Jeff Scott Soto: Retribution

Veteran vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is a busy man these days, touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, lead singer for supergroups W.E.T. & Sons of Apollo, and also making sure to keep his solo career moving forward, his latest release for Frontiers Records titled Retribution. A pretty hard rocking affair, Retribution also sports a solid band & guest musicians supporting Soto, which includes:

Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals, Keyboards
Howie Simon – Guitar & Bass (except on "Reign Again" and "Song For Joey")
Edu Cominato – Drums
August Zadra – Guitar on "Reign Again"
Stephen Sturm – Guitar on "Reign Again"
Carlos Costa – Bass on "Reign Again"
Paul Mendonca – Guitar, Keyboards & Bass on "Song For Joey"

Right from the outset with the raging title track, it's apparent that Soto is intent on kicking ass and taking no names this time around. Fueled by some massive Simon riffs, Hammond organ, and Soto's powerful wails, it's an energetic and heavy song to jumpstart the album. "Inside/Outside" is even more furious, complete with intricate, screaming guitar work but loaded with vocal hooks, no doubt Soto's time spent with Sons of Apollo recently having rubbed off on him, while "Rage of the Year" is pure headbanging fun, another crushingly heavy track that shows that Retribution means some serious business.

The singer dips back into his melodic rock bag of tricks for the hook laden "Reign Again", complete with dueling guitars courtesy of August Zadra (Dennis DeYoung) and Stephen Sturm, and the irresistible "Feels Like Forever", a tune with a can't miss chorus that, in a perfect world, would be a major hit across the globe. "Last Time" returns things to melodic heavy rock, the guitar riffs massive, the rhythms potent, and Soto's vocals confident and strong, while "Bullet For My Baby", has a raunchier, bluesy edge. "Song For Joey" provides the albums emotional ballad, while the upbeat rockers "Dedicate to You" and "Breakout" feature crisp arrangements and plenty of memorable hooks. The tender acoustic piece "Autumn" closes out the album on a softer note, but on this whole, this is a pretty raucous album that shows Jeff Scott Soto in fine form along with his musical partner & co-producer Howie Simon. Memorable songs, whether heavy or melodic, great vocals, and top notch musicianship, make Retribution an overall winner of an album.

Track Listing
1- Retribution
2- Inside/Outside
3- Rage Of The Year
4- Reign Again
5- Feels Like Forever
6- Last Time
7- Bullet For My Baby
8- Song For Joey
9- Breakout
10- Dedicate To You
11- Autumn

Added: December 10th 2017
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Artist Facebook Page
Hits: 2217
Language: english

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