Various undermining factors have blocked Unruly Child’s path to the top. Formed by members of World Trade, Signal, King Kobra and Hurricane, in collusion with producer-of-the-moment Beau Hill, the quintet made a flawless self-titled debut. But in 1992, amid the grunge explosion, thanks to a bust-up with Hill, they were dropped by Interscope two weeks after its release.
Frontman Mark Free, a key factor in the debut’s magnificence, later came out as Marcie Michelle Free and quit the music business. The band hired replacements, including Kelly Hansen, but couldn’t recreate the magic of the original line-up.
Featuring a full complement of founders, Can’t Go Home is an enjoyable and sophisticated melodic rock album, full of well-structured songs.
One criticism is that the material dwells too much on the lighter side. That might seem strange considering the criticisms of Hill’s over-polishing of their debut, but the quality of these tunes is self-evident, and sees them reeling back the years to sound like they did in 1992.
