LIONVILLE – Magic Is Alive (2020)
Italo-Swedish AOR excitement machine LIONVILLE is back with their 4th effort ”Magic Is Alive’‘. Let us put this clear from the beginning: on ”Magic Is Alive” everything clicks in absolutely dramatic fashion for Lionville. The key to this, of course, are the very good songs, but the star on this record is the performance of vocalist Lars Säfsund.
This new Lionville album confirms that guitarist/songwriter Stefano Leonetti couldn’t have found a more suitable singer than Work Of Art’s front man. What this celebrated vocalist does with these songs is amazing.
Indeed, Lars Säfsund delivers hare a performance that can only fairly described as world class. He takes the fragile quality of the music and amplifies it several times, giving it a robustness and flexibility that shows just how much he’s plugged in to the history of the genre.
At times (especially on the triumphant radio rock of the title track) his silky tones are reminiscent of Go West vocal colossus Peter Cox, but his showstopping performance on ‘Into The Night’ is a credit to no-one but the man himself. Some of the notes he hits throughout are utterly spin tingling, but, as ever when lauding a vocalist, it must be noted that the finest voice in the world is but nothing if it’s given rotten songs to sing.
And that definitely isn’t the case on ‘Magic Is Alive’, as songwriter Stefano Lionetti delivers song after song of high-class AOR / melodic hard rock.
As ever, Toto at their most commercial is the obvious comparison point here as far as general feel goes (‘Every Little Thing Leads Me Back To You’ is a dead ringer for that band’s Isolation phase), though Säfsund’s voice often prompts lump-in-the-throat comparisons to Richard Marx in his pomp. Have a listen to the goosebump-inducing ballad ‘Finally You’re With Me’ for proof if you need it.
Underpinned by the distinctive shading of Fabrizio Caria’s Paich-like keyboard fills and frills, ‘Runaway’, ‘Living With The Truth and ‘I’ll Never Give My Heart Away’ have a welcome sense of familiarity, creating an instant emotional connection with genre enthusiasts.
In old fashioned cinema-going speak, this is where they came in. It’s Bruce Gaitsch, Tommy Denander territory, with echoes of Joseph Williams in Safsund’s intonation on opener, ‘Nothing Without You’.
‘You’re Not Alone’ has the breezy crispness and melodic rock fire and thrust of Stan Bush in its makeup, and on ‘Finally You’re With Me’, an elegant ballad, completely shorn of bloat and bombast, that you truly appreciate Leonetti’s skill as an arranger and a producer.
Lionville have just about produced the perfect modern AOR album in ‘Magic is Alive’. And for that they get my undying thanks and admiration.
It’s easy to ape this kind of music, but incredibly different to recreate and cast it in your own image. And that’s what Lionville have done here.
MASTERFUL
01. Nothing Without You
02. You’re Not Alone
03. Runaway
04. Finally You’re With Me
05. Every Little Thing (Leads Back To You)
06. If You Don’t Know Me
07. Living With The Truth
08. Reaching For The Sky
09. I’ll Never Give My Heart Away
10. Into The Night
11. Magic Is Alive
Stefano Lionetti – Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
Lars Säfsund – Lead & Backing vocals
Michele Cusato – Guitars
Fabrizio Caria – Piano & Keyboards
Giulio Dagnino – Bass
Martino Malacrida – Drums
PRE ORDER
www.amazon.com/Magic-Alive-Lionville/dp/B088GGDPH1
