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Valentine - "The Most Beautiful Pain" Nick's Review

Now let's get this straight from the off, this CD was the first time that I had ever heard any Valentine (Robby). Another thing, I'm sure there are plenty more people out there who are more familiar with his work and who are better qualified to comment on this disc. One last point, this CD blew me away so much that I went out and bought all his other solo releases within a couple of weeks and haven't stopped listening since!!***

This is Robby Valentines 7th album and while at times people seem to refer to him as a bit of a Queen rip off it's a cheap shot. He is no more a Queen rip off than Jellyfish were, sure there are the occasional influences but you could never confuse the two. This may also be one of his strongest releases(having said that you won't find a bad album by the guy) and throughout he seems to be clearly having fun with the songs. So much so it almost seems as though they want to jump off the little shiny silver disc. ***

Imagine if you will the pomp and grandeur so commonly associated with early Queen taken to the nth degree coupled with the keyboard acrobatics of Greg Giuffria but even more extreme. Add to the mix some crunching riffs, killer harmonies, a little whimsy and some great pop / rock sensibilities and you'll be nowhere near close to how this disc sounds, maybe if you multiply it all by 10 you might be. The great thing about The Most Beautiful Pain is that it has it all, rockers, ballads, punch your fist in the air feel good songs, no two songs are alike and unlike many releases these days you won't find the songs following any predictable formula or feel the album gets stuck in a rut.***

"I Should Have Known Better" kicks the album off with a great riff before the keyboards and vocals start to swirl about you in a total frenzy. NINE seconds into this song and I was hooked, just threw my hands up and surrendered, I kid you not. The first three songs fly by and then "One of These Days" starts, Robby goes boy band styleee, but it rocks like NSYNC never could. Elsewhere the songs Mickey and One of These Days tread the usually precarious line between "hi-tech" pop and rock but Robby pulls the trick off with ease.....it's almost funny how talented this guy is. "Supernova" is a dark song with great distorted vocals and some superb keyboard effects that shoot from ear to ear and will make the hair on your arms stand on end. His take on the theme tune for the movie Back to the Future precedes the song "Now or Never", it's the perfect introduction to a fantastic get up shout and feel good song. Plus there's "Magnum Opus", c'mon who could write a song about an ice cream and make it sound so cool, you'll be humming the melody for days!***

Finally the album closes with the heartfelt ballad "...I Can't Get Over You" and once it finishes I think you'll find yourself breathless, I truly was, I kind of felt drained yet uplifted and hit play again. It's one of those albums you don't want to end, you want more, hence my spending spree on his other releases (see earlier).***

Put it this way if you love over the top grandiose rock, if you love music that is a little off the wall or different and takes you on a journey who knows where, if you love melody and harmony, heck if you just love great songs and are a little adventurous then this baby is for you. Awww just give it a try, it worked for me and now I'm kicking myself for not getting into this chaps music sooner. ***