Law &
Order
Law and Order - Guilty of Innocence (MCA) 1989
1. "We Don't See God"
(3:07)
2. "Dawg " (4:14)
3. "Your Sister Doe" (4:55)
4. "Say You Love Me" (3:43)
5. "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" (2:42)
6. "Possession of Control" (3:06)
7. "No Love Lost" (5:24)
8. "The Needle and the Spoon" (3:51)
9. "In the Shelter" (2:48)
10. "Love Reality" (4:35)
11. "Soul Inside" (4:43)
12. "Delta Prison Blues" (3:29)
13. "Downtown Suicide" (4:21)
14. "Whiskey" (7:50)
A big 'ol healthy slab of East Coast, blues-saturated, beer-soaked, bar band, hard rock. "Guilty" contains a bit of Aero-Sleaze, especially on songs like "Whiskey" where you can hear that Steven Tyler influence on the vocals.. The standout cut is the cover of "Needle and the Spoon". The songs aren't as immediately catchy as similar style bands like Badlands, Cinderella or even Kik Tracee, but with a few listens, I can imagine this CD will fare fine. While I find this CD enjoyable, I have a feeling that these guys were a far better live act.
Law and Order - Rites of Passage (MCA) 1991
1. Dawn Over Zero (4:57)
2. Why Would You Lie to Yourself (4:04)
3. The Hope and the Hunger (4:10)
4. Sacred (4:35)
5. The Truth About Me (2:52)
6. Plague of Ignorance (4:29)
7. The Open Door (4:41)
8. River (3:45)
9. Mary (3:54)
10. Funeral for the Good Mother (4:59)
11. Decide (3:32)
12. Is Freedom Slavery? (5:53)
Law and Order plays straight-forward, blues-based, hard rock. This is the sort of stuff people go to smokey night clubs to listen to while throwing back some beer and, well, basically ignoring the band.
Law and Order actually fall on the lighter side of hard rock, sounding only slightly modern. They have some similarities to Tesla, Kik Tracee and even the Black Crowes. The track "Mary" in particular has a big Black Crowes vibe. As with many bands of this ilk, there is a lot of Zeppelin influence as well. "Dawn Over Zero" is a good example of a song with that Zeppelin-esque overtone to it. As well, the album has a big John Bonham-esque drum sound. "Plague of Ignorance" is one of the harder rocking songs, while "The Truth About Me" and "Funeral for the Good Mother" have a lighter air to them.
The lyrics aren't your usual rock and roll fair and are intelligent dealing with such social topics as racism, war, materialism, and drugs. The aforementioned "Dawn Over Zero" is a song inspired by war and written from the soldier's perspective.
Overall, "Rites of Passage" isn't mind-blowing and it certainly won't sit well with most strict metal fans. However, it's still a solid slab of rock and roll.