Some of you may already know of Chris Ousey due to his time with HEARTLAND, and his solo effort is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. He has pulled in a wide range of musical talent to work with on the album, and it definitely shows. The stand out of the album has to be the man himself. Described as "The Man With The Golden Tonsils" by the press, "Rhyme And Reason" is the perfect showcase of why he earned this nickname.

The album has a very strong opening with "The Mother Of Invention", which is also the first single, although any song from "Rhyme And Reason" could have been picked for the first release. The album is full of quality songs, and not one of them could be described as a weak link. My personal favorite has to be "The Reason Why". The chorus is the catchiest on the album, but it is still heavy enough to please Hard Rock fans. Ousey puts a lot of emotion into his vocals, and the lyrics that he has written and with Tommy Denander writing the music, his voice is complemented brilliantly. He is a very strong singer, with an awesome range, and the songs on the album allow him to fully show off his talents. The vocals are not the only thing that caught my attention though. Mike Slamer's guitar work is fantastic. Every song contains a solo that will keep you hooked until Ousey starts singing again.

The five musicians come together very well to produce an album that while not quite as heavy as HEARTLAND's stuff, is an excellent album in its own right. The contribution from everyone working on this album is top-notch, and there isn't an element of this that feels out of place. The production values are very high, as you'd expect, with every instrument, and every word being heard very clearly. The only criticism I would have of this album is that all the songs follow roughly the same pattern. There is a little musical bit at the beginning, Ousey sings, Slamer solos, Ousey sings again, and the song finishes. It has to be said that this is only a minor problem, because each song is different enough from all the others lyrically, and in the individual tunes, so the recurring pattern doesn't grate on the listener.

Overall, this is a very strong and accessible album with memorable choruses that will be stuck in your head after just the first listen. Any Hard Rock or classic Rock fans should definitely check it out.