Artist: Mecca
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2011
Running time: 53:11
Rating: 5/5
This is an AOR release that, among connoisseurs of the genre, stirred up undeniably more interest than anything else put out this year in what is today a relic of a genre. Nobody really expected that the circumstances following the release of the excellent debut Mecca I in 2002 would mean waiting a whopping 9 years for Mecca II.
Mecca II is an album caught drifting through a time machine. Like it was made in 1986 but only came out in 2011. Nine years really is a long time. Supposedly two drafts of this album were ready, but out of perfectionism, chasing sonic and expressive perfection, both got scrapped after the fact.
The head captain of the Mecca ship remains Joe Vana. He’s also taken over the lead vocal duties, which is an excellent choice, since his voice has a recognizable expression and color. Totally assured in everything. Joe previously had the option of spreading the vocal work across several prominent singers, but he evidently decided to do the job himself. Interestingly, his voice, which fits like a glove into the “West Coast” AOR expression of the Mecca project, recalls John Wetton’s vocal color in a milder dose. Also in the choice of lead vocal melodies. And we can’t escape that feeling when the lead vocal gets dressed up with vocal harmonies in the choruses either. I’m thinking especially of Wetton’s vocal character in the Icon project.
But this is a special album. Vana gathered seasoned studio musicians and arrangers around him, and he found a phenomenal common language and understanding with them. There’s multi-instrumentalist and arranger Tommy Denander, a true workaholic, and then Christian Wolff, a name that also pops up regularly in many similar studio collaborations and projects. The rhythm section is something special this time. Tony Levin on bass and Pat Mastelotto on drums are old friends, inseparable since their days in King Crimson. So it’s clear Vana thought about every last detail of this album. Perfectionism.
This is an album that reaches the brilliance of perfect melodic payoff within the AOR template. Inside that template the songs hit clear expressive limits, yet still show a high degree of motivic variety between them. It’s sharply emphasized in the lead motifs, while at the same time reaching such refinement, sonic flexibility and balance in how the production sizes up the soundscape that the songs really work like 10 equally weighted, complete wholes, each with a clearly defined musical character. Given the flawless polish of the arrangements, the way the album unfolds brings a highly vibrant atmosphere, which, in how it stimulates the cerebral cortex, resonates with the studio classics of acts from the noblest AOR lineage.
The instrumental section makes use of the transitions, as well as the instrumental middle sections, to unleash the most incisive expressive figures AOR can still handle. These figures give you the feeling that their authors could easily play in a progressive rock band. After all, AOR was created by progressive rock bands who were desperately hunting for hits during the onset of the punk virus on planet Earth. In these instrumental parts you can feel inspiration borrowed from Toto’s approach. Consequently, the album also recalls the tricks of the modern Swedish Toto flirts Work Of Art. These instrumental seasoning touches are wonderfully balanced against the predictability of the melodically seductive verse and chorus motifs. The symbiosis is outstanding. Add to that the seasoned sophistication, which in the arrangements touches on pop impulses, the way acts of the highest sonic pedigree like Boulevard, Honeymoon Suite or Mr. Mister once did, and you’ve got the winning poker aces in the bag. Pardon, sweated for!
“Undeniable” is an AOR work lost in time. With the “makings” to grow into a classic over the years, since it has all the necessary predispositions for it. And those are: expressive incisiveness, distinctiveness, a high level of variety in the lead motifs, a convincing way of stringing together moods thanks to the delicate character of Joe’s voice,… Before this review slides into piling up too many superlatives, let me wrap up: if you’re a fan of this kind of AOR sound, this is an album you’ll fall head over heels for, irreversibly. Even though it came out in 2011, it’s also highly recommended for those of you who don’t know the genre but are plagued by curiosity and looking for the right benchmark albums. “Undeniable” hits the bullseye, since it’s cooked up under the baton of hair-splitting artistry that only the most talented and most experienced musicians can muster. A perfect masterpiece that holds the debut’s high creative level, leaving you to decide which of the two albums you’ll love more!
Line-up
Joe Vana – vocals, guitar
Tommy Denander – guitar, keyboards
Christian Wolff – guitar
Mark Alano – guitar
Brian Moritz – keyboards
Eric Ragno – keyboards
Wally Hustin – bass
Tony Levin – bass
Rick Vitek – drums
Pat Mastelotto – drums
Production
Joe Vana
Track list
1. Perfect World
2. Closing Time
3. Ten Lifetimes
4. Life’s Too Short
5. I Know
6. Did it for Love
7. From the Start
8. Deceptive Cadence
9. W2W (Wire To Wire)
10. Undeniable
11. As I Walk Alone
