Jeff Scott Soto
Jeff Scott Soto - Lost in the Translation (Frontiers) 2004
1. "Believe in Me" (5:09)
2. "Soul Divine" (4:09)
3. "Drowning" (4:15)
4. "If This Is the End" (4:39)
5. "Lost in the Translation" (3:57)
6. "Doin' Time" (4:36)
7. "High Time" (3:49)
8. "Beginning 2 End" (5:28)
9. "On My Own" (4:51)
10. "Find Our Way" (4:42)
11. "Sacred Eyes" (3:22)
12. "Dulce Lady" (3:37)
13. "If This Is the End
This CD arrived in my mailbox and I almost immediately popped it into the CD player. I loved Soto's vocals on those early Malmsteen and Axel Rudi Pell releases and even liked some of his work with Talisman. On first listen I wasn't impressed. The album sounded to safe and clean for me. However, I gave it several more spins over the next month and found it to be a solid album with good hooks, big choruses, smooth guitar solos, and killer vocals. "Lost in the Translation" bridges a gap somewhere between AOR and melodic hard rock. In particular I found "Believe in Me" and "Soul Divine" to be oustanding tracks. The guitar solo in "Soul Divine" alone should please any fan of fine guitar wank. "Drowning" is one of the more upbeat numbers on the disc and has a slight modern vibe to it, although not so much as to ruin the song. The title track has a nice, heavy groove to it, while "If This Is the End" is the token ballad. "High Times" is an AOR rocker that reminds me of something the Damn Yankees might have done. "Beginning 2 End" is a bluesy number with a smokin' guitar solo break. "On My Own" is a heavy romp with modern, stop/start riffs and Soto's raspy voice holding things together. OK, perhaps "Lost in the Translation" is not one of those albums that you want to put on when you are really wanting to rock, but for those mellower moments in life, this is a fine disc.
Related Collections:
Yngwie J. Malmsteen | Axel Rudi Pell | Talisman