Quality Westcoast rock material seldom adorns these pages.
There have been a few exceptions - Adahl and
Lava for example - and I'd hoped to add the JaR 'Scene 29' album to that short list.
But I found Graydon's and Goodrum's effort to be a largely lifeless affair, high in technical expertise but low on passion and good tunes.
'This Is Life' from the highly talented vocalist and musician, Andreas Aleman, is everything that '
Scene 29' is not.
Aleman proves that "laid back" doesn't mean dull. That "smooth and sophisticated" can still pack an emotional punch. This soulful, funky bunch of songs is rock with an adult resonance, in a kind of Bobby Caldwell vein. One that'll ring true for anyone who appreciates good music.
In fact it takes me back to the time when David (Toto) Paich and cohorts invented the genre for Boz Scaggs on his
'Silk Degrees' album. An ultra smooth blend of blues, R'n'B and pop - white boy soul with a rocky edge.
Okay, that sound has been refined down through the years, but Aleman and his exec producer, Brian Hobbs have remained true to the genre's roots.
Arguably, tracks like
'This Is Life' and
'I Don't Really Need You' place too heavy an emphasis on jazz stylings, but those funky horns - short, sharp stabs of brass - and Aleman's husky tones - in places recalling Daryl Hall - maintain the rock'n'soul vibe.
The funky
'Your Version Of The Truth' and jazzrock '
I'll Be All' are album standout contenders, but the balladic
'That Was Yesterday',
'Loving Me By Name' and
'The Rivers Of Time' are where Aleman and team get it absolutely right, making that emotional connection that only the best music can.
Like so many subgenres of rock, the trick is to make sure that technical expertise doesn't freeze the music between mixing desk and speaker. Slick, yes. Sophisticated, yes. But you just need to make sure that the warmth gets through unfiltered.
Listen to 'This Is Life' and hear how it's done.
Written by
Brian Monday, March 30, 2009
Show all reviews by BrianRatingsBrian: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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