Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Meniketti, Dave
Label: Dream Catcher
Release: 2002
Length: 65:20
Rating: 5/5
Raw, wild and sensual! This guy with a hard-hitting guitar grip serves up the real, live, classic “Gibson” sound of hard rock. On top of that he sings with that unmistakable voice, completely immersed the whole way through. There are few examples, hm, say Ken Hensley, ugh, I tripped over my own words there. Anyway, a songwriter of his caliber is practically a perfect musical “machine” anyway, combining flawless command of vocals, guitar, keys, bass…. And that “perfect” applies here to Dave’s charismatic voice too, and of course to his masterful rubbing of the guitar strings. Dave conjures up some of that early Yesterdays And Todays feeling in songs that are oriented, sound- and style-wise, toward the seventies, but with one distinct difference: everything is now played harder, and sounds harder too. Take the opening rocker Messin’ With Mr. Big, or I Remember, easily one of the most beautiful songs, which Dave dedicated to his recently departed mother, or No Lies, which recalls D. Coverdale’s Whitesnake in the way it’s sung, while on Storm maybe the ghost of Hendrix whispered the riff into Meniketti’s ear. This sends goosebumps racing down your spine. It’s getting hot in here!
So here is the second solo record after “On The Blue Side” from 1998, from the leader, guitarist and singer of the legendary Y&T. As such it marks a further departure from the clichéd blues elements of the debut, toward a punchier flirtation with R&B and hard rock, so closer to what Meniketti did (and still does) with his home band Y&T.
Dave’s blazing solos “sit” perfectly in every song. Besides Dave’s guitar and vocals, what’s especially impressive is the pairing of the dynamic, rumbling melodic bass lines and the bold drum play on the transitions, which complement each other all the way through the record and make a lion’s share of the contribution to the top-notch songs and the overall vibe. The classic Hammond organ sound is responsible for the latter too.
Dave, a guy with a fantastic feel for the blues, delivers in that style with Hard As I Try, It’s Over, and the closing Take My Time, which calm the scene down. Dave follows only himself throughout, so pure “feeling”. This is an incredibly emotional record that keeps up this quality from the first note to the very last, and can grab the listener at any moment. The emotions just keep bubbling over. A masterpiece!
Line-up
Dave Meniketti – vocals, guitar
Tony Stead – keyboards, backing vocals
Myron Dove – bass guitar
Chris Miller – drums, backing vocals
SPECIAL GUESTS:
Jill Meniketti – backing vocals
Lynne Reardon – backing vocals
Midyne Spear – backing vocals
Larry Klein – backing vocals
TJ Pellicer – backing vocals
Production
Dave Meniketti
Track list
1. Messin’ With Mr. Big
2. No Lies
3. Hard As I Try
4. Tough Luck Avenue
5. I Remember
6. Storm
7. It’s Over
8. All In This Together
9. I Can’t Take It
10. Lay Me Down
11. The Other Side
12. Tell me (Why I Should Wait)
13. Take My Time
