Richie Zito is a well known producer and songwriter who has contributed to the success of such acts as
Cheap Trick, Heart, Eddie Money and
White Lion - to name just a handful.
Cheap Trick especially benefited from the Zito touch with "Lap of Luxury", an album that put Trick back into the mainstream market. Anime fans can spot his work on the Project A-ko movie and Hellsing the TV series. Going back even further in the past, he laid down guitar chops for 70s acts Neil Sedaka, Art Garfunkel and Diana Ross. However, until now he had not struck out on his own. Thanks to a big push from the president of Frontiers Records, Serafino Perugino, a fire was lit under him. So with the help of his past melodic rock contacts, this songwriter/sessions guitarist spawned his first solo outing. And with that, Avalon, aka The Richie Zito project was born.
Avalon - for all practical purposes - should have been a spectacular album. I don't mean just a good
AOR album, which it certainly is, this SHOULD have been an absolute monster. The kind of melodic rock album that you only see a couple of times a year. An event even. Yet it falls flat. Richie is known for being a great producer, but this disc sounds awful. It is apparent that it was a no budget release, because everything is so paper thin. Where there should be plush melodies, the music seems withdrawn and flat. His guitarwork is likely the worst offender. Nothing sharp there. So that's one strike. Score another one for the song selection. Four of these are rips from the old
Prism releases, and the originals stand heads and shoulders above these "remakes". For a guy known for his songwriting skills second of all... this is quite the disappointment. Even his guitar solos are trite and hollow. Not alot of emotional heart was invested for Avalon, and this lack of passion is painfully obvious.
So what's going for the disc? Mainly a great cast of vocalists ranging from
Joe Lynn Turner to Phillip Bardowell (who does two songs), to Joseph Williams,
Danny Vaughn and the ever popular Hugo Valenti. Their appearances make up the meat of Avalon, as they were thrown some of the best tunes to cover.
"Blue Collar" is Hugo's time to sparkle and he really belts this one with power and enthusiasm. Very nice upbeat
AOR, and oddly familiar. Hmmm...
"Is He Better Than Me" is a no brainer rock n roller workout in the style of old Rainbow, with a rolling hard rock feel that fits JLT's voice like a glove. Did I mention these were two of the
Prism tracks? Oh yes they are from "Beat Street" and are some of the best tuneage you will hear on the album. Eddie Money makes mockery of another
Prism piece,
"Nightmare". What hole did he crawl out of anyway?
"Nightmare" calls for a higher register than what Money is capable of, and therefore ends up being quite laughable.
"Oh Samantha" is the typical ballad, crooned by Joseph Williams. Nothing extraordinary or fancy, just fairly unremarkable. The title track
"Avalon" is a smooth midtempo piece that has a great feeling thanks to
Danny Vaughn's slick vocals. It doesn't stray far from his norm, but maybe that nice matching is what makes this one instead of break it.
Phillip Bardowell does his usual magic behind the mic for both of his efforts.
"I Can't Forget You" is a slow, smoky song and
"Good Things Take Time" captures alot of emotion in a disc that seems to use it sparingly. The production sucks some life out of it, especially the thin drums.
Eric Martin gets a duo too, and he especially does justice to the
Prism ballad,
"I Don't Want to Want You".
Alot of people didn't like
"Blue Monday", featuring both Hugo and Giorgio Morder, but for these ears, it is simply another passably fun piece that taxes neither brain nor senses. It is just kind of there, in an unobtrusive manner. Other flatliners include the
Richie Kotzen ballad
"Forever I Will" which goes nowhere and takes its sweet time doing so.
Avalon: The Richie Zito Project, ends up being a rather disappointing release that underwhelms more than it overjoys. There are some spots that shine but as always, there's better material out there waiting to be heard. With a bouncier and cleaner production to put more meat on these melodic bones, it could have faired much better in the end. As it is, the sound is anorexic and the tunes are mostly regurgitated fare that have been recorded with more spunk and heart elsewhere with others. Bardowell and Martin fans take note, but for everyone else this is a pleasant disc that has nothing worth writing home about.
Written by
Alanna Monday, October 9, 2006
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 5.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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