Jim Peterik And World Stage - River Of Music - The Power Of Duets, Vol. 1 (2025) Hi-Res

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Jim Peterik led his own band, The Ides Of March, prior to forming Survivor in 1978.

River of Song is his third album under the World Stage banner, and again he has surrounded himself with family and friends, not least of whom, Tony Franklin, Mike Aquino, Phil X, Kevin Cronin, Denny Fongheiser and Jason Scheff are seasoned musicians, been there, done that.

Peterik is not the world’s greatest lyricist – he often aims for sweet but lands on syrupy sentimental – but he knows how to cook up a memorable melody. Neither is he any more than an adequate vocalist, but the songs and the guests pull him through.

Jason Scheff’s richly melodic voice carries ‘The Cadence Of Things’, providing the dramatic heft it needs. Similar story with ‘Soul Of My Being’. Toby Hitchcock and Bree Gordon’s upbeat vocal duet is as soulful as the song’s title, turning it into an almost exhilarating experience.

Peterik has Kevin Cronin on board for ‘Between Two Fires’. The song has a country rock flavoured narrative, about emotion and choice. “Caught between the angel I know and the devil below”.
Album standout.

The song brings home the point that rock songs, in any form, need to consist of some kind of emotional/ relationship turmoil for the content to cut through.

Elsewhere, the ballads. ‘Double Rainbow’s intro could easily have come from When Seconds Count, then it falls into that same syrupy songstyle trap that we encountered earlier.

The song ‘In Good Faith’ in fact comes from When Seconds Count. There’s a certain elegance to this song, balanced up with bite, resurrected from the days of AOR / Mainstream crossover.

Toby Hitchcock is at his usual commanding best and Kaity Heart is an undiscovered gem, with a voice rooted in seventies classic rock.