TONY MITCHELL - review added 25th January 2011
Album Review: Far Away From Home (2011)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and a few forays into Blues
Don't you just hate people like Tony Mitchell? Not only does he have a properly good voice...I mean REALLY good...on this album he plays guitar, all drums, bass, piano, hammond & strings. He also wrote and produced the whole thing. In fact the only appearance from anyone else appears to the utterly superb lead guitar work on 'Sinner Man' and 'One Blood' by Chris Hunt, Tony's band mate in Kingdom of Deadmen - a band we reviewed last year and were very impressed with. That, to me, is just too much talent for one person.
Tony is best know as front man of Kiss of the Gypsy, a band that released their debut and only album on Atlantic records USA twenty years ago. Since then he has worked with Alan Parsons Project, Rick Wakeman, Pat Cash (yes, the tennis player) and played guitar/backing vocals for Alice Cooper, Jon Anderson and Tony Hadley amongst many others.
2010's Kingdom Of Deadmen release "Black Rhapsody" - seemingly his first since KOTG - was an excellent slice of dark, deep music with more layers than Shrek - check out the review here. "Far Away From Home" is a totally different beast. Where "Black Rhapsody" took several listens to fully appreciate - and needs a certain mindset to really get into (but it's worth the effort) - "Far Away From Home" is more of a straight ahead instant album. The sound isn't that far removed from KOD, but the depth and power of the lyrics now take a back seat to the overall vibe...rather than being the dominating force.
Good:
The vocals, obviously. Tony's voice is raspy and creamy all at once. He mixes the soul of Steve Overland and the cool of Don Henley with plenty of other styles, and can easily move from blues to metal to modern rock and back again. Plenty of the musicianship is good - especially Chris Hunt's soloing - although that's not to take anything away from the main man. While the songs aren't always successful, the best here is absolute unadulterated brilliance, and there aren't many records you can say that about.
Not So Good:
I would have liked to have seen Chris Hunt playing throughout, as his soloing really is top notch. The artwork could be a tad easier on the eye. Although I like the variety of song-styles, some people may struggle with the sheer number on display. The best track here is too much like the best track on the Kingdom Of Deadman album, but if you haven't heard that it won't be a problem. I'm not totally convinced by Tony's production job. Some of the tracks sound busy in places. Fortunately it's not enough to spoil the record.
The Songs:
Best moments on "Far Away From Home" include the raunchy opener 'Sinner Man', the groovy 'Walking On Deadly Ground', the simply stunning. if slightly familiar 'One Blood', and the fun 'Live Life'.
In Summation:
I don't rate this as highly as the KOD album, purely because it doesn't have the same depth, but as a standalone record it really is very enjoyable and a worthwhile purchase, even if it's just so you get to hear 'One Blood'.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Check out... 'One Blood'
Track List:
01: Sinner Man
02: Insatiable
03: I Like It Like That
04: Far Away From Home
05: Freakz Like Uz
06: Walking On Deadly Ground
07: Ride To Paradise
08: One Blood
09: Goin’ Down The Cathouse
10: Live Life
11: Maybe I’ll Get It Right This Time
12: Dead Man Walking
Artist's website(s): Tony Mitchell
