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Track Listing
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· Automatic
· Showdown
· Sky High
· Yesterday's News
· Ride The Fire
· If Your Lucky
· Every Measure
· She'll Never Know
· Animalize
· If What It Takes
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Discography & (Rank)
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· Where You Gonna Run(1)
· After The Fire (2)
· Automatic (3)
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Buy it if you liked:
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Firefly - After The Fire
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FIREFLY
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Automatic
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MTM Music 0681-66
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· Produced By: John Pratt
· Running Time: · Genre: AOR
· Release Date: Out Now · Released: EU
· LabelLink: MTM
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Sitting down to write the review for Firefly's new (third) album was like a sense of deja-vu. Almost everything I said in the review for their last album is true again here.
So I'll recap and then add a few new comments. Credit to the band for continuing to have the same line-up as on all their albums. Makes a nice change!
Firefly is the brainchild of singer and chief songwriter John Pratt. The band are rounded out with Bob Gilles guitars, John Thomas Guitars & Solos, Bob Gilles Guitars, Michael Alemania Keyboards, Ricky Phillips Bass & Ron Wikso Drums.
The guys have previously been compared by me to Love/Hate, Bulletboys and Poison (mainly vocally), but with a far more AOR edge. This album has the strongest melodic / AOR edge of the 3 albums to date, with a sound also comparable to that of fellow US melodic rockers Trixter and a few Journey-isms thrown in for good measure.
Once again, just like the 2 albums before them, my main problem with the album is vocalist John Pratt. I'm really sorry to say that, as John is a really good guy. But I don't think his voice suits the material and when it does, it doesn't last long enough. He is better suited singing with a lower register, with a raspier and more sultry tone, but on too many occasions the vocals end up in the higher range - sounding whiney and severely grating on my ears.
I just find that I can't listen to the album for any length of time.
The sound of the album is impressive - I think the production and mix are the best I have heard from the guys, but the songs sound far too familiar, running into each other without any major hooks to help the listener differentiate from each one.
The slower tracks are where things pick up - the ballads If Your Lucky and What It Takes a highlight. It's here that John sings in a better more suited tone and sounds great for it.
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The Bottom Line
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The band's performance on Automatic is good - it's just the combination of the vocals and the lack of hooks that take away from what could be a very enjoyable melodic rock album.
There isn't anything truly different from the last release, which had the same problems, therefore there is nothing to suggest that this will be a hit amongst melodic music fans already flush with a great range of other releases.
I'd still love to hear more from the band - but only if changes are made.
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Line Up
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· John Pratt: Vocals
· John Thomas: Guitar
· Bob Gilles: Guitar
· Michael Alemania: Keyboards
· Ron Wikso: Drums
· Roger Feits: Bass
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