The Outlaws found their original sound out of favor and attempted a more polished, radio-friendly AOR sound on Soldiers of Fortune.

What worked so well for bands like Van Zant and 38 Special just didn't feel right for The Outlaws. The synths sound awkward, the musicians sound like they're holding back from rocking too hard, and unlike 38 Special these guys don't sound like they're having any fun. There are a couple of tracks where the band's grit comes through, like the rocking "The Outlaw," and "Cold Harbor" sounds like something they could have released years earlier, but for the most part this is a forgettable, "AOR by numbers" album.

I can absolutely see how long-time Outlaws fans would be left cold by Soldiers of Fortune, as the band's Southern rock roots are nowhere to be found. And as AOR albums go, it's nowhere near as impressive as Van Zant or Johnny Van Zant's Brickyard Road. It has its moments, but in the end it seems like the band members' hearts just weren't in this one.

Edition Notes: Wounded Bird reissued Soldiers of Fortune in 2004. The album was not remastered, nor is there any bonus material. It did, however briefly, put this long out of print album back on store shelves.