STRANGER IN THIS TOWN.
1991 is a year that I never intentionally plan on revisiting but for reasons beyond time and space, I’m seduced back to this specific year again and again. Many times I’ll be obsessing over a recent discovery only to find out it came from 1991. That year did give us a lot and just look at the movies released if you want further proof. Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Point Break, Problem Child 2, Stone Cold, TMNT: Secret of the Ooze, Thelma & Louise and Out for Justice were just a few that dropped on planet earth in ’91 to blow our sandy mullets back under the setting sun.
OK, TNUC Confessional Booth time: Bon Jovi never did a hell of a lot for me. I enjoy some of the songs but nothing has ever catapulted me in an awe-inspiring sort of way. I was never compelled to turn anything up and hammer down the highway with a cigarette dangling onto dear life and my black duster jacket flapping in the wind. That didn’t happen until guitarist Richie Sambora released his debut album, Stranger In This Town, on September 3rd, 1991.
Stranger In This Town is a damn miracle. You could cut the atmosphere on this album with a knife. The production is so massive and dynamic sounding that I don’t think rock albums will ever sound this ‘big’ again, unless you’re willing to shell out $100,000 for recording studio costs and you have a time machine. Rock ‘n roll was on an absolute plateau at this time. This record is a reflection of that.
The songs are cinematic in their massiveness, as it feels like the music might be pulled from some thrillingly epic, baking-in-the-desert-sun movie scene. Aside from the ‘One Light Burning’ music video which depicts horses, flames and a lusty but honorable lady, what comes to mind when listening to this song is the ending of True Romance, a slow-motion race from Days of Thunder or the unbelievable last few minutes of Thelma & Louise.
The last movie reference I’ll make here is that the music on Stranger In This Town sounds ripped right from the Road House soundtrack. Or hell, just about any Sam Elliott movie during one of his peak performances, even including the Coors commercials every time he says the word “BEER”.
It’s tough not to picture all the dusty-haired warriors you’ve come to know when listening to this record. With the record being aptly titled Stranger In This Town, Richie definitely nailed that renegade-drifter, guy-who-barely-speaks-but-gets-all-the-women vibe amazingly well. I’m tempted to crack a Michelob Genuine Draft and light up a Winston as I cruise the lonely streets in my Buick Grand National after my 4th divorce.
Sambora’s guitar work is obviously fantastic (and again sounds straight out of a scene from Road House!) but his vocals are super impressive and one of the highlights on the album. His voice is something I don’t think he’s ever received much credit for, being somewhat in the shadow of Jon Bon Jovi.
Do yourself a favor and give Stranger In This Town a deep listen. Don’t overlook this dusty masterpiece!
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Posts like this, with deep cuts like this, is why I love this place so much. I’ve probably been spending my entire life looking for deep cuts (both in music and film), even as a kid, whether I realized it or not. More specifically, music that sets a mood (movies too). And man, your descriptions couldn’t sum up this sound any better. Stuff like this makes me wanna buy a hog, hop on it, and leave it all behind with nothing but the clothes on my back.
It’s such a shame how 1991 was the pivotal year for Rock as a genre, and it never recovered since. In today’s landscape, where everything is at your fingertips, it should be easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for, but sadly, comfort comes from convenience and familiarity, and most people are either too bored or too afraid to dare to look outside the boundaries of the mainstream.
I may be too afraid to leave my family, friends, and job behind, but looking for deep cuts like this is how I’ve left the mainstream music scene behind a long, long, time ago. All the time I spend looking for and inevitably enjoying music that was either popular in the past, or never popular at all, is my rebellious wish fulfillment version of myself.
Evocative guitar player with a good sense of melody, I had never thought to check his solo work out. I always liked the intros and cinematic qualities that Bon Jovi songs had, especially “Wild Is The Wind”. If this record is any indication, Sambora is probably to thank for that. Strong sense of atmosphere.
“One Light Burning” is right up there with the finest Bon Jovi tracks. Good record. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
1991 may have given us Nevermind but it also gave us Use your illusion, no more tears, hey stoopid, slave to the grind and the black album. Your mileage may vary on those picks, but to me the spirit of freedom in rock was still very much alive then. 🤘🏻