JOHN PRATT - review added 25th August 2011
Album Review: Turn The Page (2011)
For fans of: AOR
Vocalist John Pratt has been doing his thing since the 1980s, fronting bands including Roxbury Drive and Firefly, working on numerous Film and TV scores, and running a a studio on Sunset Boulevard. He's a busy man.
"Turn The Page" acts as a collection of songs John has written or co-written over the years (many of which have never been heard before) rerecorded and grouped together. Thank the heavens he decided to do so. This LP is simply stunning.
Not only has John got a brilliantly characterful voice - not technically perfect, but so damn listenable to it hurts - his songwriting is first class, and his choice and implementation of musicians is genius. In fact the only complaints about the album are the artwork which totally undersells the quality of the music, and the production which is a tad stark...though a rich production may arguably have spoiled the release.
Song wise, John is at his Ted Poley-esque best on the hippy-licious opener 'Take Me There'. 'Searching For the Answer' is chilled and progressive in equal measures, and up there with Genesis at their chart bothering best. The title track is an epic ballad with a big nod to Journey in its stylings. 'Never Said Goodbye' is a mellow 'n' meaty ballad with an edge. Same goes for the stunning 'Naivete's Ball'. The mid tempo 'Forgive Me' is leftfield in a very good way.
'If What It Takes' takes a time to get going and isn't that amazing when it gets there. Shame. 'Trust Your Feelings' is much better, though still not up to the standards of the early tracks. 'One Silent Voice' gets right back on track in a big way. I believe the word is "wow". 'I Will, You Won't' is a superb stripped back track with so much raw emotion you might need a glass of wine afterwards. The ballad-alike 'Hold Me' could have been better, but it's very likeable nonetheless. 'Yin Yang' is the nearest John gets to a straight-ahead rock song, and on this evidence he should do a few more in this style. Final entry 'Still Here' is another epic dreamy ballad with progressive overtones and stunning atmosphere.
In Summation:
I hear plenty of albums from unsigned artists that suck, a few that are good, and the occasional one like this...an album that trumps most of the stuff the big labels pump out. Brilliant. Don't be surprised if this is right at the top of the heap in the Rock Realms album of the year competition. Yes there's a bit of crud mixed in with the excellence, but there are a good 10 tracks of perfection here. How many records can you say that about?
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. Take Me There
02. Searching For the Answer
03. Turn the Page
04. Never Said Goodbye
05. Naivete's Ball
06. Forgive Me
07. If What It Takes
08. Trust Your Feelings
09. One Silent Voice
10. I Will, You Won't
11. Hold Me
12. Yin Yang
13. Still Here
Band/Performers:
John Pratt: Vocals, Keyboards
John Thomas: Guitars
Ron Wikso: Drums
Wally Minko: Piano
Michael Alemania: Keyboards
Lance Morrison: Bass
Chris Trujillo: Percussion
Angela Alemania: Backing Vocals
Deena Russo: Backing Vocals
Kira Alemania: Backing Vocals
Ira Glansbeek: Cello
Erlinda Romero: Violin
Justin Pratt: Violin
Other Info:
Produced/Engineered/Mixed By: Ryan Greene
Mastered by: Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
Artist's website(s): John Pratt | Facebook
