Band : Train
Album title : Save Me, San Francisco
Label : Columbia Records
Distribution : Sony Music
Release date : April 2010
Review : CD

You will probably remember Train from the international success they had with the Grammy Award-winning song “Drops Of Jupiter” in 2001. And now, almost ten years later, the band from San Francisco is successful again, with the single “Hey, Soul Sister”. That swinging single comes from the album Save Me, San Francisco, that was already released in the USA in 2009 and recently was re-released in Europe with a live version of “Drops Of Jupiter” as a bonus track.

The glorious comeback of Train with their fifth studio album came after a three-year hiatus that followed after the less successful album For Me, It’s You (2006) and tensions within the band. During that hiatus, the three core members, singer Pat Monahan, guitar player Jimmy Stafford and drummer Scott Underwood, came to their senses and decided to put (the) Train back on the rails. The band reinvented itself while writing, composing and producing songs and deliver on Save Me, San Francisco a very fine taste of their roots rock with influences of blues and folk. You hear the enthusiasm and pleasure drip off. Train manage to hit a nerve, but without causing any pain. Their heartbreaking songs simply excel in exhaling sensitivity. Save Me, San Francisco contains 12 songs and has a playing time of 48 minutes. Highlights of the album are the opening track “Save Me, San Francisco”, the first single “Hey, Soul Sister”, “This Ain’t Goodbye”, “If It’s Love”, “You Already Know”, “Brick By Brick” and “Marry Me”.

In October 2010, Train undertake an European tour, with a date on October 16th 2010 in 013 Tilburg (the Netherlands), but there is no confirmed date for Belgium (yet).

90/100

Erik.