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We wear our love of 80’s rock music on our sleeve, but we also have injected our love of modern rock music to it.” There you go; no fannying about with Biffy-esque structural changes within the same song, or sharp left turns, Vega offer up pure, unadulterated 80’s inspired rock music. Now, in order for that to succeed, the product on offer has to be top notch. No point in nailing your colours to one particular mast if the end result is below par. Thankfully, ‘Only Human’ is bloody good. Is it reinventing the wheel? Nope, but have you heard the band Shame, the music media’s current “next big thing”, or “most exciting new band”. Nothing new about them at all, but alternative or indie bands don’t get the same schtick that “Rock” bands do for being influenced by what came before. Put it this way; a guy came up to me in the music shop I work in and asked for something like Bon Jovi, “…but not actual Bon Jovi, as they are shite now”. One happy dude departed ten minutes later with a copy of ‘Only Human’, and an all new appreciation for Vega. With that in mind, what does album number five from Vega deliver? Lashings and lashings of soaring keyboards, melodic guitars, and instantly hummable songs jam packed with earworms. In other words, commercial melodic rock at it’s finest. ‘Worth Dying For’ has the sparkle and bounce that has been missing from Bon Jovi for years now. Workman has a voice which at times reminds me of Eric Martin from Mr Big, this one being the prime example. Vega have always been heavier in a live setting, and the “woah woah” parts that usher in a killer guitar solo are ready made for some audience participation. ‘Last Man Standing’ is four and a half minutes of perfect American drivetime radio AOR… except it’s not by an American band. Had it been released in the 80’s, it would have put another wing on each band member’s mansion. ‘Come Back Again’ has an infectious summertime vibe that isn’t a million miles away from what modern day Country sounds like. Add a twang here and there and Nashville would be drooling. A quick glance through my album collection will tell you that is not meant as a dig in the slightest. Highly polished, with a sheen to blind anyone within a two mile radius. The difference between Vega and many of their counterparts is that the guitars are not forgotten. Even a song as insanely catchy as ‘All Over Now’ has a cracking guitar solo thrown in amongst the poppy keyboards. ‘Mess You Made’ is built around a fantastic chugging guitar sound, ‘Standing Still’ and ‘Fade Away’ have the type of melodic guitar sound which Whitesnake and Def Leppard had the patent on during the late 80’s; nothing wild enough to scare the neighbours, but ballsy enough to satisfy lovers of a good guitar lick everywhere. Where’s the power ballad, I hear you ask… that would be ‘Turning Pages’. If you’ve never enjoyed a good power ballad (and why not?), you are not about to start now, but it’s perfect for those that do indeed enjoy the opportunity to wave a cellphone side to side at a gig. ‘Only Human’ is the sound of a band really hitting their stride. The Def Leppard/Cheap Trick Winter arena tour is crying out for a young British opening act to get the oldies out of the bar, just saying… Available now on Frontiers Music. More information, including all forthcoming live dates, can be found here. Review: Dave ]]>
