JEFF SCOTT SOTO – Retribution

Journeyman (and once Journey-man) Jeff Scott Soto has had a busy year in a career of busy years, having lent his considerable vocal talents to the all-star band Sons of Apollo and their October debut and Metal album of the year candidate Psychotic Symphony. Here he is a month later with Retribution, the first album under his own name since 2012’s Damage Control. Guitars and bass are handled primarily by longtime collaborator Howie Simon, who co-produces with Jeff. Drums are provided by Edu Cominato. The album is predominantly a mix of the Hard Rock and Classic Metal stylings that JSS has been delivering at a high level for over thirty years since his early records with Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, with a couple Metal ballads thrown in. There’s the deeply moving “Song For Joey”, recorded in memory of Jeff’s brother who died earlier this year, “Feels Like Forever”, and the beautiful acoustic closing track “Autumn”. While it might be difficult picking the top highlights from a career as varied as Jeff Scott Soto’s, Retribution is clearly a high watermark for Howie Simon, whose playing and soloing on cuts like “Dedicate To You”, “Inside Outside” and “Breakout” is nothing less than thrilling.

Soto has such a great Metal voice that he could sing anything—a dull political speech, a laundry list, a Christian Metal band with Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein–and as long as it was set to hard guitars and drums and he’d make it enjoyable to listen to. When his voice is paired with songs and playing as solid as what can be found on Retribution, though, listeners connect with actual greatness.

TUNE INTO METALEXPRESSRADIO.COM at NOON & MIDNIGHT (EST) / 6:00 & 18:00 (CET) TO HEAR THE BEST TRACKS FROM THIS UPCOMING RELEASE!!!