Konstantin "Koha" Shustarev, Nikolai Yegerev, Dmitry Losev, Valeriy Sadakov, Andrey Kruglov and Vicktor Drobysh make up the Russian rock band Pushking. While they are far from a household name in America they have had a long and successful career behind the Iron Curtain. A few years ago they began attempting to wake up the West with their style of melodic hard rock by singing in English.

When America decided to hit snooze and get few more Z’s, Pushking decided to up the anti and record an album with so many “A List” guests that the land of the free and the home of the brave could not help but notice.

Joining the six Ruskies on this release are Billy Gibbons, Alice Cooper, John Lawton, Paul Stanley, Graham Bonnet, Glenn Hughes, Jeff Scott Soto, Eric Martin, Udo Dirkschneider, Dan McCafferty, Joe Lynn Turner, Jorn Lande, Nuno Bettencourt, Keri Kelli, Steve Stevens, Stevie Salas, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Matt Filippini and Steve Lukather.

Now that I have your attention I can tell you that such an undertaking is difficult and this was a laborious project that truly can be called a labor of love. For the most part, Pushking did it right. “Nightrider” with Rev. Gibbons and “Troubled Love” with Alice Cooper are out of sight and will unite the East and West rock fans in a way never before seen. Hearing Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty belt out the ballad “I Love You” makes this one worth the price of a download.

Pushking harkens back to the day when the more you listened to a band’s music the more it grew on you and the subtler nuances you noticed. At the end of the day, it is a good album yet not a great one. For rockers who dig turning their friends onto new bands then this will be right up your alley.