Gakis; George (And Very Special Friends): Too Much Ain't Never Enough

A veteran of the Greek melodic metal circuit, George Gakis has amassed a contacts book to rival the best of them. In terms of melodic rock, there's no denying that Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow/Deep Purple/Yngwie Malmsteen), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow), James Kottak (Scorpions/Kingdom Come), Greg Smith (Alice Cooper), Mark Cross (Firewind/Helloween/Outloud) and Yiannis Spathas (legendary Greek rock act Socrates) can indeed be classed as "Very Special Friends". Add to that list the multi-talented Kip Winger, who co-produced the cumbersomely titled Too Much Ain't Never Enough (not as unfortunate a title as Gakis's 1995 album Pain In My Ass...) and there's no denying that all the ingredients to make a killer melodic rock album are in place. All that is, except any really memorable songs. That's not to suggest that in a Whitesnake, Winger, Dokken kind of way Gakis (and friends) hasn't cooked up an album that isn't a decent romp through some fun, if predictable songs. They have. But while TMANE is a fun diversion, in truth there's little to truly keep you enthralled.

Aimed firmly at the days when Arena Rock ruled the world, the song "Days Of Rock N Roll" sums this album up beautifully. Everything is well played, the sound is spot on, (which thanks to Winger it is throughout the whole album), but these are ideas and sentiments that we've heard countless times before. The song itself is an intentional nod to the 80's, with the track cleverly closing with a couple of bars of Dokken's "It's Not Love" ("Days Of..." is actually dedicated to Don [Dokken] in the booklet). The sentiment however is carried too faithfully into the rest of the album, with the slower songs "When Opposites Attract" and "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" finding Gakis coming across all Coverdale, while the heavier songs veer from Push era Winger to Dokken, via Purple and Aerosmith. There's nothing wrong with that I hear you cry and as a big fan of all of those bands, I'll heartily agree. In fairness, "I Married Trouble", "Under My Skin" and the album's title track all posses the melody, bite and hooks to reel you in. However there's no doubt that most of this album is just slightly too faithful to its influences to keep you coming back for more.

I have actually enjoyed Too Much Ain't Never Enough and wouldn't complain if these songs appeared on the radio (fat chance!), however rather than make me keen to hear more of Gakis's catalogue, this album just makes me want to go back to my vinyl collection to hear how much better this was all done in the first place.

Track Listing
1. I Married Trouble
2. Fame
3. Street Of Broken Dreams
4. Days Of Rock 'N' Roll
5. When Opposites Attract
6. Too Much Ain't Never Enough
7. License For Love
8. Under My Skin
9. Rebellious Son
10. It Ain't Over Till It's Over
11. Mi Me Koitas

Added: April 28th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Official George Gakis Website
Hits: 3012
Language: english

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