Melodic hard rock has had its time.  There’s no denying that it still lives and, to some degree, thrives but its glory days are long, long gone.  Its current state isn’t helped by fast-buck-making labels and a certain sort of purist fan that simply won’t allow any of these artists to move away from a hackneyed, formulaic sound.  So, new releases from bands that have been plying their trade for thirty years more often fill me with a sense of sorrow than a sense of joy.  Not so with the latest Riverdogs album, California.  This is a record that might just be too good for the classic rock fraternity to properly deserve.