Gioeli, Johnny: One Voice

Johnny Gioeli is best known for being in bands such as Hardline, Crush 40, and Axel Rudi Pell, however, now is deemed as the time for a solo effort. Why so? Let the man himself explain. “One day, I just woke up and said ‘I wanna do this’. I’ve always been so faithful to the groups I’m in, and I remain that way, but I just thought it was time that I do something on my own and see how it goes, for the creativity and the freedom to express myself." He enlisted the help of Eric Gadrix: guitars,Nik Mazzucconi: bass, Marco Di Salvia: drums and given that the album is released by Frontiers you just know that Alessandro Del Vecchio plays keyboards and produces.

I am currently reading the autobiography of BBC sports commentator Barry Davies. One of his distinctive ways of describing the action is by placing the adjective “hugely� in front of another as in, “that’s hugely entertaining.� I could deal with One Voice in two potential ways. I could be really harsh and say that it is hugely anachronistic, that it is hugely derivative or that it’s hugely middle-of-the-road.

Secondly, and this is what I actually believe, I could say that it is hugely tuneful, hugely enjoyable and hugely the best Bon Jovi album for about thirty years. I realise that the last one doesn’t really work but there is a definite 80’s Jovi style going on here especially in Gioeli’s vocals.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than on the first tune on the album "Drive". A quick perusal of the lyric may prove my point especially when the whole song kicks of with a few whoa oh whoa ohs:

“Come on and drive
Take you away
Leave all that shit for another day
Come on and drive
Feel you're alive
Let the wind blow by
Let the wind blow by
Let the wind blow through your hair
Like it's 1980 there
I need, I need my drive�

Do you get my point? I absolutely don’t mean to denigrate the album as I am awarding it a big four stars, however, I think the 80’s Jovi vibe strongly suggests the mindset of the protagonists and what is required to dig this pleasurable album.

Track Listing:

1. Drive
2. It
3. One Voice
4. Mind Melt
5. Running
6. Deeper
7. Let Me Know
8. Hit Me Once, Hit Ya Twice
9. Price We Pay
10. Out Of Here
11. Oh Fathers

Added: December 31st 2018
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score:
Related Link: Frontiers Records
Hits: 828
Language: english

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