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Latest Review Summary
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| Def Leppard Songs From The Sparkle Lounge | Universal |
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There is a phenomenon one must first overcome before reviewing any Def Leppard release. It is a two-pronged affliction - first there is the pre-album “Euphoria” that one experiences – a result of excessive happiness due to the fact an album is actually being released. Then there is the post-album “Hysteria” that comes from the initial playback of the new album. Such emotions caused by the end of multi-year wait for new music can at times cloud judgment of the new music on offer can lead people to be more complimentary than they otherwise would a few months down the track. This phenomenon is not unique to Def Leppard fans, but with albums consistently years apart, it is a common feeling I know fans suffer from and will relate to. So with this in mind, I have been giving this album a thorough workout for nearly 2 weeks now. Yes, I got an advance copy a week before it was released. I don't like to rush out reviews for the sake of getting them done on time and in past cases I have had a lot of listening time to judge records before posting a verdict. Both X and Yeah! were with me a while before reviewing – in the case of the latter, I think we've covered that saga beyond all necessary boundaries. I have lived with this album for a shorter period than those 2 albums, but I am confident that after a couple of weeks of absolute hammering, I know this album inside out and feel comfortable with the final verdict. What makes this album easier to review, is the fact that there really isn't that much to it. Not compared with past albums at least. No 70 minutes to get to know or 13 or 14 tracks to absorb and no multi-layered intense production to tend with. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is a simple, stripped back 11 song, 40 minute affair that is pretty much memorized after a dozen listens. There is an interesting contrast between two iconic British rock acts both releasing new albums at the same time after a several year wait for new material. Whitesnake has decided to use their classic sound to the best of their abilities, mixing the best elements of their past history. Def Leppard on the other hand have decided to continue on the stripped back 70s glam influenced path that they started out on with Yeah!, mixing things up a little more for this album of all new studio material. Yes, the band rocks harder than they have for sometime, but I'm not sure it is as memorable. I think this album is a good fun record – much the same vibe as was intended with Yeah!, but at the end of the day also I think this album lacks a true direction. The style is varied, but I don't think the album goes far enough in any one direction, it just hovers in between. Take a look at the first three tracks - you have Slang, Euphoria and Yeah! all represented. It sends a confusing message to fans. In the past when the band has experimented, it has alienated some fans and caused considerable debate, yet those two record where experimentation was most obvious (Slang and X) remain strong favorites to many and to this day hold up as well as anything else in the band's catalogue. Personally speaking I'll play Slang and X over Euphoria and Adrenalize any day of the week. X was heavily criticized by some for being too soft, but you have to give immense credit to the band for being so focused on that recording and the songs within. It remains a travesty that a larger section of the public weren't made aware of that album. Even on Yeah! – as much as I dislike the majority of the record – the band was at least focused on a set direction. I don't get that same feeling here. Track By Track: It's always best to kick off any album with a little gusto and Go does just that. This heavy rocker has an almost industrial feel to it at times, a modern vibe that throws the listener back to the days of Slang, complete with loops and production effects that give this track the feel of Rocket for the 21st Century. Nine Lives is the most openly commercial Def Leppard sounding track on the whole album and therefore an obvious choice as lead single. It could easy fit on Euphoria and is the song that best represents the band's classic sound. The use of Tim McGraw in the mix doesn't bother me at all – his role is minimal. I do feel sorry for the guys being accused of following Bon Jovi, when this idea was probably hatched way before JBJ headed to Nashville. It's just that the wheels move slowly in the DL camp. C'Mon C'Mon is about as simple as any song gets. This is straight out of the Yeah! songbook, with the band following that album's 70s rock tribute, with an original of their own. A pounding beat and a simple rabble raising chorus should see this as an easy fit in the band's live set. It's a mood song…sometimes I'm in the mood for it, sometimes not. Love is the album's only ballad and that I think is a good move. And credit to the band, for their ballads have managed to stand out as something different each time. Each record Bon Jovi releases you get the same couple of ballads you have heard before and simply don't need again, but both this song and Long Long Way To Go stand out as very original ballads. Now Love is original in the sense that Def Leppard haven't recorded a ballad like this before, but not quite so original in that the sound and influences mirrors that of band favourite's Queen – another act the guys respect immensely and another sign that Songs From The Sparkle Lounge continues to mirror the influences of the Yeah! record. I like the overblown mid-song passage and I like the guitar solo and I especially like Joe Elliott's vocal here. He makes this song work. But this song typifies the overall feel of this album - there could have been more. I would have taken artistic license and gone right over the top with this song and blown it out past 7 or 8 minutes. Tomorrow continues the loose, raw and glam-ish vibe. This happy go lucky pop rocker has that distinct Def Leppard sound, yet with poppier influences and a sound that mixes Euphoria, X and Yeah! Same too with Cruise Control – another very 70s sounding rocker that to me mixes the modern rock sound of Slang with X during the verse, then converts to Yeah! style during the chorus. The chorus is fairly restrained, but a melodic verse and additional bridge add weight to the song, but at the end of the day – it's not memorable enough for me. Hallucinate sounds promising to start, with a nice hard edge riff kicking things off. Then it's back to the raw, stripped back style of production. This sounds like a rougher, rawer version of a song that could have been included on X, had it been further polished up. It's a likable song, and features another nice guitar solo in there, but perhaps is a little underdone. Only The Good Die Young is an interesting song. I like the Elliott vocal that kicks off the verse – a nice hook and lyrically it sounds like a carry on from the same subject that influenced Photograph all those years ago. A happy sounding mid-tempo pop/rocker with a strong, but simple chorus and more traditional DL sound. Bad Actress will surely be the most talked about rocker of this whole album – completely infectious and hard not to love. Again, it is very stripped back in comparison with past albums and another blatant “tribute” to the glam rock acts of the 70s. Hard not to love this one though, with the tempo sweeping you up and dragging you along for the ride. Dodgy lyrics aside, it's a lot of fun. Come Undone is a solid enough rock track, but at the end of the day it doesn't do a lot for me personally. I'm not feeling the chorus and it just seems to be lacking direction. Gotta Let It Go is much better. This is one of my favourite songs on the album, even if this time they did borrow from Bon Jovi (the Have A Nice Day riff anyone?) I like the modern influence and I like the added aggression of the song. Something that is missing from the rest of the album – true attitude!
Songs From The Sparkle Lounge does sparkle at times, but overall it lacks the spark and direction seen on previous Def Leppard albums. It is a bit of fun to listen to, but I don't see a serious depth to the songwriting. The record is quite likeable, but I truly exepect opinions to be quite varied in both negative and positive directions. I thought it may have been wise for the band to do something akin to what Whitesnake have done, and that is concentrate on appealing to their core audience and deliver an album based on days past. Maybe the band doesn't want to listen to calls for Pyromania 2 or Hysteria 2, but those calls remain and they won't go away. This album is just a little too varied in direction, but the bulk of the songs sound almost like a reaction against the longer, polished and more intense X record. Short, simple and instantly catchy are all fair comments, but I like my Def Leppard music to have more depth and take time to get to know it. I played X for months, even more so than Euphoria, but this album I know off by heart already and I think I'll be ready to move on from it within weeks. Still a respectable score, but this ranks behind most other DL albums for me. It is far superior to Yeah! though...and it is nice to hear new material at last, but I did expect more from one of the icons of the industry. And I hate to imagine when we might all hear the next studio album from the band...
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| Whitesnake Good To Be Bad | SPV |
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The return of a classic band always brings huge expectations, but more often than not, the end result is something short of fan expectation. On the odd occasion, the band manages to exceed expectations and I believe Whitesnake has done just that. I have talked before about what inspiration or influence lies behind a band delivering a great album. I guess having knowledge of what made the band great in the first place and a desire to revisit one's best are the two main prerequisites. David Coverdale has spent the last few years touring with his latest band line-up – yet another chapter in the evolving story of Whitesnake. The band is as tight and as ready as they are ever going to be and that translates into the recording here. While the line-up features the dual guitar attack of Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, the absolute star of this album is Doug Aldrich. His writing partnership with David Coverdale has reaped rich rewards for fans. What I find most fascinating about this album, is that the duo have brought the very best out of each other and Good To Be Bad represents a broad cross section of all the previous Whitesnake incarnations. I and I think a number of other fans have been taken by surprise at the ferocity of this album after the relatively lackluster new studio tracks added to the live release from 2006 and Coverdale's increasingly mellow output in recent years. The simply massive production delivers a wall of sound and in your face guitars reminiscent of the band's biggest selling album ever – Whitesnake (1987); but not to be outdone, Doug's bluesy riffs and David's warm and raspy vocal brings back memories of Slide It In and even 70's 'Snake. Then you have the biggest surprise of all for me – a huge nod of the head to the Coverdale Page album, with some very tasty slices of Page-esque Zeppelin riffing spread amongst the album. Drummer Chris Frasier makes an immediate impact in the band with a powerhouse performance and bassist Uriah Duffy simply hammers that rhythm section home. Sonically bombastic and pompous in all its glory, the opening hard rocker Best Years blasts through the speakers like no other Whitesnake album has opened since 1987. Filled with thumping basslines, wailing guitar solos and a Coverdale vocal unrivaled since Coverdale Page, this really kicks off the album fine style. Can You Hear The Wind Blow is similarly in your face and establishes a fresh sound for the band today. All For Love and A Fool In Love further carve out the new band's sound in a hard rocking way. As mentioned, there are a few tracks that head back to the Coverdale Page / Zeppelin influenced sound and Call On Me is the first track to do that. The title track Good To Be Bad even more so (do I hear a little Slow & Easy in there too?). It has a real Zeppelin feel to it and the guitar work is simply fantastic. Lay Down Your Love is the most obvious of all the Zeppelinesque tracks, but when it is done so well, who is to argue? All I Want All I Need is the first ballad of the album and again is one of the best ballads from Coverdale in years. The other ballads both offer different textures. Summer Rain is smooth, acoustic and sultry, while Til The End Of Time is darker. Got What You Need is a frantic hard rocker that defies the age of vocalist Coverdale, with a truly energetic blast. Coverdale's voice may not quite be what it was, but the job of any band in the studio is to produce the very best sounding record possible and on Good To Be Bad, Coverdale sounds better than he has in years. How these vocals were achieved is irrelevant, the fact is they have been delivered and sound great - even if a little raspier and a little lower in register.
Doug's bluesy hard rock injection is a shot in the arm for this band and a perfect match it seems. I can't see too many fans being disappointed with this release.
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| Brother Firetribe Heart Full Of Fire | Spinefarm |
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Sometimes, something a little special comes along for fans of a bygone era. Finland's Brother Firetribe have really pulled out all the stops to deliver an album of glorious keyboard filled AOR that sounds more American in places than many American bands sound these days. There isn't a note I don't like on this album and I find myself swept up into the rush of passionate songs and over the top harmonies every time I out it on. A great album pulls the listener in and I simply cannot listen to this without the desire to sing along with every track. The band has evolved since their debut album False Metal (now repacked and re-released as Break Out). That was a cracking debut, but this album has more of everything. More keyboards, more guitars, more hooks, more vocals and more energy. I think that last one of the key – more energy. The songs just burst through the speakers and beat your ears with the melodicbat. The debut was great, but I found myself favouring singer Pekka Ansio's other band Leverage over that release. But this is just pure melodic magic and of the 2 Leverage and 2 BFT releases, I now have a clear favourite. I think the band have found their groove and refined their sound. This time around the songs pull you in thanks to some wonderful chorus hooks and equally good verses, which provide great contrast to the soaring choruses. I know this style of record will not be for everyone, but the 80s influence and keyboard drenched sound, coupled with layers of guitars and harmony vocals and songs that remind me of the glory days are enough to make this one of the best albums of the last few years – for me. There are two sides to this record – but both blend perfectly together. There is the more dramatic and powerful side of the coin, which comes from the band's European influences and that heavy synth and somewhat symphonic approach Finnish bands have. The opening rocker Who Will You Run To Now is a prime example, adding an instantly likeable chorus and a powerful vocal to top things off. The darker and moodier Game They Call Love fits this mold as does the pounding title track Heart Full Of Fire, which features a duet lead vocal with Nightwish's Anette Olsen and so many swirling keyboards. The rocking Going Out With A Bang; the darker Out Of My Head and the closing big beat stomper I Am Rock are all part of this dramatic side to the band. On the other side of the coin is something a little lighter – a great contrast to the darker moments – and that is some wonderfully commercial keyboard driven pop rock. There is no better example on this album or perhaps anywhere than the glorious and engaging Wildest Dreams, which will be hard to beat for song of the year. This is what it is all about for me – passion, emotion and a chorus from heaven. And while you spend 3 second bemoaning the end of this melodic gem, another fires up and drags you into its own world. Runaways is keyboard heaven circa 1985 and Pekka's raspy vocal is blissful. And yes…another chorus from AOR Heaven. The album's big ballad is Play It From The Heart - a European sounding affair, moody and compelling and another great chorus. Heard It On My Radio is a track Gregg Giuffria would be proud to call his own. I haven't heard such fluffy keyboards since Giuffria's Silk & Steel. And the cover of Chasing The Angels would make Mike Reno proud. More AOR glory.
What I will say is that if you are a die-hard Giuffria fan or just long for the days of classic keyboard filled AOR, then the sequel to Silk & Steel has finally been released and it is called Heart Full Of Fire.
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| Magnum Wings Of Heaven Live | SPV |
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Wings Of Heaven Live is a fitting tribute to the 1988 namesake album. Long heralded as not only one of Magnum's best ever records, Wings Of Heaven also stands as one of Britain's best melodic rock moments. This 2CD set comprises the entire live show that toured the UK in late 2007 in celebration of the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the classic album (now upon us). The new set list includes the full Wings Of Heaven album played in full as part 2 of the show and an opening set leaning heavily on the band's last studio album Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow, interspersed with a few classic Magnum tracks like the iconic Kingdom Of Madness, How Far Jerusalem and All England Eyes, plus album favourites Back Street Kid and Vigilante. I wasn't sold on the last album, but in this setting the songs take on a little extra life and sound more at home amongst the better known numbers. It is an enthusiastic performance by the band, who after a few years back together seem to be hitting their stride in a live environment. It is the Wings Of Heaven album that draws us here and the performance of that is fantastic - how cool to hear songs like Don't Wake The Lion, Wild Swan and One Step Away alongside more regularly played anthems Days Of No Trust, It Must Have Been Love and Pray For The Day. Brilliant for Magnum fans. As with all recent Magnum releases, no matter what positives, there is always a 'but…' And the 'but…' with this release is the decision to remove crowd noise between tracks? I just don't understand that. The drop-outs between songs simply kill the atmosphere and cuts the flow of the album – especially during the in-sequence Wings Of Heaven set. I can understand the need to cut conversations between Bob Catley and the crowd out to fit the set onto a CD, but there is space left over here and why not at least leave the audience cheer in between tracks?? Strange stuff indeed.
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| Overdrive Let The Metal Do The Talking | Lion Music LMC223 |
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Metal in your face! Time for some old-school 80s power metal thanks to Sweden's Overdrive, back together with original members of guitar duo Janne Stark (Locomotive Breath, Mountain Of Power) and Kiell Jacobsson, bassist Kenth Eriksson and drummer Kenta Svensson. The new vocalist is Per “PerilOz” Karlsson who has a fine set of lungs on him. This is classic Priest/Maiden style old-school metal, with enough riffs to keep Yngwie fans happy and enough squealing to keep Impellitteri in business for years to come. The most noticeable thing about this release to me – after the onslaught of furious guitar riffs – is the overall wall of sound. The production is crisp and clean and full. It really helps put these songs in the best possible light. Tracks like Let The Metal Do The Talking, Army Of Darkness and Chasing Highways offer a high-octane rush of guitars and intense vocals that will keep metal fans in raptures. Then there is tracks like Fight To The Finish, Bring Me To Submission, Deceived and Gravy Train pull it back a little and rely more on song structure and some melodies to deliver the goods. The album seems equally split between the two approaches and that's perhaps what makes it work so well. Reincarnation is an intense melodic metal track that features a guest vocal from Italian rocker Chris Catena. It's probably the heaviest I have heard him sing and is an interesting track.
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| StoneLake Uncharted Souls | UMP Sweden |
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StoneLake is a good album to review after Overdrive, as it is another over the top Swedish melodic metal album and in many ways a nice companion to Overdrive, especially for fans of the genre. This is the band's fourth album and singer Peter Grundstrom is still one of the more original sounding guys out there. He has a voice that isn't for everyone – a mix of Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson, with a raspier edge and capable of going even higher if the need dictates. On Uncharted Souls I think Peter holds it in a little more, as the last album suffered a little due to the constant high-pitch delivery. Here is spends more time in a middle-range and saves those high notes for the chorus or impact points within a song. The guitar playing of Jan Akesson is a brutal and as ferocious as ever and the album's production is again a credit to all involved. Favourite songs include the opening straight ahead metal of Uncharted Souls; the over the top (Tonight) You're Beyond The Shadows, which showcases a more melodic side; the acoustic ballad Glory Days; and the brutal riffing of Don't Leave Me Behind, which although heavy as, still contains a good melody, especially in the vocal and accompanying keyboards. Eyes Of The World is another heavy rocker with melody and Saint Or Evil is a big power metal ballad.
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| Alibi Voice Of Reason | Z Records ZR0497134 |
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I've had a lot to say about Alibi in the past and particularly guitarist Vince O'Regan's production talents and the new Alibi isn't much different. Of the debut I praised the songwriting as classy, traditional British AOR. There really were some catchy moments on the album, but it was barely listenable due to a horrid tinny production. Label Escape Music wasn't interested in releasing the follow-up, but Z Records stepped in instead. And again, the band have managed to write a section of likeable tunes that fans of British melodic rock will enjoy. Vocalist Rick Chase has warm and appealing voice and his tone is perfect for this style of music. And again, the guitar playing of Vince is not in question – he calves out some good riffs and some memorable solos. Hold On opens the album strongly in the same vein as the debut – featuring an equal mix of keyboard and guitars. Just Another Day has a certain urgency and a very good chorus that makes it an album highlight; and The Longest Day is a good ballad that you could almost picture Bob Catley singing. Need You Tonight is a little familiar, but still likeable; Tears Of The Innocent is a good moody ballad and Fire In The Sky is another classic Catley track if I ever heard one. Sadly the downside is again that tinny production. Vince's trademark guitar sound coupled with a really annoying keyboard sound just destroy any bottom end the album might have, with the rhythm section playing little part in the overall sound.
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| Bryan Adams 11 | Universal (EU, JP, AU) / WalMart (US) |
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Well, at the end of the day this isn't as bad as I first thought, but it still falls way short of expectations and even further short of my ideal Bryan Adams album. I guess fans have to be resigned to the fact that the days of Reckless, Into The Fire, Cuts Like A Knife and even Waking Up The Neighbors are so far gone, they ain't ever coming back. Once you get past that mindset and accept that Bryan Adams 2008 is a crooning balladeer, you can sit back and take in 11 for what it is – a selection of laid back pop ballads and mid-tempo adult contemporary tracks. There are a few songs here that hint at the brilliance of the songwriter responsible for so many past gems, but at the same time, there are equal number of absolute snoozers that simply don't rate at all. The biggest issue I have is the fact that Bryan recorded the last 2 albums while on tour, with his portable hotel room studio set up. Writing and demoing on the road sounds like a good idea, but why not do it with the full band and then head into the studio when ready? The way this is being done - everything is just so laid back – and I don't see the method of recording conducive to anything else. Why Bryan doesn't utilize that kick-ass band of his and get his ass into a real studio is beyond me. He just needs to kick some life into his music, which is suffering from the slow tempo blues. Track By Track: Tonight We Have The Stars and I Thought I'd Seen Everything are both decent mature mid-tempo pop/rockers, but to kick off the album at this pace suggests that its only downhill from here. I Ain't Losin' The Fight hints at the past with a more familiar edge to the guitar sound, but the lackluster pace and average chorus kill off any chance of greatness. Oxygen is ok and likeable enough for recent era Adams material. The best material is stacked towards the front of the album as it just about ends here. We Found What We Were Looking For is a boring mid-tempo ballad that doesn't do anything for me whatsoever. More mellowness with Broken Wings, which has a soulful edge and an ok chorus, but just falls flat. If only he got himself and his band into a proper studio, perhaps some of the edge could return. Somethin' To Believe In is another laid back track that has a pleasant enough chorus, but is just something I don't need or want again from Adams. I have it already. Mysterious Ways is slow, boring and without a decent chorus hook. She's Got A Way features some nice guitar work and a better chorus, but the laid back vibe is lost in amongst all the other laid back tracks. Flower Grown Wild has a country tinge to the song and again, is something I just don't need or want from Adams. A solid chorus lifts the song, but a rockier direction might have made this track a winner. The subtle and acoustic Walk On By is actually quite brilliant with it's sparse musical arrangement, but again, the impact is lost amongst a collection of similarly paced slow ballads.
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| Vertigo Takes Me Back | Renegade Sounds |
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From the Canadian office of Renegade Sounds comes another lost treasure. Vertigo stay true to the formula of Renegade's past releases in that the 80s recording sounds a little dated now and the production is as good as it could be – but the songs and the style bring back good memories of that golden age. Freedom is a real gem of a 80s melodic rocker. Go All The Way is a little cheesy for me, but Takes Me Back is a cool Bryan Adams style early 80s pop rocker. The drum sound makes things more dated than they could have been and the variable production overall is a downside. But if you have enjoyed the Renegade output thus far, this is another release that will sit alongside those others without a problem. |
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Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Fresh Out Of Georgie, Live Like A Satellite |
Secret Records CRIDE82 |
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This double live album from the former Georgia Satellites frontman was recorded in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the intimate JB's venue in the UK. The 21 track set comprises of all the tracks you'd expect to hear and some album favourites. This is as raw as it gets – the recording is a straightforward capture of the night's performance – a good recording quality and balanced mix. The performance is good also – nice and raw and just how I like my live records, spontaneous and as it happened, complete with the odd bum note and some raspy vocals. Dan sounds a little raspier now than when I saw him some 15 years ago, but that's to be expected. Special guests The Quireboys join Dan for the last 3 tracks of the night and overall I would recommend this to fans of Dan, but that's about it. |
| Alliance Road To Heaven | Escape Music ESM168 |
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Two CDs have barely left my playlist in the last 6 weeks. Brother Firetribe is one of them, Alliance is the other. It is so pleasing to get an album of this quality to feature on the site. There are great albums and then there are finely crafted works of art. This is a masterpiece! That said, Road To Heaven is an album with a subtle style and not as immediate as some releases. But therein lies the beauty…the songs work their magic each additional listen to the point where every track is considered essential. The band has recorded two albums previously and I wasn't sure we'd ever get a third. The line up of Robert Berry (Solo, 3, Hush), Gary Pihl (Boston, Sammy Hagar), David Lauser (Sammy Hagar) and Alan Fitzgerald (Night Ranger, Sammy Hagar) are all busy guys, so it is so cool to see that they have made time for this band again. I listen to all these guys individually, so it is so cool to have them on record together again. And after several years apart, they have all brought their A-Game and made this the best album of the three to date. As you would expect from these guys, there isn't a note out of place on this album and the songs featured are just perfect. This is American major label classic melodic rock at its very best. Classic in that it captures the best of what the 80s were about, yet it is not dated or even obviously retro. It is just classic rock. The song Road To Heaven is a brilliant opener and one of my favourite songs of the year to date. A killer chorus that isn't over the top, yet instantly memorable nevertheless. Further feel-good rockers appear in the form of Anything Goes, Comin' Home and the awesome Remember Those Days. The band delivers moody melodic rock like no other and I Can Breathe is another perfect example. Broken Glass is another fine example, as is the Foreigner styled Walkin' Away. Ballads are also featured and the raw emotional vocal on Make A Stand is hard to ignore. The song builds into a great power ballad. To further highlight another couple of songs, the emotion powered melodic rock anthem Nothin' Else I Can Do is utterly brilliant and the guys rock out on Not Done Till It's Done, which is another piece of melodic bliss. The guys close with the fast moving Much More Innocent, which features some classic Boston style organ and great lead vocal.
Those with the first two Alliance albums will undoubtedly find a new classic here and if this is your first Alliance album, the other two are available with bonus tracks as a digipack package from Escape Music. This is the kind of music that sums up what MelodicRock.com is all about.
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| Asia Phoenix | Frontiers Records FRCD370 |
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Asia return in full pomp and ceremony for their first release under the original line-up in many a year. I was quite a fan of the Payne lead band, so that was disappointing to see that go south, but when any band's classic line-up returns, it is hard to argue with that. This – as expected – is a perfectly produced and well thought out release, returning to the band's classic sound, lead by vocalist John Wetton, who sounds in fine form after recent health issues. Asia's return was always going to happen once Wetton joined forces with Geoff Downes in Wetton Downes and I see this release as an extension of those releases, mixed with the band's early records. There are attempts to recreate that glorious pomp sound as best demonstrated by the opening AOR anthem Never Again and the inspired closing pop sounds of An Extraordinary Life. In between we get soulful ballads, extended instrumental passages, a couple of progressive left turns and more classic Asia pomp. Nothing's Forever is another fine pop song as is the eternally happy sounding Alibis. Shadow Of A Doubt is another highlight and a throw back to the 80s pomp/pop of early Asia. Nice keyboard work here from Downes and a solid chorus. Elsewhere there is a more laid back tone to the album, especially on the two epics, both of which clock on over 8 minutes in length. Heroine is a classy big Wetton ballad, and I love the guitar work on Over And Over.
But I am betting that most fans of the band and their most acclaimed line-up will be mostly satisfied with this release. The length of the album and its varied musical content should keep those fans busy for quite a while.
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| Dokken Lightning Strikes Again | Frontiers Records FRCD349 |
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Ever since Dokken took a left turn with the hideous Shadowlife album, there have been calls for the band to return to their classic 80s sound. While recent releases have been more melodically friendly, there is one thing that is clear. Dokken will never return to the sound of Under Lock And Key until vocalist Don Dokken sings in the manner he did on those old releases and that is simply never going to happen. So we must accept the new Dokken for what it is. Don cannot sing like he used to and it is a sad fact that Don himself must be considered the weak link in this release. Don's voice is far more restrained these days and now of a lower register and if we are honest here, Don generally sounds as if he is singing within himself until he goes for a bigger note, where he then sounds as if he had to strain to get there. There are examples all over this record, but the verse vocal in Give Me A Reason is one of the worst. Jeff Scott Soto can be heard throughout adding texture to the backing vocals and at times he is responsible for lifting the choruses out of second gear for the band. The star of this album for me – without any shadow of a doubt – is guitarist Jon Levin, who has produced his very best to make this album as punchy as it can be and closest to the band's heyday sound as possible. And he achieves his goal and further's his good name in the process. Jon's authoritve riffing and the generally punchy sound of the album as a whole are the two reasons it works. His guitar is all over this record. The opening trio of rockers – Standing On The Outside, Give Me A Reason and Heart To Stone are all cool, guitar fueled old-school rockers and will keen Dokken fans happy. The even more uptempo Point Of No Return is another solid track; Judgment Day and the groove filled closer This Fire are also highlights. There are a few fillers here also though. Don slips into old habits on the modern rock influenced tone of Disease, which does nothing for me and Oasis is similar. And How I Miss Your Smile is a very bland ballad. Thankfully I Remember is a little better.
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| Chris Catena Discovery | Escape Music ESM167 |
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This is an interesting one. I was a strong supporter of Italian rocker Chris Catena's debut album Freak Out, on which he assembled a crazy list of guest stars and paid tribute to the bluesy side of hard rock. Chris is at it again with his new studio release Discovery, but this is a slightly different beast. Discovery is a concept record of sorts and another bold vision from the ambitious musician. Again there are several guest stars, such as Bobby Kimball, Earl Slick, Carmine Appice, Tony Franklin, Tommy Denander and Bruce Kulick. The bluesy musical base is retained, and Chris takes a more central role in delivering lead vocals and much of the instrumentation. But things haven't all gone to plan and what should have been isn't necessarily so. I think by and large the song quality is there and the gruffness of the lead vocal isn't always appealing, but the biggest problem is the production quality. The audio simply isn't clear enough and the muddy sound doesn't do the performances justice. I think the mix is also quite messy at times and varies throughout the record. For example, the impact of Bobby Kimball's duet lead vocal on The Chosen One isn't what it should be. Daniel Flores is producer and to be honest, I'm surprised at the result given his fantastic track record. But not all is a negative. As stated, the record is an ambitious piece of work again and Chris can be credited for aiming to impress as always. 18 tracks are listed, but several are short passages between other tracks. It makes for an interesting journey through the album. Some tracks take on a psychedelic 70's rock feel, others are more classic rock, but all have that Deep Purple-esque bluesy edge.
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| House Of Lords Come To My Kingdom | Frontiers Records FRCD366 |
