by Alex HendersonKnown for their spirited remakes of soul classics, Little Caesar made some noteworthy contributions to the hard rock scene of the late 1980s and early '90s. This gritty, Bob Rock-produced CD, which draws on influences ranging from Aerosmith to Edgar Winter, may not be the most innovative recording of 1989, but it's honest and consistently satisfying. On "I Wish It Would Rain" (a Motown song recorded by both the Temptations and Gladys Knight & the Pips) and Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," the unpretentious band shows how well these '60s soul pearls can work in a rock setting. And Caesar sounds just as inspired on hard-driving originals like "Wrong Side of the Tracks," "Rock-N-Roll State of Mind," and the working man's lament "Hard Times."