Check out a review of Gus Monsanto's new album, "Karma Café":
The band is competent and serves the songs without exaggeration. The excellent guitar solos are proof of that.
The band is competent and serves the songs without exaggeration. The excellent guitar solos are proof of that.
By Eduardo Simões
Vocalist, producer, and composer Gus Monsanto began his musical career in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, as the vocalist for the hard rock band Angel Heart, but has participated in numerous other projects in Brazil and abroad. Among his most famous works are the CDs released with the bands Adagio (France), Revolution Renaissance (Finland), and the excellent Brazilian project Marmor. But the Rio de Janeiro native also has names like Symbolica, Human Fortres, and Takara on his resume, where he replaced none other than Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Malmsteen, and ex-various other bands).
The musician has also played bass in the Minas Gerais band Overdose, produced other bands, teaches music on the Cifras.com website, participated in a Dr. Sin CD, and made guest appearances at Angra shows… Well, I think it's best to mention that the musician's history and a list of his projects are on the Wikipedia .
With such a varied resume, what can you expect from his first solo CD? Hard Rock? Melodic Metal? Thrash? None of the above! The CD “Karma Café” is an AOR and Melodic Rock work, with touches of 70s rock and 80s Hard Rock. It features 14 compositions that blend influences such as The Beatles, Boston, Kansas, Foreigner, Kings X, Tom Petty, Toto, Mr. Big, Bon Jovi, Great White, Aerosmith, and Whitesnake. The impression is that it's not a CD by vocalist Gus Monsanto, but by the composer.
The title track, "Karma Café ," opens the CD, leaving a pleasant impression that a great deal of care went into this work. The production, the recording, the cover art—everything was carefully thought out and analyzed. I imagine that, given the opening riff, it must have been tempting to use louder guitars and explore the more aggressive vocals he used in the aforementioned bands, but the artist restrained himself and maintained the CD's AOR style. This will be the first single, and a music video will be released soon.
The second track on the CD, "No Candle Left in the Box ," sounds a bit like Paul Gilbert's early solo work, with those chord progressions typical of good 70s Rock and Roll and some Beatles influence in the way some of the backing vocals are arranged. The excellent guitar solo is a highlight, showing that the musician assembled a top-notch team for the project.
"Fire and Dynamite" is a "calm" Hard Rock song with that traditional bluesy feel. At times, a slide guitar recalls George Harrison's solo work, but the stadium-energizing chorus takes the song to a completely different territory, reminiscent of 80s hard rock. It's interesting to see how the song is built upon such disparate influences. An excellent song that should be played daily on every radio station and soap opera in the country.
Elephant in The Room has a grand introduction with beautiful orchestrations. A real treat for Avantasia fans. I imagine it must have been tempting to include a chorus closer to melodic metal, but, once again, the artist maintained consistency. The track Time has a bit of Red Hot Chili Peppers in the introduction and disco in the chorus. Everything is well-stitched together so there are no surprises or shocks.
The excellent "A Girl I Know" perfectly represents the style of the CD. Good Hard Rock, without excesses and with an excellent chorus. Bands insist on not consulting me before doing things… Haha. Nothing against the excellent title track, but this is the best track on the album. A music video for it is needed ASAP!
One point worth highlighting is the vocalist's English, which is excellent, likely a result of international tours and work with foreign bands. Some vocalists simply start singing in English and forget that pronunciation is essential to conquering the international market. Don't make that mistake!
The band is competent and serves the songs without exaggeration. The excellent guitar solos are proof of this. The one in the track " Forbidden ," for example, demonstrates in its final notes that it was played by a skilled and creative guitarist; however, there are no excesses or exaggerations. Everything is in moderation to suit the music. And let it be clear: I have nothing against exaggeration and virtuosity, but, as already explained, that is not the objective of this work.
Furthermore, I would be happy to see a feature in guitar magazines about this album: who the two guitarists are, what they listen to, what instruments they used, etc. It really sparked interest in their work.
There might be some criticism because several compositions have a Hard Rock influence, suggesting a bit more distortion or a stronger "feel." Nonsense! The artist is free to explore various styles, especially on a solo CD where he wants to showcase a more intimate side.
The album is independently released and available in various music stores. Congratulations to the composer Gus Monsanto. May there be more CDs in the same vein!
More information:
www.gusmonsanto.com.br
Facebook Gus Monsanto
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
