Val; The: Back

When I first heard Back, the debut album from Spanish trio The Val (naff name alert...), I have to be honest and say that I thought I'd stumbled in on a reissue of some long lost 80s obscurity, getting a second chance at making an impact. However rather than leap back decades to find out more, a quick stumble to 2011 reveals that Back is a much more recent affair than its sound and approach would suggest. That said I'm not averse to a little retro, if it's well done, so really the question is, do lead vocalist Gabrielle de Val – well at least we know where the inspired name came from – guitarist Alfonso Samos and keyboard player David Erick have the skill to make unashamedly old ideas worthy of a quick revisit? In truth the answer is a resounding sometimes...

Val has a strong voice, reminding of everyone from a less powerful Ann Wilson (Heart) to Carol Decker (T'Pau), or Robin Beck (erm...Robin Beck) to Marie Fredriksson (Roxette) and she carries off the soft rock served up on Back with a confident ease. Lyrically however things can be more than a little naive with the otherwise excellent, punchy "Johnny's Got A Red Car" verging on cringe worthy, while the mid paced easyosy of "When Midnight Comes", fares little better. Musically things are equally as unsteady, veering from the sumptuous power balladry of "A Kiss In DragonNight" to the clunk of the sub Alannah Myles like "Pay (For The Lonely Nights)" and really that's how it goes. "Trapped Between The Lines" is dreary Euro-pop, while "When Midnight Comes" could have had genuine hit potential if you'd given it to someone like Wilson Philips. "The Devil's In The Band" fails to deliver any of the menace its title suggests, while "The Age Of The Sun" finds a surprisingly brooding atmosphere borrowing a vocal melody line from Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street".

Samos and Erick are both skilled musicians, but with the overall sound of Back being remarkably safe, neither really get the chance to cut through and make a lasting impression. Which in music that needs to thrive through its memorable nature really is the major fault here. However in between the Euro fluff and pleasantness there are a few cracking tunes and enough briefly dazzling moments to suggest that to dismiss The Val at this stage could be premature - only time will tell on that. Album number two could be make or break...

Track Listing
1. A Kiss in a Dragon Night
2. Dreaming
3. Pay (for the lonely nights)
4. Trapped Between the Lines
5. Johnny´s Got a Red Car
6. Hold On
7. Back
8. When Midnight Comes
9. The Devil´s in the Band
10. Every Beat of my Heart
11. The Unwritten Songs
12. The Age of the Sun

Added: June 8th 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Val Online
Hits: 1653
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]