SONG REVIEWED: "Unsaid"
RAVI RAMAN, LEAD VOCALIST FOR NEW JERSEY-BASED STRADAVATT, MUST HAVE EXPERIENCED A MOMENT OF CLARITY IN THE LATE 70s; ROUGHLY AORUND THE TIME HE HEARD "DYNASTY" AND "UNMASKED", THE TWO MOST DISCO-INFLUENCED ALBUMS KISS EVER MADE. THE PRESS RELEASE INSIDE STRADAVATT'S (VERY-POLISHED) PRESS KIT LIKENS THEM TO LATE-70s KISS, AND THAT IS FAIRLY ACCURATE. RAMAN'S SONGWRITING AND VOCALS ON "UNSAID" ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF PAUL STANLEY IN 1979-1980.
THAT BEING SAID, HOW MARKETABLE IS THAT SOUND? APPARENTLY, VERY. THEY'VE MADE EXCELLENT PROGRESS IN THE SHORT TIME THEY'VE BEEN TOGETHER; THEY'VE TOPPED CHARTS AT BILLBOARDTALENTNET.COM AND MP3.COM, AND THEY WILL BE OPENING UP FOR DURAN DURAN AT THE PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN AUGUST. THEY'VE DEFINITELY PROVEN THEY CAN ATTRACT ATTENTION. THE VIBE OF "UNSAID" IS VERY RETRO... I HAVE A FEELING A LOT OF THIRTY-SOMETHINGS ARE GOING TO BE INTO THIS BAND, BECAUSE THE DISCO INFLUENCE ISN'T EXACTLY SUBTLE... IT'S PRETTY FRIGGIN' OBVIOUS, ACTUALLY. THEY DO BLEND IT WITH SOME MORE MODERN SOUNDS, WHICH WILL HELP THEM APPEAL TO MORE PEOPLE.
AS FAR AS MUSICIANSHIP GOES, THESE GUYS ARE TOP SHELF. THEY'RE TIGHT, AND THEY SOUND VERY SEASONED. AS STATED BEFORE, RAVI RAMAN'S VOICE IS EXTREMELY PAUL STANLEY, BUT IT DOESN'T OVERPOWER THE REST OF THE BAND. THE FOCUS IS ON THE SONG, WHERE IT SHOULD BE. "UNSAID" IS HOOKY, AND THE BAND DOES A GREAT JOB OF PUTTING THE SONG TOGETHER. NO INDIVIDUAL MEMBER IS SHOWING OFF, THEY'RE COMPLIMENTING EACH OTHER VERY WELL. RAMAN, WHO LOOKS LIKE HE WROTE OR CO-WROTE MOST OF THE SONGS ON THIS DISC, HAS SOME DECENT WRITING CHOPS. WITH A LITTLE TINKERING, HE COULD EASILY FIT "UNSAID" INTO A MODERN ROCK FORMAT, BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN'T MESS WITH IT, IT WILL STAND ALONE JUST FINE...ALBEIT VERY "TRAVOLTA" THOUGH.
HOWEVER, THEY ARE OPENING FOR DURAN DURAN, A BAND WHOSE DAY IN THE SUN WAS REALLY HAPPENING ABOUT FIFTEEN YEARS AGO (NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT PLAYING TO LARGE CROWDS NOW, BUT THEY'RE NOT AS LARGE AS THEY ONCE WERE). STRADAVATT ISN'T GOING TO DRAW IN YOUNGSTERS WITH THIS SOUND; MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT THEY'LL BE CREATING AN AUDIENCE OUT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL IN THE EARLY 80s...WHICH IS FINE; THOSE FOLKS BUY CDs TOO.
