 10,000 volts this album was released. I guess what day or two ago There it is Kenny showing it up there. This is his eighth studio album Kenny was actually Sam Ash records in New York where ace freely was doing a signing You see some cool video that Kenny, you know Took and I posted there and Kenny posted and everyone's watching it He's coming out of his limo right or his car his black cars SUV and then the fans are there There's a lineup. Maybe you want to tell us about that experience there Kenny Well, I've done this 10 years ago when he did space invader in the same spot and then Johnny Oh his personal assistant John Astronomy it was very he's very helpful I went over to him first yesterday and I said John do you mind if I when ace comes out if I feel and he said Not at all I said well, you know, we're gonna put it up, right? And he goes, oh, yeah, yeah, so he let me get right in the front He was very generous with his time yesterday with me, and it was pretty cold We were in the shadow of the Empire State Bill It's on 34th Street off right in back of Madison Square Garden, and it was pretty windy yesterday People waited about six hours. He did the right thing yesterday though ace He really did it was well run Sam Ash does a good job there But it was very well run I got to say aces people are very good to get good to his fans He stayed an extra two hours and signed for every everybody that waited on the line It's a new ace isn't it? It's a new ace. It's an ace. You know what it is Jimmy ace is in love and it shows on this album He's got a new woman and she straightened to me my personal opinion. She straightened them out and You can hear it in the music half of it's an ace album half of it's I'm in love All right, Perry Wilson never too late never too late I Agree with that hey Jimmy one thing can Kenny show his his autograph album So for me ace has one of the best signatures in rock and roll, and he doesn't just scribble his name He always draws a large ace card, and I have what ace guitar pick from a show. I was at a couple years ago He has the same Signature on his guitar picks. It's really really so ace put some thought into a signature. I like that Yeah, here's here's the big question. So ace went on record. I think it was oh boy I don't remember which article was but he said this new album and he was hyping it up, right? I mean it's it's it's you know He's not being that that serious about he's he just said that you know This is gonna make ace a gene and Paul look like imbeciles once they hear the music on this album. I Don't think he meant it in a mean-spirited way He just meant that in a very marketing, you know fashion, right? Do you think this album is gonna make? I wouldn't say imbeciles. That's a tough word. I would say do you think this sort of is gonna You know I'll show you Paul and Jean that I can write great music and you know what this is better than what you guys and Put it out in the past, you know bass two albums. I guess we're kiss So what do you think does this make Paul and Jean look bad musically this is for me this for you? Yeah, look kiss is kiss and it's this big monster machine and ace is ace and You know, he's obviously a star or a rock star, but it's he's not a part of that big machine anymore So for me, it's two different things completely and you know, I don't think this album is gonna make kiss look bad. I Think it's this album though makes ace look good, and I think that's what it should like let's forget kiss You know, yes, I know I know KK wasn't Judas Priest. I know ace wasn't kiss I know, you know Uli John Rappas and the Scorpions, but it doesn't always have to be this discussion So no, I don't think this makes kiss look bad kiss just came off like you know When they do the highest grossing tours of the year It'll be one of the highest grossing tours and you know, we'll have opinions about the quality of the show You know, we're not talking about tours and quality of tour here. We're talking about music output We're talking about sonic boom monster versus this out Well, how old are sonic boom and monster? I mean, those are those are those are a lot look if kiss put out an album today I think they could put out an album on a par with what ace just did So I don't think he makes kiss look bad, but I do think this is a good record Stefan, what did you enjoy about this new album by ace? I I Couple of weeks ago if you recall I gave a terrible review to these at the second single I thought it was generic on your produced rock and Now that I listen to the whole thing From the beginning to the end with my headphones full volume taking notes. I thought Okay, I was wrong the single does not reflect the album and as a whole I think it's an excellent record Now, let's open a parenthesis here I'm not gonna surprise Jimmy and Karen by telling me that if Kisses never been done it for me. I've never been a kiss and I liked a few of their albums The live ones the classics. I've seen them a few times at concert, but it's not my band when I was 13 years old people were to kiss I was into Van Halen and So it's never I don't have this Mythical persona in my head when I think it's freely. So what I had listened to this I had the privilege of listening to it as a Rock fan metal fan music fan not a kiss fan and based on That I find that their record damn it Stands on its own extremely well for for a guy who's that old and that messed up by life I Don't know kisses Later albums that much For me, I can't I'm not sure I ever listened to something after revenge but The fact is it's a great record. It's one of those records that if you still had Rock or hard rock Radiostations, I'd be calling in and say hey, can you play that song again? I think he liked it You know, I I find that it's it's solid. It is solid. It has shelf life But unfortunately We're in 2024 and kiss fanatics Are the ones who will be interested in this record first and foremost, but even among people who love kiss They love kids. They don't necessarily care about side project. So the impact I Don't know but I have no way no problem Believing that people stood out a record store for six hours yesterday I am not surprised at all because when you worship an artist and an artist gives back the way He seems to be doing More power to him and I'm glad I discovered his album without being his family I'm gonna say this before I ask Kenny on the internet This album has exploded with reviews and it's been very polarizing. I find people love it to death And then there's some people. Oh, I don't really dig it too much. And no, this is this is just I don't understand What people expect from kiss and ace. They've always been a hard rock melodic band And I've said this in my review and I'm not gonna get into it here because you could watch the review I gave on this already, but all of his past albums have been more guitar driven This is more melody driven the focus has been melody and that's why fans are lining up At the record store. That's why people are excited That's why he's getting such great reviews because every song has like a strong melody that I would say eight out of the 11 songs could be played on the radio easily easily Kenny. What do you think? I think you're right I think you got a lot of singles on there and I think it has a lot to do with this guy right here Steve Brown That's right. Steve Brown wrote almost Wrote with him almost every track on here except for what they have one cover life of a stranger That's right. Other than that Steve Brown's name and end guitar work is all over this album Steve Steve really did a great job But and I think it comes from Tokyo Motor Fist opening up for them a couple of years ago He did a run with ace freely on the East Coast And I think they might have met and ace might have been watching him play every night because Would you say this is stronger than ace's last few albums? Definitely, it just goes back to a space invader was strong Spaceman was they were good. They were good, but anomaly that was a really good very strong album. I thought that's the comparison for me That's what I think. Okay, so let's go back. I mean the solid album Like I think it's it's obvious 1978 ace freely solo album is regarded as probably His best work, right? Well, he was my favorite even amongst Kiss fans, especially in the solo album Sort of era that there was everybody says that's his top Then there's free lease Comet Perrin. Would you compare this to free lease Comet at that level? Yeah Look, I think this is his best release Since trouble walking from free lease Comet and before that since the free lease Comet debut I didn't love second sighting. I think that was a misstep, but trouble walking from ace freely and The debut from free lease Comet were good records and I want to say the parallel here and it touches on Steve Brown In that phase of ace's career the free lease Comet ace was working with great people He's working with the late John Reagan rest in peace fantastic musician He was working with Todd Haworth another great musician and Anton Fig whoever one knows great drummer from the David Letterman show and just Amazing session player and bring it here people might not know Steve Brown or might be like oh the guy in trickster Steve Brown. Yes was in trickster and wrote a lot of the hooks and that band did have some hooks Steve Brown is the kind of ace in the hole for Def Leppard when Vivian Campbell had cancer Steve Brown filled in and when Phil Collins Had to go away for a little bit his wife was having a baby Having some complications. He also filled in for Phil Collins. So he's Def Leppard's ace in the hole and He does a lot of other things as well. It's very very talented guy So I think ace is one of those people that when he surrounds himself with good people Good things come out of him and I think this is another example of that. So yeah, I think I think this is a notch better than anomaly I think it's his best album since 1989's trouble walking. So to say that a man On that one. Yeah, it's put out his best record in 35 years. Yeah, you know good good for him I just didn't like the hype machine that was going nuts with oh, it's his best even better than the 1978 slow album that there was one blogger who we all know Well, I don't know. I don't think anybody's really stated better No, there was one person who I won't name that we all know kind of just totally goes overboard of a lot of things Who was like saying comparing it to the 1978 record? Let's let's just not go there Let's not go there But you know what if we want to forget 1978 and put it with other things in ace's career It's with the best things that ace has ever done as a solo artist. There's there's 1978 solo album Then there's freely's Comet trouble walking and this and then there's like anomaly and some other things as well I I didn't love his last couple records. I thought, you know, again, I don't know if he was surrounded by the best people I think they were done a little on the cheap, but again, you surround yourself by good people They bring good things out of you Maybe you're motivated by the love of your life or whatever it might be and there's some me There's some good hooky earworms here. And let me say that's second single Walking on the moon was a big mistake because that really turned me off to the record and a lot of people And then the third one came out cherry medicine. What an earworm What a hook in that song and what I like about this album like you said Jimmy There's a lot of hooks on this record. There's a lot of songs that are gonna make you be like Yeah, tap your feet shake your head three minutes long and at the end of the day That's really what it's all about because even prog rock songs that there's no hook Even if you know hard rock songs or metal songs that there's no hook. There's no melody. Yeah, tend to not really care You know, Stefan, were there any parts of this album? You said, you know what? I'm not digging that song or This guitar work or anything about the album that you kind of were not crazy about No, I felt it helped up pretty well from the beginning to the end I will say that, you know, and it's a problem was discussed before and Before the CD and streaming revolution an album was two sides of Mostly great music and as artists figure Oh CDs you can push 74 minutes of music. So this start adding crap and left over And when you're doing a streaming album then you put everything and I find that too many artists do not know how to do a Final cut a final edit to stick to the best songs. So when I was listening to it and You know, after life of a stranger, I thought, okay, this album is getting a bit too long Okay, some songs are starting to Sound the same, you know, it felt like there was a I didn't write it down It's I'm in a car now, but there were a couple of fillers I could have done without and you know Artists should really learn to stick it under 60 minutes other than that you always always take the chance of adding fillers or You know tracks that are not up to par and you couldn't dare and unconsciously It brings down the rest Well, I think I think to your point is a lot of bands go You know, we'll throw a couple extra ones because people like a few extra songs But those tend to be weaker songs and bring down the whole rating of the album exactly So it's so more so more is not better. Sometimes less is more, right? Kenny a few songs that you really loved off this album. Oh You want to go back to Freely's comment fighting for life and up on the sky They could have they could have been right off that first album They they reminded me of something he did with Freely's comment But 10,000 volts like you guys were saying it stuck in my head and cherry cherry medicine Those are stuck in once you hear them and that's how I go by it I've been singing 10,000 volts for about a week now So it does get stuck in your head and when I prep for this and then it doesn't help stand in the record store Yes, today you're hearing it, you know 15 times, but the whole album as a whole I Liked it blinded. Definitely. There's a lot of ace on here. And then again, there's a lot of Steve Brown on you could see the bolt saw you could see where Steve's influences on this But um, I like it. I mean One song I would have probably left off like Stefan said it was a little was maybe cut it down to 10 songs and take Like constantly queued off. I think that's a consensus on constantly cute I love 80s hair metal. I love I do do I do And I have to say that song. Okay, I know it's not the most you know, it's not tales of brave Ulysses or anything like that Oh, I know, we know, but you know, but again, there's kind of a hook and a cadence in that song There is there is and I'm sure after I listen to the guys it like Jimmy Ward. It's snappy Yeah, yeah, I don't mind Stratas stratosphere is a great little instrumental could have been I just be a reminder be a fractured. Yes I said the same thing factor mirror part 20, right? But now he's in the stratosphere the sound of fractured mirror is it so Trademark ace. I want a little throwback to that on every record. You do need that a little instrumental from him I was goddess. He's got his he's got his space. He's got his electricity. He's got his girls It's got a little bit of everything It's arena rock. That's what it is because if you put on a song like cosmic heart, that's an arena rock song He's gonna do good with these songs live Jimmy. He's gonna I hope he plays them live I count it I love eight to nine songs in this album and then maybe one or two I could do without but they weren't like to your point Karen they weren't the worst out song saying there's a hierarchy of the best and then not so good You know, I think it's better as it goes along to like I was on the fence about 10,000 volts I didn't like walking on the moon and I just felt from cherry medicine the fourth song onward the album just built and built and built So I just felt like you know, you know, I'm glad I stuck with it you know because it really took the third single on the album to really get me interested and Again, like I don't completely believe the hype, but it's a solid solid record. I'm like to Kenny said about being on the road He needs to surround himself by a good band He has to because the last time I saw ace live was about five years ago And his band was Richie Scarlett Chris wise and Scott Cogan who some people might know has been a lot of different bands Scott's back with them and they were great I lost your video. We're back on CTV news here. Yeah, no, I wouldn't be long Okay Then ace there was talk of really spotty performances because he kind of cheaped out on the band a little bit and there were no He hired jeans band. He fired everybody in high genes band and then he then he got going again He got Matt star and you got some different people playing so just Take it on the road have a cracker jack band And I think that's gonna be key because this album could have some legs could have some legs if The touring cycle and just everything is and the management and everything's done, right guys I will say as a as an end note here. I would say this is the surprise album of the year I think so it came out of nowhere and you know what I personally don't think he's making them look like imbeciles But he's raising the bar in terms of quality Hooky cause the last two kiss alms. I couldn't even remember Jimmy I think he's saying look you don't have to retire look what I'm doing I'm still putting stuff out. I think that's what he's saying to them They're not imbeciles, but look at this one of the best things I put out ever and boom I just put it out. Yeah, I think it's a little slap in their face that you guys could have still been putting music out Or they could have even asked him to be on you know the farewell tour They should have been I was at the garden. They should have had him at Peter Bruce Culek. They should have been there Yeah, not so I think the other guy should have been there as a huge ace fan my whole life I'm really happy to see that if it this is in fact his last album man. He's going out. Oh, I hope not either But if it is it's he's going out with a bang in him. I'm really I want to hear this out I put this like you know what I mean you some some albums you don't want to hear over and over again But this one I want to keep going back to what I keep the melodies are stuck in my head 10,000 volts and I don't know I love everything about this album. I think it's really good me too me too I would I just want to see him live again. I honestly wish he would go back get Richie Scott live again They really worked well live, but that's their decision. That's my personal choice But I just want to see him live again I'm gonna have a couple of chances to see him live coming up in the next couple of months I'll come back to you with that guys and you thought last word there's to find you want to say Which I lived in New York you guys see Any show that hits the road it doesn't right now Stefan will get in the guest room ready. You guys always welcome Careful because it's north so do I So to wake each other up on that note everybody have yourself a have a good Sunday everybody. All right, everybody. Thank you for Thanks chatting. Take care everybody. Thank you