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"Even though the surprise effect has worn off, Smith/Kotzen confirms the success of their collaboration with “Black Light/White Noise.”"
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4/5
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The Smith/Kotzen duo's first album was a wonderful surprise. The obvious pleasure the two musicians took in composing and recording it suggested that their collaboration was destined to last, at least for a while. So it was only natural that the two friends decided to follow up their debut with Black Light/White Noise, which, while not as surprising as its predecessor, is just as masterful and imbued with an artistic maturity that needs no further proof.
Still as complementary as ever, Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen once again offer us powerful, racy hard rock tracks with devastating grooves (“Muddy Water,” “Black Light”) and riffs honed by decades of experience (“Wraith”). The bluesy voice of the former and the more soulful tone of the latter respond to each other with astonishing fluidity, which is the charm of their collaboration, while their guitars dialogue with disconcerting ease, each imbuing the compositions with his own style, as on the excellent “Life Unchained,” where Kotzen's formidable solo responds to Smith's magical and soaring intro.
While a few tracks suffer from less catchy choruses (“Blinsided”), the album as a whole remains remarkably consistent. But despite everything, “Black Light / White Noise” sometimes falls short with compositions that are a little less inspired, especially when it ventures into a harder FM register. This is particularly the case with the track “Outlaw,” whose interest lies solely in the virtuosity of its guitar solos, or the rock ballad “Beyond The Pale,” which turns out to be rather conventional.
Despite these minor flaws, “Black Light / White Noise” confirms that the Smith/Kotzen partnership is indeed a meeting of two musicians who are made for each other, sincere in their approach and happy to play and compose together. Less surprising than its predecessor, it remains a very solid album that will delight classic rock fans and bodes well for more great things to come from this fruitful collaboration. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Muddy Water
02. White Noise
03. Black Light
04. Darkside
05. Life Unchained
06. Blindsided
07. Wraith
08. Heavy Weather
09. Outlaw
10. Beyond The Pale
LINEUP:
Adrian Smith: Chant / Guitares
Bruno Valverde: Batterie
Julia Lage: Basse
Richie Kotzen: Chant / Guitares
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READERS
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STAFF:
4/5 (2 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH SMITH / KOTZEN
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