Loveland

What started out as a little 'ballad EP' collection thankfully blossomed into a full recording session. Guitar legend, John Sykes, has blessed us with an album that probably won't appeal to many diehard "metal" fans, but those in love with the laid back bluesy ballads will be pleasantly surprised. The man who is often co-credited along with David Coverdale, as re-inventing metal music with the release of Whitesnake's 1987 album, cranks out his magic over ten tunes, all ballads with a similiar feel and flow. Sykes not only is behind the axework but has manned the vocal position ever since Blue Murder's self titled album, and although he might not have the kind of range or power as many seasoned vocalists, his voice has a very warm and pleasing bluesy tone. Most importantly, his voice just bleeds with pain and seeps emotion all over the songs, and the same can be said about his stellar axework. Together they provide an emotionally stirring journey into "Loveland".

The album relies heavily on the use of violins and piano, which add an extra dimension to these rather simple ballads he has put together for this release. Their simplistic beauty helps bury themselves into the heart just a little more. Some of the songs have a very dramatic feel due to the subject matter and the way that Sykes delivers it musically. If you are questioning the way an album composed of only ballads fares overall, I have to say that it comes together better than what I expected. As in most albums, a few of the tracks have a tendancy to run together, but the ones that standout, really make their mark on the soul. The songs that do have this impact might vary between listeners depending on which songs touch upon their past experiences and ups and downs in their life. Then there are the few tracks that simply cannot be missed reguardless. The lyrics are woven from stories of the pains and joys of love, and about death.

"Didn't We Say" is the first of these. The song is one of the finest examples of a power ballad that I have heard in a long time, and the violins really expand upon the cushion of sound that just wallows in misery. Sykes vocals just reach out and squeeze the soul. The middle section kicks the tempo up just a tiny notch before breaking into a short but sweet guitar solo that would break the coldest of hearts. "Thank You For the Love" is another tear jerker. While didn't you say touched upon lost love, "Thank You..." deals with love found and kept, but sounds more delicate due to the sweeter vocals and strong piano. This song also boasts a unique center with lyrics that make me just choke back tears, due to the lyrics, the way he sings them and the guitar solo that follows. This is the standout song in my opinion, and is the one that moves me the most. "Don't Say Goodbye" is obviously about the death of John Lennon. The song structure in this one is really fantastic, with ups and downs, and some of the most upbeat parts of any song on this disc, making it the real power ballad in the bunch. The ending builds into this frenzy and then just stops with the vocal of what sounds like a newscaster announcing Lennon's death. "Til the Day I Die" is a beautiful ballad, brimming with emotion and lyrics expressing love on that one way street, when the relationship has ended, but the love never dies. If that wasn't enough, another great guitar solo is inserted here for good measure. "Haunted" is haunting, with rich vocals pouring out, and is a rollercoaster between thick slow blues sections, choruses that up the tempo a few notches, and a biting guitar solo that weaves this emotional tale into a clearer overall picture. "I'll Be Waiting" has this delicate feeling like "Thank You..." and is along the same lines. The gates of emotion are opened and just flood out all over this short and sweet track. The loneliness of loving another who broke the relationship because they didn't feel the love back is told in this sad song. But the killer is the fact that it beautifully conveys that the person will still be waiting. For true love, never dies.

"Hold the Line" is soft and pretty, with plenty of sad tones, for the song is about leaving a loved one behind and only having the memories to hold onto. It never breaks out of the tempo that it begins in, which would be its only fault but at just under 3 minutes its not an issue. "Everything I Need" has a very strong blues feel, that reminds me alot of Great White's ballads like "Maybe Someday". Strong guitar wailing in the chorus drips it with the blues. "Don't Hurt Me This Way" takes the vocal tracks from when Phil Lynott sang it, and puts it over beefed up guitar from Sykes. The production is really smooth and overall the song sounds great. However, my first introduction to this particular song was the cover that Pretty Maids did on "Sin-Decade" and since I listened to it so much, I actually prefer Ronnie Atkins voice to Lynott's, and it makes this incarnation of the song (originally called "Please Don't Leave Me") sound more like the cover version, which makes sense because its still a cover of the song, even though Sykes and Lynott did the original. Even though its all acoustic and violin, "Wuthering Heights" has a toe tapping feel to it although its a miserably unhappy and depressing song. Its that collision between song rhythm and the actual theme. Its probably my least favorite of the whole album.

Some would classify this as more mood music than anything else, for the lowkey tone of this mellow and warm album that shoots straight for the heart. The album itself is not a metal album, because obviously the entire disc is full of only ballads, but if these songs had been sprinkled as ballads over a series of 'metal' releases, then they would indivdiually recieve much more praise and acclaim than they will displayed in one place. This will turn alot of 'metal' fans off, who expect there to be rocking tunes with an odd ballad spliced in here and there. However, this isn't the case, and I'm thankful of it. If the album has any faults, its the fact it flows a little bit too much, with many of the songs sounding similiar. In fact, it could have used one or two more "power" type ballads with more Umf put to them but that's useless to debate. What is offered and served up is much better than I expected and makes for a great album for any mood. John Sykes fans will definitely be interested as will fans of ballad songs, or just anyone that likes to have a good disc to relax by and calm the nerves. It scores big in the area of catchy pop ballads with a laid back melodic vibe. Beautiful material from a genius that not only writes spectacular songs, but gives them the emotion they cry out for with gorgeous guitarwork and heart ripping vocals. Even though its available only in Japan and sporting an import only pricetag, which may shy some people away, being a sucker for ballads, I have to give this one my seal of approval.

Rating = 8.8
by Alanna Evans
more Metal Reviews