disco-rock

Firstly, once word of advice, if you want to do Disco/AOR influenced stuff, where the funk are you going with such a snare and bass drum sounds?! Also, no matter what, despite Björn “Speed” Strid’s “clean” efforts in Soilwork’s “sell-out” albums, (post “Predator’s Portrait”), he’s an average vocalist… you should hire a guy who can sing, as this genre more than any other one has some of the most impressive vocalists.
 

Normally I should be “creaming” in my pants upon hearing that a new Drive, She Said album would be out, but upon listening to the new Mark Mangold/Al Fritsch opus, I sort of got divided.
 
While opener “Touch” was pretty much an anthemic explosion of AOR hooks, the follow-up “Pedal to the Metal” was a bit too much, way over the top and wimpier, but not in a good way. Evident was the duo’s desire to capture their late 80s/early 90s sound, but I wasn’t too sure if they were gonna succeed in their quest.
 

Robby Valentine is single handedly at least in my mind becoming one of the most important musical personalities of the 20th and 21st centuries and beyond. A charismatic pianist and multi-instrumentalist as well as gifted vocalist, Valentine has actually transcended and turned out into this quite unique artistic persona, through the ten albums that he has meticulously and systematically worked on through these years, without fail and never giving up.
 

Robby Valentine is nothing sort of a minor musical genius. A multi-instrumentalist, and a very unique, composer indeed, he’s released a number of albums over the years, both as a solo artist and part of rock bands like Zinatra, and has also, performed as a guest musician in various musical projects, most notably in Ayreon.
 
If you’re familiar with his music, you’d easily appreciate the fact that his style, is vastly influenced, and greatly inspired by the works of Queen and the late Freddie Mercury, so paying a tribute to them should come as no shock or surprise.