Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Moratti, Rob
Label: Escape Music
Release: 2011
Length: 46:59
Rating: 4.5/5
Not exactly Cole Moretti, but Rob Moratti all the same. Not “Tih deževen dan”, but (quiet sunny) “Victory”. Not a Eurovision entry, “just” a personal one. Canadian vocalist Rob Moratti first stepped onto the rock scene with two albums he put out with his band Moratti, way back in the nineties. His later work with the excellent AOR outfit Final Frontier, who released their last album “Freelight” (out of four in total) in 2006 through Escape Records, actually does a lot to define “Victory” too. As the title itself hints, the album’s energy is brimming with positive vibes and optimism, both in the melodies and in the lyrics. The record has a touch of ceremony and an untamable drive toward the goals that life’s challenges set. That energy embodies the energy of the Final Frontier catalog too. But “Victory” is a personal, confessional album from Rob, even more sharply defined in that direction and, above all, mature. Even though we’re talking AOR, listening to “Victory” you’ll catch a pinch of art-rock seasoning, which comes down mostly to the one-of-a-kind chemistry of the instrumentalists backing Rob on his solo studio debut, as well as to the experience gained from Rob’s brief but, for his growth as a musician, hugely important stint as Saga’s singer.
Guitar speed demon Reb Beach is all over this album. He gets to stretch out generously, since he doesn’t have to follow the orders and wishes of his Whitesnake boss David Coverdale. Reb’s soloing and riffing are much closer to what embodies the charisma of his playing on the Winger albums. Even Kip Winger himself must envy the lead guitar phrase in Jennie. Reb is a versatile guitar virtuoso, and with all his experience in the music business he works totally relaxed; his ego is nicely house-trained and obediently kept on a leash. He respectfully follows the rules of the game that Moratti sets this time. So Reb’s soloing is judicious: he doesn’t squander notes, never pushes to the front, and feels no need to show off his rich arsenal of guitar chops. He sticks strictly to the core verse-chorus pairing of the compositions. His job is first and foremost to add mood seasoning to that pairing, and in that he is victorious. The Rob–Reb partnership is the most important factor allowing the album to hit and surpass every quality standard demanded of today’s melodic rock releases. It sounds like the two have known each other for ages and put out a string of albums together in the past. Christian Wolf also plays on the album, mainly emphasizing phrases and “filling” the gaps in the sound, lifting the dynamics and the feeling of liveliness, despite the crystal-clear mix.
All in all, you get the feeling that a real band is playing with Moratti. On bass there’s another standout and seasoned old tomcat, Tony Franklin. The other half of the rhythm section belongs to Saga’s renowned drummer Brian Doerner, while on keyboards Moratti picked an interesting name in Fredrik Bergh, known for the excellent Street Talk albums. The much stronger lineup has lately channeled its creative energy into his new band Bloodbound, whom some of you may have caught on stage in 2008, as the support act at HammerFall’s Maribor or Zagreb show. Bergh is a master at conjuring up that eighties feel, dressing songs in a richly varied makeup of synthesizers, which he combines with occasional juicy bits of piano, like in Hold That Light (you can tell Bergh grew up listening to Journey). That’s what brings Moratti’s album closest to the Journey legacy in its melodies – it instantly even pulls toward the Journey hit Only The Young, while the rhythmic and atmospheric design of Life Time owes plenty of parallels in inspiration to the Derf Leppard song Hysteria. The terrific On And On has a veil of rustic grit about it. The guitar phrase combined with the chunky laying down of keyboard lines even borrows some of the raw elementality of classic Uriah Heep. This is one of those moments on the album where it’s impossible to talk about a strictly AOR record, since it’s occasionally got those springs of musicianship that bring in a bit of eclecticism. On And On sounds art rock, and it’s the moment on the album where it’s instantly clear that Moratti recently went to school at the feet of the masters of the craft in Saga. Take It All Back is an example of a superbly polished, melodic, semi-ballad AOR rock composition that confirms the exceptional arranging unity of the band and Rob on this album, and it stands out on its own merit. In other times, it would have been born for radio hit status.
This is an AOR album with the guitar riffs sitting slightly more upfront in the mix, so overall the album comes across as tougher than the “average” AOR mix. All the arrangements are subordinate to Moratti’s vocals, and the vocals absolutely dominate the album. The singer capitalizes on that resourcefully and with competence every step of the way, strolling effortlessly through registers across the wide range of an exceptional vocal reach, with the supple articulation of a technically flawless, superbly crafted, authoritative voice.
Moratti enters “Victory” armed with valuable experience, boosted self-confidence and, in his own musical rhetoric, a much more clearly defined vision, with which he strives to embody this time around’s goal. All of this came from Rob’s short but priceless stay as the vocalist of the legendary Canadian super art rock outfit Saga. Being in Saga as a temporary replacement for the member who largely defines the band’s artistry is more curse than blessing. That ties Rob’s fate in the music business to the fates of singers like Blaze Bayley and Tim “RIpper” Owens, since the weight and grandeur of Saga’s body of work (in terms of sheer pioneering) match those attributes in the catalogs of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest (of course, you have to keep in mind the three different musical trenches those three bands occupy). Michael Sadler’s unexpected return to Saga, after the singer had irrevocably announced his departure from the band at the end of 2007, is an excellent springboard for launching a solo career, in terms of cementing a name and recognition on today’s melodic rock/AOR scene, and on the prog rock scene too (that’s where Saga fans come in). Along the way you make use of the solid connections and acquaintances you picked up during that time and put together a team of seasoned musicians to record the album with.
The songs are truly polished to the point of hair-splitting, and the running time of this album never gets boring. The only weaker link is the trivially conceived (and painfully) “sugary” I Promise You, which slightly spoils the otherwise excellent blend of melancholy and ceremony, that bombastic seasoning of the basic AOR vectors, which otherwise know no saccharine excess across the album. A similarly perfect mood blend can be found in Standing On The Top Of The World, which could have easily swapped places as the album opener with the equally, wildly stirring and pompous Life On The Line.
With “Victory”, Rob Moratti has earned his doctorate! He’s put out a refined album, exceptionally mature in its songwriting, that sticks to a personal, recognizable authorial touch (incidentally, the otherwise excellent “Human Condition” is a one-of-a-kind, unrepeatable Saga album precisely because of Rob’s touch,) which opens the door wide for deepening his solo career. Further proof that Moratti really approached the full shaping of this product with hair-splitting care is the involvement of Richard Chycki, who handled the sound mix on the album. Chycki has previously worked with Rush and Gotthard, among others. Let’s hope Moratti keeps building on this exceptional platform that he anchored with this excellent solo studio debut. And above all? On the “Victorious”!
Lineup
Rob Moratti – vocals, backing vocals
Reb Beach – guitar
Christian Wolff – guitars, keyboards
Fredrik Bergh – keyboards
Tony Franklin – bass guitar
Brian Doerner – drums
Production
Rob Moratti
Track list
1. Life On The Line
2. Everything But Good Bye
3. Life Time
4. Power Of Love
5. Hold That Light
6. On And On
7. Take It All Back
8. I Promise You
9. Standing On The Top Of The World
10. Jennie
11. Now More Than Ever
