Rob Moratti : Victory

by Franco Cerchiari
Staff Writer

Since his earliest days with his self titled band, Moratti, on through his work with Phenomena, and as well his guest vocals on Tor Talle’s astounding 2005 project, Northern Light and his tenure with Final Frontier and Saga’s 2009 Human Condition, Moratti, has indeed proved himself time and again as one of the great voices of melodic rock. While it is his voice that is the focal point of Victory, note must be given to what is one amazing group of guest musicians – Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken, Whitesnake,) Fredrik Berg (Street Talk, Bloodhound,) Tony Franklin (Quiet Riot, Blue Murder, The Firm) and Brian Doemer (Helix,Saga.)

With a sound firmly planted in AOR, Victory opens with what could have been found on any Final Frontiers release, “Life on the Line,” complete with subtle guitar riffs winding their way around the track. Reb Beach proves why he is one of the rock world’s finest guitarists, with solos laying a delectable showing just under the blanket of power chords. Listen as well to the perfect, mid tempo “Life Time,” the prog-ish, “Power of Love,” the rocking, head nodding “On and On,” the grandiose keyboards of “Hold That Light,” the gentle “Take It All Back,” and with a sound that will remind one of Work of Art or Northern Light is the ballad “I Promise You.” Wonderful as well are the incredible drums of “Standing On Top of the World,” where Moratti’s voice reaches into the upper octaves, and closing this fantastic release is the piano and lush guitars of “Now More Than Ever.”

Moratti seems to have a vocal style that has indeed remained as strong as ever. While age is indeed little more than a number, it has been proven that there are certain vocalists that unfortunately time catches up with and their voice becomes not as strong as it once was. On the complete other sides of the gamut are vocalists who seem to defy such a notion and stay as remarkable as ever – age be damned. Moratti is such a singer.

The sound on Victory is flawless, the musicianship as perfect as one could hope for and overall the sound flows easily from one track to the next. Pleasing on the ears, it is indeed tangible that Rob Moratti poured out his heart and soul on this release, and the end result is exquisite. The musicians play off each other extremely well, knowing their instruments and using them to accentuate certain passages and emotions. The songwriting was seemingly done with care, taking into consideration when to bring into focus a guitar, a keyboard or drum roll and when to pull back. The sentiment heard throughout is solid and real, and as has been said so many times, if the listener can feel of those feelings that the songwriter is trying to express, the result will be a compilation that a listener will want to come back to time and again. This is one of those times.

So…..the “best of” deliberation will surely carry on, but Rob Moratti, with this release, has established himself as one of the great ones, for this, in every way possible, showcases his talent as a lyricist, musician and vocalist. This was truly an unbelievable CD, one that will surely make many top ten lists for 2011.

Genre: AOR/Melodic Rock

Track Listing:
Life on the Line
Everything But Goodbye
Life Time
Power of Love
Hold That Light
On and On
Take It All Back
I Promise You
Standing On Top of the World
Jeannie
Now More Than Ever

Musicians:
Rob Moratti – vocals
Reb Beach – guitars
Tony Franklin – bass
Fredrik Berg – keyboards
Christian Wolff – guitars/keyboards
Brian Doemer – drums

Label: Escape Records

HRH Rating – 9.5/10

Classic Albums Revisited : Blue Murder

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Classic Albums Revisited: Blue Murder

John Sykes (Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Blue Murder, Sykes), the man behind the successful Whitesnake self-titled CD, which was an enormous international success, selling more than six million copies in the U.S. alone, never tasted the success of his accomplishment. David Coverdale fired the entire band that was involved in the recording process and replaced it with a new entourage of band members and took them out on tour in support of the album.

On the heels of the success of the Whitesnake self-titled album, Sykes took the reins of his destiny in his hands. He returned home to England, where his mother and stepfather have a studio in Blackpool. After numerous jam sessions, Sykes made the demo for Blue Murder, which led him to signing with Geffen. Sykes formed the legendary band Blue Murder, featuring Carmon Appice (Vanilla Fudge, King Kobra) and Tony Franklin (The Firm, Whitesnake).

Sykes’ search for a vocalist led him to Ray Gillian (Badlands, Black Sabbath). The consensus from the band and those involved with Sykes was that no one they auditioned could match the guide vocals he had recorded on his demos. Sykes decided to scrap his search for a vocalist and handle the vocal duties himself.

The album that Sykes, Appice and Franklin recorded was nothing less than spectacular. Taking his guitar playing a step beyond his work with Whitesnake, Sykes produced edgy, fluid and explosive guitar rhythms. His solo work on the album is awe inspiring. No one can miss the legato phrasing and vibrato of John Sykes.

The surprise to us all was the voice. No one expected Sykes to be able to stand out as a lead vocalist. Citing Coverdale, Glenn Hughes and Phil Lynott as influences, Sykes found himself learning the trade from two of rock’s greatest vocalist. His thick British accent gives his vocals a smooth, sensual vibe. No longer standing in the shadow of Phil Lynott or David Coverdale, Sykes stood on his own as lead vocalist in his own right.

The fret-less bass playing of Tony Franklin highlighted the bass guitar as an instrument. Gone was the straight ahead playing of bassists of the genre to be replaced by fluid, rolling sounds that were unfamiliar to the listeners. The opening track is a prime example of the unique sound and style of Franklin.

With a resume that dates back to the late ‘60s, Appice set the foundation for heavy drumming. His unique style provided the back bone the music Blue Murder. His fills and rolls are bone crushing. Appice’s playing lays the foundation for Franklin’s bass grooves and Sykes’ guitar mastery.

The lyrical content of the CD bought forth images of swashbuckling, gypsies, pirates, high seas adventures, romantic interludes, pharaohs and the mystical hunt for treasure. The energy of the songs and overall sound carried the listener on a 52-minute journey of adventure, love and heroism.

Bottom Line: Every track rocks! It is such a shame that the current mainstream music industry feeds (those who listen to mainstream music) unoriginal, untalented and uninspired music. John Sykes deserves credit as a talented musician. His releases with Whitesnake, Blue Murder, Sykes, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pang more than show him to be in a class all his own.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Produced By: Bob Rock
Running Time: 52:05
Release Date: 1989
Released: US
Website: John Sykes
Label: Geffen

Track Listing:
1. “Riot” – 6:22
2. “Sex Child” – 5:51
3. “Valley of the Kings” (Sykes, Tony Martin) – 7:51
4. “Jelly Roll” – 4:44
5. “Blue Murder” (Carmine Appice, Sykes, Tony Franklin) – 4:54
6. “Out of Love” – 6:44
7. “Billy” – 4:12
8. “Ptolemy” – 6:30
9. “Black-Hearted Woman” (Appice, Franklin, Sykes) – 4:48

Freakshow Welcome to the Freakshow

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Music can be a lot of things, but one of its most important aspects is that music can be an “escape.” An escape from the drudgery of everyday life; an escape from the current global state of affairs; mostly, just an escape from the negativity that may surround you. There’s a reason why, back in the ‘80s, bands like Quiet Riot, Cinderella, Poison, Def Leppard, Warrant, Ratt, Motley Crue, etc. had their say. It’s because listening to their music made you happy. No, it wasn’t uplifting, it wasn’t buoyant, but it was a hell of a good time. That burgeoning ‘80’s movement over the last half of this decade seems to have culminated in one of the most rockin’ “good time” releases in years, and that’s Freakshow’s Welcome to the Freakshow.

The band is a supergroup, and no, that ain’t stretching the truth. The band consists of drummer Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot), guitarist Jeff Labar (Cinderella), bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder) and lead singer/guitarist Markus Allen Christopher (Miss Crazy). The band formed over the course of a year, when initially, Christopher invited Labar to play on his upcoming solo album. Soon, mutual friends Banali and Franklin became involved, and what was a solo album turned into a new band, Freakshow. You can pick up Welcome to the Freakshow on April 20, via Retrospect Records.

“Welcome to the Freakshow” opens the release, wielding a dirty grind and sultry vocal melodies from Christopher on his “ahhh-ahhhs.” In Miss Crazy, Christopher sings with a definite Brian Johnson/Tom Kiefer style, but he channels Robert Plant in the verses of this track. Banali, who is clearly one of Metal’s best drummers, certainly shows off his John Bonham influences on this track as well, some both bludgeoning and intricate at once. One of the biggest surprises may be how Labar turns off his bluesy Cinderella style and tears into frenetic, metallic leads and solos.

Not surprisingly, you’ll hear a hint of all the members’ current and former bands on Welcome to the Freakshow. When you hit “Everyone,” the pacing and rhythms may remind you of Cinderella’s “Once Around the Ride,” especially with the chord progressions. “Everyone” is going to be the band’s first single, and it walks that fine line between Heavy Metal and Hard Rock. At the end of the song, as it builds to Christopher’s wail of “Can you feel me!” you’ll understand why they wanted to unleash the beast with “Everyone.”

The song “It’s Really Over” may just be the most complete composition on Welcome to the Freakshow. With a bluesy, Led Zeppelin churning rhythm from Franklin and Banali, sensual and dirty vocals from Christopher, and emotional leads and solos from Labar, it’s the track that sticks in your head immediately after just one listen.

Speaking of Franklin, check out his fingers on “Four Leaf Clover.” With Banali and Franklin stealing the limelight during the first verses, you’ll get thumping art at its peak, with Christopher’s pissed off yet uber-melodic vocals delivering the message. These guys have talent to burn …

“Looking Back at Me” is another song where Christopher waylays the harsher vocals for more of his crooning style, at least during the verses. The tempo changes from verse to chorus make it one of the most intricate on the release, and Banali’s fills are immense. It almost seems like a running sonic competition—who is the best musician in Freakshow? It seems they all brought the best out of each other, and while Christopher may be the member who perhaps owns the least recognizable discography, this is the best he’s ever sounded as well.

They keep the pedal to the floor until you hit the last song on the release. “Mistreat Me” is another burner, but they always temper those raging sections with almost Def Leppard-type melodic vocal melodies during the chorus. They follow up this track with “Ripper,” another frantically paced composition that leans on the formula of “ripping” verses with a melodically-charged chorus. “Ripper” again allows Labar to wail, to show another facet to his playing you just didn’t hear in Cinderella.

Welcome to the Freakshow ends on “Mistaken,” the one time the band allows you to catch your breath. An acoustic ballad, Christopher sings with utter sadness, especially on lines like, “There it goes, like an eagle flying, going all the way. There it goes, as my heart is achin’ … you’ve mistaken me.” It would have been interesting to hear a couple more songs like this on the new release, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Freakshow should garner massive attention from the fans, simply because each musician has such a loyal following. But, this is something new, it’s not rehashed, recycled music. The arrangements are more complex than they were in the ‘80s, the production is modern, and to put it simply … none of these players ever sounded better. In other words, Welcome to the Freakshow is a hell of a good time.

Label: Retrospect Records

Track listing:
Welcome to the Freakshow
Everyone
You Who Wins
It’s Really Over
Burning Me
Four Leaf Clover
Looking Back at Me
Mindgame
Mistreat Me
Ripper
Mistaken

Online:On MySpace

HRH Rating: 8.4/10