{"id":24222,"date":"2012-11-30T06:51:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T11:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=24222"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:39:37","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:39:37","slug":"issa-cant-stop-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/issa-cant-stop-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Issa | Can\u2019t Stop<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"IssaNorwegian melodic rock princess Issa Oversveen returns with her third album in as many years. This time she\u2019s hopping on the covers album bandwagon and while that bandwagon is as overdone as a kielbasa left on the grill for too long, Issa\u2019s particular bandwagon rolls in a slightly different direction. Instead of covering a bunch of moldy oldies or overplayed hits, she has delved deep into the vaults of cult AOR and dusted off some little-known gems from the likes of Aviator, 21 Guns, and Tangier, to name just a few. Diehard melodic rockers will be familiar with at least several of these songs, but this will seem like new material to more casual fans.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not all this material is of equal quality; far too often while listening to Can\u2019t Stop<\/em> you will come to the conclusion that a song was decent enough, but ultimately nothing all that special. \u201cUnderwhelming\u201d is the adjective that most often comes to mind. There are exceptions\u2014for example, Issa\u2019s versions of \u201cJust a Wish\u201d by 21 Guns and \u201cI Won\u2019t Surrender\u201d by Steelhouse Lane are really good\u2014but for the most part this album lacks pizzazz and pales in comparison to Issa\u2019s original compositions.<\/p>\n

Compounding the problem is the fact that the pristine production that was a crucial component of Issa\u2019s earlier work is absent here. This album should sound immaculate and forceful but instead just sounds\u2026 average. While it would be overly harsh to call the mix muddy, it certainly does not sound as crisp and clean as it should. Really not helping matters is the lack of control Issa occasionally exhibits when it comes to her vocals, especially when reaching for those high notes. Most of the time she is perfectly fine, her vocals as angelic as ever, but every now and then a note screeches through the speakers that may put a wince on your face instead of a smile.<\/p>\n

That said, it is testimony to Issa\u2019s melodic rock skills that even with all this damnation laid at her feet, this album is still a safe \u2014 though nothing more \u2014 purchase for AOR aficionados. Sure, it could have, perhaps even should have, been much better, but it also could have been the sonic equivalent of liquefied dog crap. It\u2019s not an essential purchase, but nor is it a total waste of money like so many other covers albums released by more famous bands (yeah, we\u2019re looking at you, Poison and Def Leppard).<\/p>\n

Bottom line, Can\u2019t Stop<\/em> is neither debacle nor delight. Issa fans who approach this album with their expectations on a short leash will find it serviceable, but serviceable does not suit this AOR goddess. Her debut was excellent, her sophomore effort was good, and now her third outing is just okay. If she can\u2019t stop these diminishing returns when it comes to the quality of her albums, she\u2019ll be in danger of becoming just another forgotten footnote in the annals of melodic rock history. While Can\u2019t Stop is not bad enough to make fans flee like rats from a sinking ship, it is her weakest effort to date. Here\u2019s hoping she comes roaring back in a year or two with a big dose of bombast that makes everyone forget just how average this latest album is.<\/p>\n

Genre: AOR, Melodic Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nIssa (Isabell Oversveen)\u2014lead vocals
\nAlessandro Del Vecchio\u2014keyboards
\nMario Percudani\u2014guitars
\nAnna Portaluppi\u2014bass
\nAlessandro Mori\u2014drums <\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Can\u2019t Stop
\n2. Power Over Me
\n3. Wherever You Run
\n4. Just a Wish
\n5. If You Ever Fall
\n6. Do You Ever Think of Me
\n7. Dream On
\n8. Stranded
\n9. Heat of the Night
\n10. I Won\u2019t Surrender
\n11. State of Love
\n12. These Eyes<\/p>\n

Webpage: www.facebook.com\/issa.oversveen<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Frontiers Records<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen – Senior Columnist — Norwegian melodic rock princess Issa Oversveen returns with her third album in as many years. This time she\u2019s hopping on the covers album bandwagon and while that bandwagon […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[336,374,2901,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-24222","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-frontiers-records","9":"tag-melodic-rock","10":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24222\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}