HUNGRY HEART - review added 6th February 2009
Album Review: Hungry Heart (Self Titled) (2008)
For fans of: hard rock... and reliving the 80's hair metal scene
Very reminiscent of late 80's hard rock with a hint of sleaze, this self titled album by Hungry Heart pushes most of the right buttons.
Hungry Heart were formed in 1997 in Italy with Josh Zighetti on vocals, Mario Percudani on guitars, Lele Meola on bass and Emilio "Pingo" Sobacchi on drums.
With hints of Poison, Bon Jovi and Danger Danger, the music is bouncy, fun, and slightly over the top. Lead guitarist Mario Percudani is a fine exponent of the art, with colourful solos and a warm lead playing style that dominates the album.
Josh Zighetti is a little less successful. His voice is okay for most of the album, but does teeter on the edge of out-of-tune-ness on occasions. Fortunately, his small blips are not enough to spoil the listening experience.
'Rock City' is a big sing along pub anthem with massively catchy lyrics and an enchanting guitar sound. 'Stealing The Night' is a rocking ballad purely designed to get lighters in the air. The build up to the chorus is almost better than the chorus itself, but it's a huge song anyway.
'Shadows' is a wonderful acoustic flirtation with the lighter side of string picking. Mario's ability to flit between bright lead playing to this intricately classical style is impressive. 'Shadows' forms the intro to the album's best track, 'Hard Lovin' Woman', a song that competes with the best examples of the genre. It really is a fabulous track with a massive chorus and spunky musicianship. Final track, 'Gina' isn't far behind. Another of those hard rocking ballads, the song is so catchy it'll give you swollen glands and a sore big toe.
This eponymous album by Hungry Heart is a fine release, be in no doubt. The final few percentage points of quality and catchiness are missing, but the end result is certainly worthy of your time.
Check out... 'Gina'. Ignore what I said before, it's even better than 'Hard Lovin' Woman'!
Track List:
1. Rock City
2. Stealing The Night
3. River of Soul
4. Hang On To Me
5. The Only One
6. Innocent Tears
7. Shadows
8. Hard Lovin' Woman
9. Breath Away
10. It Takes Two
11. Gina
Label: Tanzan Music
Artist's website(s): Hungry Heart | MySpace | Facebook
