Well, well well… another turn around the inner workings of the Frehley musical mind! Ace is back, and ready to take us through his record collection again on the second volume of his Origins series…

Lita Ford and John 5 are back for the ride, reprising their supporting roles from Vol.1 (Lita almost steals the show on Jumpin’ Jack Flash here) and Cheap Trick‘s Robin Zander hops onboard the spaceship for a spirited (and surprisingly succesful) take on Humble Pie‘s 30 Days In The Hole, but really this collection is all about Ace and how he reacted as a young proto-rocker to his classic rock idols.

As a whole, Origins Vol. 2 feels slightly more cohesive than it’s predecessor, with the front half of the album taken up either by proper hard rockers or rocked-up classics (Ace really slays a souped-up take on The Beatles‘ I’m Down, for instance); this is undoubtedly a good move considering the audience this is being aimed at, with the Led Zeppelin and Mountain covers (Good Times Bad Times and Never In My Life respectively) both being given the Frehley treatment with enjoyable results.

Similarly his assault on Eric Clapton‘s Politician in the company of John 5 is a guitar-lovers dream, as the pair solo into oblivion at song’s end. But if you’re looking for Kiss songs in abundance, I’m afraid you’re outta luck, with only a bonus track – She – making the cut this time around. However one of Frehley’s successors in the Kiss lead guitar slot, Bruce Kulick, does show up on the stinging version of Jimi Hendrix‘ Manic Depression. The two men work together well, with Kulick grabbing the opportunity to shine with both hands come solo time.

Throw in the great version of Deep Purple‘s Space Truckin‘ that I’m pretty sure you’ll already have heard and what you have here is a pretty solid covers album indeed. As noted it feels heavier and more cohesive as a collection of songs, making it a more successful release overall than Vol.1… Does that mean we’ll get a Vol.3? I wouldn’t bet against it…

Origins Vol.2 releases on September 18th.