Well this just came out of nowhere, 30 years after the fact! 16 tracks, featuring ten "new" songs (plus duplicates/alternate versions), some previously unavailable, with the late ex-Riot singer Rhett Forrester, on vocals. After his limited contributions to Mark Reale's band (Restless Breed, live EP & Born In America), throughout the Eighties, Rhett struggled for another high profile gig, releasing a pair of solo efforts (Gone With The Wind and Even The Score), as well as the highly praised Out Of The Darkness album with ex-Virgin Steele guitarist Jack Starr. Within his back catalog, the material herein resides closest to his first solo effort: straight ahead hard rock, with the occasional commercial tinge.

These tracks were recorded in '93 when the singer was living in Canada. The songs were written prior to Rhett's involvement, by Scot Gaines and ex-Steel Lily/current Moxy guitarist Rob Robbins (who served as producer for this release). Joining the two names on the masthead are Rod Albon on bass, Brent Gattoni on drums, and Matt Whale contributing keys on “Hold On”. A year later, Forrester was dead, shot on the streets of Atlanta in a robbery/carjacking.

"Coming Home" kicks things off, Forrester's smooth delivery recounting the tale of a rocker returning to the woman he left while on tour. Acoustic guitar and harmonica might seem out of place, but Rhett can handle the blues and after a few bars (of the musical kind, although the Good Old Boy was known to frequent the other kind, as well) "Redbone Rock" becomes a fully electric rocker. "Love Song", a big hair ballad, was half a decade too late, in the vein of Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn": a reprise of acoustic guitar, atop orchestral strings. What might have been!

"Rescue Me" also employs acoustic six-string (actually the last notes heard, solo) but the song is upbeat, blues based hard rocker in the UK tradition. Same is true of "Too Little Too Late", meandering through the verses and enlivened, come the chorus. Rhett exudes confidence and an understated sexiness as his slightly raspy voice complains, "There's not much difference in love and hate." More southern/cowboy vibes, backing harmonica as Rhett handles "Smokin' Gun". Returning to gritty rock, "Hold On" is built on a simple, repetitive chorus and tasty licks.

"In And Out" sees the singer on his own, "for the first time in my life," while "It's A Little Too Much" is about missing his lady: "Without you, my world seems to fall apart". A bootleg quality (the only less than professional audio) of "Amazing Grace" seems lifted from a Church service, a distant/echoing Rhett solo, with just an organ accompaniment. After that, there's a half dozen repeats, including two more renditions of "Rescue Me" (which thankfully is one of the standout tracks).

Great to hear his voice again. Anyone familiar with Forrester's repertoire needs to add this missing piece of the puzzle to their collection.

The Complete Dr. Dirty Sessions are out now - order at this location.