Tastes Like Rock Magazine

Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes

Rock/Blues Rock

Merovee Records

10/30/14 - 10:06 PM ET

Tastes Like Rock - Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes Review
Tastes Like Rock - Tom Keifer - The Way Life Goes Review
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Tom Keifer's debut solo album, The Way Life Goes, released over a year ago (and unfortunately not talked about nearly enough by the mainstream music media) cements Keifer's ability to write and perform diverse material. While clearly different from his compositions with Cinderella, Keifer does not create a new persona for himself on The Way Life Goes, he shows new and deeper aspects of his personality as a writer while also sharpening what we know and love from his work with Cinderella. Keifer not only shows new depth on some songs, he also explores different sounds and musical tropes; rock, hard rock at times edging toward metal, even country rock to full blown, old school Southern Rock get mixed in with the Blues Rock numbers. The Way Life Goes is an awesome album for hard core Cinderella fans and the fans of Keifer from his solo touring that were waiting the ten years the album was teased from 2003 to 2013. Basically, if you like anything Tom Keifer has ever done or been a part of, you're going to love this album, if you don't already have it.



There's a lot of different ground covered in this album from a lyrical content standpoint as well as emotional levels of the songs, so pacing is varied song by song; an overall generalization of the album's pacing would be a disservice to the album. But, each song is paced exceptionally well to the mood of each contained within, helping to bring the emotion(s) of each composition to the listener. Instrumentation and vocalizations are all spot on too, as is expected from a veteran musician like Keifer and the musicians he assembled as his backing band to make The Way Life Goes a reality.



Track List:

  1. Solid Ground
  2. A Different Light
  3. It's Not Enough
  4. Cold Day in Hell
  5. Thick and Thin
  6. Ask Me Yesterday
  7. Fool's Paradise
  8. The Flower Song
  9. Mood Elevator
  10. Welcome To My Mind
  11. You Showed Me
  12. Ain't That A Bitch
  13. The Way Life Goes
  14. Babylon


Choice cuts are "Solid Ground", "It's Not Enough", "Thick and Thin" (one hell of a ballad, one of the best this reviewer has heard in a long while in fact), "Welcome To My Mind", and the title track.



Tom Keifer gets a very solid 4 out of 5 for The Way Life Goes, great album and great songs but a few more hard rock, Cinderella style songs would have made this album a solid 5 for me.



Tom Keifer was on vocals; acoustic, electric, and slide guitars, and keyboard for The Way Life Goes. Keifer was joined by Greg Morrow (drums, percussion), Michael Rhodes (bass guitar), Tony Harrell (piano, B3 organ, Wurlitzer, and Clavinet). Guest musicians included Jeff LaBar (guitar on "Mood Elevator"), Pat Buchanan (guitar and harmonica on "Cold Day In Hell", "Ask Me Yesterday", "The Flower Song", "You Showed Me", and "The Way Life Goes"), Gary Burnette (guitar on "You Showed Me"), Ron Wallace (acoustic guitar on "Ask Me Yesterday"), Etta Britt (background vocals on "Solid Ground", "Cold Day In Hell", "Ask Me Yesterday", "The Flower Song", and "The Way Life Goes"), Crystal Taliaferro (background vocals on "Solid Ground" and "Cold Day In Hell"),Savannah Keifer (background vocals on "A Different Light", "It's Not Enough", "Ask Me Yesterday", "Mood Elevator", and "Welcome To My Mind"),Vicky Carraco (background vocals on "Cold Day In Hell", "Ask Me Yesterday", "The Flower Song", "The Way Life Goes"), Chuck Turner (background vocals on "Mood Elevator"), and Jim Horne (saxophone on "Cold Day In Hell"). For more on Tom Keifer check out www.tomkeifer.com.



- Michael Meade