Donnie Iris

Donnie Iris and his band the Cruisers released four outstanding yet shamefully underappreciated albums for MCA between 1980 and 1983. "Ah! Leah!" and a few other songs were hits, but the public really needed to embrace those albums by the Pittsburgh-area rockers. It didn't happen, and the stardom that Iris and company richly deserved passed them by. But Iris kept fighting. In the aftermath of mainstream indifference and legal tangles with MCA, Iris released No Muss...No Fuss in 1985 on the small HME label, and it's a killer record full of absurdly high-quality arena rock and power pop. Iris' stunning vocals and the clean, melodic instrumental hooks of keyboardist Mark Avsec, lead guitarist Marty Lee, bass guitarist Albritton McClain, and drummer Kevin Valentine remain amazingly consistent. It starts off with three absolute home runs: "Injured in the Game of Love" (which scratched the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart), the insanely catchy, aggressively nostalgic "10th Street" and the rumbling "Ridin' Thunder." Iris' command of '60s-style pop is evident on "You're My Serenity." "L.O.V.E." is funk/pop bordering on disco. Jubilant blasts of horns propel the relentless drive of "Follow That Car." The smooth melodic groove and assured vocals on the energetic cuts "State of the Heart" and "Headed for a Breakdown" are magnificent. And it goes without saying that Iris' soaring falsetto and the Cruisers' exuberant harmony vocals are found throughout No Muss...No Fuss. The one good thing about this album being released on a small independent label is that it was possible to reissue it on CD. Via Primary, and with a slightly altered cover, No Muss...No Fuss is available on CD via Iris' official web site, www.donnieiris.com. ~ Bret Adams, All Music Guide