Frontiers [Release date: 20.01.23]
Issa Oversveen is married to James Martin, ex of Vega. With his brother Tom, he’s written the bulk of the material here.
And you can tell.
Even with the best efforts of guitarist Simone Mularoni and the ubiquitous Alessandro Del Vecchio, Issa’s last release, Queen Of Broken Hearts, was all over the place at times, sadly, some of them not worth a second visit.
This time around, with her seventh album, Lights Of Japan, Issa’s vocal skills have been calibrated to the standard of the Martins’ undeniable songcraft. Experienced producer / arranger, Michele (Visions Of Atlantis) Guaitola has done an impressive job in bringing it all together, creating a distinctive sound that just might remind you why you got into melodic rock in the first place.
‘Live Again’ is a lightning bolt of an opener, forcing you to sit up and pay attention. It’s as if a slice of symphonic flavoured eurorock has been crossbred with some old Heart songs, leading into an irritatingly familiar, pulse quickening chorus.
But that’s only the beginning. You could argue a case that ‘Chains’ and ‘Its Over’ are the album’s standouts. The sense of sophistication and excitement in the arrangements, the emerging emotional depth in Issa’s vocal delivery are just two key ingredients in the firm grip of all the participants.
Yet, it’s probably the glorious pop immediacy of the title track, ‘Lights Of Japan’ that puts it into pole position. It’s a big, orchestrated production number, the kind of rock song that troubled the shoulder padded Billboard charts over 30 years ago. Out of fashion perhaps, but for the MR connoisseur, this is powerful stuff.
There’s a steely spine of consistency running through the rest of the material, All of it sharing those common denominators – the melodies, the hooks, the urgency – most notably, ‘Stop The Rain’, and ‘I Give My Heart’. Both reach for that climactic melodic moment that makes Melodic Rock a survivor genre. ****
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
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UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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