AOR Heaven NEH Records Z-Roxx Loud 1 Groove Machine Destiny Target Wishing Well Perris

MelodicRock.com Reviews


CARL DIXON
INTO THE FUTURE
MTM Music 0681-32
Produced by: Carl Dixon
Released: July 16 / Website
Relatives: His last solo record
GENRE: Melodic Rock
OVERALL: 59%

  1. Into The Future
  2. Hot Streak
  3. Strange Way To Live
  4. Back To Where We Started
  5. Rattled
  6. Lonely You
  7. Busted
  8. Little Bit Of Love
  9. Shadow
  10. Point Of No Return
  11. Koln
  12. River
  13. Gone...

This is only Carl's second solo album in 8 years. One was his last effort in 1993. That album was a cult favorite at the time and a good record of stripped down raw, guitar driven melodic rock & AOR. Helping co-write some tracks was the legendary Brett Walker, with other tracks co-written with songwriting greats Spencer Sercombe, Stan Meissner, and Taylor Rhodes.
Into The Future was originally planned to be a new Coney Hatch record. It wasn't to be. However, fellow Hatch member Andy Curran turns up in the writing credits on a few songs here.
The album was then planned to be closer to the Hatch sound. It's not.
Into The Future is rather like taking a step into the past.
It mostly mirrors the sound of Dixon's debut album, and rarely matches the quality of song writing on that album. Granted, there are a few hot moments on this album that I really enjoyed, but the majority falls flat.
Into The Future opens the album with a sound directly from where One left off.
A casual mid tempo rock track that is typical of Carl's solo sound.
Hot Streak is a nice honest little rock n roll track. Despite it's raw edge and nice AC/DC style guitar lick and Robert Plant vocal, the tempo lacks a little, especially after the opening song. But it does feature some hot guitar playing by Dixon.
Strange Way To Live continues in the same vein of the opener - straight out of the Carl Dixon song book.
Just where the tempo really needed to be changed comes the softer, but more uptempo Back To Where We Started. This is a great melodic tune with a nice hook and a good tempo as I said.
Now right out of left field comes the song of the album. Rattled has a totally different vibe for Carl Dixon and by the quality of this song, maybe he should have written a few more like it. This is closer to a Nu-Breed style sound, in it's softer form.
It is a simple, yet cracking uptempo modern pop rocker.
Lonely You is different again. A well written, cool Beatle-esque rock ballad, complete with fab four harmonies and a simple but very catchy hook.
Busted heads right back to the classic One sound. Same with Little Bit Of Love. Fans of Dixon's debut will be right at home listening to these tracks.
Shadow is a little more contemporary, a bluesier number with a few vocal effects and several guitar overdubs. But it could use a catchier hook.
Point Of No Return continues the mid to up-tempo blues driven rock of the previous track, again featuring a below average hook, but some excellent guitar work.
A very melancholy intro greets us on Koln. A very forlorn organ runs through a couple of minutes and then it's over and River is underway before you know it.
Another simple mid tempo rock track that is catchy enough and will appeal to fans of Carl's work.
A monumental stuff up seems to have left the track Gone... off the album. There are writing credits for it on the sleeve and lyrics also, but no song, so who knows what happened there.
BOTTOM LINE: I wanted this to be a great album and was expecting and looking forward to a good solid melodic rock album. What it turns out to be is a relatively uninspired and flat version of the debut, remade in 2001. A couple of great rock tracks are surrounded with songs that really could have used a little more energy and some better hooks. Disappointing - more so after such a long wait.
PRODUCTION: 80% SONGS: 65% VIBE: 40%ATTITUDE: 50%
ESSENTIAL FOR: Die hard Carl Dixon and Coney Hatch fans.
DISCOGRAPHY:Coney Hatch; Solo - One . Into The Future



Back To site Frontpage