JAYCE LANDBERG (Vocals Göran Edman & Mark Boals) – Good Sleepless Night (2009) *HQ*
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“Good Sleepless Night” is the second solo album by Swedish guitarist JAYCE LANDBERG released in early 2010. As happened with his debut CD we featured a couple days ago, all vocals on “Good Sleepless Night” are performed by the unique GÖRAN EDMAN, minus one, courtesy of another monster vocalist; MARK BOALS.
Being LANDBERG a guitar virtuoso and having not one but two ex- YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalists makes you think JAYCE was looking for a similar sound & vibe to the latter – answer is not!
“Good Sleepless Night” album marks a total departure from the sound of his debut as JAYCE leaves behind the neoclassical metal feel and takes ’80s oriented melodic hard rock as focus.
Still, the guitarist has wisely kept highly acclaimed singer GÖRAN EDMAN in the line up while bringing in another hard rock royalty in bassist Jon Leven (EUROPE). The album also features a guest appearance by MARK BOALS in the killer rocker “Invasion”.
So one can rightfully expect a harder, dirtier, more melodic hard second album from JAYCE & co; without a doubt the new approach fits perfectly the guitarist as the hard rock sharpness of “Good Sleepless Night” flows effortlessly track after track, sounding fresh, exciting and stylish. Many of the songs brings to mind TNT mid-2000’s ‘My Religion’.
Looking closer at JAYCE’s playing, his lead work has become more melodic, often taking a bluesy turn while eventually going into shred-mode where his technical ability shines.
It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that Jayce LANDBERG has actually synthesized a distinct / personal sound for his music; in an attempt to describe the sound, one would say that it is built on thick hard rock riffs, upbeat rhythm section, strong melodies which lead to a powerful chorus. There’s many EDDIE VAN HALEN influences in his phrasing here.
“Good Sleepless Night” is a clever second step for JAYCE LANDBERG, not repeating himself. A well planned, well written and well performed album including a fair share of star musicians, who in a way stand as a guarantee for the musical abilities of LANDBERG and subsequently for the quality of this album. (One also appreciates the ALDO NOVA-like front cover with the Les Paul pose!)
Highly Recommended
01 – My Valentine
02 – The Devil’s Wine
03 – Drama Queen
04 – Skyscraper
05 – Sun Dance
06 – Bitch Is Back
07 – The Thorns
08 – Invasion (vocals; Mark Boals)
09 – All I Wanna Do (Is You)
10 – Abduction
11 – Crazy Lorraine
Göran Edman: All vocals & background vocals (except on track 8)
Mark Boals – Vocals & background vocals on track 8
Jens “The Hulk” Bock: Drums (except on track 7, 9 & 10)
Chistian “Coma” Petversson – Bass (except on track 2, 8 & 10)
Erik Jayce Landberg – All guitars & Steinway piano
Additional musicians:
John Leven: Bass on “The Devil’s Wine”, “Invasion” & “Abduction”
Jonathan Lundberg – Drums on “The Thorns”, “All I Wanna Do (Is You) & ”Abduction”
BUY
amazon.com/Good-Sleepless-Night-Jayce-Landberg/dp/B003204MK4
