Wild Horses rocks hard. That needs to be said first, before anything else.
If rockin' hard is your cup of tea, "Bareback" is your kind of refreshment. Rick Steier's guitar is always out front, and the native Louisvillian has tremendous riffs. James Kottak, of Louisville's now defunct Buster Brown, is a tight drummer who does his job well. Wild Horses rocks. I said that, didn't I?
Of course, Wild Horses is also trite, common, and a bit retro. They are one of the best of the hard rock, long blonde haired set, but that perhaps says very little.
It does suggest that the songs on "Bareback" belong on the radio. The rich production and capable musicianship on "Bareback" make it ideal for rock stations. Mix Wild Horses in with Foreigner, The Law, Bad English, Bad Company. Wild Horses is every bit as good as those fellow rockers.
Even for this reviewer, who is not a fan of this genre, "Bareback" proved to be palatable enough music. The sound is excellent, from the ever-present vocal harmonies to Steier's never-resting electric guitar. The lyrics should be completely ignored.
The Horses wrote all the words on "Bareback" except for "Tell Me Something Good," penned by Stevie Wonder. How long did they have to search through Wonder's catalog before they found a song as testosterone-dripped and macho as their own? Oh well, one rarely listens to hard rock for mental or spiritual enlightenment. Go back to banging your head, and you'll best appreciate the polished edge of Wild Horses' accomplished rock music.