| The
Review |
Some of the best synthesizer metal has finally been bestowed
back to the masses with this reissue of this 1989 pop metal/AOR
classic. "Classic" you ask, why not? Maybe Alexa (Anastasia's)
self-titled album might have gone the wayside, but it's a
shame. Some of the best pop tinged, hook laden, and catchy
melodies are encompassed within this record. No wonder an
original copy once fetched the big dough on eBay; but now,
all of us can enjoy this remastered re-release from MTM.
Highly in the vein of Fiona, Vixen, and Aina; Alexa's
voice is soulful, sassy, and raspy, very much like Bonnie
Tyler's. The music is highly synthesizer driven (lots of fat
analog synths as well as showcasing the embryonic stages of
digital sounds), with the six-string prowess (from producer/axeman
Paul Sabu) providing the power to the album for which its
production kind of parallels the work of Jeff Paris (major
AOR singer/songwriter). Song wise, there is a lot of intriguing
melodies that rip your heart out, and hell, they break it
too.
Rocking with songs such as "I Can't Shake You" and "Let
It Rock" as well as exposing emotion with "A Cry Away" and
the ballad "From Now On," there is proof that there was a
lot of heart and soul put into the writing of this record.
More proof of that is with the stand out track on the record
titled "We Don't Remember Why," where the pop prowess is at
it's utmost highest, obviously this is the record's radio
staple, an excellent cut indeed.
This might have been the case at the time; the music was
too pop for metal/hard rock radio, and too heavy for pop stations,
but this album had potential that is for sure, and why not
rejuvenate that potential with this re-release.
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