ADD REAL CD-Rip Girder Records+FLAC Girder Records has just reissued / remastered all the first RICK CUA albums, for the first time on CD. An Italian-American sporting a cool leather jacket, Cua (Koo-ah) was the bass player for The Outlaws then he went solo becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of contemporary Christian music.
Rick Cua’s first 4 albums were and still are among the top classic AOR albums to come out of the widely successful Christian Rock scene.
“Wear Your Colors“, originally from 1986, is one of his best, sporting that year’s glossy production. One look at the album cover, Rick holding up his black bass guitar in his frayed leather jacket, and you know this is a rocking album. And it shows up in the larger-than-life stadium melodic rock numbers.
With songs penned with his writing partner, talented Bob Halligan Jr (Kix, Icon, KISS), and a huge Def Leppard-esque sound & shouted backing vocals/choruses, the songs on “Wear Your Colors” are uber-catchy – like a mixture of Rick Springfield, Jude Cole and Mitch Malloy.
A great ’80s American AOR album.
Originally released in 1986, this is the second album of Rick’s to be produced by Dave Perkins, who also played extensively on it. Some of the old guard musicians (Mike Mead, Joe English, Bob Halligan Jr,) from previous albums return to find new ways to breathe life into these songs.
On “Wear Your Colors” the guitar work is inspired and full of energy. Drums resonate deep and sharp. Throw in Rick’s tough-sounding voice and shouted background vocals and you have an album to jam out to.
The title track is a charisma-laced anthem rocker that never lets up. Flex starts with a guitar-drum intro that reminds me of Def Leppard, though it changes gears to a contagiously sing-along tune more in line with Aussie AOR.
This Raging Fire is up next, a mid-80’s rocker with an admonishment that the fire burning in us will keep raging regardless of our present circumstances. The last song Line Of Fire has a super catchy chorus and memorable guitar work.
”Wear Your Colors” is pure mid-Eighties American melodic rock / AOR / rock&pop and even some Hi-Tech AOR with that bombastic production and full of catchy melodies.
If you never heard this album or Rick Cua you’ll love this record, now with a superb, huge sound thanks to modern remastering.
HIGHLY Recommended (contributors get lossless)
You’ve seen it first at plotn08 … when others just copy/paste content, we actually buy real CD’s for your listening pleasure.
01 – Wear Your Colors
02 – Flex
03 – This Raging Fire
04 – Hungry
05 – Lemme at ’Em
06 – Got the Rock
07 – Unchained
08 – Nightfall
09 – Hats Off to You
10 – Line of Fire
Rick Cua – lead and backing vocals, bass
Bob Halligan Jr. – keyboards, backing vocals
Mike Mead – drums, percussion
Dave Higgins – guitars
Dave Perkins – keyboards, backing vocals
John Sinclair – keyboards, programming, backing vocals
RICK CUA – Wear Your Colors [digitally remastered] (2022)+FLAC
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