Kimball Jamison - ST

To be totally honest with you, I just don’t know! Despite recent sterling efforts from the likes of Lionville, Toby Hitchclock and a few others this year, the concept of a ‘project’ album is a strange one indeed. Usually it’s the whim of the record label boss (in this case the powerful Serafino Perugino – who obviously LOVES his melodic rock) who then brings in a bunch of hugely talented musicians and writers to work around a star, in this case its two of them – Jimi Jamison (ex Cobra & Survivor) and Bobby Kimball (ex Toto). See what I mean - Richard Page (Mr Mister), Jim Peterik (Survivor), Randy Goodrum (Steve Perry, Toto), John Waite, Erik Martensson (W.E.T.) and Robert Sall (Work of Art), among others, and directed by the expert hands of German producer Mat Sinner. All I will say on the material is that this combination of players and writers has paid off in huge dividends!

Now I don’t begrudge anyone the chance to earn a few bob, but these ‘projects’ have little chance of being turned into viable tours for us AOR lovin’ fans. But - I am very happy to get two giants together and hear the resultant forces that they both bring to the table

The chances for a cataclysmic opposition of personalities is a huge one. Bur Messrs Kimball and Jamison are not only good friends they have been around the block on more than one occasion to let any friction get in the way of a good opportunity. For the first time in their career, Bobby and Jimi have joined forces together in a “duets” album, which features their signature vocal style in a familiar musical environment. Musically the direction is naturally and intentionally driven towards the pomp that both Survivor and Toto excelled at and became household names upon (well they are household names at my place).

Opening track ‘Worth Fighting For’ encompasses everything that ‘To-vivor’ stood for, catchy choruses, great hooks,  all tied together with a big dollop of POMPUS MAXIMUS. None more so than the likes of ‘Chasing Euphoria’, ‘Hearts Beat Again’ and ‘I Did Everything Wrong’. These four tracks alone justify Signore Perugino’s desire for this collusion. Both Kimball’s and Jamison’s voices are still in excellent shape, and play off each other perfectly. It could have easily gone a bit ‘tit’s up’ if one had more ‘oomph’ than the other, thankfully both are in fine fettle and have the desire (and the money that Frontiers will thrust upon them) to do it a second time in the future

I just don’t know how many more times these ‘projects’ can keep being thrown at us. It will only take one or two poorly received albums to put the brakes on. No doubt Frontiers have a few more up their sleeves

Obviously it’s for fans of Toto and Survivor, but any melodic rock fan should enjoy the interplay and quality on offer from these two giants

80/100

Label: Frontiers Records	Music Style: Melodic Rock
Cat #: FR CD 530	Cod: 8024391053027

Release date:
EUROPE: October 14th 2011
NORTH AMERICA: October 18th 2011

Tracklisting: Worth Fighting For; Can't Wait For Love; Sail Away; Chasing Euphoria; Find Another Way; Get Back In The Game; I Did Everything Wrong; Shadows Of Love; Hearts Beat Again; We Gotta Believe; Kicking And Screaming; Your Photograph.

DVD:The Making of the Album (approx. 30 mins. Documentary); Worth Fighting For (videoclip); Can’t Wait for Love (videoclip)

Lead & Background Vocals: Bobby Kimball & Jimi Jamison
Guitars & Lead Guitar: Alex Beyrodt
Bass Guitar: Mat Sinner
Keyboards: Jimmy Kresic
Drums & Percussion: Martin Schmidt

PRODUCED BY : Mat Sinner, co-produced by Jimmy Kresic

Issa - The Storm

Issa Oversveen anyone? ….Anyone? To most people in the rock listening fraternity, Issa Oversveen is a name many of you haven’t even heard of previously. Well, shame on you, shame of the whole Goddamn lot of you!

But to us people on the periphery in the land of Melodic Rock,( If the whole of the UK was tuned into all forms of Metal, the AOR community lives on Bardsey island) Issa is seen as a beacon in a sea of mediocrity (but, I must say that 2011 is proving to be a storming year for AOR/Melodic Rock).

If you are already aware of her stunning debut ‘Sign Of Angels’ you’ll know the quality of voice and melody that this lady possesses. If you are looking for ‘Sign Of Angels II’ then you may be disappointed. This time the pomp and ‘in your face’ attitude of the debut is missing somewhat, but please do not let this put you off. In ‘The Storm’ there’s a bit more subtlety coming into play. There are no immediate grabbers like ‘Angels Crying’ or ‘I’m Alive’, instead it’s more of a slow burner and after the first listen you may wonder why it’s a little understated, nay, dare I say underwhelming.

Whereas Issa was a pouty, and firey lioness on the debut, here she is more of a vulnerable kitten. She has been compared to such music stars as Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee, but with ‘The Storm’ she proves she has more of a style of Miss Benatar letting the finesse of the song make its mark rather than a throat grabbing hook.

As with the debut the production quality is top notch. Not metal and certainly not easy listening Pop, Issa’s music has everything and more to appeal to the vast masses: real rock with a commercial sheen.

 Unlike the debut self-titled album, the new album shows has her taking a shot at songwriting and together with the Martin brothers (Vega, House of Lords, Khymera, Sunstorm), she offers up tracks on the new album like “Invincible”, “We’re on Fire” and “The Storm”, the album’s title track. Contributions also come from Robert Sall (Work of Art), Randy Goodrum (Steve Lukather, Toto, Steve Perry), Daniel Palmqvist, Johannes Stole (Xorigin), Daniel Flores, Sören Kronqvist (Crash the System, Sunstorm), Chris Laney, Magnus Karlsson (Place Vendome).

Opening track ‘Looking For Love’ kicks off proceedings nicely in that well polished Scandinavian AOR vibe. Not as ass kicking as the debut, it still packs a punch. The intensity level never really rises above the opener, but despite my desire to want a little more welly, the pace never drops and her vocal style is warm and sensual. ‘Take A Stand’ has a bit of a Within Temptation riff about it, and borders on pop, but its all good stuff. ‘Invincible’ is a big ballad, as is ‘Too Late For Love’. 

All in all ‘The Storm’ proves to be a more mature offering than the debut. The lack of punchy tunes may put some off, but for those prepared to give this a few listens, then you will be rewarded with an album full of maturity and quality

80/100

Frontiers 

Tracklisting: Looking For Love; Please Hold On; Take A Stand; Invincible; Two Hearts; Black Clouds; You're Making Me; Gonna Stand By You; We’re On Fire; Too Late For Love; What Does It Take; The Storm.

OPETH COVER BON JOVI

Nuff said!!

Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two

Sweden’s Pain Of Salvation are likely the very opposite of a predictable and standardized act. In Daniel Gildenlöw, Pain Of Salvation has a man who, to me, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Portnoy / Wilson and Akerfeldt, such is his influence on his band and rock music in general. One thing is certain; Gildenlöw is becoming an expert in expecting the unexpected. If you think he will produce an album in a certain style – forget it. This attitude is what will make Pain Of Salvation recognized. A cult band already, their music deserves to be heard by many more

They once more prove their unmatched reputation as true artists and modern rock expressionists by delivering ‘Road Salt Two’, the twin-companion ‘Road Salt One’. Meticulously anticipated, the sophomore part of the “Road Salt” double-album concept is now ready to make its overdue public appearance, after what can easily be called a very eventful last year for POS: Record company in financial difficulty, several chart entries with “Road Salt One”, Russian train bombs, a successful appearance at the mainstream-oriented Swedish “Melodifestivalen” song-contest (Sweden’s entry comp for getting into Eurovision!), the release and ban of a highly controversial video clip for the song ‘Where It Hurts’.

‘Road Salt Two’ once again presents POS at its most emotionally intense and stylistically colourful, with a predominant 70’s almost classic rock vibe, yet, in direct comparison to “Road Salt One”, it might strike the listener as being a bit darker (hence the code name – Ebony – I suspect). It basically serves as a perfect breed between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Pain Of Salvation, while also presenting a different and previously unheard Pain Of Salvation.

Put it this way, if you are expecting the style of albums like ‘The Perfect Element’ and ‘Scarsick’ then you’ll be left wanting. Gildenlöw has opted for a darker, moodier piece than RS1 or anything previous come to think of it. But RS2 fits perfectly with its predecessor

To the album. First track ‘Road Salt Theme’ which by the way doesn’t appear on RS1, is a short stringed piece which seeps into ‘Softly She Cries’ which you notice right from the off is more of a departure to a time of the rock giants of the 70s complete with Gildenlöw s soaring vox, and the trademarked harmonies that only come from POS. The Road Salt Theme again appears within the song in the latter half. This time the guitar is pushed to the forefront with an overdrive effect, and make for a more doom laden piece. ‘Conditioned’ is a more riff and groove driven piece which sounds like Lenny Kravitz. The acoustically driven ‘Healing Now with its mandolin make me think of Zeppelin’s ‘Battle of Evermore’. ‘To The Shoreline’ is probably the closest that Pain of Salvation get to ‘classic’ Prog rock, and its haunting composition and instantly catchy chorus makes for being a contender for best track on the album. 

‘Eleven’ contains a really pulsating bass line, and the instrumental middle section is both intriguing and captivating. Pair this with Gildenlöw’s gruff vocals and the end result is stunning. A definite live song to look forward to. ‘1979’ is again a nostalgia driven piece which is short, but very, very sweet. ‘The Deeper Cut’ is where Gildenlow’s vocals really shine, the song building its intensity before dropping away suddenly. If ‘Mortar Grind’ sounds familiar, it first appeared on the 2009 Linoleum EP. ‘Through the Distance’ gives another little break with its fragile sound, before the coming storm in ‘The Physics of Gridlock’, the longest and best track on RS2, and sums up the 2011 Pain of Salvation perfectly – heavy, slightly psychedelic, progressive and even theatrical (due to the French monologue) proving that Gildenlöw takes his fans on a weird and wonderful (never to be repeated twice) journey. Finally the ‘End Credits’ kick in to give the listener a breather!

It’s not necessarily a grabber and may require a few listens to fully grasp what Pain of Salvation is up to. Like the recent Opeth release, it gives more than a passing nod to the music of the 70s with a modern twist. 'Road Salt Two' is a perfect complement to 'Road Salt One' and closes this chapter of POS…or does it? Daniel Gildenlöw will not conform to the fans expectations and is more than happy taking the listener out of their comfort zone for the sake of his musical beliefs, and rightly so.

I beg you to catch them on tour with Opeth in the UK in November.

90/100

Gary Barden - Eleventh Hour

Gary Barden was in the 80s one of my fave singers and was one of THE voices of British hard rock. The first time Barden appeared in the scene was as part of the newly formed MSG (Michael Schenker Group) founded by the former Scorps guitarist of the same name. Their first collaboration resulted in the highly acclaimed album “The Michael Schenker Group” which was released in 1980. Besides the great songs and the great guitar output BARDEN’s voice was one of the reasons why this album became a huge success and allowed the band to hit the road in Europe, Japan and the USA.

Their second album “MSG” saw the light of day in 1981 and followed an even more melodic direction than its predecessor. After the following world tour BARDEN was informed that he was no longer part of the band and replacement was found soon in ex-RAINBOW singer Graham Bonnet. Cue for the Sounds letters page to be inundated for months ober an infamous Bonnet Sheffield gig that has passed into legend. Chrysalis, however, released a live disc recorded in Japan by the original MSG entitled “One Night At Budokan”.

Searching for a new band, Barden started to write some songs with the late Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore which later on ended up on Moore’s “Corridor of Power” release. Their working period was short and so was the collaboration between Bonnet and Schenker (see above ref to Sounds). Bonnet sang on the 1982 record “Assault Attack” but Barden was back with MSG for some live appearances including Reading Festival in the same year and the 1983 (poorly received) record “Built to Destroy”. The label’s pressure to steer more into a commercial direction made the band quit business in 1984.

After a long break Barden returned to the scene with Praying Mantis’ “The Power of Ten” and the live album “Captured Alive in Tokyo City”. In 2000, Barden hit the road again for a couple of live shows with Company Of Snakes and founded the band Silver together with Michael Voss (CASANOVA) and Bernie Tormé (IAN GILLAN).

‘Past & Present’ marked the first solo album by Barden and included  new interpretations of some all-time MSG classics. With his long time pal ´Michael Voss´(Casanova, Bonfire) and a couple of friends he went back to the roots to perform his bluesy smoky songs on the release “Agony and the Xtasy”. In 2007 the more rockier “Love and War” was released.

Gary now presents us with “Eleventh Hour”. Once again Michael Voss is ever present and the end result is pretty average to say the least. ‘Baghdad’ opens up proceedings well enough on this up tempo rocker. Even at 56 his voice hasn’t changed a great deal from the MSG days I remember so well. Its weaker, but then again Barden never had the greatest voice, but he has a pretty unique tone to it. Similar can be said of ‘Fallen By The Wayside’. After this the producer (Voss) has inadvertently hit the ‘average’ button on the console. Songs like ‘Child Of Sorrow’, ‘Would You Wanna Do’, ‘We Are The Dead’ are pretty much uninspiring and just deemed as passable. Currently there is a huge number of rock/metal albums being released each and every month and in this economic climate it’s impossible to scratch the surface. I’ve heard a lot more decent stuff recently that will leave 'Eleventh Hour' by the wayside.

There’s a small chink of light with ‘Blackmail’, but that’s about it really. For some reason he has covered a song written with Gary Moore for ‘Corridors..’ and that’s ‘Don’t take Me For A Loser’ and doesn’t have the spark of the original – either vocally or musically

All in all there’s better albums (also some worse ones – SEKS) out there currently to spend your hard earned cash on. Unless you are an avid fan of Barden, there’s nothing much to listen to here. I prefer to dig out my ‘One Night At Budokan’ LP and remember the great times

50/100

Shy - ST

I can probably give you the name of a dozen or so bands that deserved to be huge on the back of AOR/melodic rock in the 1980’s. Three of the best at the time were FM’s ‘Tough It Out’, Strangeway’s ‘Native Sons’, and Shy’s ‘Excess All Areas’. One thing these three bands had in common is that they all failed…and failed miserably for some unknown reason. This still irks me to this very day, can you tell???

Shy have been a mainstay in the melodic rock scene right back to the mid 1980’s. Crowned by the success of Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Europe, the 80s were the golden era of AOR and for a while every record company craved its own poodle-haired, tight-trousered offspring. Shy made albums for two different major labels and for a while seemed in with a genuine shot at glory, but like all the above (Strangeways etc) ended up biting the dust. Their debut album Once Bitten… Twice Shy was described by Kerrang! as perhaps the greatest English pomp rock album of all time”. 

Before undertaking their all-important third album, 1987’s Excess All Areas, RCA relocated Shy to Los Angeles to soak up the Californian hard rock radio vibe. “In any genre, there will only ever be a couple of winners,” reflects Steve Harris. “But it’s surprising how many people talk of that album in hushed tones and don’t actually own a copy – or only bought the reissue.” The last few years have seen Shy ring the personnel changes.

A settled line-up is completed by keyboard player Joe Basketts and drummer Bob Richards Frontman Tony Mills has left the band for Norwegians TNT, and Lee Small (Phenomena / Surveillance) has taken the mike stand. So what of the changes and the resurrection of this once great band?

Well readers, on the very first listen ‘Shy’ definitely gets the melodic juices flowing, and not for a single moment did I question the fact that ‘ol ‘high pitched’ whats-is-name Mills is missing! In fact I was quite taken aback by the quality of Small’s vocal prowess. Should Glenn Hughes ever decide to not carry the flaming torch as ‘the voice of rock’ Lee Small could pretty much pick up the ‘Soul Batton’ and carry on seamlessly. The bloke is a pretty good ringer for the ex-Purple/BCC frontman. In replacing Mills’ higher pitched vocals, Shy have pretty much nailed it with Smalls lower, bluesier register, giving the songs more breath and warmth

Opener ‘Land Of A Thousand Lies’ is a great example of this polished ‘old AOR school style’. The pace continues with the superb ‘So Many Tears’. Yes it’s all AOR by numbers, but the tested formula they have used is paying dividends – keys, check; great riff, check; instantly sing-able chorus, check! Make that double-check!! The keyboard is planted firmly at the forefront of ‘Shy’ but not in an annoying Dare kind of way.

‘Breathe’ come straight out of the Glenn Hughes school of balladry. ‘Blood on the Line’ is yet another well-polished melodic rock belter, and so far into the album, there isn’t a filler to be seen. If I do have a small gripe it’s that the songs are so well produced and polished, they are a bit similar, and need a couple of ‘great’ songs to add to the ‘good’ ones on offer. The closest they get to this is the longest song, 'Sanctuary' with keyboard power chords a plenty setting off the whole tone against Harris' superb guitar playing

Well, Shy have certainly done themselves justice with this cd, and in a continuing decent and resurgent year for Melodic rock, Shy keep the high quality going. Yet another good release that sits high amongst the best work that Shy have produced over the years

80/100

Lee Small – Vocals
Steve Harris – Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Roy Davis – Bass
Joe Basketts – Keyboards
Bob Richards – Drums