On Architect the Path, Steve Grimm transforms from rowdy Bad Boy front man to...spiritual guru? The title of the longtime Milwaukee rocker’s first solo album in four years is a directive to listeners to blaze spiritual paths of their own making to the goal of self-salvation. Being a musician rather than a self-help author, Grimm sells his message in a cycle of nine songs recasting the compaction of progressive rock’s grandeur and seriousness. That approach gives Architect the luster of a lost artifact from late ‘70s-mid 80s AOR radio, when older school musicians wrestled with encroachment of new wave, post-disco Black pop and the other shiny audio baubles MTV's music video revolution was serving up.
Grimm's “save yourself” gospel leaves enough room for the sort of romantic relational drama that plays less philosophically to the arena aspirations of his sound; and arrangements and production touches nodding toward reggae, funk and synth pop compare favorably to largely forgotten near-hit makers from the early years of Reagan'’ presidency (such as Tony Carey’s Planet P Project). Whatever one thinks of Grimm’s lyrical advice, he and musical collaborator Lv merit recognition for freshening up a sound often neglected by rock critic cognoscenti.
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