Soto, Jeff Scott: Complicated

Jeff Scott Soto has had a successful career since the early 1980s. While he is best known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, he has performed with tons of bands, and has also hard a large solo career. He is known for his wide range of powerful vocals, as well as his skills with other instruments. On May 6th, his eighth full length studio album Complicated is being released to the public. I have given the album a few listens already, and I have to say that I am quite impressed. While it isn’t perfect, it showcases tons of great songwriting, amazing vocals, and awesome instrumentation as well. It succeeds both at having a throwback sound, while still having a modernity to it, and it is extremely refreshing.

The first thing that impressed me with this album was how good Soto and his band sound. Jeff hasn’t lost anything when it comes to his powerhouse voice. His range is showcased very well throughout, and his versatility of styles that he can sing. Some of the songs are traditional, others are kind of a funky hard rock, and there are also plenty of good softer songs. He pulls everything off perfectly. The riffs and solos by Fabrizio Sgattoni are also fantastic, and the rhythm section is extremely powerful too. Everyone shows their chops, but none of the playing feels excessive. Jeff still gets to be the forefront of what is showcased. The one complaint that I have about the overall sound is the production. While it isn’t terrible, I do feel like it lacks clarity at some points and feels a bit weak.

The track listing is extremely consistent throughout. There are lots of catchy hooks, great riffs and chord progressions, and the song structure is extremely strong. One thing I loved was hearing strong power ballads that sounded straight out of the 80s. Some of the album even reminded me of Journey, which was interesting. I think they were all well done and hit me with nostalgia to the music I grew up with. Some of my favorite tracks are “Last to Know�, “Disbelieving�, “Until I See You Again�. “Don’t Look Back�, “Back to the Beginning�, and “Obsession�.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting album. It’s not tremendously heavy, but there is a lot of great songwriting and performances. It has a throwback feel to it, but it is still refreshing. Soto is a tremendous vocalist, and the band that accompanied him on this album helped make it a huge success. I recommend checking it out.

Lineup:
Jeff Scott Soto: Vocals and backing vox
Fabrizio Sgattoni: Lead guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio: Bass, keys, and backing vocals
Edu Cominato: drums

Track Listing:

1. Last To Know
2. Disbelieving
3. Home Again
4. Love is the Revolution
5. Until I See You Again
6. Complicated
7. Don’t Look Back
8. New Horizon
9. Back to the Beginning
10. Thank You
11. Obsession

Added: April 26th 2022
Reviewer: Ryan Gavalier
Score:
Related Link: Artist Facebook Page
Hits: 873
Language: english

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