Special Forces
SPECIAL FORCES is one of .38 Special's best albums ever. It's true that the opening Top 10 hit, "Caught Up In You", is slightly overplayed, but it's still very good, and anyway, the album is full of undiscovered gems. "Back Door Stranger" is a pro-law-and-order call to arms that we should all heed; "Back On The Track" is an outlaw anthem for the ages; "Chain Lightnin'" and "You Keep Runnin' Away" marry the Outlaws' country-rock sound to, respectively, Montrose's heavy metal style and the pop-rock of the Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton; "Rough Housin'" is straight ahead blues-boogie-rock; and the lyrics of "Breakin' Loose" are inspirational and cautionary- at the same time! Overall, this is the best album of 1982, and furthermore the bandmembers' praise for the courage of two teenage girls who defended themselves against a kidnapper in 2002, and the sheriff's deputies who rescued them, makes this CD an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience. I was hard pressed not to give this CD 5 stars, but Strengh in Numbers, in my opinion, was their best overall effort. "Caught Up In You", "Chain Lightnin" and "You Keep Runnin Away" are the strongest songs on this CD. 38 Special was big when southern rock was at its peak, and they would have given Lynard Skynard a run for their money had they avoid tragedy. With Donnie Van Zandt in this group, I find it a worthy comparison. The other six songs on this CD are okay, but none of the others get my foot tapping, which is always my first indication that a song is something special.
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