You may or may not remember, but the darling of this Blog way back when I first launched Jill's World into cyberspace was a young Canadian boy by the name of Lukas Rossi. He was competing on the U.S-based build-a-rock-band TV show called "Rock Star", vying among other rockstar-wannabes to join the likes of ex-Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newstead, and ex-Guns'n'Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke (although baby brother Lukey likes to remind me that Gilby
barely played for G'n'R) - in a new, edgy, unique band with a CD already in the works and a nation-wide tour being promoted each and every week on the show.
Lukas ended up conquering over Dilana and Toby to take the Rock Star honours, and then he and the rest of the guys in the band all but disappeared for a few months while they worked on their album and prepared for their tour. But I didn't forget about them, and when it came time to make my Christmas list, one of the top items for Santa to bring me was Rock Star Supernova's self-titled debut album.
I've really enjoyed the album, mainly because it doesn't sound like anything else I have in my CD collection. It's new rock, but there's some audible classic rock influences (likely thanks to the fact that the dudes in Lukas' band are all old fogies). But then, when you add in Luke's gravelly, punk voice, you've got a sound that it is electrifying and completely....well
...different.Several of the songs were already familiar to me, as they were showcased on the TV program, either by Lukas himself ("It's On", "Headspin"), or by Dilana ("Leave the Lights On"), Toby ("Be Yourself (& 5 Other Cliches)"), and Magni ("It's All Love"). "Headspin" was Lukas' original that really made me sit up and take notice of him as a pure and enigmatic talent. I love that song, for it's melancholy undertones and the chorus that got stuck in my head 6 months ago and never really went away. The other songs that were played on the show are all catchy, and Rossi has brought his own touch to each and every one of them, making them sound different from the way the other competitors sang them during the show.
My favourite song before the CD even came out was "It's All Love". It's not as raucous and upbeat as some of the others; it has more of an acoustic sound to it, which I'm always more partial to. It allows Lukas to show his wide range of vocals, from low and sexy to that high-pitch, spot-on upper register that drew fans up out of their seats so many times on the show (especially when he sang "Creep").
However, the song that really grabbed me after listening through the CD the first time was "Can't Bring Myself to Light This Fuse". It was never played on the TV show, so it was completely brand new to me, and it's so hauntingly beautiful that it just made me stop in my tracks the first time I heard it. Luke's voice mingled with the piano in this slow ballad is just a terrific and profound combination, and it really is an amazing song.
Overall, I've really enjoyed listening to the new and original sounds of Rock Star Supernova, and it's definitely in regular rotation in my CD player. I think TLee, Jason, and Gilby have brought enough of an old-school touch, that combined with Lukas' young influence, they've created a sound like none other out there. And it's music to my ears!
Pick it up if you like: Motley Crue, Metallica, Guns'N'Roses (OK, it doesn't really sound like any of those bands, but I don't know what else to compare it to!)
Instant Hits: "Be Yourself (& 5 Other Cliches)", "It's All Love"
Skip-able Tracks: "Make No Mistake...This is the Take", "Social Disgrace"
Jill's Picks: "It's On", "Can't Bring Myself to Light This Fuse", "Headspin"
Rating: 4/5
