Fortune 410

Donnie Iris is one of the classiest rock singers who deserved widespread stardom but never achieved it. At least the public and the radio had the good sense to embrace early-'80s hits "Ah! Leah!" and "Love Is Like a Rock." Iris and his solid backing band the Cruisers -- keyboardist/producer Mark Avsec, guitarist Marty Lee, bass guitarist Albritton McClain, and drummer Kevin Valentine -- maintained their high level of power pop and rock & roll quality on 1983's Fortune 410. Fortune 410 does sound very much like a product of the 1980s due to tinges of new wave, particularly in Avsec's keyboard work. The perky "Human Evolution" has a bopping new wave beat; it's Devo-like, only with a better grasp of melody. Iris displays his wide vocal range on "Stagedoor Johnny." "Cry If You Want To" rolls along with a fine chorus in addition to McClain's infectiously supple basslines and Lee's biting solo. Avsec's fast, sputtering synthesizer and Lee's gunfire-like fills propel "I Belong," but in some places it's hard to tell if Valentine is playing or if a drum machine is used. "She's So European" is fun, hyperactive pop/rock. During Donnie Iris and the Cruisers' 1980s prime, Avsec and Iris generally co-wrote the songs, although there was occasional input from the others. That's what makes the infectiously quirky, McClain-penned "Never Did I" such a pleasant surprise. Fortune 410 closes with the astonishingly powerful and tuneful "Do You Compute?" As a single it reached the Top 60, but it deserved a much better fate. Avsec's sustained synthesizer chords and McClain's driving bass set the foundation for Lee's resonant, thundering power chords and Iris' unbelievable vocals. The chorus is amazing, and so are Iris' falsetto screams. Sadly, Fortune 410 hadn't been reissued on CD as of 2000. ~ Bret Adams