Polak, Milan: Can’t Please Everyone

Principally known as a blisteringly intense guitar virtuoso Milan Polak has in more recent times turned his talents towards more traditionally hard rocking song based fare. Can’t Please Everyone is the fourth such effort from the guitarist and while harder hitting than his previous outing, Scarred To Perfection, the main thrust remains a modern outlook on some classic 80s rock themes. Polack himself also provides most of the other instrumentation across the album, playing everything other than drums on almost all of the twelve tracks presented.

Impressively the multi-talented musician also handles vocals and it has to be said that his rawer Kip Winger like approach ensures that his fiery guitar work is pretty much matched most of the way. Musically, things kind of give off a latter day George Lynch era Dokken vibe, with a more modern edge added to a lot of Lynchian runs and riffs. Polak is no copyist though, bringing a cleaner style to his ultra-fluid solos, which add copious amounts of colour to proceedings.

It’s Dennis Leeflang who contributes most of the album’s drums and his solid base allows tracks like the ultra-personal “Father� to stay strongly in control. “Can’t Let You Go� is possibly the album’s exception, being a slower, more obviously emotional moment, and here it’s Boston drummer Jeff Neal who sits behind the kit as keyboard maestro Mistheria and legendary bass-man Tony Franklin provide extra star quality. And these aren’t the only big name contributors, Sons Of Apollo men Billy Sheehan (also Mr Big, David Lee Roth & more) and Bumblefoot (Guns & Roses) piling into “The Future Is Now� with real gusto. With Polak and Bumblefoot going head to head on soling duties the sparks really do fly here and there’s no doubt that Polak has managed to capture some serious performances from his vaunted guest list. That said “Enemy Within� takes a less obvious and angry detour while “Numb� combines some uncompromising fret work to a mid-paced but never lumbering tempo, proving Polak is just as capable purely under his own steam.

Can’t Please Everyone is probably an apt title for any album but if cracking guitar work combined to some tasty choruses and well executed vocals sounds like your thing, then maybe it’s more important to please some of the people all the time.

Track Listing
1. Unborn
2. Numb
3. The Future Is Now
4. Can't Please Everyone
5. New Life
6. Savior
7. Enemy Within
8. No One Else
9. Father
10. Heroes Die Young
11. Better Man
12. Can't Let You Go

Added: June 11th 2020
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Milan Polak online
Hits: 902
Language: english

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