For those that don't know,
Robin Beck had her fifteen seconds of fame with a 1988 jingle for a Coca Cola commercial. She became a hot property for a minute and the song hit number one in the U.K. After another rock album she sank into oblivion and dabbled with other types of music which no one cared about, to be honest with you. Most rock fans still believe she disappeared into a cave for a decade and didn't come out till now with the apprehensively titled "Do You Miss Me?"
I'm a real stickler when it comes to female singers. They have to have some angle that sets them apart, most of the femme rockers sound disjointed in a rock setting, and the all-around fantastic singer is rare, like Ann Wilson and Lana Lane. So therefore, you need something special to make yourself noticed. There's the sweet innocence like Candice Night, the angelic operatic voice of Tarja, the gothic sensuality of Liv Kristine Espenaes from Theater of Tragedy, and then there's
Doro.
Doro Pesch can hang with the boys any night, going from pure passion to aggression at the drop of a hat and makes it authentic. Robin though, she's a good singer, but her voice is middle of the road and leaves you wanting more. More passion, sweetness, more power. Instead, it's very adult contemporary but almost cold at times. And her straight up delivery makes you think of Faith Hill, Leanne Rimes and other country/pop crossover singers. Not something I wanna associate with my rock, anyway. She has sentenced entire albums to the pop/country style so this is really no surprise. But her voice is pleasant and flexible, and she can hold her own and run rings around many female singers out there today.
Except for the pop country overtones, this disc mimics her hubby
James Christian's last solo album. In fact, it's like this is its long lost twin that was separated at birth, and that was only at the beginning of this year. Fabrizio seriously needs to update, upgrade or overhaul his approach a little bit. It was cool the first few times, but even with a change of gender behind the mic, this album comes out as seeming like finally an overkill for this formula. So if you dug any of Fabrizio's projects in the past, this should get the greenlight as well but if not, then just hang it up right now, because there are much better CDs that he's been behind out there.
Not that "Do You Miss Me?" is a pathetic release, it's actually above average and more than "just decent". The issue is, that the music just starts to sound all too much the same at about the halfway point. Fabrizio's guitar sound dominates and puts that stamp on every song no matter what team of writers might have put it together.
"Stone By Stone" is very pop/contemporary, but it comes across nicely with a midtempo feel that sits just right with Robin's voice.
"I Don't Wanna Play That Game Anymore" allows Robin plenty of playroom to let her really belt it with a heated delivery that slams the verses home before the chorus kicks in. Good stuff, and what the disc needs more of although more of a rock feel or even
AOR would be appreciated. Ditto for
"Coming Back For More", which helps the album considerably. A sharp, catchy and easy to digest track where every moment is a sing-a-long worthy one.
"Walk On the Moon" is mellow and drifty, with lush harmonies.
"Your Love is Tough" is one of the more rock type picks of the disc, and it has some cool guitars but still seems to lack something. What? I'm not sure, but it's lacking.
"Safest Place" is a big ballad, but feels like a rehash. You can see every twist and turn and note from a mile away.
In fact, this disc has been a real chore to review and many times have I sat here and contemplated what to type when words just wouldn't come to me. It's hard to select the gems when everything kind of runs into one another with a mundane "sameness". The production is well-done and polished, the material seems written for radio stardom, everyone plays their parts well, and
James Christian is even lending a hand to as a backup singer, yet while nothing in particular sinks the ship, it just doesn't dazzle. Which is a shame, for a "genre return" album (can't really say comeback because she had a disc out just a couple of years ago called "Wonderland") it should knock you off your socks and then beat you senseless with them, but it just doesn't. No "wow" factor at all.
A good warm up, and I'm looking forward to the next record, but this one is just not a must-have for the average music buyer. Perhaps it is yet another casuality from an over abundance of pre-release hype. For fans of female vocals, Fabrizio V.Zee Grossi's projects, and
Robin Beck herself, I say pick it up, but otherwise, preview before purchase. You won't cry your eyes out over having bought it blindly, but you won't be patting yourself on the back for finding a real gem either.
Written by
Alanna Sunday, September 11, 2005
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