LOVE VALLEY
Kivel Records
Produced by: Eddie Kramer, Peter Baron
Released: January 1 / Website
Relatives: Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Kiss
GENRE: Melodic Rock
OVERALL: 90%
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MelodicRock.com Reviews |
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LOVE VALLEY Kivel Records Produced by: Eddie Kramer, Peter Baron Released: January 1 / Website Relatives: Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Kiss GENRE: Melodic Rock |
OVERALL: 90%
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What if Aerosmith's Steve Tyler fronted Def Leppard for an album? Peter Baron is the man behind the name of this project. He's also the singer, songwriter and guitarist for the project. Peter was previously in a New York band Active and re-formed that band's line up under the name Baron to record this album. The album unintentionally has 2 parts. The first 5 tracks were produced by the legendary Eddie Kramer and the remaining songs were produced by Peter Baron in alternative studio/sessions. This gives the album a slightly different feel in the second half, certainly the production quality of the Kramer tracks is hard to match, but the album flows well and the quality of the songs themselves remains mostly constant throughout. It's certainly a diverse record - from funked up groove rockers to stadium anthems to simple acoustic driven pop ballads. Basically this is a good old fashioned good time, fun rock n roll album! The style takes the slight high-tech production sound of Def Leppard - especially with the song choruses and harmony vocals and mixes it with the party rock and grooved hard rock of Aerosmith in their Permanent Vacation era. | |||
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At times Peter sounds like his own man, at other times like a possessed Steven Tyler and on a couple of tracks, a dead ringer for Joe Elliot. The rest of the band comprises of Troy Russek on Bass, Marty Brasingtion on Drums, Mario Piazza on Keys, Backing vocals and Greg Wolfe on Guitars & Acoustic Guitar. Kivel Records have a habit of producing unusual releases, or hidden gems and this is yet another. In fact, behind Adriangale, this might just be the best release to come off the label yet. In amongst the good fun rock n roll of Love Valley is some of the best harmony vocals and sing along choruses this year. In fact, it's due out January 1, so officially it will have to rank in next year's best of lists. Track By Track: Run From Your Love opens the album, with the mix and sound quality evident from the start. The vocals are Tyler-ish in a fresh, fast tempo'd over the top style, complete with horns during the chorus and a pretty rocking guitar solo. Borrowing perhaps from Cheap Trick, or the intro to Darryl Hall's solo hit Dreamtime, is the huge pop rock anthem Ship Of Fools. This light-hearted number with a Joe Ellliot style lead vocal features chorus harmonies to rival Def Leppard at their best. Best track of the album and great high-tech melodic rock! A soft piano and acoustic guitar kick off the big power ballad In The Rain. This track would have been a monster had it been released in 1990 to then rock-friendly radio stations. A big chorus, some big harmony vocals and a great lead vocal provide us with one of the best AOR ballads in ages. Everybody Needs A Boost gets things rocking again, in a bluesy and funked up Aerosmith vibe, complete with a lead vocal that could be Steven Tyler himself! Midnight Train has a moody intro and is itself a complex track, with a few out of the ordinary musical arrangements. The mix is tight and the chorus comes and goes with little fan fare. It's a dark rock track in contrasts tot he happy go lucky strains of the first few tracks. At this point the Eddie Kramer produced songs are completed and the self produced songs start. There is a definite difference in the sound, but that shouldn't impair anyone's enjoyment, as some classic tracks are still to follow. Love Valley isn't one of them! It's not a bad track, but it just doesn't have the hook or the presence of other tracks. It's a more experimental track and features a partial rap verse. Fallen In Love Again is much better! Another strong Steve Tyler/Aerosmith style groove laden verse is followed by a big harmony filled anthem chorus that melodic rock fans will love. The song gets bigger and bigger, as do the vocals! Jaded is another softer track. This track is another little gem, as it's a moody acoustic driven track that has a simple but really effective chorus that will embed itself in your mind with ease. Joe Lynn Turner co-wrote the track and is featured on backing vocals. All I Want Is You is another great little Cheap Trick style pop song, but suffers a little from poorer production quality. That aside, the song itself is another fabulously sentimental mid-tempo pop ballad that features another killer chorus. It adds to the diversity of this album. Corruptible is another track I can't quite get into. It's a groove filled slow rocker that doesn't quite have the quality of other tracks. Star Spangled was the last track recorded for the album. This is a moody, spirit filled tribute to the Sept. 11 tragedy and is one of the best versions of the American national Anthem I have heard. Great spirit! For the record Peter Baron was behind the production desk on the Adriangale and Stone Angel releases.
| PRODUCTION: 85% | SONGS: 95% | VIBE: 90% | ATTITUDE: 90% | ESSENTIAL FOR: Fans of American stadium rock, some Leppard & Aerosmith fans and fans of solid commercial pop rock. |