SAVE THE WORLD – One (2017)
What do you get when you combine a skilled session vocalist and member of the current Alan Parsons Project with the ex drummer of Staind, and a bass player extraordinaire? You get one of the premiere albums of 2017. “One”, the debut CD from American trio SAVE THE WORLD, is one of the best self-released opus you’ll hear this year.
Mixed by legend Michael Wagener (Metallica, Extreme, Skid Row) the album is plenty of melodic hard rockers, intelligent lyrics and a top notch production.
Comprised of veteran musical, songwriting pros, SAVE THE WORLD is a musical powerhouse all it’s own. Vocalist, guitar / keayboard player Dan Tracey’s exceptional vocal range belies influences the likes of Toto, Boston, Journey, Def Leppard, Rush, Yes and beyond. Bass player / multi-instrumentalist Robert Wright brings both his highly refined skills as a musician, arranger, engineer and producer to SAVE THE WORLD.
And finally, drummer Jon Wysocki puts forth his distinct rhythmic footprint with undeniable authority. This man is amazing, believe me.
“One” offer a delightfully wide range of musical content. Everything from distinctly modern in-your-face hard-edged rock to rich melodic soundscapes beautifully colored with thoughtfully penned lyrics take the listener on a journey of both positive discovery and of hope.
The sharp opening salvo of “Bleed” leaves one with no doubt that these guys mean serious business. It’s a modern hard rocker with vibrant guitars and a little HAREM SCAREM feel.
Then ‘Comic Con’ is simply brilliant. A terrific melodic rocker in the vein of VEGA, with a massive chorus and layered instrumentation. Wow, the middle section is awesome, with superb arrangements, much, much more than your ordinary rocker. This song alone worth this album!
One thing I should mention before continue: the instrumentation, the layers of multi-track and production are TOP notch here. Truly amazing bass sound, fantastic drum sound, pristine vocals- a pleasure to listen to.
‘In Pieces’ is more modern musically, some kind of a mid-tempo ballad with a 7th HEAVEN touch musically, yet more elaborated.
‘Circus Maximus’ actually brings both hard and soft together with a unique combination of punchy edge combined with softer keyboard driven passages highlighted with amazing extended vocal range mastery. What a killer song!
‘Let Love Win’ (akin LAST AUTUMNS DREAM), ‘This Little Pill’ (TERRA NOVA) and ‘Cecelia Weiss’ start off almost coyly and quickly proceed to crescendo into poppy melodic rock mid-tempo giants with a distinctly melody each.
“Princes And Thieves” offers a musically Middle Eastern themed beginning which merges into a pop-rock masterpiece which could in fact be the piece de resistance (jewel in the crown) of “Save The World”. At 7:20 minutes long, this cut easily leaves no doubt that prog-rock lives on. It has acoustic guitar passages, synths, distinctive drumming & percussion.
The sharp main riff of rocker ‘Black Pearl’ brings to mind LAST AUTUMNS DREAM again, while ‘The Light’ (reminiscent of STAGE DOLLS) is a wonderfully fitting final cut ballad rich in delightful key changes and once again; vocal range.
I can’t recommend SAVE THE WORLD’s debut enough.
“One” is a brilliant record perfectly combining the classic timeless melodies with a modern sound all expertly round-up by these really, I mean REALLY talented musicians. Stupendous songs escaping the common places, and production is fan-damn-tastic.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – Bleed
02 – Comic Con
03 – In Pieces
04 – Circus Maximus
05 – Let Love Win
06 – This Little Pill
07 – I Wish
08 – Black Pearl
09 – Cecilia Weiss
10 – Princes & Thieves
11 – C E R N
12 – The Light
Dan Tracey (Alan Parsons Project) – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Robert Wright – bass, vocals, keyboards, Taurus pedals, percussion, producer
Jon Wysocki (Staind) – drums
BUY IT !
savetheworld.richardsandsouthern.com/save-the-world-cd-one.html
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