By Saints Libra, TuttoRock.com
Micheal Kratz, Danish musician of great class and taste, returns to delight our ears three years after his latest opera Dragging me outside made with the collaboration of our own Mindfeels and published by Art of Melody, of the Italian group Burning Minds.
As he himself had the opportunity to say, one cannot abandon a family and for this reason he was happy to renew the contract with the Lombard label for a triple album Live (Live your life) and for TAFKATNO, unreleased albums that we go here to review.
Kratz, in addition to knowing how to compose masterfully, also knows how to surround himself with musicians of an incredible level: in addition to the aforementioned Mindfeels, who appear here in the people of Luca Carlomagno and Davide Gilardino, we find Christian Warburg (guitarist of Paul Young), the fantastic Bruce Gaitsch – practically guitarist of anyone, from Madonna to Elton John, through Joe Cocker, Chicago and also the Ligurians Lionville, Janey Clewer – appreciated singer and pianist who boasts several collaborations, among which we find Peter Cetera and Michael Sembello, Torben Lysholm of Pangea who he also mastered the album.
Great expectations therefore, for a record that fully respects them, finding in it everything a lover of AoR, Class rock and West Coast sounds could ask for, plus a sprinkle of author prog – but without overdoing it: in short, this album could easily bring the name of the Toto without anyone batting an eye.
The influence of the Los Angeles band (even if calling it that is always an understatement) on this project is absolutely evident, but Micheal Kratz has the advantage of not mimicking – if anything, of paying homage to the story that Steve Lukather’s group wrote and that it will surely still have. opportunity to do – without disfiguring at all, as I said.
If we have to find a fault (if we really have to) in this album I can say that it has a bit of a departure from a diesel engine of yesteryear: it needs a few minutes to warm up (and so does the listener’s ears) to then leave, safe and unstoppable aiming straight at the heart.
Songs like the initial Too close to the edge (opening single of the album), The Highway, the splendid Without your love – chosen as the second single, the more than pleasant You’re the one, the delicate Let’s do something good and the more robust Everlasting lies know how to perfectly summarize the musical intentions of the Danish musician – who deserves to tread large audiences even outside his homeland: even the eleventh track, the bonus track Broken Souls does not show even a moment of decline, confirming Michael
Kratz and his music as a real panacea, almost a godsend for those nostalgic for those airy, velvety, technical (but without being pyrotechnic), sometimes pompous sounds that had so much space in airplay in the good old 80s.
Pop-rock then? In summary: yes, and very classy too! All that remains is to wait and hope to see this work brought live, perhaps even here in our country.
Killer tracks: The Highway, Without your love, You’re the one, Let’s do something good, Everlasting lies, How can a man.
Read full review: https://www.tuttorock.com/recensioni/michael-kratz-tafkatno/
