After breaking in new vocalist
John Lawton on the back-to-basics outing
Firefly,
Uriah Heep once again found themselves feeling the need to experiment a bit on
Innocent Victim. The resulting album doesn't cohere as neatly as
Firefly did, but manages to keep the listener engaged thanks to a combination of slick performances from the band and a handful of truly great
Uriah Heep songs. Overall,
Innocent Victim's blend of sharp, short rockers and
pop-friendly
ballads feels like an attempt to court the American
AOR market. The rockers are all pretty strong stuff:
"Free 'n' Easy" is a fast-moving tune built on an ear-scorching guitar riff that feels like
boogie rock in overdrive, while
"Roller" is a stylish midtempo track that blends funky, languid verses with a faster, bass-driven chorus that ups the song's
rock quotient. The band also weaves in some
experimental tracks that hit the bull's eye:
"Illusion" is a spacy tale about dreaming that creates a rich atmosphere through an arrangement built on strong keyboard and vocal textures, while
"The Dance" successfully marries a
reggae beat to its
prog-like melody. Meanwhile, the album's
ballad leanings brought
Uriah Heep one of their biggest international hits in the form of
"Free Me," a tune whose acoustic style and accent on harmonies brought the group dangerously close to
Eagles territory. The downside of
Innocent Victim is that it works a little too hard at being radio-friendly: despite their high level of energy, songs like
"Keep on Ridin'" and
"Flyin' High" are too contrived and self-consciously poppy to sit comfortably alongside gutsy rockers like
"Free 'n' Easy." Despite this unevenness in tone,
Innocent Victim remains a likable album with enough strong material to satisfy
Uriah Heep's admirers. ~ Donald A. Guarisco
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