JOEY SUMMER - review added 14th Month 2012
Album Review: One Bite From Paradise (2012)
For fans of: Hard Rock
Joey Summer was born in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1970s, and formed his first band with his brother Geremias at the age of 14. Via spells in bands like Arena, a guest slot on the latest album by AOR, and a couple of solo albums in both Portuguese and English, "One Bite From Paradise" is Joey's third solo LP.
The sound is upbeat hard rock with a big nod to West Coast spunkiness. It's a bit 1980s, a bit 1990s and a little bit modern too. To be honest it covers most of the bases when it comes to the softer end of melodic hard rock. Style wise I guess it crosses the divide between heavier vintage Journey, Europe, Tyketto, and up to date bands like Frozen Rain.
Joey's voice is mostly very good. He occasionally loses his way for a few seconds but soon comes back. Same with the musicianship. There's little that demands fanfares, but it's damned solid and does the job admirably. The production sounds muddy to me, but it's always hard to tell quality from MP3's as often the ripping process is to blame.
Of the songs, the title track is huge, 'Running Through The Night' has a very characterful chorus, 'No Margin For Error' is a tad offbeat and appealing, and final track 'No One's Gonna Hurt Me Anymore' is bright and accessible.
In Summation:
This is a flawed but fine album. With more time and money spent smoothing the edges, and a stronger second half, it could have been genuinely massive. As is it should still appeal to plenty of people out there.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. OBFP (Overture)
02. One Bite From Paradise
03. Running Through The Night
04. No Margin For Error
05. Addicted To Your Love
06. From Miles Away
07. Heaven To Earth
08. That's What I'm Waiting For
09. Sailor On The Moon
10. It's Only Your Love
11. The Prize Of Love
12. No One's Gonna Hurt Me Anymore
Band/Performers:
Joey Summer (vocals and guitars)
Other Info:
Label: Perris Records
Artist's website(s): Joey Summer | MySpace | Facebook
