Warpipes - Holes In The Heavens (1991)

When a band boasts two former Elton John sidemen (drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone), one expects some very '70s-sounding rock. And that's pretty much what happened when, in the early 1990s, they united with singer Billy Trudel, keyboardist Guy Babylon and bassist Bob Birch to form Warpipes. For the most part, Holes In the Heavens isn't as Elton-sounding as one might expect -- instead, the quintet often goes for a slick arena-rock approach that has more in common with Nazareth. This little-known CD isn't earth-shattering, but it does have its strong points, including the rootsy "Son of a Loaded Gun," the invigorating "Satellite City" and the haunting title song. One of the disc's more Elton-ish numbers, "Goodbye Kemosabe," is also one of its best. A few of the songs incorporate Celtic/Scottish influences in a subtle fashion, but one wishes Warpipes had done more of with it. Holes was far from the hit that the small Artful Balance/JCI was hoping for, and many of those who had admired Olsson and Johnstone's work with Elton John weren't even aware of the band's existence.