Ron Keel built a name for himself in his first heavy metal band Steeler
which also included an unknown guitarist named Yngwie
Malmsteen. After the demise of Steeler
vocalist Ron Keel drafted guitarists Marc Ferrari and Bryan Jay, bassist Kenny
Chaisson, and drummer Dwain Miller to form Keel. The band's first album, Lay
Down the Law, was released by Shrapnel Records and attracted the attention
of Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, who was
at the time investing a lot of time and energy into new, young metal bands.
He helped the band get a contract with MCA and in turn the band released a
few minor hits and helped to build the ever growing popularity of hair metal
on MTV in the 80's. After a brief reunion for 1998's Back in Action, singer
Ron Keel reinvented himself as a country singer, going under the moniker Ronnie
Lee Keel.
Keel (MCA) 1987
1. "United
Nations" (3:58)
2. "Somebody's Waiting" (3:10)
3. "Cherry Lane" (3:10)
4. "Calm Before the Storm" (4:30)
5. "King of the Rock" (3:20)
6. "It's A Jungle Out There" (3:55)
7. "I Said the Wrong Thing To the Right Girl" (4:10)
8. "Don't Say You Love Me" (3:25)
9. "If Love Is A Crime (I Wanna Be Convicted)" (3:20)
10. "4th of July" (3:45)
Ex-Steeler vocalist leads his new band down a more commercial metal avenue than the rabid heavy metal of his former band. Back in the day I shrugged this guy off as a sellout and poser. Of course, it is quite obvious that Keel wanted to break into the mainstream with this Dokken-esque hair metal. Years later, however, I really don't care what Keel's motivation was in making this disc. The point is, this is a good album. The musicianship is tight, the songwriting is captivating and Keel's vocals are velvety smooth. One thing that can be said of hair metal is that the artists generally were excellent musicians and knew how to play their instruments. That is not something that can be said of popular music in the first few years of the new millennium since guitar solos, skill, and musicianship has become unpopular. Musically, the Dokken comparison is pretty accurate. Despite the fact that this disc is self titled, Keel was the band's fourth release.