Jeff Scott Soto – The Solo Albums Ranked Worst to First (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

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My introduction to Jeff Scott Soto was thanks to MelodicRock.com and was around 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve followed his whole career from Panther and Yngwie Malmsteen all the way to Talisman, Eyes, Takara & Axel Rudi Pell and even to W.E.T., SOTO and Sons of Apollo. But today, we are focusing on this solo career from his debut solo album ‘Love Parade’ in 1994 and his career with Frontiers Records starting with 2002’s ‘Prism’ up to 2022’s ‘Complicated. An impressive collection of 8 studio albums and one compilation from 2021 called ‘The Duets Collection’ that I am including as he did re-record those songs…my site, my rules.

The one thing I’ve always enjoyed about Jeff is that voice. So powerful and at times so gentle. Whether he is belting out a rocker, doing a little funk, or even a beautiful ballad, you can always count on vocal perfection. And let me tell you, live is just as impressive. So, I present to you my interpretation of what are the best and worst albums. Do note, that even the worst album here is 3 Stars out of 5 Stars…which means there is no real bad album…only albums I like more than others.

Enjoy as we Rank The Solo Albums by Jeff Scott Soto…

THE WORST – ‘BEAUTIFUL MESS’ (2009)

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My Sunday Song – “Something In The Orange” by Zach Bryan

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For My Sunday Song #370, we are on the final of 10 songs from my daughter Morgan and this choice is my favorite which is why I saved it for last. The song is “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan and it is off his 2022 album ‘American Heartbreak’. This is a country song, but was a massive crossover hit as it went to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Country charts as well as the Rock & Alternative Songs chart as well. And there is a reason for it as it is quite stunning and beautiful. The song was written by only Zach and in the world of Country music that is rare thing for an artist.

The song is about the end of a relationship. He knows she is gone and won’t miss him as much as he misses her. The “orange” is a sunset and is a metaphor for many things throughout the song. At first he sees hope that she will come back, but later it is an ending as he realizes she is never coming hope and that sun becomes awareness. But most of all the sunset is nostalgia as he remembers the relationship fondly. The song was inspired by a breakup, but mostly it was inspired by a sunset he was watching at a cabin in Wisconsin. That orange color he thought would make a great story and he’s write.

The song is acoustic with Zach sing his heart out and there is so much heartbreak in that voice. A slight grit, but still a smoothness to it that connects to the listener and draws them in to the lyrics and to the music. You get an acoustic guitar, a haunting piano and harmonica that touches your soul. It all feels so simple, but is so so effective and he proves that less is more on this one.

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Friday New Releases – July 21, 2023

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As the Summer heats up so do the releases and this week there are a couple big ones coming out. First it the Barbie Soundtrack…the movie is expected to be huge and the soundtrack as well. I particularly don’t care about it, but a lot of people will. The other is Greta Van Fleet and their new release, ‘Starcatcher’. I hadn’t ordered it yet, but probably will. My daughter said recently that the kids in her age group really like them. Good for them. That is it for me, hopefully there is something for you. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

  • 81n1dOc+YlL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher – (Republic Records / UMG Recordings / Lava Music LLC)
  • 91C3HP2JWbL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Blur – The Ballad of Darren – (Blur / Parlophone Records / Warner Music Group)
  • 91zyqJfQTSL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Yellowcard – Childhood Eyes E.P. – (Equal Vision Records)
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Bon Jovi – ‘Bon Jovi’ (1984) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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By 1982, Jon Bon Jovi re-recorded “Runaway” which he had originally recorded back in 1980 and had shopped it around with no luck. This re-recording he did with what he liked to call The All-Star Revue which consisted of guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, and bassist Hugh McDonald (remember this name). The song started getting a little traction and eventually Jon Bongiovi got a record deal and changed his name to Jon Bon Jovi. He was an artist with a deal, but no band. Jon wanted a band and he was going to go with Johnny Electric, but Pamela Maher that suggested he use the name Bon Jovi since a two word name worked so well for Van Halen. No one really liked that idea at first, but eventually Jon came around and Bon Jovi was born.

So, Jon called his old buddy from his old band Atlantic City Expressway, David Bryan Rashbaum, and the ball got rolling. David called his buddy Alec John Such to handle bass and a drummer he knew by the name of Tico Torres. Alec and Tico were formerly in a band together called Phantom’s Opera. They needed a guitarist, so Jon reached out to his friend Dave Sabo (or “Snake”) who played with them for a very short time. He never actually joined the band, but thankfully he would go on to something almost quite as good with a band called Skid Row…maybe you’ve heard of them.

But the band still needed a guitarist. Jon had seen, and was impressed, by a guitarist by the name of Richie Sambora. Richie had played with Joe Cocker and was in a band called Mercy. Hell, Richie even auditioned with Kiss to replace Ace Frehley, but that didn’t go well. Jon asked him to join and now the band was complete. The band had a new manager by the name of Doc McGhee and with his help, they went off to record their debut album.

The name of the album was going to be “Tough Talk”, but that didn’t end up as the title as the record company had other ideas. They felt a self-titled album was certainly the way to go and they wrote the checks so they got their way. The album came out on January 24, 1984 and has been certified platinum. It reached #43 on the album chart so not a bad start for a brand new band. There is even an Aldo Nova connection to this album as he supplied some additional keyboards and guitars as the band hadn’t been complete yet while Jon was in the studio. We will touch on him more later in the series.

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Van Halen – ‘Destruction in Dallas: Reunion Arena, Dallas, Tx – November 18, 1982’ (Bootleg) – Album Review

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There is no better feeling than out vinyl digging and find something unexpected like a bootleg. Make that bootleg Van Halen and make there be two different ones there by Van Halen and that is why I love collecting. Those little surprises and the first one I already reviewed.. It is a soundboard recording from April 3, 1978 and recorded at the Pogo’s Night Club and Discotheque in Wichita, Kansas. The other bootleg I found was Van Halen’s Destruction in Dallas. Recorded on November 18, 1982 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX in front of a sold out show of over 19,000 screaming fans. This recording is a soundboard recording, although not a great one. The sound is really low, you can hear everything, but you really have to turn it up and it never gets loud enough for me which does detract from the show a little.

But Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen due to all out and I am sure the fans had a great time at the show. This was the Diver Down/Hide Your Sheep 1982 Tour. Now, the copy I have of this bootleg is on 2 LPs and both colored. We get a beautiful red one for Sides A/B and a white on for Sides C/D. The track list appears to be accurate from what I’ve seen and the last three songs on Side D are actually demos of songs that have not seen the light of day on any release.

The album opens up with an enthusiastic introduction from the announcer and the band goes in to “Romeo’s Delight” with Eddie’s guitar throwing riffs out like they were candy. Dave “woahing” and screaming as he forgot the fucking words (as he tells the crowd). Someone might be a little hammered already and we are only at the first song. Not a good sign of things to come. Sound quality wise, the sound is a little hollow for the instruments. And I have it cranked and still hard to hear the instruments. Dave is clear, Eddie’s guitar is clear, but the rest not so much. Oh, and the backing vocals are pretty loud too.

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Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Complicated’ (2022) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series

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Released on May 6, 2022 by Frontiers Records, ‘Complicated’ is Jeff Scott Soto’s 8th studio album. And like his last solo album, he partnered again with Alessandro Del Vecchio to help write and produce the album. He wasn’t the only one to return as Jeff also had his good buddy Edu Cominato back on drums and Fabrizio Sgattoni on guitar who were both on ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’. With the same basic line-up, you’d expect the same sound and you’d be right. It is more of the same, which in my opinion is not always a great thing. Although at times it feels like Talisman and sometimes W.E.T., it kind of all sounds the same, but there are some great moments. Let’s find out what’s what on the album.

The album kicks off with “Last to Know” opens and all is good. You get a hard rocking song with a great chorus, memorable moments and Jeff’s awesome vocals. Jeff’s delivery is powerful and the chorus is such a big payoff with great backing vocals. Fabrizio throws in some great guitar riffs and lays down a solo that is fast and exciting. An energetic opener that will get you moving and get you anticipating the rest of the album.

“Disbelieving” comes up next and there are some great melodies and harmonies, but I quickly lose interest as it is too cookie cutter and no real surprises. Left me a little bored and my mind started wondering and I’d forget the song was playing…never a good thing.

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My Sunday Song – “TV” by Billie Eilish

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For My Sunday Song #369, we get Morgan’s 9th Choice and this time we have Billie Eilish’s song “TV” from her 2022 E.P. called ‘Guitar Songs’. The E.P. only has two songs and they thought about including them on her 3rd album, but instead she felt they needed to be heard immediately so they released them. The song “TV” was written by her and her brother, Finneas O’Connell who also produced the song.

The song is about depression and it talks about a lot of issues including abandonment which makes her want to curl up on the couch and watch TV. She wants to watch Survivor so she can see other people suffer. There is a strong desire to numb the pain and get away from all that plagues the world. There also seems to be worry about her celebrity and the effect that has on her relationships. There is a lot of loneliness coming from this song. And be the end, she blames all of her issues on herself and watching TV and all the problems flashed on that tiny little screen. Celebrities suing each other, the downfall of Roe v Wade and so many more world events playing out on TV.

The song is an acoustic performance and damn, it is sad and depressing just like the lyrics. There is a darkness to it and a loneliness. It opens with a soft, lonely acoustic guitar and Billie’s haunting vocals. The bass, keyboards and drums come in later (all played by Finneas) and it picks things up, but the drone of the music still has that melancholy feel which never goes away in the song, but during the last lines of the song “Maybe, I’m the problem”, there is a cheering crowd that brightens things up a little, only a little. The crowd sound was sampled from the the crowd noise from her debut performance at Manchester.

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Friday New Releases – July 14, 2023

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Welcome to New Release Friday! We have another batch of releases for you this week. Close to 40, but not quite. A ton of variety so hopefully there is something for everyone. I might stream the Brian May Deluxe set of Star Fleet Sessions with Eddie Van Halen on it, but that might be it. However, no buying this week which is good as the wallet needs a break. What are you interested in hearting this week? Let me know and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

  • download-16  Brian May – Star Fleet Sessions (Deluxe Edition) – (Duck Productions / Universal International)
  • 61aNcqw77lL._AC_UY436_FMwebp_QL65_  Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones – (6 Ace Records / Thirty Tigers)
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Jon Bongiovi – ‘The Power Station Sessions (1980-1983)’ (2001) – Album Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

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Before there was a band called Bon Jovi, there was a young man, named Jon Bongiovi, who worked as a janitor at a recording studio called The Power Station which was located in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. During his time as janitor, he’d be allowed to use the studio when it wasn’t in use. The years were 1980-1983 and this release is a collection of all these unreleased songs from that time period in his life prior to becoming Jon Bon Jovi and fronting one of the biggest bands in the world.

But wait…let’s go back a ways. Jon could play both guitar and piano and at 13 started playing gigs with his very first band called Raze. When he was 16, he met a curly haired dude named David Bryan and they would start a band called Atlantic City Expressway. David would leave that band to go to Med School…but that didn’t work out as he felt music was his path. So that band didn’t go anywhere and while still south of 20, he had another band called Jon Bongiovi and the Wild Ones. Again, nothing. So by 1980, he started yet another band called Rest and they actually got to open for a hero of Jon’s, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Dukes. During the 80’s he spent time at his cousin’s studio and recorded the song “Runaway”…yeah, that song. He shopped it around, but little notice. And we will end that story there as we will talk further about how that song changed things for him later.

This album was released by Tony Bongiovi who is Jon’s father’s first cousin…what does that make him to Jon? I have no freaking idea…maybe second cousin. Tony, I believe, owned the studio and was the producer of these songs we have before us. The album has been released several times and is not an official Bon Jovi or Jon Bon Jovi release so I am sure Jon wasn’t overly thrilled with it seeing the light of day. The first release was in 1998 and was only 10 songs. The second release was 1999 and suddenly was up to 14 tracks. My version, however, was released September 18, 2001 and was the third iteration of the songs and this time around there are a whopping 20 tracks. That is a lot of music. And when you hear it, you will hear a very young Jon with songs that were a sign of the times and a Jon whose voice hadn’t really found…well…his voice or style. The songs aren’t great…but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a fun and interesting listen to see how it all began.

“Who Said it Would Last Forever” kicks things off with an opening piano, an infectious groove, some nice guitar work and energized vocals by Mr. Bongiovi. A high energy rocker that shows a singer with a lot of promise as the chorus is catchy and you can see something there that was ready to explode.

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Whitesnake – ‘Still…Good to Be Bad’ Super Deluxe Edition (15th Anniversary) – Box Set

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David Coverdale has really outdone himself with these Super Deluxe Editions Box Sets.  First was the ‘1987’ album, then an UnZipped Box Set, then ‘Slide It In’ and the 1989 album ‘Slip of the Tongue’. Heck, He even did the 25th Anniversary Edition of ‘Restless Heart’ which for some reason I have yet to review. I need to get on that. Now, to the surprise of everyone, he has done a 15th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition for ‘Good to Be Bad’ now called ‘Still…Good to Be Bad’. It doesn’t seem the album has been out long enough to deserve such a treatment and that might explain why it isn’t chock full of goodness the other ones gave us. More on that soon enough. The album was the band’s 10th studio album and the first one in over a decade which is way too long to go without a Whitesnake album. But they came back with a bang.

This special edition consists of 4 CDs, 1 DVD, 1 Book, 1 Tour Program replica and 1 Album Cover Poster.  And it has over 58 tracks amongst all the CDs.  Well…not really. It has 15 tracks done four different ways (minus 2 tracks done 3 ways). So, this is why I say this is for the diehard fans as it is very repetitive…this is for the diehard fans as it is very repetitive! Yes, I said this twice to prove a point and yes, I did this joke on pretty much every box set review for Whitesnake because its true. Here is everything you get.

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