LIBERTY N JUSTICE - CHASING A CURE LP

Many of you will remember that I actually wrote a review of LNJ’s original 5 song EP back in December of 2010. Well I guess you can’t keep a good thing down as our friends at Roxx Records in collaboration with Justin Murr have put this out on CD. (It was originally a download only).

Now not only is this available on Compact Disc, but it has been expanded with 8, yes you read that right, 8 more songs!! It’s no longer an EP, but an LP.

The guest list on this recording is as impressive as ever highlighted by Kerry Livgren of Kansas and Carmine Appice, appearing on a cover of Kansas’s Ground Zero. The full track listing is as following.

1. Say Uncle (Paul Shortino of Quiet Riot / Rough Cut, Ron Keel of Keel & Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister)
2. Throwing Stones (Donnie Vie of Enuff Z Nuff & JK Northrup)
3. Paige’s Song (Philip Bardowell of MAGDALEN/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys and Tony Palacios of Guardian)
4. Playing God (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Jeff Paris and Richard Kendrick of Near Life Experience)
5. Chasing A Cure (Benny Mardones, John Pine and Bill Leverty of Firehouse)

“Bonus Tracks”
6. Black Or White (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Alton Hood of D.O.C. & JK Northrup) Originally Recorded by Michael Jackson
7. Quicksand Jesus (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge) Originally Recorded by Skid Row
8. Snake Eat Snake ‘Electric Version’ (David Raymond Reeves & Don Webster of Neon Cross)
9. Butterface (Mark Allen Lanoue of Biloxi & Joshua Perahia of Joshua)
10. When Mullets Ruled The World (Philip Bardowell of MAGDALEN/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys)
11. Ground Zero (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge and Kerry Livgreen of Kansas/Protokaw & Carmine Appice

They’ve included a couple of demo tracks, which sound good in their own right.
12. "Eve" (Tommy Denander)
13. "Damascus Road" (Tommy Denander)

The newer songs I found to have a bit more hard rock edge to them. The original five tracks struck me as more commercial rock but the 8 newer songs definitely have a stronger guitar presence and that makes all the difference to these ears.

Liberty N Justice has shown that they are capable song writers and this release is no exception. There are a few cover songs, but each one has a strong message in its own right. The production values as on the previous LNJ release Light It Up is world class.

Perhaps something else that has caught my attention is that the vocal performances are stellar. In stark contrast to many vocalists in the rock scene today these guys show more grit, emotion and power while holding a melody! It’s a reminder that good vocals can make or break a song, or an album.


This disc is a must if you love commercial rock n roll like Night Ranger, Bon Jovi or Journey. The disc is being produced in limited numbers so you might not want to wait on this one. A portion of the proceeds of this release will still be donated to benefit The Epilepsy Foundation. The songs and performances are more memorable then most which is why this one gets 8 axes.


8 AXES