Michael Harrison Sweet was born on July 4, 1963 in Whittier, California. He is best known as the frontman for Stryper, whose latest album was 2018's GOD DAMN EVIL, which caused quite a stir but was very successful. Sweet released his self-titled debut solo album back in 1994. Fast forward to 2019 and he's back with his tenth solo album, TEN (Rat Pak Records). He enlists an impressive number of mainstream musical guest artists, including Rich Ward (Fozzy), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake), and Todd La Torre (Queensryche).
First up is the sizzling 'Better Part of Me'. It echoes Paul's words in Romans 7: "Part of me is searching for the holiness in Thee/Part of me is reaching for the worldly things I see/I'm fighting for the better part of me". 'Lay it Down' is about giving all to God: "What will it take for us to see/We're not a mistake or a losing plea if we/ Lay it down? (4X)".
On 'Forget, Forgive' Sweet shares some of his desires: "I want to live/Forget, forgive/Learn from the past/Find what will last". 'Now or Never' is a rock ballad that has this prayerful chorus: "Save me tonight/Here and forever/Show me the light/It's now or never".
The title track, 'Ten', follows. This slow rocker is based on the Old Testament commandments: "You've got to remember the Sabbath day/Honor your father and your mother too, yes/Thou shall not kill or commit adultery/Don't ever steal, bear false witness, or covet". 'Shine' is a rockin' song of encouragement: "You're chosen to be a light within the dark/Never let that go, no/Hey-there's only one of you/Hey-don't let life run you through/Hey-you're one of a kind/You don't have to hide/All you have to do is shine".
'Let it Be Love' is a sentimental ballad: "Love is when there's less of you/And when you help somebody make it through/Ain't it true?.../Love is all we really need to break the chains/And set the captives free/Oh, can't you see?" 'Never Alone' packs a rock punch and finds God speaking: "Never alone/You know I'm with you/Heart and soul and mind/You're never alone/All you've got to do/Say a prayer and find/You're never alone".
What follows is 'When Love is Hated', a hard rock song that speaks truth: "When love is hated/Doesn't mean it's all in vain/When love is hated/In the end it's all that will remain". 'Ricochet' strikes a positive chord: "I've got air to breathe/And a light to see, yeah/And solid ground to walk on/No need to complain about the pouring rain/Cause I get to see another dawn".
Two bonus tracks complete the album. 'With You Till the End' is first. Ian Raposa is a guest vocalist on this straight up heavy rocker that is a love song: "When you love someone/You know it's better or for worse/From the rising sun/Until there's no more time on earth/I'm with you till the end/Cause I believe in love and what we've fallen in". Todd La Torre duets with Sweet on the heavy metal track 'Son of Man'. It's an end times song: "As lightning will come from the East/It's also so clear in the West/Will you take life at the feast/Or die and go down with the rest?/He's the Son of Man/Coming back again/Son of Man (3X)".
I would say that TEN is an all around success! If you like to crank up and/or work out to hard rock and heavy metal tunes there's lots to chew on here. Sweet's vocals are strong as ever. The lyrics make clear without a doubt, Sweet's Christian faith. He's not ashamed of being a believer. His faith is not just a theory. It's something he aims to live out on this earth. I'm rating TEN 90%. For more info visit www.michaelsweet.com and or connect with him on social media.