Atkins, Ronnie: Make It Count

This album has landed just 12 months after Atkins previous effort One Shot and carries on pretty much where he left off. Produced by fellow Pretty Maids man Chris Laney this release sees Atkins taking his considerable vocal talents and delivering an album that`s big on melodies and with a lyrical content that touches on subjects such as his health issues as well as climate change, very much a man in touch with the world.

All 12 tracks on display ably demonstrate an innate ability to craft excellent Melodic Rock. There`s hooks aplenty with, I must say a `Pop` edge to a lot of the material, and as someone well versed in the genre of Power Pop I`m always up for an artist who`s not afraid to air their Pop sensibilities, but that`s not to say Atkins has shirked his rocking duties, far from it in fact.

Opening song `I`ve Hurt Myself(By Hurting You)` is the perfect demonstration of this coming together of Rock and Pop and is a fine way to kick off the album. The album is perfectly paced with the likes of `Unsung Heroes` and` Rising Tide` keeping the rock quota going, whereas `Remain To Remind Me` turns it down a few notches with a vocal display that is sublime.

The rest of the album is made up of thrilling Pop/Rockers such as `All I Ask Of You’, ‘Grace` and `Blood Cries Out` all displaying a muscular approach without losing any of the melody which is central to the albums theme.

There is of course the more sensitive side of Atkins which comes in the shape of `Let Love Lead The Way` and works very well without being too mawkish. The title track which is also the albums finale also has an impassioned vocal performance from Atkins as the track builds slowly and somewhat majestically.

This is an album that works on multiple levels, yes there are Pop hooks, but also there`s a Rock dynamic to it all, and that comes through not just in Atkins vocals but also the instrumentation which is not over fussy and gives the material space and time to breath and expand into something quite memorable. This album is a melodic triumph....pure and simple.

Track Listing
1. I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)
2. Unsung Heroes
3. Rising Tide
4. Remain To Remind Me
5. The Tracks We Leave Behind
6. All I Ask Of You
7. Grace
8. Let Love Lead The Way
9. Blood Cries Out
10. Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)
11. Fallen
12. Make It Count

Added: May 2nd 2022
Reviewer: Malcolm Smith
Score:
Related Link: Artist Facebook Page
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Language: english

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