Here’s a guy that doesn’t need any introduction at all. But what one can state is that the former Yngwie Malmsteen/Talisman/Journey vocalist seems to be pretty much everywhere these days. If he’s not releasing solo-material or with his own band SOTO we get music by Sons Of Apolllo or W.E.T. When he’s not touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, that is. The quality however has been a bit up and down when it comes to his solo albums of late and the SOTO albums. Sons Of Apollo and W.E.T are both superb, though. His latest solo-album Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) of new material was a lukewarm affair that at many times came across as an Alessandro Del Vecchio, who wrote most of the music and produced it, album as much as a JSS one.
On the other hand, the The Duets Collection Vol. 1 record from last year, where he teamed up with different singers and re-recorded songs from his entire career, was a surprisingly fresh and lively release. This record is, just like its predecessor, co-written with Del Vecchio who also holds bass, keyboard and backing vocal duties which in turn makes it quite easy to predict just how this record will sound. With no shadow over Del Vecchio’s talent it’s a bit of an issue that he has his own sound both when he writes and produces which in turn makes his co-lab records come out sounding too much alike no matter which artist he’s involved with.
Lead-off single “Last To Know” kick-starts the album in an uptempo way, a bit smooth but with a chunky, prog-flirtatious riff that tags along. It’s a straight ahead Melodic Rock swinger that has JSS written all over it. It blends crunchy guitars with retro-sounding keyboards and big, distinct melodies and the whole song is arranged in a Talisman meets W.E.T. way which bodes well for the rest of the album. Great stuff. More Talisman nods comes with the slightly funk-laden “Disbelieving”, an uptempo, upbeat and groovy melodic Hard Rock stomper with some AOR-ish vocal melodies. It’s a moving and driven track perfect for the party at any festival with an immense live-feel and a chorus-hook sharp as damn. Very good.
“Home Again” comes on chunky, groovy and upbeat with a big live-feel all over. The rhythm-section swings like crazy carrying some raunchy guitar-riffs with some striking melodies making the song grab a hold right from go. Fact is, the song could’ve been a left-over from Talisman’s 1993 Genesis album albeit on a heavier note and the chorus melody makes me dream back to the Melodic Rock days of the mid 80’s. Very good. Latest single “Love Is The Revolution” is beefy rocker on a solid beat with some early 90’s JSS vocal melodies. It also sports an Eastern flavor and channels both early Rainbow and Led Zeppelin with Talisman being the template for the rhythm-section. On top we get another glistening refrain that’s like a tattoo to the brain. Very good.
On a softer note, the big ballad “Until I See You Again” holds a mellow and fragile arrangement with a big dose of melancholy in Soto’s vocal-lines. It’s slow on a held-back beat with beautiful, intoxicating vocal melodies but it never goes into cheese-mode at all. The chorus is large and sniffs at early 90’s power-balladry but without the saccharine. It’s still catchy as hell and JSS sings it masterfully. Good one. The title-track is synth-happy but also upbeat and driven on a straight forward rhythm and poppy melodies that takes the massive chorus into AOR-land. It’s a smooth arena-rocker that wouldn’t have felt wrong the debut self-titled Eyes album from 1990. Good one.
The upbeat yet slick “Don’t Look Back” is a full-on AOR marathon with all elements involved – smooth vocals, clean yet chunky guitars, pop-melodies and a big refrain. It starts out slower with some laid-back verses that’s supposed to build up for a huge refrain but somewhere along the way it falls slightly flat. It’s not bad but it never really takes off. “New Horizon” is without a doubt the heaviest and fastest track on here. It throws around chuggy riffs and ballsy, muscular rhythms and it’s a shameless flirt with his old Yngwie Malmsteen days with Talisman’s edgier moments thrown in for good measure. I praise the effort to go into some fierce thrashing with direct melodies intact but even though the song is pretty good, it fails to grab me fully.
The concise “Back To The Beginning” is pretty much a Talisman song – uptempo, crunchy with rough-edged guitars and punchy rhythms with recognizable JSS vocal-melodies. It’s a live-cracker with a spot-on refrain while the softer arranged “Thank You” is an AOR slow burner with smooth melodies and a glossy keyboard. It’s a somewhat low-key semi-ballad with a chorus that’s ok but a bit too sassy and standard. The upbeat pop-rock of “Obsession” saves the end of the album with melodies very close to Talisman’s later poppier things, 80’s AOR gloss and in-your face catchiness. The chorus is another damn memorable one with a chunky hit-potential where JSS’ earlier solo-stuff shines through. Good one.
After the underwhelming Wide Awake this album comes along like a nice surprise where Jeff’s Talisman past seems to the aim and this time the album does not sound like a Del Vecchio record with Jeff’s voice on top. I don’t know who wrote what and how much here but the all-over vibe is that Jeff had a bigger part in the song-writing department than before. Other than that, we all know what a JSS solo album will sound like so it’s not big on surprises but as long as the songs are well written and well produced I see nothing wrong with familiarity. This is Jeff’s finest solo album in many a moon.
7/10
More Jeff Scott Soto reviews:
Damage Control
Retribution
Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)
The Duets Collection Vol 1
Tracklist:
1. Last To Know
2. Disbelieving
3. Home Again
4. Love Is The Revolution
5. Until I See You Again
6. Complicated
7. Don’t Look Back
8. New Horizon
9. Back To The Beginning
10. Thank You
11. Obsession
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