Label: Drakkar Entertainment
Release date: 19. 11. 2021
Production: Carl Sentance
Album length: 40.25 min
Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Rating: 8.5/10
Carl Sentance has put out a really nice solo studio album, »Electric Eye«. His second overall. Who? Well, that’s not Simply Red on the cover. So who the heck is Carl Sentance? Since 2015 he’s been the frontman of Scottish rock legends Nazareth, with whom he’s made two albums: »Tattooed On My Brain« in 2018 (RockLine review) and this April’s »Surviving The Law« (RockLine review). But beyond all that, Sentance is first and foremost a veteran. His career kicked off in 1977 with Leading Star, then he stepped into Persian Risk to replace John Deverill (who jumped ship to Tygers Of Pan Tang), landing right in the middle of the then-hot N.W.O.B.H.M. movement. Sentance isn’t one to settle down. He’s switched employers plenty of times over the years, but that only proves how in-demand he is thanks to his unbelievable vocal chops. Among other things, he’s worked with Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, recorded the album »Round 13« with Swiss hard rock legends Krokus, and in 2006 became a permanent member of the backing band of Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey, with whom he’s released a few albums. Like I said, a guy with a wealth of experience and plenty of miles on the clock. Even if he’s a less famous name on the scene.
His debut »Mind Doctor« came out in 2009, and thirteen years later the second one is finally here. It’s a good 40 minutes of music with Sentance’s vocals firmly front and center. He also played most of the guitars himself, with a few solos contributed by Dario Mollo (Crossbones, The Cage, Voodoo Hill) and Jay Banks. For the rhythm section he picked two seasoned players: ‘rattling’ bassist Wayne Banks (Messiah’s Kiss, Persian Risk, Brazen Abbot, among others) and drummer Bob Richards, who played with Welsh cult rockers Man. And the great Don Airey returns the favor on “Electric Eye” with his keyboards, for Carl’s past stint as the vocalist in Airey’s backing band.
The production, handled by Carl himself, is hugely convincing, with every building block of the sound clearly laid out. Alongside the bristling guitar work, the detonating snare drum sounds just great and gives the record a special depth, but the real star of the show is Carl’s wildly fascinating voice. Clean, deeply musical, with an exceptional range, and it doesn’t falter for a second as he pushes power through different registers. The track where Sentance shows off all his colorfulness (and his ferocity too) is definitely the sad, balladic Exile. The album radiates quite a lot of melancholic and dark vibes. On top of the clearly pronounced, infectious musicality, most of the solutions are built on minor keys, which gives individual songs that kind of character. You also have to remember that Carl comes from the N.W.O.B.H.M. era. Still, the album isn’t just racing through metal and hard rock phrases in top gear, it also offers some welcome detours, like the ‘groovy and funky’ moments of Nervous Breakdown. Then there are the debauched moments, like the catchy Overload, or in the second half If This Is Heaven, which, alongside a solid rock’n’roll stance, also carry a mild punk rock bounce. With a tweaked production, Battlecry could pass for an eighties post-punk/new wave tune. It’s another colorful detour that Sentance uses to keep the album’s dynamic flow moving very effectively. The record closes with one more track that stands out stylistically from the rest of the material. That’s California Queen, which has a more modern ‘groove’, even some pop cosmetics and funk kinetics.
So, to sum up. »Electric Eye« is a collection of songs that Sentance has been crafting and polishing for a long time (the title track could easily slot onto either of the last two Nazareth albums). You can hear it in how vivid and finished the songs are, which keeps the album endlessly listenable despite the ‘mockingly sharp and wound-up’ production of the guitar phrasing and the mostly melancholic character of the record. It grabs you instantly. Starting with the predatory Judas that opens the album. The song title is also somewhat tied to Carl’s work in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, in which he took part between 1996 and 1999, in the role of none other than Judas Iscariot. »Electric Eye« will appeal especially to fans of classic metal and hard rock elements. Its contents make it clear that, besides his vocal gifts, Carl Sentance is also a very skilled and resourceful songwriter. All in all, a really nice and convincing record that deserves your attention.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Judas
2. Alright
3. Electric Eye
4. Overload
5. Nervous Breakdown
6. Exile
7. Young Beggars
8. If This Is Heaven
9. Battlecry
10. California Queen
Lineup:
Carl Sentance – vocals, guitar
Don Airey – keyboards on tracks 3, 5, 7 and 10
Dario Mollo – guitar solo on track 1
Jay Banks – guitar solos on tracks 4, 5 and 8
Wayne Banks – bass guitar
Bob Richards – drums
