Fabrizio V.Zee Grossi seems to have been given the job of elevating somewhat obscure vocalists or those that have been out of the current loop.
We have seen him bring back Starship's Mickey Thomas after several years of hiding in the background, ex-Tyketto's Danny Vaughan, and redeeming
James Christian after the
House of Lords reunion flop. This time it is Tommy Funderburk's turn to get the Grossi treatment. Funderburk is one of those singers that are only recognized by the most devoted of the
AOR fans, being mostly spotted for his backup studio credits with Coverdale/Page, Starship,
REO Speedwagon and most notably
Whitesnake and Motley Crue. He was the lead on a single Boston album, "Walk On" and a scattering of other projects such as Airplay, The Front, What If, King of Hearts and FunderburkMiner, all well respected and loved by
AOR aficionados. For everyone else not into Boston or reading liner notes, this may very well be your introduction to this frontman, and like most Grossi releases, it's a worthwhile one, although ultimately a little too familiar to his other projects.
"Anything For You" follows almost the same exact formula as the
James Christian "Meet the Man" one-off. Not that that's a bad thing, for "Meet the Man" was quite the enjoyable release, and more of the same is quite welcome, even moreso since we have a different voice warbling the tunes here. Which if you are wondering, are mostly all about love, a topic that
AOR music usually tackles. Fabrizio is definitely carving a niche out for himself and its always exciting to hear who he manages to bring back next, coupling them with fabulously fat production and a solid backing band to bring out the very possible best of his next makeover project. Unfortunately, all of the singers he takes under his wing, their albums are beginning to sound much the same, and this feels like we've heard this all before and recently too.
"Anything For You" starts out with a majestically melodic punch, sizzling guitars and soaring vocals in the form of a slick song that's more of a rocker called
"Learning How to Love". JM Scattalin and Rob Vanni provide some nice guitars and the song relies heavily on background supporting vocals to produce the hook. A bit cheesy perhaps, I believe the song would have been better with this aspect either toned down or given a more blended feel.
"Remember Our Love" zigzags free into another direction, this time donning the fluffy puff shirt of
AOR alumni. The look fits his voice well, with the swarming keyboards and
Westcoast stylings and emotiveness. Not groundbreaking, for it sounds like a million other songs of this fashion.
The title track is a wistful exclamation of devotion, piano featured prominently with wisps of sweet guitar and a laid-back tempo that is carefree and relaxing. A potent potion with a definite sunny California and golden beaming beaches vibe.
"Only You Can Give Me" has a bit more power in the tempo but nothing that will rock your socks off. A little overly average, it takes something remarkable to break out of the norm in this genre these days and "Only" doesn't have it.
However,
"To Say You Love Me" does have that unexplainable special something that defines it as its own unique snowflake. This is a gentle ballad that floats by with the delicacy of a butterfly in the spring breeze and an absolutely beautiful chorus that lifts the song up where it belongs and builds on the strength of Tommy's lead vocals that croon passionately
"you can't run anymore."
The change between
"You Got the Love" and the previous track is apparent from the get-go. Just one listen to the crunching opening rhythm guitars and you'll believe this is a different bit entirely and surely it is in the moody, swaggeringly rhythmic chorus and background groans that seem ripped from Led Zeppelin's epic opus, "Stairway to Heaven."
"Skin"'s bluesy opening is a departure and a treat, along with the loving vocals, slow pacing and slip sliding guitars. The chorus keeps ramping it up a notch. A rather smooth song, if repetitive, we get the point that "Some things are meant to be" after the seemingly hundredth reminder.
The last three songs feel more like filler, and cover the same type of ground that's already been explored on this disc. This is about the point where attention spans will begin to wander if they haven't already.
"The Garden" has the same kind of swaggering
AOR lite feel that was seen in
"You Got the Love", and
"Second Chance" and
"Say A Little Prayer" are fairly mediocre. They don't suck or anything but
"Second Chance" is especially a little on the limp side and seems like a failed Bon Jovi-esque ballad in moments.
The same trait that makes Funderburk such a great backup vocalist, lack of distinction, is the very same thing that keeps him from reaching standout greatness when given the lead spotlight. His delivery is smooth and pleasant and makes a nice match with his self written material and the performances he's been given to work with. "Anything For You" is an example of high quality
AOR that just doesn't have enough to set it apart from the rest. Other Grossi releases have had their own thing going on, but Tommy's leans on familiarity and similarity. Not that it is a bad thing, but more innovation would have gone a long way to making this not just a nice diversion as it is, but a great CD, which it strives for, but fails at being. In the end this is a highly likeable release for
AOR fans only, since it doesn't reach high enough standards or standout moments to be a piece that will convert others. And that's a shame, because the potential is there.
Written by
Alanna Friday, March 18, 2005
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