Extra Strength

Donnie vie has really made a great cd here. I'm glad I finally got my hands on this. If u r into znuff then this is a must have. Period

Enuff Z'Nuff fans rejoice. One of the band's best albums is revisited by Donnie Vie. You can't beat the price on this one and every song is great. If you loved the band's Strength cd, you don't want to miss this release.

Sound quality is great and Donnie's voice and writing really shine. This is really great.

A re-imagined version Enuff Z'Nuff's best album ("Strength"), by lead singer/songwriter Donnie Vie. As a mainly acoustic affair, "Extra Strength" has a refreshingly different vibe to the original hard-rock recording of 1991. These changes work to his new record's benefit, as instead of a simple re-tread, each song in it's stripped-down form makes the quality of the songwriting all the more impossible to ignore.In an age where many of Mr. Vie's peers are cashing in on nostalgia by releasing sub-par albums and compilations with little regard to quality, "Extra Strength" surprisingly comes from the heart. In addition to the production quality of the album being on par with any proper Enuff Z'Nuff disc, Donnie's vocals are in top form, as well. In the new arrangements, Vie treats each song with the conviction and seriousness it deserves.The track listing varies only slightly from the original "Strength" recording. The song "Coming Home" is not present, nor will it really be missed by many, one would suspect. "Baby Loves You" is unfortunately only included as a bonus track, which sounds like Donnie alone with an electric guitar in one take... A weak link, and a questionable move considering a more proper version of this important track is available in some other releases of the album.To make up for these deficiencies however, Donnie throws in a couple of surprises. Included in "Extra Strength" is a great cover version of The Beatles' "In My Life," which doesn't really have a place in the album's concept, but is too well done to complain about. "It's No Good," one of the band's better acoustic tracks from their latter era, is also present. This serves as a smartly inserted reminder to the fans that, if you're just re-checking in after a vacation, there is indeed a lot of great later EZN material waiting to be discovered.

There is an old adage in the music business, that the test of a good song is to play it on an acoustic guitar and if it still works and sounds great then, it is a great song.Well, I'm pleased to report that this album proves that case in spades! Strength was one of the great albums of the 90s (for me anyway - read my review of Strength itself, if you need convincing) and, because I love that album so much, it was with some trepidation that I bought a copy of Extra Strength. I'm not a fan of acoustic guitars generally and I was a little worried that this album might be all about squeezing a few more shekels out of the Enuff Z'Nuff hardcore fanbase for not a lot of investment in time or effort.Well, I'm pleased to say that my fears were completely unfounded and Mr Vendevelde (or Donnie Vie to his friends) has come up trumps. The songs affirm their quality by shining, even in stripped down acoustic form. Some, notably The In Crowd, where the lyrics are clearer and have more impact than the original, actually work better for it. From the country tinged blues of "Heaven or Hell" through a piano led beautiful version of "Strength" to the last vocal/rock guitar strains of "Baby Loves You" - every one is a winner. Even the obligatory Beatles cover (In My Life) works fine in these surroundings (a Beatles song will always be a good song regardless), presented here in the middle of the CD coupled with "Its No Good", as the only songs here not on the original record.Aside from the quality of the songs, the other thing that this CD highlights is the vocal quality of Mr Vie. The man is an amazing singer and songwriter who should be making millions, maybe as a writer of magical tunes for some upcoming artist, rather than living from past glories like this. That being said, I'm very glad he did as this record is more than a curio, to buy only to complete your EZN collection, but it's a record that stands on its own and will deserve repeated plays and returning to on a regular basis - maybe when in a more melancholy mood than you would normally listen to Strength itself in.Regardless of all this - if you already know and love EZN or have never heard of them, buy this, you won't regret it.Track listing:Heaven Or Hell,Missing You,Strength,In Crowd,Hollywood Ya,The World is a Gutter,Goodbye,It's No Good,In My Life,Mothers Eyes,Long Way to Go,Blue Island,The Way Home,Time To Let You Go,Baby Loves You (Electric)

当時雑誌レビューに「ビートルズやチープトリック好きの人にはおすすめ」とあり、聴いてみたら想像以上のキャッチーさと気持ちの良いけだるさに一聴でハマッた１st。それを更に上回る捨て曲無しの２ndを、ドニーがアコースティックギターで、ピアノで大事に大事に唄いかけてきます。2009 7月の来日で聴かせてくれた“Blue Island”“It's No Good”ビートルズの“In My Life”を聴くだけでも価値があります。20枚近くアルバムを出していながら、その才能を余り多くの人に知られていないのが本当に残念です。