You wanted the best. You got the best. The hottest crooner in KISS —
Paul Stanley! The Starchild’s work on Live to Win, his
second solo CD in nearly 30 years, is, indeed, stellar. His first solo spin
in 1978 confirmed his role as KISS’ creative nerve center, but that was
just his apprenticeship. Live to Win is the real deal; the
work of a full-fledged master craftsman. Strip away the spectacle and swagger,
the paint and platforms, the flash and fire, and underneath is the real magic–solid
songwriting. Stanley’s specialty has always been clarity and directness;
saying more with less–his tunes ditch the pitch, and cut right to the sale.
And on Live to Win, that songwriting is relevant, mature and
diverse, matched by equally contemporary production. Yes, Desmond Child co-wrote
many of these tunes, but it’s not likely he out muscled Stanley’s
songwriting prowess. Stanley’s personality is very much in the fore: there
are introspective tunes that represent Paul Stanley, Responsible Family Man,
as well as rockers that epitomize Paul Stanley, Eternal Teenager.
And now, that teenager is not only gawking at the centerfold in his daddy’s
Playboy, but actually reading the articles. KISS probably holds the world’s
record for the most songs rhyming “knees” with “please”
— leaving little doubt as to who’s on their knees, and who they’re
about to please. Yet on the slam-bang KISS-flavored rocker, “All About
You,” it’s role-reversal time. Beneath all the Y-chromosome power
chords, Paul is begging to bestow his lover with boudoir bliss. The top-notch
“Bulletproof” also hits the melodic hard rock target, firing off
round after round of driving, spirited riffs reminiscent of “Let’s
Put the X in Sex.” And the CD aptly opens with “Live to Win,”
a heavier, darker-toned tune akin to Nickelback or 3 Doors Down, brandishing,
with unwavering resolve, Paul’s credo of believing in yourself and never,
ever, ever giving up. “Lift” also has a similar grand, moody ambiance
matching its theme of redemption from despair through forgiveness.
And then, of course, there are the ballads. After all, Gene Simmon’s
persona may be the womanizer, but Paul Stanley’s is the lover, the romantic.
And his rich, earnest vocals are the perfect complement to the passionate yearning
of “Everytime I See You Around” (which was perhaps written during
the angst of his divorce) or the sentimental ode to his second wife, “Second
to None” with its soaring chorus “You might not be the first/But
for me, you’re always second to none.” Remember this: As time goes
by, a KISS is, indeed, not just a KISS. Especially when it’s Paul Stanley.
~ Merryl Lentz
