Kev Rowland
So, here we are with the latest in APL’s long-running compilation series. This one takes in the last six years, along with a couple of new songs, and some live ones to close with. I first came across his singer, Johnny Gioeli, when he was part of the Hardline project and he has always had an incredible voice, which is an essential element when performing a power ballad, and this album is packed full of them. If you haven’t come across this series before, it is a Ronseal album, namely it does exactly what it says on the tin. Axel had always produced some ballads on his albums, and then when the time is right he releases an album that brings the latest ones together. That they are popular among fans is never in doubt, as the last one entered the German charts at #29, but for me it is just too much sugar at once.
I have never enjoyed albums when the songs are all performed at the same level; no matter if it is heavy or soft, there must be light and shade. When one ballad follows another for a whole album, no matter how well performed, it is just too much for me. Now, that’s a shame, as while I do have some problems with the album, there are also some real highlights contained within it. Undoubtedly, one of these is opener “Love’s Holding On” which he wrote for Bonnie Tyler, and here she performs it as a duet with Johnny. I have always felt that she has been an incredibly overlooked artist, and that she should be given far more credit than she has ever received, and yet again she proves that she is a wonderful performer. The second song is a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”, which I found okay as I don’t know the original, but it was the next cover I found most interesting, “Hey Hey My My”. This begins life as a solo performance, with Johnny being accompanied only by piano, and it is quite something. It is a more measured and less fraught version than the original, but the way it builds and stays true, while also being something that has been re-arranged and developed is definitely of note. The other song that should be mentioned is “Mistreated”, which was recorded at his twenty-fifth anniversary show in Balingen in July 2014 with Doogie White (ex-Rainbow, MSG) on vocals, and erstwhile Rainbow keyboard legend Tony Carey. Axel shows that he knows how to provide the perfect Blackmore blues-soaked guitar riffs, while Tony is channelling Jon Lord. Doogie does a fine job, but it must be said that he doesn’t have the same breadth and depth as Coverdale.
Although the compilation itself isn’t really to my liking, there are some great songs and performances contained within it, and is worth seeking out.