FAB BOX - review added 7th September 2009
Album Review: Music From The Fab Box (2009)
For fans of: Rock... and guys in white shirts
Italian writing duo Fabrizio Ugolini and Massimo Bozzi are the driving force behind Fab Box. Over the years they have penned songs for artists such as Joseph Williams (on the Vertigo 2 album) and Danny Vaughn (on the first From The Inside release).
With Fab Box Fabrizio and Massimo share lead vocal duties. They are joined by numerous other musicians including Paolo Pedretti, Tonino Landini, Andrea Leonardi and Paolo Gennari on lead guitar, Elyan Farnova on drums, the sickeningly talented Fabrizio Grossi on bass, and Marco Bozzi and Melissa Ugolini on backing vocals.
The sound is as light and fluffy as a helium cloud on a diet, but not in an unpleasant way. There isn't an angry note or shouted lyric from start to finish. The guys describe their style as Westcoast American and you can't argue the sound owes a big chunk of it's existence to that genre.
There's a European accent to the singing though, and the guys voices are ultimately merely okay. One of the duo has a twang of Michael Kiske (Place Vendome) to his voice - something that could never be described as a bad thing - but it's little more than a vague inflection.
The songs are soaked in quality yet lack that final edge of excellence and struggle to generate the required level of excitement. Tracks like 'Nobody Tonight' are perfectly agreeable. There's a subdued side to the music that takes away the sunny feel good factor that should run through the soul of tunes like this. 'The Key' is a better example of what the guys should be doing. The rhythms are bouncy and the chorus has a warmth you could cook bacon on.
'Together', co-written by Joseph Williams is another of the better tracks. It isn't by any means perfect but still manages tot puts a pleasant glow around you heart. 'Call My Name' is another step upwards. The chorus is as happy as a cat with a year-long membership to a cream factory. The verses are sad-sounding yet don't take too much away from the song. 'You Are The One' is up at the top of the tree too. There are some obvious pronunciation errors, but there's no doubt it's a classy track.
Difficult album this one. There are plenty of great songs...but for my ears the compositions are a touch basic and the guys don't have the vocal talents to pull them off. Don't get me wrong, Fabrizio and Massimo have perfectly respectable voices, but they've shot themselves in the feet by writing songs that are better than they are. Case in point is 'Always'. On this album it sounds only average. When Danny Vaughn sang it, it was brilliant. I want to hear a lot more from these guys...but more as writers than performers.
Check out... How good they are at writing.
Track List:
1. Tell Her I'm Alright
2. Nobody Tonight
3. Inside
4. The Key
5. A Matter Of Time
6. Let Me Try
7. Together
8. I Still Believe
9. Reason Of The Heart
10. Call My Name
11. You Are The One
12. Always
13. Yesterday
Label: Avenue Of Allies Music
Artist's website(s): Fab Box , MySpace
