Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

SAVING ABEL – Miss America

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Formed in 2004, Saving Abel is a hard rock band which combines crunchy riffs with a slight Southern drawl. Supposedly their self-titled debut album was a big hit in the US, but we didn’t even get a sniff of it here in ol’ Blighty. ‘Miss America’ – their 2010 sophomore release – is one of those albums which sounded like it may be enjoyable to begin with, since it’s opening number is delivered with enough gusto to grab the attention and is co-produced by Marti Fredriksen (who may be familiar to some of you as being the man who provided Jason Lee’s vocals in the classic Cameron Crowe movie ‘Almost Famous’, among other things), but as it turns out, the presence of Fredriksen just gave me false hope.

That opening number – ‘Tap Out’ – combines slightly fuzzy hard rock guitars with a decent punch delivered by Blake Dixon’s drum kit. Vocalist Jared Weeks has a voice which has a presence in a 90s style (I’d hoped that with Fredriksen on board that there may be more of a classic rock feel, but you can’t have it all); as far as openers go, Saving Abel push all the right buttons here. However, by a couple of minutes into the album’s second track – ‘Stupid Girl (Only In Hollywood)’ – I’m feeling rather let down, as any promise the track may have had gets watered down into something which sounds like latter-day Nickelback. Released as a single, this plods a down well-worn path that holds no great interest. ‘Contagious’ sounds like it could push the album in a heavier direction, but after about thirty seconds of hard riffing, the band opts for a Nickleback-esque approach again and delivers something so predictable. There’s a half decent guitar lead break, but nothing else of any worth.

The acoustic touches and Southern twang permeating the verses of both the title cut and the second single ‘The Sex Is Good’ offer a welcome lighter musical standpoint – there’s often enjoyment to be had from multiple acoustic guitars – but bad song writing means I won’t be spending too much time listening… (I mean, ‘The Sex Is Good’? Oh dear lads…did you get song writing lessons from that Kroeger when you supported Nickelback in 2009?). The semi-acoustic ‘Angel Without Wings’ with its very 90s rock edge and hard drum sound provides some enjoyment, but you’ll find similar stuff done better elsewhere, particularly if you’re a Creed or Alter Bridge fan. Likewise, ‘Hell of a Ride’ shows glimspses of something half listenable with decent use of slide guitars, but a heavy handed leaning towards 90s rock masks the decent bluest elements, which is a great shame.

This second album features a slightly heavier approach in places than the band’s self-titled debut, but generally, there are no surprises. The safe brand of alt-rock displayed throughout Saving Abel’s second disc will make them a few doubloons – but for me, the album sounds like a three song CD single, stuck on repeat until it reaches album length. In all truth, Saving Abel aren’t that interesting a band. In addition to their limited musical palette wearing thin very quickly, their obvious Chad Kroeger influences are extremely off-putting. Is there any point in Nickleback Mk 2? Still, I suppose they make Josey Scott’s band Saliva sound like a ground-breaking phenomenon.

See the video for ‘Stupid Girl (Only In Hollywood)’ here.

August 2010

MADNESS – Keep Moving

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Although primarily thought of as a ska outfit (and often dismissed as a “bit of fun” and a novelty band), over the course of six album releases between 1979 and 1985, Madness showed their musical palette was far broader than that of their early ska revival peers. In fact, from their third album (‘7’) onward, Camden’s favourite sons all but ditched their ska roots and continually moved forward, crafting a unique brand of pop music along the way. With each passing album, it’s possible to hear the band becoming more comfortable in their shoes as pop’s master craftsmen, and parts of their fifth album, ‘Keep Moving’ (released in 1984), arguably captures the post-ska Madness at their finest.

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IRON MAIDEN – Somewhere In Time

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Iron Maiden arguably hit a peak in the mid-eighties with their most adventurous release ‘Powerslave’.  In many ways, the follow up album, ‘Somewhere In Time’ seemed like a step backwards, at least in terms of musical arrangements.  Its release marked the first time where Maiden seemed to be on musical autopilot, firmly believing the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke…’ despite including guitar synths in an attempt to modernise the band’s sound.

Once ‘Caught Somewhere In Time’ has finished its opening gambit of twin guitar leads touched up with the newly found guitar synths, the band power full pace into Steve Harris’s trademark galloping basslines, while Adrian Smith and Dave Murray trade top-notch guitar lines, both turning in impressive solos.  It’s business as usual here and you’d be forgiven initially for thinking Maiden were following ‘Powerslave’ with an equally impressive work.  The quality remains high with the appearance of Adrian Smith’s ‘Wasted Years’, featuring the band at their most brazenly commercial.  As with some of his previous songs written with Maiden, Adrian Smith proved, yet again, he had a great ear for melody and a knack for a great chorus.  At this mid-pace, Maiden get to stretch out a little; there’s more separation between the instruments and the band seem well suited to the more commercial style.  Despite a decent lead guitar arrangement, it was – and always will be – the chorus that’s the real draw here. The more I’ve heard this song over the years, the more I find it a shame that Adrian Smith didn’t get more songs featured per album.  Granted, his songwriting style may be less grandiose than that of Steve Harris’s, but anything Smith has written is always preferable to Harris’s one line choruses.  If only they could have reached a compromise…

 

‘Sea of Madness’ (another track written by Smith) features the band at probably their heaviest.  The opening riff absolutely thunders as Steve Harris’s bass strings take a pounding.  While not as instantly memorable as the couple of preceding tracks, this one features the energy usually present behind classic Maiden, but once again, brings in another decent chorus, adding plenty of weight to the first half of the album.   The opening of ‘Heaven Can Wait’ shows a brief flirtation with spaciousness and melody, before the band launch into a piece of hard rock which sounds like Maiden on auto-pilot; there’s a decent guitar solo here and lots of other hallmarks from classic Maiden, and yes, the occasional usage of the guitar synths provide a nice touch (I may be one of the only people who thinks the guitar synths are a good idea), but despite those hallmarks, this song runs out of steam mid way, as crowd vocals chant ‘whoah’ in what sounds like a contrived attempt at creating something for the live audiences to look forward to…and by the time the main thrust of the song returns, it only seems to replay everything we’ve heard previously.  It’s here that the first cracks in the album appear and no matter how good bits of the second half are, it feels like an album always playing catch-up to its first three numbers.

 

‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ features lyrics based upon Alan Sillitoe’s short story of the same name.  Lyrically it’s the first of two songs which, dare I say, try too hard to be intelligent.  The twin lead guitars during this song are among the best the album has to offer, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to save something which isn’t particularly song driven.  There’s literally no hook – and its one attempt at a chorus type refrain is delivered rather gratingly.  ‘Stranger In a Strange Land’ is far simpler driving itself along effortlessly via a mid paced bass riff.  Vocally, Bruce Dickinson sounds more at ease and while it’s not as memorable as ‘Wasted Years’, it’s a track which provides the album with another fairly commercial number.  Adrian Smith adds some real class to this track via a brief atmospheric section before the main guitar solo, which takes things up a notch.  Once again, it’s another number written by Adrian Smith: it’s clearly his work which stands out as the strong links on this album.  Sadly, the return to form doesn’t last…

 

‘Déjà-Vu’ finds the album at a critical low point.  While it provides a great trademark dual-guitar riff, musically it finds Maiden going through the motions; things aren’t helped any by a one line chorus (‘Feel like I’ve been here before’).  By the song’s end, there is a feeling of déjà-vu, since you’ve heard Maiden do this kind of thing time and again…only much better.  Bringing things to a close, ‘Alexander The Great (356-323 BC)’ is marginally better, but not up to the band’s previous standard of closing epics.  Lyrically it’s a little pompous and sounds like Steve Harris wrote it in an afternoon with an old O-Level history textbook.  Parts of the vocal melody sound like they’ve been recycled from previous tunes; musically its first half sounds strong enough, but there’s a feeling of dissatisfaction, especially during a couple of twin guitar leads, which sound like they were lifted straight off of the ‘Powerslave’ LP.  A slower instrumental break during the second half restores some faith, but there’s still that nagging feeling that this has been cobbled together from other previously used musical themes.

 

In summary, the end package is noticeably weaker than each of their preceding works (except for ‘Killers’, perhaps, since that was half made up of material pre-dating the debut LP).   I think it’d be more than fair to say that ‘Somewhere In Time’ marked the end of a golden run for the band.  It’s certainly the first flawed offering since the arrival of Bruce Dickinson.   Despite half of the material not being quite up to scratch (let’s be honest, if the running order switched ‘Heaven Can Wait’ and ‘Stranger…’, you’d hardly play the second side, would you?), its good points still make it worth spinning once in a while. 

 

July 2010

JON MULLANE – Shift

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Jon Mullane may be familiar to North American listeners since this album’s opening track, ‘Make You Move’, was used on NBC’s trailers for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Released two years later (talk about not cashing in on potential advertising), this album’s biggest interest lies in the fact that Mullane’s co-writer Creighton Doane – one time drummer with the mighty Canadian rock outfit Harem Scarem – is also in the producer’s chair and the drum stool…and what’s more, he’s bought Harem Scarem’s Pete Lesperance along to play guitar.

On Harem Scarem’s early albums, Pete Lesperance proved to be a decent guitarist (their first three albums are well worth checking out if you like melodic rock and haven’t already done so – their third, ‘Voice of Reason’ is particularly underrated by the melodic rock community). Then, about the time of Harem Scarem’s fifth album ‘Big Bang Theory’, Lesperance traded in his best styles for a more “modern” approach…and sadly, on Mullane’s ‘Shift’, he seems to favour a similar style – a slightly distorted rhythmic choppiness replaces his classic, medium range fretboard gymnastics. And so, the potential excitement surrounding Lesperance’s contribution to this disc, for me, had all but vanished by the end of the second track.

With that, it’s down to Jon Mullane – whom, we shouldn’t forget is running the show here – and his songs to stand on their own. Overall, there are only flashes of greatness among a quagmire of dullness, I’m afraid. It suffers from the complaint that its songs are essentially 80s rockers, but they’ve been dressed up to appear more cool and alternative. I never understood that emperor’s new clothes thing and Jon Mullane is no exception.

‘Make You Move’ plods along predictably; a fuzzy edge to the guitars and a slightly gravelly approach to some of the vocals attempt to give the impression that the track is more modern, but at the heart lies something that is unashamedly 80s. Handclaps and woo-woo’s kick start ‘Got It Goin’ On’, which typifies driving music for those who never quite made it out of the 80s. Having half of Harem Scarem on hand really should have helped pick this up a gear, but as mentioned, Lesperance’s guitar tone has no shine and once you factor in Creighton Doane’s drum sound being quite weak (it appears to have been given some electronic oomph elsewhere on the album), it doesn’t fire up the listener in the way it really could have.

A couple of tracks try far too hard to be edgy: ‘Sin City’ has distorted keyboards providing its muscle – which irritate fairly quickly (interestingly though, Lesperance’s solo is half decent, though nowhere near as good as he’s capable of); ‘Missing Time’ utilises a similar mechanical, distorted sound, interspersed with a ticking effect to highlight the little meaning behind the song (like you were too stupid to get it…) There are occasional appearances of some eighties synth pop keyboards which sound like novelty doorbells, but generally, there’s nothing here to keep you coming back for more.

There are a couple of decent numbers, but those only really pull the album up to a middling standard, given the low batting average here. ‘The One That Got Away’ is a decent ballad, which, with a bigger set of boots could have fit snugly on a latter day Vertical Horizon disc, or maybe that overlooked sole album by Neve. With a bit of luck, it wouldn’t sound out of place on a montage scene in a hit US teen drama; ‘You Get What You Get’ provides some one-two marching on the spot punchiness and momentarily gives the impression that the album is about to pick up, while the gentle rock of ‘Change Your Life’ shows promise, despite its by numbers approach; the piano flourishes help lift it a little farther, but a weak chorus lets the side down.

To be honest, unless you’re a Harem Scarem completist, or else wondered what that music was on the Olympics trailer (although, since this album was delivered some two years after the event, it’s likely you’ve forgotten about it), you could probably live without this album.

July 2010

FERREIRA – Better Run!!!

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Since we’ve previously featured a soccer related review at Real Gone – the excellent third album by Alexi Lalas – you could be forgiven for thinking we’ve gone down that path again, since this band is fronted by Marco Ferreira. However, the frontman of this band is not the Portuguese winger…

Marco Ferreira – the Brazilian born vocalist/guitarist – mightn’t be a household name, but his career has been a busy one. The debut album under the Ferreira band name (featuring his brother Alex on drums) was released in 2002, after which Marco joined the French progressive metal band Venturia, with whom he recorded two albums. He then set off to record his first solo album, which was self-released in 2008.

Released eight years after their debut album, comes this second album from the Ferreira band. This release sees Marco teamed up with his brother once again – alongside Patrick Sebastian on lead guitar and bassist Gus Monsanto. Housed in a clichéd fire-and-brimstone style sleeve, ‘Better Run!!!’ has its heavy moments, but isn’t quite as heavy as some of you may be expecting, looking at that artwork. In all, it offers ten songs steeped in a hard rock chug, balanced out, in the main, by multi-vocalled, melodic choruses.

The mid-paced riff at the core of ‘Secret Damned Society’ is typical of most of the album’s style, despite the opening featuring some faster guitar work. When the chorus arrives with its harmony vocals, things settle in a little more. Ferreira’s brand of Dokken style hard rock works well here – as it does throughout most of the disc – and while the opening may suggest there are guitar histrionics somewhere on the horizon, lead guitarist Patrick Sebastian’s style of playing shows more restraint than some of his peers and influences for the most part. ‘Rescue Me (Will You Be Ready)’ takes similar elements but uses most of them in a more confident fashion: the riff is a decent hard rocker; the harmony vocals are firmly in place and the guitar work during verses show a lightness in places – a lightness not always heard elsewhere on the album. The major down side is that the band should have made better use of a chorus (with this kind of rock, one line repeated isn’t quite enough). On the flip side, Sebastian turns in a decent – if short – guitar solo.

‘I Want Out’ – one of the album’s faster numbers – highlights why the band is better off sticking to a mid pace. When stepped up a gear, things veer too far towards early Malmsteen territory – it’s not a great leap of imagination to picture what this could have sounded like with Jeff Scott Soto wailing over it at full pelt during his younger years. The title track features a decent guitar solo and an enjoyable riff (even if it’s a standard mid-paced one you’ve almost certainly heard hundreds of times before) but those looking for more depth could be disappointed. ‘Rule In Self Defence’ is more interesting with its percussion heavy stomp between the verses which creates a more memorable rhythm; this shows great promise, however, it’s the chorus which is the high point. The harmony vocals are similar to those used elsewhere, but when combined with the slightly down-tuned riff there’s an echo of Dokken during their ‘Shadowlife’ album. Melodic rock purists are certain to whine about the grunginess here…but whatever they think, this seems to be a style which works well for the band.

‘Trust The Enemy’ represents the band at their most edgy. Employing a treated vocal in places to reinforce the anger (which doesn’t seem entirely necessary), it could have been dismissed as being heavy for the sake of it, but respite can be found in a more melodic chorus – which itself could have been used more effectively perhaps, but coupled with a simple hard rock guitar riff, it’s a number which manages to work well enough, even if it’s the album’s weak link.

For me, Ferreira are at their best when delivering the softer numbers. The album’s two power ballads alone make ‘Better Run!!!’ worth checking out. During ‘Knocking at My Door’, each of the musicians is given more breathing space and the softer edge of Marco Ferreira’s vocals provide excellent contrast to the power driven voice he uses elsewhere. The harmony vocals on the chorus are joined by a tasteful lead guitar part and the solo also shows a great control – it would have been easy for Marco to step things up a gear here and make the solo stand out. The staccato parts of ‘History We Make’ mightn’t lend itself to a power ballad, but once the pre-chorus vocals kick in, the band find a groove that evokes something which sounds slightly like something like Queensrÿche may have explored during their ‘Mindcrime’ late-80s golden age – if only they’d approached things more softly. (In fact, another review suggests this album sounds a lot like Queensrÿche – a comparison largely lost on me as a big ’Ryche fan…there are fleeting glimpses here of occasional Queensrÿche-isms, but as a general rule, Ferreira aren’t much like them at all).

Overall, ‘Better Run!!!’ is a hard rock release which, although workman-like in it’s approach and unlikely set the world afire on a grand scale, holds enough appeal for melodic rock fans – particularly for those who enjoy stuff from the harder end of the scale. Just don’t be put off by the “inspired by a second division eighties thrash band” artwork…

July 2010