Heaven On Earth - the opening cut to this album will always have a special place in my heart. A few nights after my dear brother-in-law Andy Moulik succumbed to cancer, he came to me in a dream. I saw his kind face and sad eyes and he told me, “Jimmie, you don’t have to wait till you’re six feet under- you can have heaven on earth”. I then heard a series of chord changes and a melody far too good for me to have written alone. I shook myself out of sleep and I raced downstairs and grabbed my cassette recorder and sang all that I could remember. I went back to sleep and rested peacefully. The next day was spent with my Les Paul cranked though my Cruz amp figuring out just how the song should go. When I felt I had the words and music just right I called up the Pride of Lions band and laid it down in two takes. Everything just lined up as if Andy himself was conducting. When Toby did his vocals at his Integrity Studios in Evansville, Indiana, everyone in the control room know that this one was somehow special. And when my buddy Paul Braun suggested a choir on the breakdown chorus- I had to run with it. We performed the song live at Moraine Valley College on Oct 8th, 06 and it brought down the house. Thank you Andy for bringing heaven down to earth.

Book of Life - “Are you just a footnote- or will you rise to fill it’s pages- you were born to rock the ages- start a brand new chapter in the book of life”. This is the opening line to this song and the question I ask myself every day as I look into the morning mirror. All we have is this one shot to make a difference in the world- are we going to squander it or give it 150 %? I feel that we all have the potential to add a chapter in the book of life, no matter what your field of endeavor might be. The song starts out a cappella and goes through multiple key and feel changes as the song reaches it’s climax. The Pride of Lions band is running flat out on all fours and Toby is singing his heart out. Check out Mike Aquino’s burning leads near the end. This song pretty well characterizes the “Pride of Lions sound”.

Love’s Eternal Flame - One of my favorite songs on Too Hot To Sleep, Survivor’s 1988 album release, was a song I wrote with Frankie called “Desperate Dreams”. This song became the inspiration point for this track. It is a mid- tempo burner with Toby turning in one of his most passionate performances. He told me that as he was singing it he was imagining that he was living the story of the song. To me, love never dies- even when two people break up or are miles apart, even when someone dies- “there’s an arc bridging you and me- eternally”.

Language Of The Heart - When two people are in love, there seems to be a silent language between them- a wink, a nudge, a smile, a look- that communicates more than words ever could. “If only this world, could learn from you girl- finally there’d be love and understanding”. Often a woman can say it all is a silent glance. I wanted this song to have a ton of energy behind it- for it to be very “up” and motivational. If you can’t sit still during this one- then blame Mighty Ed Breckenfeld on the drums!

Let Me Let You Go - At the head of my record label Frontiers is a man named Serafino Perugino. He is the guy who kick- started my career back into action when he suggested I find an amazing singer and form a new band. That was the start of Pride of lions. I count on this guy for his belief in me but also for his judgment calls. He is the one that says yes or no to the material on our albums. He is also the man I most want to impress. I call him my muse because he inspires me to be my best (he won’t settle for less). So when he rejected two songs for this record, although I was initially bummed out, I realized that there must be some good thought behind his opinion. One of the songs he felt was too personal for a Pride Of lions album (it was about my two fathers- my actually father and my spiritual father.) He asked me to save it for a future solo album- fair enough. The second song- he just flat out did not care for and felt it had no relevance to the heritage of Survivor or Pride Of Lions. I eventually agreed. Now I had to write their replacements. Let Me Let You Go was written at our cottage in Saugatuck Michigan. Whenever I  need an extra dose of inspiration this is where I go. It’s a lucky house- I wrote “Sound Of Home”, “Come Dancing” there and many more. Well a few weeks ago I focused hard and came up with this one. You may hear echoes of a few songs of mine from the past- it is very signature. The theme is simple- if you don’t want all of me-  you can’t have any of me- don’t come around here making it impossible for me to move on- “let me let you go”. (by the way, this has become one of Serafino’s favorites!).

Faithful Heart - Often a song of mine will hang around until the time is just right for it to be totally finished and to come into fruition. I wrote this one to be the main ballad for Survivor’s “When Seconds Count” album back in ’86. Ron Nevison even cut a rough demo version of it with Jimi Jamison singing. For some reason, a final version was never cut and the song collected dust in my basement for 20 years. I recently came across the song and found some flaws in it that perhaps held it back all those years ago- some of the lyrics were not strong and the bridge was lame. With the wisdom of those 20 interceding years I re- wrote the song and brought it up to it’s current status. Toby turned in an amazing performance on this one- the theme that anyone- even the faithful heart- fights temptation each and every day- is a message that may resonate with you.

Defying Gravity - This is the very last song written for this record. We found a fast tempo for it in the studio- then we kicked it up a few notches- it’s damn fast. We are trying to show what it is like being lighter than air- flying above it your troubles and “Defying Gravity”.

The Roaring Of Dreams - This is the first brand new song I wrote for this album back in June, 06 and appropriately it has become the title track. One morning when I was on the road, an extremely loud wake up call jarred me out of my peaceful slumber. I was in the middle of vivid dream and suddenly I was catapulted into reality. The sound in my head- still lingering from the dream- sounded like a roar. So many times we can dream events that we would never dare to try in real life- that’s a dream’s magic. I think many of us design our future plans in dreams- both at night while asleep and during the day- fully awake. This song presents three scenarios: in the first verse we see a young man who is working a dead- end job, fully aware that his boss is an idiot. The only thing that keeps him sane is “the roaring of dreams in his head” that tells him that better things are in store for him in the future if he can only hold on. In verse two we look in on a woman who is in a loveless relationship. She and her spouse are merely going through the motions. In the roar of her dreams she sees the romance of what real love can and will be again. “From her balcony- love’s serenade” keeps her hopeful and holding on for something better to come. Finally in the last section of the song we see a baby lying peacefully in his cradle. Somehow we can imagine the thoughts forming in his head- and the impact he will someday have on the world he has inherited.

Secret of the Way - This song is all about the vibe of the track. The lyrics are simple- “I bet you took an oath of silence when you were just a little girl- your mother said to keep your secrets, doncha share ‘em with the world”. It’s the mystique of a woman- the stuff that makes her so different from us crude men that creates the intrigue. My goal was to find the chord changes, melody and mood to mirror the magic of a woman. Whaddya think?

Astonish You - Often songs come to me at the weirdest times. I was waiting for a performance in the back of a limousine (there was no dressing room at the club we were playing!) when this melody came out of the blue. I had recently been thinking about my wife of 34 years, Karen and how she is always blowing my mind with her ideas, her enthusiasm for life and how she still looks as good as the day I met her back in 1968. I said to myself that it is my goal to astonish her like she astonishes me. I decided to make this the theme of the melody that was now running through my head. Well, fast forward to now- I just played Karen the final mix of the song- guess what- it astonished her! Some stories have astonishing endings.

Tall Ships - This is another song that Karen’s brother Andy inspired. Although he was hanging on to life in a coma state in early August, Karen and I heard that the Tall Ships exhibit was coming to Chicago and did not want to miss it. However we were concerned that Andy could pass at anytime. It was a sunny, picture perfect Chicago day and we decided to take a chance. The 20 or more ships that moored at the harbor were magnificent- all totally restored and some dating back to the War of 1812. Everything went perfect and we ended the day with a cruise on The Windy II tall ship and an amazing dinner overlooking the lake. We now call it the day the Andy designed because the next day after he was given last rites and we had all circled around his bed, he gave his last breath. A few days later as I reflected on that day downtown, the lyrics to Tall Ships started to develop. “Baby we’re all tall ships- adrift on the raging sea- trying to find some calm beyond the storm and live strong and free.” I feel that Andy was guiding this one. Pride of Lions uses for the first time the French horn played by Greg Flint to give it the atmosphere of a sea chantey.

Turnaround -  This song is about long- time lovers whose lives are turned upside down when the woman enters an affair with another man. It is the oldest of tales, for sure, and the fodder for countless songs. In this one, her longtime partner is trying to talk some sense to her- he has heard the reputation of this “other man” and knows that he is a phony and really doesn’t care about her. “He’s rehearsed those lies till they sound true to a thousand others just like you”. Yet he understands the lure of something new, intriguing and risky. “Now and then we’ve all gone crazy and traded love for a thrill that couldn’t last”. Our man is trying to convince his wandering lover to “turnaround and see the one who loves you, I place no one above you, it’s not too late to turn, turn around”. Whether you have been through a situation like this or not, I’m sure you know someone who has. At any rate perhaps you can relate to the man’s frustration and passion. Musically this song goes through a myriad of key modulations and ends with a guitar dual between Mike Aquino and myself. This finally de- cresciendos to Chistian Cullen’s poignant lone piano playing the main theme of the song.