Winger II - In The Heart Of The Young (1990)

Kip Winger - what a name. He of the hairy chest, designer stubble and mane of lion. Not sure how so many females fell for the beefcake and his hair metal sound. Drenched in cliche, it's all good fun for ten minutes. 'Can't Get Enough' saunters in on a Def Leppard whim and 'Loosen Up' flicks its curls but leaves the room with a whimper. Maybe the ladies thought this was music by a man in touch with his feminine side, but we know what's coming next, usually a keyboard saturated ballad or a cheeky soiree into party rock. The album smoocher is 'The Day We'll Never See' and the slow build rocker 'Under One Condition' sticks on the soul like your nan's hairspray. Never gonna be a complex jigsaw to put together, and of course it's so easy to pull to pieces, but every metalhead needs a Winger album to sway too, although I wouldn't die by that rule...but if you see one floating around for a couple of quid, bag it and listen with a wry smile and raise a beer in ode to Kip's balls.

5.5/10