by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer —
If you’re the kind of fan of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s melodic rock scene that still follows the bands all these years later, you’re no doubt aware of the fact that the original Tyketto lineup is back together and has a new album out. Tyketto’s latest, titled Dig in Deep, is only the band’s fourth studio album, and is their first since 1995’s Shine. It’s not Shine that Tyketto has to follow-up here though. With the original lineup – Danny Vaughn, Brooke St. James, Jimi Kennedy and Michael Clayton – intact, fans are looking for an album that is worthy of 1991’s Don’t Come Easy and 1994’s Strength in Numbers, two of the best melodic rock albums that decade had to offer.
The band members haven’t exactly been sitting idle these past two decades. Vocalist Danny Vaughn in particular has maintained a successful solo career as well as his From the Inside side-project. As a result, Dig in Deep sounds like what it is, the work of seasoned veterans who are older and wiser, but no less optimistic than they were back in 1991. It’s not as instantly memorable as Don’t Come Easy was, with its dynamite hooks and radio-ready singles, but Dig in Deep definitely has the Tyketto spirit, especially in the lyrics. You hear it the most on the album’s harder rocking songs, like the dynamic opener “Faithless” and the stomping “The Fight Left in Me,” which features some blistering guitar work from St. James and could have come straight from Strength in Numbers. The rest of the album alternates between the kind of mid-tempo melodic rockers and Eagles-like slower songs you’d find on one of Danny Vaughn’s solo albums. That’s not a bad thing, given how good a songwriter Vaughn is, but at the same time songs like “Here’s Hoping It Hurts” and “Monday” don’t stand out clearly as Tyketto songs.
We’re not getting another Don’t Come Easy here, but that was probably an unreasonable expectation in the first place. What we are getting in Dig in Deep is a smooth melodic rock album with a solid rock n’ roll backbone, real heart and soul, top-notch musicianship and vocals to die for, and that’s not a bad deal at all. Dig in Deep is a welcome comeback from one of the best, and most consistently overlooked, bands in melodic rock.
Genre: Melodic Rock
Band:
Danny Vaughn (v)
Brooke St. James (g) (v)
Jimi Kennedy (b) (v)
Michael Clayton (d)
Track Listing:
1. Faithless
2. Love to Love
3. Here’s Hoping It Hurts
4. Battle Lines
5. The Fight Left in Me
6. Evaporate
7. Monday
8. Dig in Deep
9. Sound Off
10. Let This One Slide
11. This Is How We Say Goodbye
Label: Frontiers
Website: www.tyketto.de
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10
