I never get excited when Frontiers presents yet another all-star project band anymore but when the news got out that they had signed a new act called Skills I had to catch my breath. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear a band that features bassist Billy Sheehan (Talas, David Lee Roth, Mr Big, Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo), guitarist Brad Gillis (Night Ranger, Ozzy Osbourne) and drummer David Huff (Giant)? Lead singer Renan Zonta is the odd man out. A great singer but his day-band Electric Mob’s debut album was only decent and the Brother Against Brother project was underwhelming and forgettable. His voice is perfect for fronting these guys though.
My only hope was that the guys had treated Skills like a real band and that they all would come in with self-written music and an outside producer. That was both naive of me and hoping for too much because just like most of these projects, the songs are written by the label’s go-to guys with Alessandro Del Vecchio, who also plays keyboards and holds production duties, at front. That put the excitement down a notch but thinking of the amazing quality of the musicians, I hoped that they would put their stamp on the songs and that their personalities would take the songs in a different direction than the rest of the all-star projects.
“Escape Machine” that opens the album blasts away on a straight-forward note, upbeat with a chuggy guitar-line and an edgy rhythm clearly Hard Rock fueled beneath the Melodic Rock laden vocal-melodies. Gillis’ guitar and Sheehan’s bass blends fine here with Zonta’s raspy voice giving the tune an edge. It’s a good, beefy rocker with a distinct main melody. Good, yes but it doesn’t really leave a lasting impression. The speedy latest single “Blame It On The Night” seems to have Mr Big’s “Addicted To That Rush” or “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy” as its template. It’s fast-tracked with raunchy guitars and an organ with a kicking groove and a direct vocal-melody. It’s a good tune with a distinct chorus too but it’s not nearly as good as the mentioned Mr Big songs.
The title-track is a groovy Melodic Hard Rock stomper with a solid beat and chunky guitar-work. While it holds a colorful soundscape and easily embraced melodies all over with a direct chorus-hook, the only thing that differs this from any of the other Frontiers projects is Billy Sheehan’s bass. It’s not crap but too mainstream and unimaginative which makes it forgettable. “Losing The Track” starts out slow and down-beat on a ballad note with only piano and vocals. It continues on a bigger scale with some bluesy licks which takes it into power ballad territory. The chorus is catchy enough, Gillis’ guitar work is great and Zonta sings it well but as a whole it’s just another ordinary song that we’ve heard a million times on projects like this.
“Writings On The Wall” takes a bigger AOR meets Pop approach. It’s upbeat on a straight ahead rhythm with a chunky beat and a strong main-melody. It’s softer and quite slick but it also contains some fine harmonies, effective hooks everywhere. While it’s kind of predictable it’s also hard to not surrender to the catchy chorus and fine arrangements. Best song so far. One the same path “Show Me The Way” holds on to the AOR-isms with a main-melody that smells Bon Jovi and vocal-melodies in the vein of the latest Giant album. It’s smooth and glossy but the blendings of said bands plus Gillis’ Night Ranger scenting guitar lines and an infectious chorus makes the song work anyway. Good one.
The single “Just When I Needed You” is a power ballad with a late 80’s sound and sounds as it has been taken right out of MTV’s archive from back when. It holds all those elements from that time – it’s bombastic, it’s slick, smooth and a chorus that would have thousands of lighters in the air at the concert. Parts of the song throws a nod back to Skid Row’s “I Remember You” and a chorus damn hard to get out of my head after just one listen. I kinda like this one. “Need To Fall” is a quite standard Melodic Rock number, upbeat on a straight ahead and concise rhythm. The organ brings on a crunchy side but otherwise, it’s a middle-of-the-road rocker that could come off any all-star project out there. Not bad but not all that interesting either.
The album’s first single “Stop The World” takes the same path as its predecessor with even smoother melody arrangements. Its chorus is catchy enough and all but just for the second because the whole tune falls into oblivion pretty much as soon as it ends. “Hearts Of Stone” however breaks the mould with a slight left turn as it goes into a more 70’s Classic Rock vibe. It’s rhythmic with a rougher guitar sound and an edgy riff and even though the vocal melodies are in the school of the 80’s and the chorus is of the contagious kind, it never gets sugary or cheesy. Very good indeed.
The album closes in a mid tempo on the threshold of a semi-ballad with “Don’t Break My Heart”. The song inserts some bluesier touches but also a late 80’s slicker melody arrangement where the song takes a more upbeat approach when the chorus comes and I’m thinking of XYZ’s debut album here. While Gillis provides some splendid fretboard work and Zonta really nails the song vocally, the chorus slips when it should go for a home-run. It’s a good refrain for sure but unfortunately it doesn’t go all the way.
As for the band/project’s name, Skills is perfect because if there is anything these guys have then it’s skills so performance wise there’s nothing to complain about here at all. The problem with this record is that it doesn’t stand out at all style wise and the only thing that differs this record from any of the other all-star projects is Sheehan’s bass-sound. That sound is all over this record. It’s not a bad album at all but it’s predictable, calculated and quite forgettable – the urge to play the album again when it’s done simply just don’t exist. I still can’t shake the feeling that this could have been a real killer if this was a real band and not just hired hands that play on someone else’s songs.
5/10
Tracklist:
1. Escape Machine
2. Blame It On The Night
3. Different Worlds
4. Losing The Track
5. Writings On The Wall
6. Show Me The Way
7. Just When I Needed You
8. Need To Fall
9. Stop The World
10. Hearts Of Stone
11. Don’t Break My Heart
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