Genre: Hard Rock
Label: Frontiers Records Visit Web Site
Tracks
1. Give A Little More 2. Damage Control 3. Look Inside Your Heart 4. Die A Little 5. If I Never Let Her Go 6. Tears That I Cry 7. BonaFide 8. Krazy World 9. How To Love Again 10. AfterWorld 11. Never Ending War
Jeff Scott Soto Damage Control
Don’t mess with Jeff Scott Soto. That’s what this album cover says to me at least. And why should you? The former Talisman front man has also had a long and prolific career as a solo artist and worked with artists like Journey, Yngwie Malmsteen, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He has been a part of over 60 albums in a career that spans nearly 30 years. Soto certainly means business, and now he’s back with his fifth full-length solo release, Damage Control.
From the opening chords of “Give A Little More,” Damage Control rocks. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when I pressed play, and I was pleasantly surprised. It rocks harder than I was anticipating. The beats and guitar are bigger and heavier than more of the hard rock I have been reviewing of late. Soto’s voice adds to this too. He has a versatile and classic rock voice; the type of voice that crosses genres and decades rather easily. Some vocalists that have been making music for 30 years may still sound like what people remember of the 80s, but that certainly is not the case with Soto.
There is some variety to Damage Control, and I didn’t enjoy all of the directions it took. I wasn’t much a fan of “If I Never Let Her Go” or some of the more melodic songs that followed as they fell into more of an 80’s vibe. I don’t think they are bad songs necessarily, but the heavier parts of this album are better. These return more toward the end of the album with tunes like “Krazy World.” As expected, the vocals are very good, but the lyrics were a bit generic though. Most of the songs do have a nice motivational angle, and I think this would be a pretty good album for the gym. The collection of musicians on the album is all quite good. They take each of the tunes where they need to go. I especially enjoyed the guitar solos, they come in just when you need them, and when they do they’re awesome.
Damage Control is available in a standard version, as well as a deluxe version. I received a copy of the standard, but the deluxe has 3 additional songs and a DVD.
Key Tracks: Give A Little More, Damage Control, AfterWorld
