Blog Post
Jeff Scott Soto - 'Wide Awake' (In My Dreamland)
Iain McArthur • 11 November 2020
Album Review
Congratulations to the ever-popular and consistent Jeff Scott Soto. He’s just turned 55 years old and this is his 7th solo album, but apparently he’s appeared on at least 85 albums altogether in an impressive career. There have been some absolute highlights in amongst that lot but it’s unlikely that many, or any, of those albums were crap. And this one isn’t either, but just in case, there’s also a bonus live album with it that features several of those earlier highlights.
Jeff has been with Frontiers for many years and on this release he’s teamed up with their main man Alessandro Del Vecchio; ADV has written the music and JSS has supplied lyrics and melodies. Between them, they manage to cover most of the wide range of the styles that Jeff has embraced in his solo career and there is much to enjoy.
The album starts with a jaunty welcome from Jeff on the driving “Someone To Love” which also features some blazing guitar. “Paper Wings” is one of the most immediately accessible and melodic songs and is my favourite. “Love Will Find a Way” embraces Jeff’s long-established funky side and it features a memorable chorus and some fantastic bass guitar gymnastics.
Jeff has never hidden his love for Queen and that influence looms large at the start of the powerfully balladic “Without You”. Jeff’s most recent band ‘Soto’ were a bit harder edged and “Mystified”, the title track and “Love’s Blind” reflect that aspect here while “Living in a Dream” is the fastest and heaviest song on offer.
The live recording is from the 2019 Frontiers Festival in Milan. It was released on a digital-only basis earlier this year and is a fine set, featuring some of the afore-mentioned highlights such as “Drowning”, “Believe In Me” and “I’ll Be Waiting”. All-in-all it’s a nice package and if that’s not enough for you then Jeff is back on vocal duty for the new album from AOR supergroup W.E.T. in January next year. Happy days.