Kane - What If
***NEW*** UK Edition Bonus Material Comments
It’s not everyday that we’ll fork out 16 quid on a CD from an artist who hasn’t even released a single in the UK; but then again, it’s not everyday that a
support act outshines the main act at a gig. So when Kane came along and did just that in the support slot of Maroon 5’s Mean Fiddler gig, it wasn’t a case
of Maroon 5 putting in a bad performance, more a case of Kane putting in an AMAZING one. Within days of the concert we were hunting out a CD in Oxford Street’s finest music stores, only to hand over £15.99 on an import of Kane’s ‘What If’ album. It was by no means cheap and sure enough we were grumbling that we hadn’t spent so much on a CD since Virgin Megastore delighted is with an import copy of the Goo Goo Dolls’ ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’.
With ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’ it had been 18 quid, but there wasn’t a day that went by when we regretted paying it and for Kane, it’s just the same! Like ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’, ‘What If’ will always be one of those albums that just makes you think wow! A pick-me-up, soothing, rockin’, melodious cracker of an album that we would quite happily have paid even more for!
Opening track ‘Rain Down On Me’ is classic! It’s Kane’s trademark song that will forever be ‘that track’ which launched a hundred more hits! Interestingly it wasn’t the first release in Holland, but the guys know it has the strength to make their debut into UK charts a memorable one! ‘Rain Down On Me’ is
everything Kane are about. An absolutely brilliant album opener; it will have you hooked and leave you with a reason to actually celebrate those frequent British downpours!!!
The first time we saw them live, we were singing this song back to them without having heard it before. As catchy as they come without the clichéd lyrics dominating the charts. Kane’s talent for portraying emotions in poetic, original ways is introduced here and remains a dominant theme throughout the album; quite amazing for a bunch of guys who do not speak English as their first language.
‘My Best Wasn’t Good Enough’ takes it down a notch, with a mellow slice of rock sure to keep you swaying and singing along. Dinand’s voice is raspy, emotive, strong and unique… we challenge you to try keeping the hairs on the back of your neck down!
Third track ‘So Glad You Made It’ is a dose of fun with more imaginative lyrics along the lines of ‘your love is like a freight train pulling me down’. Complete with some slight ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ woo hooing going on and a funky chorus, we’re glad they made it!
‘Damn Those Eyes’! Wow, what can we say but wow! This is what ballads are all about (and we mean that with a ‘Rob Thomas type of talent’ compliment). The track builds slowly with verses merging into a glorious chorus and continues to
build and build into an amazing finale that you’ve been anticipating throughout the entire song. Dinand’s voice is in top form, leaving you to shut your eyes and will yourself away into the music. As the bridge comes into play with
some ‘hey, yeah, yeah’ action you long for the track to continue! Even better live, this track has to be a major album highlight and worthy of U2 esque wonderfulness!!!
‘Can You Handle Me’ is a tease that has you singing out loud and tapping your cowboy boots in time to the steady beat! A powerful track that is fast, furious and fun all the way!
‘Let It Be’ is an inspired ballad that brings a lump to your throat and tears to your eyes. Sung from the heart and culminating with Dinand’s cries of ‘how could you just walk away from me’ and ‘I can’t go on’; you’ll’ be weeping with him!
‘Head Down’ is reminiscent of Bon Jovi’s ‘My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms’ from their ‘These Days’ album. It’s moodier and heavier with some serious
guitar action, passion and head banging potential, contrasting starkly to the chilled out, smooth and simple nature of ‘Mother’.
‘Hold On To The World’ is another absolute highlight! A first-rate chorus sure to have you jumping up and down in concert and laughing at its honest and outspoken lyrics; ‘you overrated little prick’. Brilliant!!!
‘Before You Let Me Go’ is an absolutely beautiful ballad to have you weeping and wailing! Tranquillity defines this track with some truly heartfelt lyrics merging with the drumbeat.
‘Our Hearts Will Beat As One’ is completely unique to the rest of the album. Reliant mainly on vocals and drums, the track is highly emotive and made all the more poignant by that fact it was sung to Dinand’s wife prior to when she passed away earlier this year. A superb, distinctive track with Richie Sambora style guitar!
Overall, an album that you can’t afford to miss which undoubtedly, rocks even more live! Tracks have been selected from Kane’s previous two albums in Holland and makes for a great introduction to the wonderful world of the Dutch… what do rock!!!!!
So the UK edition of "What If" is released today, 21st June 2004 and with bonus tracks exclusive to the UK! Track 12 'Rain Down On Me (Tiesto Remix)' is a dance remix of this soon to be classic track. Admittedly it's not usual World of Rock listening material, however it does contain Dinand's distinctive vocals and demonstrates how a strong song can cross genres effortlessly - worth a listen!
Next up is an acoustic version of 'Rain Down On Me' which as you'd expect from an acoustic number, is pared back but remains as irresistable as ever. If anything, the lesser production showcases Dinand's vocals even more and with 3 versions of the same song included on one album, it proves just how versatile the track is. The biggest compliment we can pay is that it reminds us of Bon
Track 14 is another acoustic offering, this time 'So Glad You Made It'. The rhythm running through this number is infectious and the whole song has a much more organic feel to it. Dinand's vocals are breathy and slightly more moody (although very much controlled) and listening to it suggests that you've had the privelege of being invited to a jamming session, something which only a few bands can pull off.
So, that's the end of the listed audio tracks on the album but is that really the end of the album? The answer is NO!!! If you continue to play track 14 you'll find that around 5 mins 45 secs instrumental music begins! This long intro lasts for about 5 minutes and then hidden track 'What If' kicks in. The vocals at the beginning of 'What If' are really quite haunting but it turns into a pretty ballad and the lyrical content is very poetic. A lovely little surprise.
Finally, the 'Rain Down On Me' video has been included in the bonus section and what a bonus it is! The video is extremely powerful and accompanies the track beautifully; it's well shot, performance driven, striking and had us remembering the visuals after only one viewing! We can't wait to see this on the music tv channels and feel sure that once this is on UK TV, the whole package will sell itself. Watch out for the extremely cool (literal) interpretation of 'Rain Down On Me' at the end!
To sum up, the UK edition bonus tracks enhance an already outstanding album - what are you waiting for? grab your copy today and be amongst the people who can say they discovered Kane before they hit it big!
Pictures kindly supplied by BMG (top) and Conny (bottom)
Jovi acoustic sessions.