NIKKI CRUZE - Nikki Cruze (1995)

Hailing from British Columbia, Canada, despite their name NIKKI CRUZE weren't a glam hard rock / sleaze band. They were not exactly a band but a duo, and while this, their self-titled album was released in 1995, their musical style is pure '80s inspired Melodic Rock / AOR.
The album is not the case - as happened with many acts - which recorded their songs in the Eighties and only got the chance to release them several years later; nope, NIKKI CRUZE wanted to play this melodious, feel-good kind of music in the midst of the dark, depressive grunge peak, because they wanted to.

Of course, no recording label bet a dime for NIKKI CRUZE in the mid-Nineties, but again, they didn't care, and released "Nikki Cruze" by themselves.
Consisting of lead vocalist Robin Lei Tietz and Craig Passant, both multi-instrumentalists as well, NIKKI CRUZE delivers here some awesome tunes and melodies.
While all managed by themselves and taped at different recording facilities, the album production, mix and mastering is very good.

The first thing that comes to mind when listening to "Nikki Cruze" is '80s Triumph commercial era, not for both being of Canadian origin, but simply because Robin Lei Tietz has a vocal color and phrasing very similar to Rik Emmett.
There's many other comparison to make such as Flyweil, some Def Leppard or Marchello, even some Hugo in the AOR moments.



All songs are strong, and really good. When originally released, several copies appeared overseas, and the mouth to mouth even reached Japan. So NIKKI CRUZE did a re-release by popular demand from fans in the UK, Germany, Italy, USA, and Japan. Of course, the disc is a collectors piece nowadays.


01 - Comin' Home
02 - Joe's Song
03 - So Many Nights
04 - Open Up The Skies
05 - You Were With Me
06 - Stop The Blast
07 - You Are The Light
08 - Say Goodnight
09 - Again
10 - We Rock

Robin Lei Tietz - lead & background vocals, drums, guitars
Craig Passant - guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals


NIKKI CRUZE - Nikki Cruze (1995) HERE

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