Yui Orta [Import]

This is just such a great album, i enjoy it an become happy when i hear songs like American music, one of the tracks on this record. Powerfull, energic and harmonic rock. And the top of it is that this rock record is relaxing at the same time. Great rythm and solo guitar playing with some exceptionally guitar riffs in the songs. A typical American rock album i think. This record includes a powerfull ballade, Livin` in a heart, just a butiefully melodic song. When Ronson and Hunter comes togheter they make it sparckel. They haven`t lost their roots and you can easy hear it on this record. If you like straight rock with good melodic songs this is the record for you.It was relised in 1988, but it`s sounds more like it`s from the 70`ies.Great songs on this record: American music, the loner, womens intuition, livin` in a heart, following in your footsteeps.
Good listening, enjoy.

It's hard to believe its been roughly 16 years since this release of this classic, underrated, SOLID, hard-rocking album.

This is the last album that was to be recorded with Ian's longtime partner and lead guitarist Mick Ronson(formerly in Ziggy Stardust and the Spyders from Mars). This full album was recorded in June/July of 89, after almost nearly ten years of silence from the rock-duo. This would be the last of the duo, with Ronson dying shortly after in 93' of liver cancer. His last preformance would be his appearance on the Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert in 92'.

With Micky Curry on drums, Tommy Mandel on keyboards, Pat Kilbride on bass, Ian Hunter on vocals, and the late great Mick Ronson on lead guitar, this album rocks hard. The individual tracks sound like they came straight from the 70's. Ian's lyrics are excellent and unique, and the riffs come pounding out. Mick's lead work is on fire and energetic. The production on the tracks are crisp and clean.

01.American Music: A nice opener, a great chorus, peaceful.

02.The Loner: A hard rocker with a great guitar solo.

03.Womens Intution: My favorite riff on the album, one of the best. Bernard Edwards plays bass on this one.

04.Tell It Like It Is: Ian tells it like it is. Nice song/riff. Good basswork.

05.Livin' In A Heart: A slow bluesy ballad with some great blues licks from Ronson. Dreamful lyrics by Ian.

06.Big Time: Probably the most famous track from this album. Probably the best song on the album.

07.Cool: Great wah-wah pedal guitar work from Ronson on this one.

08.Beg A Little Love: Another hard rocker, slide work from Ronson. Great lyrics/riffs.

09.Following In Your Footsteps: Another nice calm ballad from the duo.

10.Sons 'N' Lovers: My favorite ballad on the album. Excellent guitar work/lyrics.

11.Pain: Great lyrics and music. Another solid song from this album.

12.How Much More Can I Take: My favorite song from the album. Excellent everything. A perfect closer.

13.Sweet Dreamer: A sweet peaceful guitar instrumental written by Ronson. You can hear his virtuosity on this track. Ian plays piano on this one.

My conclusion:

This is one of the most solid albums I had heard in years. Its an excellent undiscovered gem. Yui-Orta is a solid album from start to finish, with many musical styles, great lyrics, and great musicianship. I love it, and I hope you can too. This album will most likely be hard to find in music stores, but take a look around. This is WELL worth the purchase.

I give Yui-Orta a SOLID 5 stars.

After finally getting over listening to two songs on this cd over and over and over again (Women's Intuition and The Big Time) I finally, after about two weeks of owning it, made my way through the whole album. What a weird, unexpected turn in that I had come across an album with two monstrously entertaining songs that was also intermingled with a lot of other really good songs and not just a lot of filler. This album, the whole way through, is filled with music coming from rockers who mean it, and that's endlessly refreshing.

American Music and Sons and Lovers are also spectacular but it's not like they stand out as much as other spectacular songs do on other albums because on this one they're backed by consistently solid and inspired songs throughout.

The music is so involving that it kind of seems foolish to write about it and analyze it too much as it borderline hinders the enjoyment of unanswered curiosities permeating within these sounds which poke deep into my musical imagination in this universe of straight ahead yet peculiar rock n' roll. The feeling within a lot of these songs is so apparent it creates a sense of joy (to me, at least).

If more music could be as interesting and alluring as this, It would be great.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars