I'm not surprised that Brother's Keeper, the fifth studio record from German melodic hard rockers Fair Warning, includes a song called "Generation Jedi" – complete with Star Wars sound effects. After all, this band always sprinkled a little cheese into its Bon Jovi-meets-Def Leppard melodies (which made Fair Warning huge in Japan, naturally). In fact, the self-titled 1991 debut rose above much of the music being released at the time and merits minor-classic status today. While subsequent albums (Rainmaker, Go and Four) tried to match that debut, they never topped it. Nor does Brother's Keeper. But at least this 13-track slab of ear candy is better than the band's last effort, 2000's Four, which led to a five-year hiatus.
Fair Warning - still intact, by the way, with four of the original five members who formed out of the ashes of Zeno - sounds best on songs that once again go beyond the norm without veering too far from the band's signature sound and offering soaring hooks, intricate harmonies and tight grooves. Best examples? "The Cry," "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," "Rainbow Eyes" and "In the Dark" (one of the heaviest and most intense songs Fair Warning has ever cut).
At 70 minutes, including dead space at the end of the last track, Brother's Keeper lasts long but runs short on ideas. For an even stronger Warning, seek out the debut (recently reissued by Frontiers Records) and the stunning Live in Japan DVD (filmed in 1993 and also recently reissued).
Track Listing:
1) Don't Keep Me Waiting
2) Generation Jedi
3) All Of My Love
4) Rainbow Eyes
5) Push Me On
6) Wasted Time
7) The Cry
8) The Way
9) Once Bitten, Twice Shy
10) Tell Me Lies
11) In the Dark
12) Still I Believe
13) All I Wanna Do
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