JEFF SCOTT SOTO: Wide Awake (in My Dreamland) (MELODIC HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Jeff Scott Soto's business card necessarily deserves a synthesis, so much the singer is credited on many productions. This American, born in Brooklyn and of Puerto Rican origin, has seen his name appear on more than a hundred LPs. So, let's highlight the essential by noting that he was the voice of Malmsteen's first opus in 1984, then one of the founding fathers of Talisman in 1989, but also of W.E.T. in 2009, before joining Sons Of Apollo in 2017. He is now leading a double solo career with the group S.O.T.O. and under his own name. Already author of half a dozen opus, the latter has just given birth to his seventh production. Let's hope that this "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" is as good as its predecessor.

This album was co-directed with the famous multi-instrumentalist singer, composer and producer, Alessandro Del Vecchio. The Italian has a business card almost as impressive as Soto (Edge Of Forever, Hardline, Lionville, Revolution Saints, Sunstorm), he also takes care of the bass and keyboard scores here. The guitars are played by Fabrizio Sgattoni (Battle Ram) who deserves to be followed closely. As far as style is concerned, no change, the record navigates between hard rock, easy listening, more muscular sounds and more soothing structures. The musical approach is resolutely modern, even if some emanations from the 80's sometimes come to embalm the listening of the eleven tracks that are proposed to us here.

This "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" is thus diversified, but particularly linear in its quality. Let's put forward some hits, for example the hectic and very melodic 'Someone To Love' and 'Leaving In A Dream' where the guitars twirl in the spirit of W.E.T., the subtly AOR 'Love's Blind' which brings us back to the 80's, and the ballad 'Without You' which evokes, with a great reinforcement of soothing piano notes and beautiful superimposed voices, Malmsteen and Talisman. Also noteworthy for Soto's vocal performance, which demonstrates the flexibility of his voice, on 'Lesson Of Love', which becomes seductive and then more raging, the heavier 'Paper Wings' which brings together the sounds of Malmsteen and those of Axel Rudi Pell, and the mid-tempo 'Between The Lines', which Journey would not have denied.

Jeff Scott Sotto often speaks of love in this resolutely melodic opus, carried by really exciting guitars. Even though he has just celebrated his 55th birthday, nothing stops this bulimic artist. He has just delivered again, with this "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" a very great hard rock opus. - Official website

JEFF SCOTT SOTO

WIDE AWAKE (IN MY DREAMLAND)

FRONTIERS RECORDS

MELODIC HARD ROCK