Harem Scarem - Thirteen

Those Canadian boys are back with their shiniest album cover to date. The music rocks too!Fans of the [Genghis & Ragman] show know of our love for that Canadian rock troupe known as Harem Scarem. Between Harry Hess' glassy vocals and Pete Lesperance's fiery guitar work you've got a combination every bit as formidable as heard in Extreme or Enuff Znuff; beautiful choruses, thrilling solos and an overall package that's made for radio. Of course, that radio part doesn't carry as much cache as it did 20 years ago, but that doesn't change facts: Harem Scarem still has the goods.

And their latest album, Thirteen, hits all the right beats from the get go, with lush, layered choruses reminiscient of Journey or Queen - check out the perfect example of what I'm talking about in Early Warning Signs (2:32) - and killer solos like those found in The Midnight Hours (2:28) and Garden of Eden (2:40). I can't claim that they're reinventing themselves or making groundbreaking music, Harem Scarem just makes great genre music period. Bet on it.

The Bottom Line: It's always to have old favorite bands come back making more of the great music you remember them for. Harem Scarem's one two punch of Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance is easily one of the classic duos of melodic rock.

- Genghis sits by the window willing this band to tour Texas...