By Paul Woodward, Woody’s Rock Reviews

If you enjoy the genre you are going to fall head over heels in love with ‘Live Your Life’ which is full of exemplary musicianship and beautiful songs.

Denmark’s Michael Kratz has a wealth of music industry experience and this shows in his compositions and performances on ‘Live Your Life’, which are of an extremely high calibre. Kratz creates and performs in various musical styles and genre’s but here on ‘Live Your Life’ he delivers an old school West Coast album which showcases various aspects of this sub-genre, frequently emulating the sound of Toto the undisputed king of west coast AOR.

Full of atmospheric songs taking elements of pop and indeed prog into the mix creating a really enchanting and beautiful opus. There’s lots of variation in the songs, laid back ballads, meandering atmospheric numbers and straight ahead upbeat commercial fixes like ‘Game Of Love (Over and Over)’.

It’s the perfect album to pop on and relax too, it sweeps over you and is very easy to listen to and get wrapped up in. It may not be an energetic album or excessively commercial but it is unbelievably beautiful and is a perfect chill out album.

Kratz has an obvious love of West Coast and that comes across plainly in his song writing and fans of the genre will revel in Kratz’s loving addition to this quite inoffensive and often overlooked melodic rock sub-genre. If you like Toto, you should definitely check this album out as it’s highly likely ‘Live Your Life’ will appeal to your musical tastes.

Kratz’s vocals actually puts me in mind of Dan Reed and some of his latter solo works are not a million miles away from West Coast – so that ethereal atmospheric tone that Reed has I also hear in Kratz’s vocals.

Kratz has worked with some well-known musicians on this album and given the amount of songs with obvious Toto inspirations it’s no surprise Steve Lukather pops up on ‘This Town Is Lost Without You’ so keep an ear out for his guitar skills on that track! Kratz is a multi-instrumentalist and he plays a good chunk of what you’ll hear and he does so to a really impressive standard.

You don’t hear new West Coast albums very often these days, so when you do you hope for something really good and Michael Kratz has definitely delivered a high-quality West Coast album. If you enjoy the genre you are going to fall head over heels in love with ‘Live Your Life’ which is full of exemplary musicianship and beautiful songs.

Track Listing: We All Live In This Nation / Live Your Life / This Town Is Lost Without You / What Did I? / Never Take Us Alive / Game Of Love (Over and Over) / Lying / Paradise Lost / Shade / Bye Bye / Dying Young / In Between

Album Rating: 8/10

Woody’s Essential Track: Game Of Love (Over and Over)

By Classix Metal

” … highly recommended, especially for his outstanding skills in creating songs with a very polished sound.”

Westcoast musician and artist with a good fanbase in the North of Europe, Michael Kratz (of Danish origin) is quite unknown on our lands, even if he’s been involved in a good number of albums in his home country.

“Live Your Life” is the brand new title added  to his solo discography, a wonderful work filled with special contributions from renowned guests just like Steve Lukather (Toto) and Michael Landau (Michael Jackson and Vasco Rossi between others).

These big names have been called to further enhance an album written appositely for a demanding audience, the one in searching for a very refined sound with relaxed melodies, a perfect field where Michael’s “soul” kind of voice meets the great Hi-Tech AOR sound.

If Steely Dan, Air Supply, I-Ten, Richard Max (and especially Chicago) are among your daily listens, this nordic singer/songwriter is highly recommended, especially for his outstanding skills in creating songs with a very polished sound.

By Denis Abello, MelodicRock.it

” … Kratz’s absolutely particular voice combined with Michael Landau’s guitars juggle between elegance and refinement on the first center of this work which also sees David Garfield’s hands resting on its notes …”

New name, at least in our latitudes, that of Michael Kratz. Danish by origin, with a strong background in the music business and who at home also tasted success as a drummer for the pop band Kandis!

After a long work and having found a home in the arms of the increasingly far-sighted and very Italian Art of Melody Music Michael is preparing to present his first solo work entitled Live Your Life on the international stage, which plays with both AOR and Westcoat in a mixture of TOTO and Boulevard with a touch here and there of Pop Rock. High-level production, a cast of first-rate guests including Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, David Garfield, Dom Brown and our own Alessandro Del Vecchio, all combined with a unique taste for writing and arranging the pieces… the conditions for a disc that knows how to talk about if everyone is there.

Assumptions immediately maintained on the notes of We All Live In This Nation. Kratz’s absolutely particular voice combined with Michael Landau’s guitars juggle between elegance and refinement on the first center of this work which also sees David Garfield’s hands resting on its notes.

Live Your Life is a powerful catalyst. The underlying rhythm is captivating, Michael’s voice enraptures the mind while the choirs envelop us in a text that makes us think. Another notch on the roadmap.

This Town Is Lost Without You, boasting a monumental guitar solo by Steve Lukather, is the masterpiece of this particular album. Overwhelming but delicate like the early morning breeze, if you love these sounds between westcoast and AOR you cannot help but be fascinated by them.

Dom Brown’s guitar is the focal point of the delicate and melancholy What Did I.. ?. We’ve already talked extensively about the irresistible groove of Never Take Us Alive (here if you’re interested ;)) and so let’s fly straight to the next Game Of Love (Over And Over) and its ultra radio refrain!

Lying is one of the most introspective pieces, a delicate confession that strikes as direct as a stab… and at this point all that remains is to indulge in the refined guitar touches of Paradise Lost embellished by the choirs of the seven very young singers of the MidtVest Juniorkor.

Last four pieces that enter the scene playing between the Pop Rock of Shade and the radio gait of Bye Bye. Dying Young manages to make the heart ache. Poignant slow that once again showcases all the qualities of this splendid work signed by the Danish artist.

In closing, there is also space for a little of our Italy. In fact, the keyboards of the song In Between are by our ever better Alessandro Del Vecchio!

IN CONCLUSION

An album that is a cross-section of the Life and Soul of the Artist and Person who is Michael Kratz.

At times sunny, at times melancholic but always supported by pieces capable of moving and reaching the target. Stellar Production as well as the Guests who alternate between one song and another. Michael’s voice is either hate it or love it… but I think it’s easier to love it. An unconventional album but one of great elegance and sophistication!

By Heavy Paradise BlogSpot

It’s a kinda of relaxing record that will travel your soul and mind and will speak straight into your heart!

Michael Kratz is a Danish singer/musician that has a a long and rewarding career in the music business, especially in his home country. Michael in his career played several styles of rock (he was, also, drummer of mainstream pop act, Kandis) and nowadays he is ready to unleash his brand new opus with the title “Live Your Life“.

Michael collaborates in this new album with some legendary musicians such as Steve Lukather(Toto), Michael Landau, Dom Brown (Duran Duran), David Garfield, Christian Warburg (Paul Young) & Alessandro Del Vecchio (Revolution Saints, Hardline).

“Live Your Life” contains 12 tracks that are all pure melodic rock/westcoast music at its best. Magical melodies, harmonies to die for, clever arrangements and an overall mid 80’s westcoast vibe are the ingredients here. I think that the fans of this particular scene will find in “Live Your Life” the perfect purchase for them!!

Michael Kratz except the vocals here he is playing the guitar in every track of “Live Your Life” and he, also, plays the drums in “Game Of Love“.

Highlights here are the up-tempo “Game Of Love“, the Toto-esque “Live Your Life“, the beautiful “What Did I …?“, the moodier “Paradise Lost” and “Bye Bye“. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the songs are fillers, no way!! Believe me this is an excellent album all the way. It’s a kinda of relaxing record that will travel your soul and mind and will speak straight into your heart!

By Luis Miguel Prada, viriAOR

” … Live Your Life an album that announces to have a position at the top at the end of the year … or at least in my book it will be”

Some time ago, before being with the viriAOR family, I would surely have let this artist go unnoticed and that is because I have become a bit negative with respect to the current times in the music scene, and the reasons for my negativity go without saying, but here comes the beauty of writing reviews and I don’t mean ranting about every album that comes out if that’s what you thought, it’s discovering new albums and artists, listening to them carefully over and over again until you capture the essence of the album (when they have it) and transmitting that to people – here comes the difficult part, and more when artists only go to the studio to comply with their record company without any new ideas, which is what abounds lately and hence much of my negativism.

We all know these companies and artists very well, but there are others who come in with fresh ideas, who not only record to fulfill and sell, oh well, they also make the work of those of us who write much easier. Below you will find a clear example of this.

Since the middle of last year, Michael Kratz had released a couple of singles that he would later include on the album, including We All Live Is The Nation and Never Take Us Alive and Liying. The album could fit perfectly into the AOR / West Coast with songs like We All Live Is The Nation featuring Guitarist Dom Brown (Duran Duran), but if we go further, we’ll hear a creaking guitar giving way to a strong impulse. Funk in Never Take Us Alive remembering the always Great Ole Børud that we love to talk about, or Shade’s Sophisticated Pop that will remind you of Prefab Sprout, Love and Money. Jhonny Hates Jazz and the entire Sofistipop scene of the late 80s in Great Britain.

Live Your Life consists of 12 songs and we find 2 guys who have known each other since school Steve Lukather and Michael Landau, on the other hand another old friend of theirs, keyboardist David Garfield to complete the super stars of the album. Even so, and going back to my negativism a bit, this is not synonymous with the album being a bomb, if you don’t have fresh ideas or good compositions, or by reviving and bringing together all the Porcaros you’re going to have a great album, but if the artist and record company that call them have a clear idea of ​​what they want, and they don’t just call them to fill the credits so much Luke, Landau and Garfield who have known each other for more than 30 years will move like fish to water in the studio , and they will contribute what is necessary to make it a great album and that is precisely what has happened here.

Game of Love (Over And Over) returns to the sound that both Michael and we are passionate about; yes, the AOR, in case there was any doubt. With a simple theme without many arrangements, but a chorus that you will not forget in a long time. Great song! Michael immediately goes on to show us his most intimate side in Lying accompanied by an acoustic guitar, probably Luke on guitar.

The album is coming to an end and with 3 songs remaining, Michael announces it with Bye Bye on many occasions. After 12 songs and more than 50 minutes, nostalgia invades me, there have been 12 wonderful songs, which make Live Your Life an album that announces to have a position at the top at the end of the year … or at least in my book it will be.

By Steve Price – Arfm Radio

Press play, sit back and relax. You will not be disappointed.

When the likes of Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Dom Brown and David Garfield (plus many more) agree to appear on an album you know you have something of quality and class. “Live You Life” is certainly that.

Is this West Coast? Maybe. Is this AOR? Maybe. No matter what genre we catagorise this album as one thing is for sure, Michael Kratz along with Kasper Viinberg have crafted an album which can only be described as 100% beautiful music. Brilliantly constructed songs and quality production.
This album deserves to be listened to in its entirety. Press play, sit back and relax. You will not be disappointed.