TAG - review added 20th December 2010
Album Review: Foreward (2010)
For fans of: Rock... and catchiness
East Rutherford, New Jersey, guitarist/vocalist John Taglieri has been a solo artist for a number of years and already has seven albums to his name. TAG is a further extension of his career, heading into the realms of band-life.
Joining him on "Foreward" are regular sidekick Brad Whitley on guitar, plus Tom Darby on keys, guitar and harmonica, Dave Willard on bass, and Rob "Action" Jackson on drums. All players add backing vocals making this a big happy sounding, very professional album.
The sound is bright bouncy rock with a catchy, almost chart-bothering vibe. It takes the commercial excesses of My Chemical Romance, the pop overtones of Huey Lewis And The News, the spunkier end of Fun Loving Criminals and more...and wraps it up in a very accessible package.
Good:
John Taglieri's vocals are great. He's got a clean clear voice but still manages to have bags of character. The backing vocals are all first class too, and whilst the album isn't harmony-rich, what choral efforts there are sound excellent. The musicianship is simple but superb, the songwriting - although a tad clichéd on occasion - is generally of an ultra high standard, and the production is more than ample.
Not So Good:
Not a lot. There is always room for improvement, but this album gets all the basics and some of the more 'advanced' bits very right indeed.
The Songs:
Top moments include the rocking opener 'After Farewell', the charming 'Breathe', the big-versed 'Fly', the slightly-punky 'Make A Mistake With Me', the alternative 'Ghost', the Queen-esque (in places) 'With You I Want To Be', the nutty but fun 'Ferris Wheel', the lyrically memorable 'Farewell', and the slow building 'Drive'.
Yep, so that's pretty much all of it then...
In Summation:
"Foreward" is a real surprise. It's one of those albums I only decided to review at the last minute, and I'm now really glad I did. Fancy something that mixes alt rock with pop? You won't go too far wrong with this.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall:
Check out... All of it.
Track List:
01. After Farewell
02. Breathe
03.
Fly
04. Make A Mistake With Me
05.
Something Easy
06. Ghost
07.
Not A Day Goes By
08.
The Lives Of Splattered Flies
09.
With You I Want To Be
10.
Ferris Wheel
11. Farewell
12. Drive
Artist's website(s): TAG | MySpace | Facebook
