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POWELL-PAYNE
"Voila!"
(Frontiers New Recordings; 2024)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
I like album-oriented rock (AOR) and I've listened to a lot of it. Frankly, some of its too soft, too radio friendly, to hold my interest. I've reviewed of few of those albums here on RoughEdge.com and, when the music is too radio-friendly, it just turns me off. Bores me, might be a better way to describe it.
That's why I was so grateful that Powell-Payne's new album, "Voila!" has some meat on it. Sure, there are more than usual the number of "ballad"-type tunes (such as the country-tinged "Questions," the piano-heavy "Fly High," and the simmering "Distance Between Us," and I know there's an audience for them. I don't even mind giving them a listen as long as I know something a little heavier is coming along. And that's where Powell-Payne deliver. Between the emotional radio ballad hits, there are some serious rockers here, like the driving "Voices," the riffy "Staring at the Sun" and the poppy "Girl Like You." (And, of course, I'm talking Journey-like rockers here, not Slayer, lol).
It helps that Adam Payne is a hell of a vocalist and Mark "Penfold" Powell is a hell of a drummer and that, together, they write some pretty strong songs.
So, if you're one of those people that think there's not some decent, hard-rocking AOR music out there, check out Powell-Payne's "Voila." I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
For more information, check out https://www.facebook.com/PowellPayneProject/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Copyright © 2024 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
