Any reference to Pride Tiger will ultimately jump back to Thin Lizzy, and truthfully, The Lucky Ones does resemble “The Boys Are Back in Town” 13 times over – especially third track “Fill Me In.” This creates a dilemma for Pride Tiger, a Canadian hard rock quartet with energy almost consistent to a fault; everyone loves a rockin’ power pop tune, but how many power pop songs can you stand before they start blending together into a long, repetitive rock block?

What Pride Tiger ultimately suffers from is an unwillingness to embrace variety; by the time “What It Is” begins, you start wondering if you’ve got previous track “Let ’em Go” on repeat. By the time you hit sixth track “The Lucky Ones,” you’re just plain tired.

But what works in their favor is the strange lack of irony with which they play. Falling somewhere between the introductory metal of the ’70s and the carefully planned (though admittedly fun) power pop of the ’80s, The Lucky Ones is chock-full of catchy hooks, indulgent guitar solos and reliable syncopated beats by vocalist/drummer Matt Wood, who – yes – sings somewhat with the fluidity of frontmen like Phil Lynott. And it’s completely believable.

Overly polished or commercial sounding? Check. Created more for groupies than fans of careful musicianship? Maybe so. But they can’t help the fact that they were born 30 years too late.

Grade: B

The Lucky Ones is currently available.