Back in the mid to late 1970s, when hair bands rode high on the charts, The Babys had a string of hits including “Isn’t It Time,” “Every Time I Think Of You,” and “Back On My Feet Again.” The band released five commercially successful albums from 1977 to 1980 but broke up in 1981. John Waite has gone on to a successful solo career, Jonathan Cain has been the keyboardist for Journey since 1980 and Ricky Phillips has been the bass player for Styx for the past three decades.
Thirty-two years passed without The Babys, but in 2013, original members Wally Stocker (lead guitar) and Tony Brock (drums) turned the lights back on. They recruited bassist /vocalist John Bisaha and rhythm guitarist Joey Sykes to fill out the band, and from there, The Babys were back in business. They have now released a new album titled I’ll Have Some Of That.
The Babys has basically picked up where they left off three decades ago. All the tracks are original compositions and the members quickly demonstrate that their knack for catchy music and melodies is still intact. The lyrics are basic but match the ebb and flow of the music well.
They are at their best when they are in mid-tempo mode. They are able to build a song and vocalist John Bisaha proves more than adequate to carry their sound. They also wisely change the tempos so as to avoid a sense of sameness. Songs such as “Every Side of You,” “After Midnight,” “Grass Is Greener,” “Stay The Night,” and “I’ll Have Some Of That” meander along and fit into a cohesive whole.
At this point, a new album from The Babys is not going to change the course of rock and roll. But what they have done is issue a fine comeback album that will provide about an hour of listening enjoyment, and at this point in their career, that is enough.
