Cold Sweat: ‘Break Out’

COLD SWEAT
BREAK OUT
Released on August 25, 1990 (MCA Records); reissued on October 26, 2018 (20th Century Music)

Review:
When Keel disbanded in 1987, guitarist Marc Ferrari assembled a new band, Cold Sweat, which initially featured singer Oni Logan who quickly bailed to join George Lynch in Lynch Mob. While things worked out for Logan, Ferrari was left without a singer. He eventually snatched singer Rory Cathey out of obscurity to front the group. The band is named after a Thin Lizzy song and a Thin Lizzy album, but is far from a Thin Lizzyesque band. Cold Sweat is a flashy, predictable kind of band that you’d expect to hear at the tail end of the ’80s.

Cold Sweat released Break Out on MCA Records, which wasn’t known as a ‘rock friendly’ label. The band received moderate airplay on the satellite station Z-Rock and select markets. Cold Sweat landed a slot opening for Dio performing to a handful of people night after night. The group shot a video for the most commercial song on the album — “Let’s Make Love Tonight.” While that single garnered some interest in the band, the album was nowhere to be found in record stores because MCA Records had dropped the band! Ferrari and company called it a day. Ferrari went on to form Medicine Wheel, but when that disbanded, he went on to score music for television.

This brings us to the reissue of Break Out by 20th Century Music. It’s a straight reissue. The album sonically is thin, much like the original release. Although the Break Out reissue is advertised as a remastered version, it doesn’t sound like it was remastered. There’s some additional liners that give a background on the band’s inception and implosion. I recall picking up the cassette of Break Out, when I heard “Cryin’ Shame” on Z-Rock in 1990. I recall the album being a lot better than it really is. Aside from “Cryin’ Shame,” “Killing Floor” and “Four On The Floor” which could have been a classic Keel holdover, there’s not much here. The rest of the album is ‘run of the mill’ and the cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want To Make Love To You” is as cringe worthy as you might imagine. Time hasn’t been kind to Cold Sweat and now I see why Oni Logan bolted the first chance he got. I can’t blame him in the least.

Track List:
01. Four On The Floor
02. Cryin’ Shame
03. Lovestruck
04. Waiting In Vain
05. Take This Heart Of Mine
06. Killing Floor
07. Riviera/Long Way Down
08. Let’s Make Love Tonight
09. Fistful Of Money
10. Jump The Gun
11. I Just Want To Make Love To You

Band Members:
Marc Ferrari – guitars, backing vocals
Erik Gamans – guitars, backing vocals
Rory Cathey – lead and backing vocals
Chris McLernon – bass, backing vocals
Anthony White – drums, backing vocals

Production:
Produced by Kevin Beamish
Mixed by Kevin Beamish and Kevin Elson

Band Website:
Facebook

Reviewed by Ruben Mosqueda for Sleaze Roxx, January 2019

Cold Sweat‘s “Let’s Make Love Tonight” video:

Cold Sweat – Let’s Make Love Tonight

Music video by Cold Sweat performing Let’s Make Love Tonight. (C) 1990 Geffen Records