January is always a strange time for the music blogger. With 2020 rounded up in my last post at the beginning of the month, and with gigs still outlawed for the foreseeable future, this blog has lain dormant for a few weeks - waiting for 2021 to kick off in a musical context. It usually takes a couple of weeks for a new year to start dishing out its musical treats, but this year it felt like that first album was more elusive than ever. I was pleased then when, last week, the first package of the year bearing new CDs arrived at my house - containing two new releases courtesy of the Italian record label Frontiers Records. The second of the two I will get to another day, but it is the fourth album from the Swedish/American AOR supergroup W.E.T. that kicks things off here on WhoIsSamLewis this year. While not the most active of bands, W.E.T., rightly, have a strong following in the AOR and melodic rock worlds. Originally formed as a collaboration between vocalist Jeff Scott Soto and multi-instrumentalists Erik Mårtensson and Robert Säll, W.E.T. has become one of Frontiers Records' premier in-house projects. Despite my distaste for the formulaic nature of many of Frontiers' projects, W.E.T. has always stood out from the pack. The songwriting talents of the band's three main pillars made their early work stand out, as each member brought their take on AOR and meshed them together to make something familiar - but also uniquely W.E.T.. Both 2009's W.E.T. and 2013's Rise Up featured the core of the band, alongside guitarist Magnus Henriksson and drummer Robban Bäck, doing what they do best - but it would be five years before Soto and co. decided to produce a follow up. W.E.T.'s silence was broken in 2018 by the release of Earthrage (which I reviewed here), which proved to be a solidly enjoyable slab of AOR from the off - but it was not up to the same standard as the band's previous two efforts. I believe that part of the reason for this was perhaps, at least in part, the total dominance of Mårtensson's contributions on Earthrage. I like Mårtensson and his band Eclipse a lot, but what made W.E.T. special was the 'meeting of minds' that seemed to take place during the first part of the band's career - particularly on Rise Up, which was a very collaborative album. Säll did not contribute to the writing of Earthrage at all, and his instrumental contributions seemed extremely minimal too. Earthrage just felt like more Eclipse (with the added vocals of Soto) which, while not necessarily a bad thing, seemed like it was missing the band's usual, more collaborative approach. I was therefore hoping that Earthrage's follow-up, which was eventually released earlier this month under the title of Retransmission, would redress the balance - and, in some ways, it has done so. Säll did contribute to the songwriting this time around, albeit to only one song, but this still very much feels like another Mårtensson project on the whole. The result is another enjoyable AOR album, but there does seem to be a heavier, bluesier vibe featured throughout which helps to set Retransmission apart from the band's other albums. It also features a line-up change in the form of bassist Andreas Passmark (Stormwind; Narnia; Wisdom Call; Royal Hunt), expanding W.E.T.'s line-up officially to a six-piece for the first time ever with Mårtensson having handled the bass duties previously.
As with W.E.T.'s previous albums, Retransmission kicks off with its lead single - the catchy and extremely poppy Big Boys Don't Cry. W.E.T., being an AOR band, obviously have a lot of pop in their sound, but Big Boys Don't Cry pushes this to the limit with chart-esque vocal harmonies mixing well with the band's usual sharp riffing. Despite being known for his melodic rock writing, Mårtensson is a fan of much heavier music personally and that has always informed his songwriting. While his songs are never truly 'heavy', his riffing style and guitar tones are always potent - and that allows a song like Big Boys Don't Cry to shine while still being packed full of sugary melodies. While Soto is W.E.T.'s lead singer, occasionally W.E.T. have included duets on their albums and Mårtensson sings the opener with him - which leads for an interesting mix of tones during the verses, before Soto soars during the choruses. Anyone familiar with Mårtensson's writing style will instantly feel at home here and, while the hooks are not as big as they could be, the song opens the album in fine fashion - with a shredded solo courtesy of Henriksson adding a virtuosic touch. The Moment of Truth takes things up a notch however in my opinion. Opening with a big Passmark bassline, the song is a collaboration between Mårtensson and Swedish singer Dag Finn (Sha-Boom) - and the result is a much hookier and 1980s-sounding affair than the album's opening cut. As much as I like Mårtensson's voice, W.E.T. is all about Soto's smooth delivery - his slightly more soulful approach to melodic rock helping the band to stand out. He really gets his chops around this smooth track perfectly, with the chorus being one of the album's best. Elsewhere, driving keyboard riffs and sharp guitar rhythms keep the song ticking along nicely; but another highlight comes in the form of Henriksson's lengthy guitar solo, which starts off slowly before exploding into cacophony of notes. I also really like how the song ends on a much heavier note, with Bäck laying into his double bass drums for a fast-paced and pummelling close to the song - bringing Slip of the Tongue-era Whitesnake to mind in the process. Despite a brief acoustic opening, The Call of the Wild is another strong melodic rocker. The overtly-poppy melodies from the album's opening moments return here, but in my view they are utilised better this time around. Mårtensson's sugary backing vocals are used in a very Toto-esque way here, punctuating Soto's verse leads perfectly - before the two join forces for another strong chorus. In some ways, this is possibly one the most creative tracks here, and the use of backing vocals throughout does sound like something new for the band - and Mårtensson in general. I have never really felt a Toto vibe in his songwriting before, and I like what effect it has on the song overall.
Got to Be About Love is more of a ballad, with a slow-paced opening that builds around Soto's soulful vocal delivery. Clean guitars ring out around him, while subtle synths and a percussive Bäck drum pattern help to build the overall atmosphere nicely. While the choruses are a little more explosive, with big vocal hooks and a greater rhythmical presence, the song perhaps operates best when it is at its most atmospheric. Not every song needs to be a soaring number, and sometimes less can be more. I like the way the band relies more on atmospherics here as a result, and it makes the chorus more powerful when it does hit. Säll contributes the guitar solo this time around, and his fluid run of notes fits the mood of the song perfectly. He is perhaps not as caustic a player as Henriksson, which makes his playing feel right at home in this ballad. Beautiful Game has more Whitesnake vibes throughout, and in fact reminds me quite a lot of the sound that the band went for on 2019's Flesh & Blood (which I reviewed here) - but with more of a poppy approach to vocal hooks. There is a bit more of a bluesy vibe showcased throughout, with organ riffs backing the guitar rhythms and a strong bass presence throughout. It is certainly not as heavy or as bluesy as the modern Whitesnake sound, but there is something of the band's bump and grind to be found here - with an AOR-esque chorus included for good measure. How Far to Babylon is the first song on the album to be co-written by Soto, who has perhaps not been as involved in the songwriting on this album as much as he would usually be either, which ensures that the somewhat bluesy vibes of the previous song is carried over here. I have always considered Soto to be something of an anti-AOR singer in some ways, and I usually prefer him in more of a metal context (e.g. Sons of Apollo, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force) than I do in an AOR one. W.E.T. (and some of Talisman's stuff) is an exception however, and I think he fits in nicely with Mårtensson's overall songwriting style - which is part of what has made W.E.T. so enjoyable over the years. His somewhat more soulful approach really informs this track, and it has a strut that is largely absent elsewhere - with some great Bäck drumming thrown in for good measure. Coming Home starts off similar, with an AC/DC-esque riff driving everything early on, but the song is a real mix of styles. Thin Lizzy-esque twin guitar leads show up occasionally to add flashes of melody, while one of the album's best choruses really brings the best out of Soto as a melodic rock singer. Mårtensson's vocal harmonies boost Soto's vocal power nicely, while Mårtensson handles the guitar solo this time around. He is not as expansive a player as the band's other two lead guitarists, but his style suits the song perfectly as he adds more of a bluesy, classic rock style collection of leads.
What Are You Waiting For is another ballad. It opens slowly with some chiming guitar melodies and subtle keyboards before Soto adds his soulful delivery to the piece. While Got to Be About Love exploded into its chorus for a heavier contrast, What Are You Waiting For stays fairly low key throughout, which aids its overall atmosphere in my opinion. This is one of the only songs here that really relies on atmosphere and keyboard depth rather than bombastic riffing and soaring hooks. That is not to say that there are not hooks here, because there are, but they are more subtle and emotionally-charged this time around. The chorus is still very memorable, but this is wholly down to Soto's excellent vocal delivery. He really pours everything into the song, and it is possibly his best performance on the album as a result. You Better Believe It gets back to the band's core AOR sound after a couple of bluesy and ballad-like deviations - and it is one of the most joyous and upbeat tracks on the album. It might feel this way because of the songs that preceded it, but either way the song is full of pop hooks and summery vibes that make it a great slab of old-school AOR. The chorus is one that is definitely going to stick in the brain for a long time; while Henriksson's guitar solo is a real throwback to the excess of 1980s stadium rock. There is a lot to enjoy about the track, and it is one of the standouts here as a result. How Do I Know goes back to the bluesy strut of tracks like Beautiful Game with a strident opening guitar riff; but there is also a lot of pop fused into it. This is possibly one of the grooviest tracks here, with a snaking mid-paced vibe throughout that is created through hypnotic guitar riffing and Passmark's bass playing. The pace never really changes throughout, with even the choruses keeping up the groove laid down elsewhere - which in my opinion is a really effective trick. In some ways it gives the song a strange sound, but I like the fusion of pop and blues grooves here as it sounds genuinely different - with a flash of the band's early creativity on show. It is left to One Final Kiss to close the album out, which is Säll's only songwriting contribution here. He also contributes the song's guitar solo, so this is probably the most that he has been involved in a W.E.T. song since Rise Up - which is nice to see. Style wise, the song is a soaring, fast-paced AOR track with pompous 1980s synths and a catchy chorus that makes great use of backing vocals - with Soto's soulful delivery adding some depth. It is a great reminder of the band's core sound and is something of a flashback to the band's first two albums - with the band's three pillars all contributing to the songwriting and bringing their unique talents to the track. Overall however, for me, Retransmission does not quite live up to those first two albums; but there is still a lot to enjoy here. I like the experimentation with a bluesier sound that is featured throughout, and the diversity here makes this album a stronger overall collection of songs than Earthrage was three years ago. There is still a lot to enjoy here however, and fans of AOR and melodic bluesy rock ought to get a lot out of it.
The album was released on 22nd January 2021 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Big Boys Don't Cry.
No comments:
Post a Comment