If you read a lot of my scribblings you will have picked up that I like Jeff Scott Soto a lot. I love the guy’s voice and his enthusiasm for just being able to make music is an inspiration. He has been in soooo many albums and projects that I haven’t got the space here to list them all.
I first heard him in on Yngwie’s Rising Force album and thought what a great set of pipes he had, and then when I heard the Talisman albums I thought they were gonna be huge. This record was recorded the same year the first Talisman album was recorded, I’m not sure which one came first but they are both killer in different ways.
This baby slots perfectly into the melodic rock/AOR basket of delights. The Cover of Ace Of Base’s Don’t Turn Around is a definite improvement on the original and works really well. It is a Dianne Warren tune so you’re working with great material but it’s way better than the original. Other than Jeff, the other stand out musician is guitar slinger Steven Dougherty who knows his way around a fretboard that’s for sure. Just listen to the Van Halen-tinged Miss Demeanor as his entry into the guitar olympics. With all the classy tunes on offer here I however am going for the more straight up and down groover Walkin’ Fire as my favourite tune. A great killer riff and groove with a hook and chorus to die four. Wired 4 Love was very close as I’m a sucker for a four to the floor sing a long rocker.
Great album and band.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
