Liberty n' Justice is the brain child of Justin Murr. Over the last few years Justin has managed to assemble some of the who's who of classic melodic rock to sing on his projects. My first exposure to LNJ was 2004's Welcome to the Revolution and over the years we've kept in touch. He let's me buy his albums, and I get to make smart ass comments about them on the net. It's a symbiotic relationship.

I'm waiting to see what he pulls out of his bag of tricks next. If the guy ever manages to land Robin Zander then I'll truly be in awe.

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Welcome To The Revolution (©2004 3 Chord Records)

1: Blind Man's Bluff 2: Noise 3: Shed My Skin 4: Rebel Son 5: Only Heaven Knows 6: One Word 7: Do You Know 8: Change Comes Around 9: Rise 10: The Lord's Prayer 11: It's About Love 12: Bargin Bin 13: Forever, I Love You 14: Holy Roller 15: Dr. Love 16: Cain 2 Abel 17: FHL 18: Foolish Child

I originally bought this because I heard Mike Roe (77s / Lost Dogs) and Jamie Rowe (London Calling, Guardian) had songs on it. What I wasn't expecting as I listened to it was the depth of talent Justin Murr was able to assemble to help him create Welcome to the Revolution. A lot of the people I'd heard before: Michael Sweet, Lou Gramm, Paul Q. Pek, Ken Tamplin, Bob Carlisle, Scott Wenzel, John Schlitt, Greg X. Volz, Dale Thompson, and Rick Florian. There were others I'd not heard before, but will be on the look out for in the future, artists like Robert Fleischman, Mitch Malloy, Harry Hess (okay as a good Canadian I'd heard of Harem Scarem - just didn't have any), and Jeff Fenholt.

An album like this can be hard to pigeon hole because each artist generates a preconception about what things should and shouldn't sound like. Which could be a problem for some people here. Justin has done some very cool things, and has mixed up some pretty interesting songs.

For those who were expecting a full on AOR assault, are going to be disappointed, since there are elements of rap and sappy pop songs here too. Welcome to the Revolution contains 18 songs, and for those of us who remember vinyl, this is like a three sided record, and there are definite transitions and stages here. There are a bunch of AOR songs, some rock rap songs, and a couple of pop songs.

Now, given my own personal tastes and all that great subjective stuff, I'll admit that I am more partial to the rock bits. One of the biggest surprises was "Foolish Child", which managed to sound old and new at the same time. Like vintage Deep Purple.

Justin isn't one to stand still, and rumour has it he's already working on the follow-up. This is a way better collection than I was expecting, and there really is almost something for everyone here.

You should pick one up.

Reviewed June, 2004

Soundtrack of a Soul (©2006 LNJ Records)

1: Intro 2: Kings Of Hollywood (Ez Gomer) 3: Another Nail (Sebastian Bach) 4: State Of Grace (Russell Arcara) 5: Malice In Wonderland (Jamie Rowe) 6: Grenade (Dale and Troy Thompson) 7: Show Me The Way (Oni Logan) 8: Sight Unseen (Leif Garrett) 9: Up That Hill (Josh Kramer) 10: Surreal (Scott Wenzel) 11: Flinch (Tony Harnell) 12: Thy Will Be Done (Mark Slaughter and Pete Loran) 13: Killer Grin (Stephen Pearcy) 14: If The World Could Be Mine (Joe Cerisano) 15: Always Tomorrow (Ted Poley) 16: Hope & Pray / Ballad Of King David (Phil Naro) 17: Make Believe (Mike Lee) 18: Outro

Justin took a lot of crap (most of it at 7:15 in the morning) over the last record. He took abuse for the rap elements, he took crap (second time this sentence) over the alleged sound quality issues, and he took crap (ooh third, time – this is what you’d call a sentence with the runs, or as my old English teacher Mrs. Stapleton called it, “A run on sentence.”) from small "C" christians who took exception to Justin’s use of non Christians to convey the message of Christ. Poor bastard couldn’t win. I guess he figured if you can't beat 'em, try again.

So here he is serving up a healthy dose of rock and roll. What is immediately evident is that Justin has raised the bar significantly on this project. He’s ditched the more eclectic elements that caused so much musical confusion the last time out. He’s brought (bought) an amazing array of vocal talent to flesh out his vision. Make no mistake, this young man for all his self effacing manners is driven and he knows exactly that he wants. Justin should get a special award for pulling off the logistics required to put together a project like this.

There are 15 tracks, and fifteen different vocalists. Now, unless you were living under a rock during rocks bombastic heyday in the 80’s and early 90’s you’re bound to recognize more than a few names here. You'll no doubt ask what everyone else has been wondering, "How did he do it?"

All-star oriented records are a bit tricky. If you don't get it right, you could end up with a bad Alan Parsons album - without the great production. When they work like Kerry Livgren’s masterpiece Seeds of Change they’re an extension of the artist. LNJ lets the artists contribute their spark and personality to the project. Almost all of the songs were co-written by the hired help. Not something I expected to see to be honest. I get the sense that Justin is confident in his vision that he can allow outside content to enter in.

There are some nice surprises thrown in here. Leif Garrett (yes, that Leif) does a great job on “Sweet Home Alabama” … er, “Sight Unseen.” There’s been a lot of talk about guys like Stephen Pearcy, Sebastian Bach, and Mark Slaughter – and don’t get me wrong, they are killer here and among some of the best tunes on the disc. But I have to take one singer and pull him out from the pack. Jamie Rowe. This guy has been around for years and years and is still just a kid. He’s got killer pipes, and he takes one of the softer songs on the album “Malice and Wonderland” and shows how it’s done. He’s in elite company here and manages to stand out. To be frank, a lot of the fun for many will be the nostalgia factor. A lot of these guys had their shot. Jamie still waits for his.

All of the songs here are pretty solid, except for one: “Hope and Pray / Ballad of King David” which to me is musically trite and oddly out of place on this collection. “Outro” will no doubt piss off a few who will no doubt feel like victims of a horrible bait and switch. But Justin has made no secret about the content and intent of the album. It is pretty in your face, but it does have some moments of self-effacing fun.

Bottom line, this album rocks, and it will no doubt be a redeeming release for LNJ in the eyes and ears of many.

Reviewed April 4, 2006

Independence Day (©2007 LNJ Records)

1: Doubting Thomas (John Corabi) 2: Monkey Dance (Jack Russell) 3: Soldier Kelly Keagy & Mark Slaughter) 4: My Sacrifice (Shawn Pelata) 5: Phoenix (Pete Loran) 6: Independence Day (Kelly Keeling) 7: Meet My Monster (Tony Mills) 8: Praying For A Miracle (Ted Poley) 9: Fade (Jamie Rowe) 10: Bullett Train Breakdown (Jaime St. James) 11: Addiction (Jani Lane) 12: Wake The Dead Ez Gomer) 13: Snake Eat Snake (David Raymond Reeves) 14: A Little Bit Of Love (Mark & Shannon Hovland)

If you look closely at the recent history of LNJ, you’d see how this latest album completes an audio triptych. Or, if I was to be somewhat out there you could think of the albums as the Farter, Song and Holy Smokes. The first album was a treat and I liked it a lot, but there were a few, well – a whole boatload of fans who thought the album was a right stinker. “RAP! RAP! Run for the hills.” The second album was an unabashed love letter to melodic rock. It was chock full of songs that hit the mark. It was everything that the first album was trying to be.

My expectations were pretty high for the turd, Er – I mean third release. Then Justin announced that this was going to be an "acoustic" flavoured album. I groaned a little. But it made sense, since the music he was putting out was about 15 years behind what was current it was fitting in a weird way that he go unplugged at some point. Thankfully, this is not a rehash of those mostly dreadful “unplugged” albums that were everywhere during the early to mid 90s. This is for the most part a pretty current sounding release – and any visions I had of a giant circle jerk around a campfire making smores and singing “Kum Ba Yah” were quickly displaced.

To be honest, not everything works here, but it is a surprisingly cohesive effort. Justin knows what he wants, and given the talent he’s hired, he creates an album that is really 14 singles culled together to make a whole that is pretty much the sum of its old farts (I’ll never get quoted in the Christian press now – drats).

Yes kids, this is a Christian album – get over it. Justin believes completely in what he doing, and frankly I think it’s great that he’s able to hire talent that is able to make his vision a reality. Being Christian doesn’t mean you’re dead, stupid, or worst a fan of the music of Carmen.

"So how is this cobbled musical monster?" you ask. "It's pretty darned good, thank you very much for asking."

I really liked "Monkey Dance" not being a big fan of Great White this was quite a surprise. Another song that jumped out right away was "Phoenix" sung by Pete Loran. It has a great opening riff, and has a great southern rock funk groove. Jamie Rowe delivers as usual on "Fade" showing once again, that the guy is on par with any of rocks great voices. Justin has a sense of humour, and pairs Jaime St. James and Jani Lane as bookends. I was curious about was Jani Lane's contribution considering the saga involved behind the scenes. I was kind of expecting something similar to Lou Gramms' contribution from Welcome to the Revolution. Think trainwreck. Boy was I surprised. In terms of poignant moments this is the show stopper on the album - having Jani sing "Addiction" was a masterstroke. Sadly, following this high, comes the albums' lowest point. Ez Gomer's "Wake the Dead" is one of those truly head scratching WTF things, that takes 4 minutes and 54 seconds off my life each time I hear it.

Yes I know that Justin isn't exactly breaking any new musical ground. But it's an album that manages to bring a lot of familiar voices and lets them shine in a way they don't normally get a chance to do. Overall this is one of the better compilations to make it across my desk in a while.

I get the feeling this won't be the last we hear from Justin and his band of merry mercenaries.

Review October 12, 2007

Light It Up (©2010)

1. Light It Up (Phil Lewis of LA Guns & JK Northrup) 2. The Other Thief (Dale and Troy Thompson of Bride) 3. Blink (Lynn Louise Lowrey of Vixen and Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister) 4. Do What You Believe (CJ Snare & Bill Leverty of Firehouse) 5. Man vs. Mother Nature (Ted Poley of Danger Danger and Vic Rivera of Crunch) 6. Treading On Serpents (Les Carlsen of Bloodgood and Ox Fox of Stryper/ Bloodgood) 7. Uncle Sam (Sheldon Tarsha of Tarsha/Adler's Appetite and Jeff Pilson of Dokken/ Foreigner) 8. Every Reason To Believe (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge/TSO and Kerri Kelli of Alice Cooper) 9. Wrestling With God (Pete Loran, Steve Brown of Trixter & Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal of GN'R / Lita Ford) 10. Best Time You Never Had (Chris Jericho (WWE Wrestler/ Fozzy) & Phil Collen of Def Leppard) 11. Beautiful Decision (Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance of Harem Scarem) 12. Drunk Dead Gorgeous (Marq Torien of BulletBoys and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P.) 13. Greed (Robert Mason of Warrant/Lynch Mob and Jerry Dixon of Warrant) 14. For Better Or Worse (Shawn Pelata of Line Of Fire & Stephen Chesney of Frontiers)

Additional musicians: Eric Ragno, Terry Ilous (XYZ), Chris Dickens (Mission Of One), Marc Danzeisen (Bulletboys/ Little Caesar), Doug Odell (Crunch/ TNA) & John Pine

I've been following Justin's musical journey for a few years now and he's managed to do something most of his contemporaries have been unable to accomplish: Get better with each successive release. Now before I sat down to write out my thoughts I went back and took the previous albums for a spin, and re-read my old reviews and came to a couple of conclusions: First, that for the most part I really have no idea what I'm talking about - and second that Justin keeps raising the bar and doesn't seem content to rest on his laurels. Just reading through the list of past contributors is like listing off the who's who of rock over the last twenty plus years.

Light it Up is the tightest and most cohesive of the releases to date, although it's not without the occasional wart and blemish - but if this album was perfect there wouldn't be a need for a follow up. What I really like about the album is that this isn't just a nostalgic wet dream for a generation of spandex wearing hooligans who are still waiting for MTV to go back to playing videos. Granted a lot of the hired guns here have had their day in the spotlight - the way they're employed here showcases not only their talent, but Justin's ability to tip his hat to the past while putting out a record that fits in with today's hard rock.

I think the reason this works so well for the most part is that each song is crafted to get the best performance and be the best it can be. Each song is treated like a mini-album, after all why work on getting the talent if you're just going to record a filler track? This is why it's so surprising to me when I hear the occasional clunker. However, rather than focus on the negatives (of which there really aren't that many) let me tell you there are some killer tracks here. I'll just mention them in the order they appear:

"The Other Thief" This is a music kick in the nuts and a full on rock your face off riff fest. The Bride brothers don't appear to be to be mellowing out at all with age. Although I have to say that the solo totally blows.
"Uncle Sam" This is the best song up to this point. I really don't know a lot about Sheldon, but Pilson is one of those guys who should get a lot more respect for his vocals and not just his bass playing. I'm not sure what Justin is trying to say lyrically on this a song. Is it an indictment of the decline and falls of the US as moral, economic and military power?

"Wrestling with God" BAM. Right out of the chute this song grabbed me by the short and curlies. As with many of the singers and performers on this album I don't have stuff from their day jobs. But I have to say that Pete Loran had some killer stuff on previous LNJ discs, and here he once again delivers. This song is the high point of the album and frankly in my opinion should have been the title track. The song also has a wicked solo provided by GNR's latest 6 string slinger: Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

"Best Time You Never Had" was a bit of a surprise. I knew Chris Jericho could sing, I'd heard some Fozzy here and there and it was pretty cool. The nice surprise here is the pairing with Def Lep's Phil Collen on guitar. The results are pretty freakin' good. Another high point on the album.

"Beautiful Decision" Harry Hess and Peter Lesperance from Harem Scarem hit this one out of the park.

Which brings me to the most irritating part of the disc, the spoken word intro "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature" just doesn't work at all. But in Justin's defense he seems driven to find a way to irritate his listeners at least once an album. I'm guessing it's a badge of honor. Musically this is a solid song, but lyrically I'm not sure what's going on. "Man versus Mother Nature and the winner is ... God." I'm guessing it made sense at the time. Still I kind of expected a bit more from Vic and Ted.

Still it's not that big a deal, and although I was disappointed in the album's closer which was a pretty standard Journey-lite power ballad that didn't do much for me at all. I will say that even when a few of the songs stray into generic sounding territory the results are never unlistenable, and that's a pretty amazing thing nowadays.

What I like most about LNJ is that everyone will come to this record from a different perspective depending on which artist hits the sweet spot. This really is the best yet, and who knows what the future holds, or how much unexplored territory Justin is looking to map. Me, as a fan this is great stuff. Light it Up indeed.

Light it Up is slated for release Tuesday January 19, 2010.

Reviewed November 15, 2009

PS, How did you get Zakk Wylde to pose for the cover art?

Question: "Hey if this is the best one yet how come it's only 4 stars and not 4.5 or 5? You gave Soundtrack of a Soul 4.5."

Answer: At the time I was probably more generous than I needed to be and in hindsight it put me in a corner. Let me just say again, this one is the best so far, and that's all I got to say about that.