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Drive She Said: Real Life (Reissue)
Drive She Said - Real Life (Reissue) CD Album Review

Drive She Said: Real Life (Reissue)

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
4.5/5.0

Website (Label)
Escape Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 07.03.2018

All but six months ago, October 2017, vocalist and guitarist Al Fritsch passed away. With keyboard player Mark Mangold, Fritsch made up the duo of the respected American melodic rock band Drive She Said. Now, their 2003 album Real Life is being reissued by England's Escape Music (which is kind of ironic as it was originally released by Italian competitor Frontiers Music). The album has been completely remixed and remastered by Brian Anthony and Mark Mangold.

Drive She Said Band Photo

Drive She Said

Real Life is essentially signature Drive She Said. This is AOR accessible melodic hard rock built upon solid songwriting which features attention to strong melodies, pure harmonies, and essential groove. But perhaps the signature element of any DSS song is the lush vocal arrangements. Fritsch has a powerful vocal presence that follows the melody of every song and unites in harmony with the guitar and keyboard lines. For his part as the guitarist, Fritsch also delivers plenty of thrilling solos throughout. Meanwhile, Mangold through something as simple a piano line can develop melody that leads a song. Or he can simply embellish an arrangement with lush synth orchestration. As a songwriting duo, Fritsch and Mangold were a creative and powerful, a melodic rock force to be reckoned with.

And that comes through in the songs which are well-crafted and hands down, just damn catchy, too. You have some fine melodic rocker with Real Life, Stronger, the guitar rocker All Your Heart, and the heavier arena rocker When Will It Be Love. Blurring the line between arena anthem and ballad are songs such as the piano driven Silverwhite, the synth swollen Hold Me, and We Live For Love with its powerful chorus. But across this album there's not a runt in the litter. It's all good.

If you recall, and have, 2016's Pedal To The Metal, you should put this reissue of Drive She Said's Real Life on your short list to buy. It's an entertaining and powerful album of AOR melodic rock from the creative team Al Fritsch and Mark Mangold. Recommended.

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The Bottom Line

This reissue of Drive She Said's Real Life is an entertaining and powerful album of AOR melodic rock from the creative team of vocalist and guitarist Al Fritsch and keyboard player Mark Mangold. Get it. You may not get a second chance.

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