SOMETHING ON 11 – Something On 11 (2020)
Jen Majura, best known as the powerhouse female guitarist / backup vocalist in American band Evanescence has teamed up with fellow Ibanez guitarist Alen Brentini to form a new hard rock duo: SOMETHING ON 11.
Brentini is guitarist, singer and songwriter who has played in many bands and worked with a lot of different musicians like Kee Marcello (Europe), Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy), Mike Terrana, etc.
Both musicians decided to work into this, of course, guitar-driven project but with a hard rock / song-format, inspired in late ’80s / early ’90s style & sound. Majura is an excellent singer as well, and provides the lead voice to these punchy, rockin’ tunes.
Jen & Alen – both Ibanez guitars endorsers – met for studio recordings earlier this year and immediately connected musically. Within a heartbeat, they decided to create “Something On 11” – a project dedicated to pure tasteful rock guitar music.
They didn’t wanted to do a shred / instrumental record, but a hard rock album instead.
Alen had several songs written in the vein of classic, timeless hard rock style, while Jen contributed with arrangements and co-writing new ones.
Majura, a self-described “half-Asian living in Germany,” joined EVANESCENCE in August 2015 as the replacement for Terry Balsamo. Last year, the band’s singer Amy Lee said she was happy to have Majura in the band. “She has added a lot to our live shows because she’s a great singer. It has been a really awesome thing to have live background vocals for the first time. I am such a fan of layered vocals, and to have that better represented at our show has been a cool breakthrough for me. And also, she’s just rad energy. She’s got a great attitude, fun personality, very engaging, killer onstage”.
And indeed Majura can sing. She’s a powerful vocalist giving the songs bite and appeal.
In many ways SOMETHING ON 11 brings to mind that late ’80s ‘virtuoso guitarist’ albums but the type which included vocalists, and served hard rock / metal songs with punch. And add to that Majura’s vocals, and we have here pretty much a female-fronted metal / hard rock record with an Eighties feeling.
However, production and ‘guitar set-up sound’ are very modern, with all ‘that’ arsenal of licks & solos only virtuoso axe-man are able to deliver.
Strong, highly recommended rocking stuff
01 – Soul Suffer Payment
02 – Fight for the Light
03 – Andrew’s Hypothalamus
04 – Rockstar in Disguise
05 – Live or to Die
06 – Land of Bliss
07 – Phil of India
08 – Long Black Train
Jen Majura – vocals, guitars, bass
Alen Brentini – guitars
BUY IT
www.amazon.co.uk/Something-11-Explicit/dp/B08LN7N96V
