Review by Andy Hawes for MPM
AOR/Melodic Rock legends Giant exploded onto the scene in 1989 with the mega-classic Last of the Runaways album, a body of work so good that it defies description.
They followed this up a couple of years later with the equally brilliant Time to Burn, but their career was halted by the Grunge explosion and with lead guitarist/vocalist Dann Huff returning to session work and production, the band fell apart.
Fast forward many years and founding members David Huff (drums) and Mike Brignadello (bass) reformed Giant but without man Dann Huff. For many fans this was a step too far, but the albums released in Giant’s second life have all stood up reasonably well within the crowded AOR/Melodic Rock scene, the addition of Perfect Plan singer Kent Hilli for the Shifting Time album (reviewed by myself back in 2022) being a masterstroke, as Hilli has a very similar vocal timbre to Dann Huff.
So, here we are in 2025 and Giant have a new album and a new line-up with One Desire guitarist Jimmy Westerlund replacing John Roth (Starship, Winger) in the lead guitar role. In my opinion, the last album, Shifting Time suffered a little with an over-compressed mix and too many generic songs so what will Stand and Deliver bring to the table?
Well, I’m pleased to report that this album is a very clear step up from Shifting Time. The production and mix seem cleaner and clearer without the annoying over-compression that sucks the life out of everything. There’s no doubt that, as a guitarist, stepping into a band that used to include a guitar genius like Dann Huff must be a challenge. However, Jimmy Westerlund does a very credible job here. He’s clearly done his homework too, as there are some very Huff-esque licks scattered throughout the album. He’s also nailed that late 80s/early 90s guitar tone to perfection too. A potentially difficult job done very well! Add to this the marvellous lead vocals of Kent Hilli, who does his very best Dann Huff impressions throughout and puts in his usual stellar performance and there is great potential here.
So, what about the songs? Well, this time around there seems to be a marked step up in quality from the Shifting Time album. While that album had some good songs on it, the consistency was lacking. Here, while there are some standouts, the remainder of the tracks all stand up very well.
Opener ‘It’s Not Right’ nails the Giant sound perfectly in an AOR masterpiece where all the ingredients are in place – a delightful blend of guitars and keyboards, stunning vocals, huge hooks and soaring lead guitars with some of Dann Huff’s trademark whammy scoops, speedy flurries and melodic lines.
‘A Night To Remember’ follows suit. It has a darkly moody intro and first verse where keyboards and guitars combine brilliantly, before another stupendous AOR chorus roars out of the speakers. Mention must be made here of Alessandro Del Vecchio, whose keyboard contributions are excellent. He too has done his homework as his work has the hallmarks of Alan Pasqua’s work on the first two albums.
‘Hold The Night’ is the first single, and apart from the similarity of the title to a standout on the Last of the Runaways album (‘Hold Back the Night’) this track sounds like the offspring of the classic track ‘Stay’ from Time to Burn. This basically means that it is an AOR masterpiece of the highest order, its appeal growing with every listen as that colossal chorus hookline burrows its way into your brain and refuses to let go. Jimmy Westerlund impresses again, sounding uncannily Huff-like during the monumental guitar playout. Absolute belter of a song and no mistake!
‘I Will Believe’ continues to milk the sound and style of Time to Burn. It starts off all slow and delicate like a ballad, before exploding into life with another huge chorus. The band make excellent use of dynamics to allow this song to breathe, and it really does swoop and soar on its way to its moody conclusion. Fabulous AOR/Melodic Rock and no mistake!
‘Beggars Can’t Be Choosers’ also sounds like an outtake from Time to Burn. It has that driving, uptempo power that is evident on Time to Burn’s stunning title track with a massive chorus hook, thundering riff and the requisite squiddly-diddly solo. One could argue that the verse riff is a tad too close to its inspiration for comfort, but truthfully that would be a little churlish. This is a great piece of kick-ass uptempo Melodic Rock!
‘It Ain’t Over’ does that ‘start like a ballad, then kick your ass with a huge chorus’ thing once again and does it very well! Delicate pianos, synths and acoustic guitars lend subtlety to the verses before the power chords explode into life in the choruses. It even has an acoustic guitar solo nestling amongst the pink and fluffy clouds of synth strings. Really rather marvellous!
‘Stand and Deliver’ is another from the Time to Burn inspiration book. Once again, the production is quite excellent as a filthy into riff gives way to a verse so pink and fluffy that the owners of Candy Floss might launch a lawsuit. Fear not though, the huge guitars scythe back in during the chorus which has a truly monumental hookline. The arrangement of this one is truly epic. There is a ton of stuff going on, but at no point does it feel overdone. It’s just quite rightly absolutely colossal – exactly the way this music should be!
‘Time To Call It Love’ is written by Dann Huff and the late great Mark Spiro (co-writer of a lot of Last of the Runaways) and is a proper slice of AOR and no mistake. Oceans of keyboards swirl around, providing the perfect bed for Hilli’s superb vocals. It’s a cool track, but lacks a little power when compared to those that have preceded it. Oddly, it sounds less like the Giant of old than much of the rest of the album. Don’t let that put you off though. I’m several listens in now and its never suffered from the dreaded ‘skip-button syndrome’, a feature that previous album Shifting Time suffered from only a few listens in!
‘Holding on For Dear Life’ is also a Dann Huff track, this time co-written with the late, great Van Stephenson and is a fabulous slice of AOR which is not too dissimilar to some of the Last of the Runaways material. Jimmy Westerlund’s solo on this one is as Dann Huff as you can get without the great man playing on it. Top job, sir! Take a bow!
‘Paradise Found’ comes from the same Huff/Stephenson stable and is a proper AOR ballad in the traditions of ‘Love Welcome Home’ and ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’ from Last of the Runaways. Van Stephenson always could write a very good ballad, and this one is top-drawer stuff. The band milk every drop of emotion from this one, from every aching vocal line, every soaring keyboard pad and stratospheric guitar line. Writing AOR ballads isn’t as easy as you think, as it’s easy to come over as insincere and/or cheesy. This one cleverly seems to avoid both!
Album closer ‘Pleasure Dome’ is a six-and-a-half-minute epic that starts off all mean and moody and develops into another kick-ass Melodic Rock monster that milks everything from Giant’s illustrious first two albums and repackages them perfectly into a massive anthem that ends this excellent album on a proper high note!
Well, this was a very pleasant surprise. After the hit-and-miss status of Shifting Time, I honestly didn’t expect anything anywhere near as good as this! It’s always difficult replicating a band’s glory days thirty years after the event and especially when you’re missing the one key person whose vocal and guitar style gave the band its sound. This is, to my ears, the best album Giant have made since Time to Burn. It almost feels like the logical successor to that monumental piece of work. Is it as good as that? Well, no, but to be fair that album is an absolute stone-cold classic and is in fact the benchmark for hundreds of AOR/Melodic Rock albums that followed it. However, Stand and Deliver is an absolutely excellent body of work in its own right. It takes the sound and style of the first two Giant albums and as such makes these new songs feel like old friends right from the get-go.
There really is not one weak track on this entire album; the level of consistency is extremely high and the overall quality of songwriting is hugely impressive. It says something that the Dann Huff co-writes are no better than those he didn’t co-write. The whole band should be rightly proud of this entire album. I’m especially impressed with Kent Hilli, who always impresses on everything he ever sings on – here he is absolutely fabulous – and Jimmy Westerlund is a revelation! It’s incredibly hard to play like Dann Huff (I’m a guitarist myself – I know – I’ve tried and failed!) but he really has nailed the tone and the style in a very impressive way. I know that to some, this blatant ‘copying’ might seem soulless and as though he’s ignoring his own personality to sound like someone else. However, it really does not come over like that at all. There is an energy in his playing that suggests he really had a blast recording this album and that’s what’s important. The whole album feels natural, organic and not forced at all.
Released on 16 May, this album should appeal to all fans of the band, although there will doubtless be the usual ‘it’s not Giant without Dann’ detractors whining away on the internet. Essentially, this should appeal to all fans of quality AOR/Melodic Rock, because it is an excellent example of the genre. It also sounds quite different to a lot of what’s out there at the moment, which is another point in its favour. Yes, it’s trying to replicate a sound that’s thirty years old, but that doesn’t make it dated. The quality of songwriting, performance, production and mix is excellent throughout. In short, Stand and Deliver is a really excellent AOR/Melodic Rock album. Make sure you give it a listen on 16 May!
“Stand And Deliver” Tracklist:
1. It’s Not Right
2. A Night To Remember
3. Hold The Night
4. I Will Believe
5. Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
6. It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
7. Stand And Deliver
8. Time To Call It Love
9. Holdin’ On For Dear Life
10. Paradise Found
11. Pleasure Dome
Pre-order “Stand And Deliver” HERE
Line Up:
Kent Hilli – Lead Vocals
Jimmy Westerlund – Lead Guitar
Mike Brignardello – Bass
David Huff – Drums
