Phenomena Blind Faith
by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer
All-star recordings are much like all-star games in sports; the lineup always looks great on paper, but rarely does the game ever live up to the hype. Phenomena’s Blind Faith contains an all-star lineup of vocalists and musicians that spans the globe, an international all-star game, if you will, that delivers the goods. Featuring a roster including a who’s who of melodic and progressive vocalists, Phenomena have put together a winning combination with Blind Faith. Musically, Blind Faith is all over the map, hitting the mark with several melodic gems, straight-ahead rockers and the best of AOR.
There are a few low points on Blind Faith, most notably on tracks “The Sky is Falling” and “One More Chance.” They vocally miss the mark, and the songs don’t really take the listener anywhere and are simply boring. But the remaining eight tracks deliver enough good music and vocal highlights to make up for any blemishes.
Track No. 3, “Fighting” kicks things into high gear with Primal Fear vocalist Ralph Scheepers, who does his best to contain his multi-octave weapon, followed by “Liar” and a terrific vocal performance by former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin.
Robin Beck belts out the lyrics to the most memorable track, “I Was Gonna Tell You Tonight.” This song could have been a huge hit for the band Heart back in the mid ‘80s. Robin does an excellent job here, but you can’t help but hear the Wilson sisters’ influence and think about what Ann could have done with this one.
A riveting love-lost song comes in the form of “House of Love” and features a tremendous vocal performance by Rob Moratti that has him pushing the upper octaves. If you are into the mellower side of Journey, you’ll be hitting the replay button on this one more than once.
Other standout vocal tracks include “If You Love Her,” featuring Chris Ousey, and “Angels Don’t Cry” with Mikael Erlandsson on the mic. Both are great melodic numbers that will keep you coming back.
Tom and Mel Galley, the masterminds behind this Phenomena release put together a group of first-rate musicians to accompany these great vocal performances and rarely does an all-star project deliver so many memorable tracks. Blind Faith is a very solid melodic release that will have many listeners digging back through the archives for more material by Phenomena and their other all-star compilations.
Band:
Tom Galley – Guitars
Mel Galley – Guitars
Martin Kronlund – Guitars and Bass
Jim Kirkpatrick – Guitars
Imre Daun – Drums and Percussion
Dan Helgesen – Keyboards
Henrik Thomsen – Bass
Special Guests:
Mike DeMeo (Riot & Masterplan)
Rob Moratti & Ian Crichton (Saga)
Tony Martin (Black Sabbath)
Ralf Scheepers & Mat Sinner (Primal Fear)
Mikael Erlandsson (Salute & Last Autumn’s Dreams)
Chris Ousey (Heartland)
Steve Overland (Overland, FM)
Stefan Lindholm (Vindictiv, Firecracker)
Terry Brock (Giant & Strangeways)
Robin Beck
Tommy Denander
Track Listing:
1. The Sky is Falling
2. Blind Faith
3. Fighting
4. Liar
5. I Was Gonna Tell You Tonight
6. Angels Don’t Cry
7. If You Love Her
8. House of Love
9. Don’t Ever Give Your Heart Away
10. One More Chance
Label: Escape Music
Website: http://www.escape-music.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.3/10