Voices of Rock II "High and Mighty" is a Michael Voss project that celebrates classic sounding rock music. And by classic, we mean the 1980s, and by celebration, simply great vocalists that may or may not be on the current radar. There are ten vocalists and ten tracks, each one tailored for that specific singer. The end result is that a few tracks bring to the surface some forgotten sounds and instill a very healthy and infectious sense of nostalgia.
The singer roster is first rate and the album starts off in a rather gigantic, heavy and doomish way with the gloriously constructed
"Into the Light".
Tony Martin (ex-
Black Sabbath, The Cage) is behind the mic, and gives a magnificent performance that recalls his time with
Black Sabbath vivdly. The pleading for heaven's light and the inevitable tumble into forever darkness is played up to fantastic results with Martin's voice effortlessly blending the epic grandeur of Ronnie James
Dio and the bluesier moments of David Coverdale. Fantastic Scandi-rock pops up for the infectiously flowing midtempo track
"Shame On You", which sports a shiny chorus that sparkles and vocals from
Bert Heerink (Vandenberg). The swirly 80s keyboards really make this
AOR piece pop.
"Tonight" gives
Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, solo, Deep Purple, many others) a solid platform to stand on, and even though he has lent his voice around the block and back over the past few decades, it is always a pleasure to hear him belting melodic rock, just as it should be. The nuances of Turner's performance are always what make his turns at the mic a little something special, and he lays it on thick here.
"Lay You Down to Rest" sees Mitch Malloy hitting some nice notes and settling comfortably into this midtempo
AOR smoothie, while Tony Mills (Shy, Serpentine, TNT, etc) air raid sirens a few in an otherwise typical turn of musical events for him on "In the
Heart of the Young" which oddly sounds like the
Winger debut at times.
"Dirty Games" is David Reece and his swagger and raunchy charm make this one standout among the rest, since it is quite different than anything else on the collection.
"Only 4 Ever" ends the normal version of the disc in high classy pure Skagarack style. Torben Schmidt (Skagarack, of course) is an absolute joy to hear singing his fluid unmistakable style in a song that could have easily been found on The chorus is wonderfully done, ecstatic and filled with emotional conviction. Along with the first three tracks, this makes the fourth great piece on the disc.
The rest is still pretty good, with
Rob Rock (Impellitteri) handling the only true ballad,
"Remember Me". He sounds rather inspired even if the song comes up a little short.
"Rock Me" sung by Paul
Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot) has the anthemic Def Leppard/Autograph style going for it. Chorus heavy, big and sassy, but also typical stuff that has no outstanding qualities.
"Down the Drain" with
Paul Sabu is a sneaky track, and a grower. It will take a few spins to completely appreciate it, but when it finally hits,
"Drain" finds its place as a great song to break up the disc with a bit of variety.
A great vocal list can't save an average cd however. There are a few great songs, and the remainder are mostly noted because of the vocals. The production is flat, uninspired. The novelty is hearing a wide selection of vocalists on songs that more or less fit their previous bands and vocal style. A very appealing disc that could have been much better, but is still worth a look just for the feast of singers available and the few truly standout pieces that make "High and Mighty" a worthwhile purchase.
Written by
Alanna Sunday, April 25, 2010
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