LABEL: PONY CANYON PCCY-01321
OVERALL: 78%
Produced by: Jeff Scott Soto & Marcel Jacob
OVERALL: 78%
Produced by: Jeff Scott Soto & Marcel Jacob
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LABEL: PONY CANYON PCCY-01321 OVERALL: 78% Produced by: Jeff Scott Soto & Marcel Jacob | ||||
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Jeff Scott Soto is one of the great rock vocalists. His talents are unquestioned. But I can't help but feel that if he released an album every 18 months or two years it would be a real event, rather than 2 or 3 albums in that same time frame. He stretches himself over too many projects, with Talisman and Takara both active bands, not to mention his side projects. This may be great for fans, but for the quality of songs, it can't help but make it hard to keep the standard high. Talisman has always been Jeff's flagship band and it is clearly audible on their new album Truth that the best songs arrive here. But even then it becomes a little undone towards the end. The album opens with the Queen rocker Let Me Entertain You. Why I am not sure, because it is a cool but standard version. The second track and first new original track is In The End, a powerful enough opening track on it's own. The production and overall quality is above that of Takara and as expected Jeff is in fine vocal form. The backing vocals are also strong throughout the whole album. Also excellent is the under rated contribution from general side kick and guitarist Marcel Jacob. Here 2Day, Gone 2Day is a killer hard rock tune. Big hard guitars and a big rock chorus. An anthem of sorts. | ||
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Darling Nikki is a modern rocker, abstract almost in contrast to the rest of the album. Hard electronic drum sounds and a really heavy alternative vibe. Some huge vocals! I'll B There 4 U is an uptempo anthem ballad in the vein of something like Four In The Morning by Night Ranger. Big chorus and lots of melody. Very commercial, especially after Darling Nikki. The Man I'll Never Be is in the style of the opening few tracks, but a little mellower. A melodic rocker. Bellabecca is an instrumental piece. OK - builds the atmosphere a little for the melodic rocker Heaven's Got Another Hero. A mid paced rock ballad. Your Man is a Queen like mid 70's pop song. Bit cheesy maybe! Frozen is a killer version of the Madonna hit. A rocked up moody version with all the backing vocals and accompanying keyboards in tact. Very very cool indeed. Until The Morning Comes has a modern vibe to it, a moody mid tempo piece that is a good track to follow Frozen. Angel/Devil is an OK hard rocker, but I am lost a bit on the fact that is sounds a little like a few other better tracks here. Pavillion Of Oblivion is another fast paced rocker that is OK, but you have heard it before from the guys. By the track Madison the album is getting too long. Got to cut it off at 12 tracks guys! An Ok mid paced modern hard rocker. But it does make Pavillion and Angel both sound better than they did. T 4 1 1/2 is another instrumental to finish the album. Not bad, but not essential. And that is that. Another fine Soto album, if not perfect at least solid. One more for his legion of fans and not a bad album for any fan of solid European flavored hard rock. | PRODUCTION: 79% | SONGS: 74% | VIBE: 79% | ATTITUDE: 80% | ESSENTIAL FOR: Talisman and Jeff Scott Soto fans. |