Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
December 2024
- After Lapse: Pathways
- Illusion Force: Halfana
- Powell-Payne: Voilá
November 2024
- Sunstorm: Restless Fight
- Storace: Crossfire
- Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
- Lionville: Supernatural
- Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
- Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
- Lonerider: Down In The Dust
- Seventh Crystal: Entity
- Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
- Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
- Impellitteri: War Machine
- Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter
October 2024
- Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
- DGM: Endless
- Daytona: Garder la Flamme
- Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
- Frost*: Life In The Wires
- Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
- Fans Of The Dark: Video
- Radioactive: Reset
- House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
- Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire
September 2024
- Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
- Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
- Eclipse: Megalomanium II
- SteelCity: Reverence
- Hydra: ReHydrated
- Heartwind: III
- Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
- Find Me: Nightbound
- The Nail: The Nail
- Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
- Stryper: When We Were Kings
- Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
- Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
- Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly
August 2024
- Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
- Paralydium: Universe Calls
- Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
- Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
- All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
- Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
- Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2
Soto, Jeff Scott: Damage Control
Soto, Jeff Scott: Damage Control
Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
4.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Frontiers Records
by Craig Hartranft, 03.12.2012
Jeff Scott Soto is one the great rock vocalists of a generation. Between his lead vocal with the likes of Malmsteem, Talisman, and Journey, many collaborations, and solo projects, has logged time on better than 60 albums. And Soto is still going strong. Damage Control is his fifth solo album.
Above, Jeff Scott Soto: mama said knock you out.
From the start, with Give a Little More, Damage Control, and Look Inside Your Heart, you may conclude that Soto is simply going to bust out and rock out. These songs are edgier melodic rock. Then the next several songs, If I Never Let Her Go through Bonafide, have their heavier moments but mostly follow the current of melodic AOR. Bonafide is a pure Soto ballad, as is Die A Little on the anthem side (with a tiny nod to Hall & Oates at the end; listen for it.) The album rounds out with a mixture of the harder and softer, but dogs on the closing NeverEnding War.
My digital promo was the basic edition; the deluxe edition contains three more tunes in the order, with a DVD of video clips. I can't comment on any of these things.
Fundamentally, with a JSS album you're listening for that strong voice, equally strong vocal arrangements, and big catchy songs with a strong rock groove. Damage Control delivers on all three counts. What's missing is that sometimes funk groove that Soto can also bring to a song; maybe the extra edginess was the trade off. Recommended.
Tweet
In Short
Nearly 30 years in the biz, on Damage Control Jeff Scott Soto sounds as strong as ever; here's some solid melodic hard rock from a veteran, on of our best rock vocalists.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]