Label: Frontiers 2015
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom
The V aka Veronica Freeman (Benedictum, The Rods) and her first solo album "Now or Never". The hunger's on, a predator in stilettos. You won't string this power vocalist like a marionette. It's energy in high heels and favorite shows are Women Scorned and Deadly Women and not not the lame housewives of bitchville. Indeed. The music is loud, basically what people normally would file under Melodic (heavy) Metal in the eighties. There's no keyboards to be found on this record and it's guitar rock with the excellent singing voice of Veronica at the very centre of attention.
I know it's not always to best intention to name drop acts of the past. However, Headpins. Lee Aaron. Lita Ford. Leather (she sings additional lead vocals on 'Kiss My Lips') are names that pop up while listening to this fine album. Slightly heavier than your normal AOR Frontiers release, it's nice to get something that scratch, kick, and bite. Don't get me wrong though. There are plenty of hooks and sing-a-long melodies to be found and perhaps it's nitpicking to get into the whole discussion about style vs. genre?
There is a Stryper connection once again (see Frank DIMINO review elsewhere on this site) and while Oz Fox didn't hit the mark, Michael Sweet is spot on with a couple of tracks written especially for The V. The majority of tracks are written by Freeman/Pete Wells and some of them are spooky close to the sound of Headpins. My hat off to Nigel Bailey this time as he provide a wicked tune (Ready To Run) that reek of dangerous curves and Lita Ford. The latter probably down to Veronica as it would no doubt sound very differently with Bailey behind the mike.
Closing track, 'King For A Day', the duet with Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and a real stomper. But it should really be Queen For A Day? Yeah? No? Play it loud sucker!
VeronicaFreeman.com
https://www.facebook.com/veronicafreemanofficial
No comments:
Post a Comment