ROBBY VALENTINE – Separate Worlds [Japan Edition +5] (2021)

Dutch maestro ROBBY VALENTINE returns with a new album titled “Separate Worlds“, just released in Japan including 5 bonus tracks. Robby is not afraid to do things different to what people might expect and he always finds a way to surprise his fans and followers, and “Separate Worlds” is the perfect example.
Where his previous CD “The Alliance” was a blend of many different genres molded together into a bombastic piece of art, “Separate worlds” is quite different, an album of contrasts mixing Pop/Rock with his love of the Classical music.
And the result is simply outstanding…

Always trying something new, Robby Valentine has been focusing his time recently in putting together, in his words a (Classical) Pop album. This is a very different album from his most recent releases, and puts the emphasis firmly on his love for classical music, which as anyone with a passing interest in him will know that this is very much part of his musical make up.

Of the 12 tracks on the album, there are 6 that first appeared on the ‘Peter Strykes sings Robby Valentine’ album, which saw a very limited release back in 2009. The songs this time feature Robby taking over the vocals and are all really quite beautiful.
There’s no real rocking out here, it’s all very much Robby doing big ballads, which he is so adept at executing.
‘Invincible’, is a delicate song that builds to a lovely climax, and ‘Where Did My Heart Go?’ is a pastoral, yet bold sounding tune, whereas ‘Santa Zorra’ is a dramatic piece of Pomp that only Robby could pull off.

‘How Could I Touch The Sky?’ is reminiscent of the likes of ‘God’ from his third solo album and is as good a rock ballad you’ll hear this or any other year. ‘I Can’t Live Without You’, once again is a dramatic piece and is something that I could quite easily picture Queen doing, and the last of the reworked songs is ‘Winding Road’ which is a stately, quite regal way to end the album.

Of the classical pieces on offer of which there are 5, all of which most people will be familiar with, and they all demonstrate just what a fantastic piano player Robby is, and it’s easy to see where Robby gets a lot of his influences from.
As perfect representation of this album, just listen to the opener and title track, which is marvelous and is a perfect marriage of his classical and Pop/Rock influences.
Robby’s very singular approach to his music is big, bold, bombastic and, I’ll keep going with the ‘b’s’ here… brilliant.
Highly Recommended

01 – Separate Worlds
02 – Invincible
03 – Where Did My Heart Go
04 – How Could I Touch The Sky
05 – Santa Zorra
06 – Waltz In C# Minor
07 – Nocturne In C# Minor
08 – I Can’t Live Without You
09 – Flight of the Bumblebee
10 – Waltz in D-flat Major
11 – Nocturne in E-flat Major
12 – Winding Road
JAPAN BONUS TRACKS:
13 – Where Did My Heart Go (Piano Version)
14 – How Could I Touch The Sky (Piano Version)
15 – Santa Zorra (Piano Version)
16 – Invincible (Piano Version)
17 – Separate Worlds (Piano Version)

BUY
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICP-4037