KEVIN WELLS - Little Acts Of Treason (1985)

Kevin who?
Kevin Wells is a pedigreed performer who plays everything from drums to guitar, and an accomplished vocalist & songwriter.
Versatile at everything from jazz to hard rock, he had played on the road or in the studio since the age of 15 with dozens of major acts. Member of the band Pablo Cruise or Laura Branigan's live band musical director to name a few.
But maybe he's better known as Huey Lewis & The News drummer & vocalist, recording on 'Sports' and co-writing with Andre Pessis (Mr. Big) their hit 'Walking On A Thin Line'.

By '85 Kevin had the opportunity to release his own material as solo artist, handling the lead vocals, drums, keys, and thanks to his business connections, getting into the studio real heavy weight musicians.
Just take a look; Dann Huff, Bill Cuomo, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jim Photoglo... WOW.
"Little Acts Of Treason" is a short, beautiful, typically '80s album.
A melodic mix of Pop & AOR, radio friendly tunes, with excellent production and musicianship.
"I'm still waiting" is a glossy, synth based track with a contagious chorus that remembers Tony Carey's eighties material.
The lite-AOR rhythm of "Stronger than the city" is a pure melodic bliss, what a catchy track.

"Agony and ecstasy" is a super commercial ballad with a great guitar work (John McFee). Why this song never become a hit? Excellent.
The meaty funky groove of "Never too late" ups the tempo again (with class), and then "Night life" is one of the highlights of the disc, a magical mid-tempo light AOR.
"Out of my hands" has a great chorus, very nice harmonies (Jim Photoglo on backing vocals) and a great guitar solo.
"Time heals" is my favorite, an AORish and captivating tune with a terrific rhythm guitar and very good climax. This track reminds me Tommy Shaw solo work.
"Love is on the line" is another beauty, cool and ethereal, in the best Van Stephenson style.
"Talk to me" has a lot of keyboards and guitars, a track in the vein of Tommy Shaw's 'Girls With Guns' era.

Kevin Wells has a warm, sweet voice, his songwriting is catchy, intelligent (very clever commercial arrangements too), all the album as whole sounds fantastic.
"Little Acts Of Treason" was released on a small label and never reissued on CD. The vinyl fetches very high prices on auction sites.
This a rip at maximum quality from a bootleg CD (sounds million bucks) including art.
Rare and delicious as the best Ushuaian centolla...


01 - I'm still waiting
02 - Stronger than the city
03 - Agony and ecstasy
04 - Never too late
05 - Night life
06 - Out of my hands
07 - Time heals
08 - Love is on the line
09 - Talk to me


Kevin Wells : Vocals, Keyboards, Drums
Dann Huff : Guitar
John McFee : Guitar, Bass
Rick Chudacoff : Bass
Bill Elliott : Keyboards
Bill Cuomo : Keys
Vinnie Colaiuta : Drums
Peter Bunetta : Drums
Matthew Wilder, Leslie Smith, Joe Turano, Harmish Stewart, Jim Photoglo, Larry Hoppen : Backing Vocals

Produced by Peter Bunetta & Rick Chudacoff



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