Album Review 2007
Traveller - Danny Vaughn
Genre: Melodic Rock
Review By: Jere
Album Specs:
1. Miracle
Days 8. The Warrior's Way
2. Badlands Rain 9. The Measure Of
A Man
3. Traveller 10. Think Of Me In The
Fall
4. Restless Blood 11. Death Of The Tiger
5. That's What She Says 12. Better By Far
6. The Touch Of Your Hand
7. Lifted
Track By Track Breakdown:
1.
Miracle Days - A few years since
putting his voice to new material, Danny Vaughn returns to the
melodic rock scene with a mid-tempo anthem which features a haunting
beginning as Celtic bagpipes play. Danny basically incorporating
some chanting into his performance. It is something that catches the
listener some what off guard, however with a voice as powerful as
Vaughn's he simply excels at whatever he incorporates into his
musicianship. Once the chorus picks up is where he truly shines as
his vocals soar over the lyrics providing fans with a very strong
track. I think this song truly defines Danny Vaughn for who he has
always been, a truly powerful voice which is excelled by his sincere
ability as an exceptional songwriter that over the span of his
career has held up quite nicely.
2. Badland Rains - The album
takes on a bluesy vibe from the opening guitar riff and this next
composition features a more gritty attitude from the previous track
as Danny and his backing band hold nothing back. Even though
"Miracle Days" was a strong song to begin with, it had a more somber
effect where as "Badlands Rain" definitely has a little more
attitude/swagger behind it. Accompanied once again by Vaughn showing
his vocal range throughout and not to mention the main chorus he
belts out is very effective in its delivery. It's songs like this
that keep the melodic rock scene significant in today's world.
3. Traveller - The title track
finds very significant meaning in Danny Vaughn's life and from the
lyrics of this song it goes beyond the point of what I stated
earlier with Danny being an exceptional songwriter. It's depressing
to see the industry ignore an artist such as Danny as here is
another song that is just full of amazing musicianship. This time
around it's a combination of Vaughn's infectious lead harmonies
mixed extremely well with even more powerful backing vocals; when
they come in it's what makes "Traveller" stand out more. While it
may seem that everyone is milking a power chorus for what it's worth
it remains very efficient in accomplishing a goal which is to keep
listeners coming back for more. I feel that this will become a
standout anthem.
4. Restless Blood - After two
back to back driving melodic anthems, Danny and company kind of
settle into a relaxed mood with "Restless Blood." Sounding a bit
like a safe track; (I'm not saying that in a negative way either, it
just doesn't have the same punch as the first three songs.)
Everything is featured including driving guitars, stellar vocals and
some fundamental songwriting that has been the key part to driving
this album. But on the other hand it just has a feeling where the
elements are not as cohesive as before.
5. That's What She Says - The
momentum shifts to an upbeat pop influenced acoustic based rocker
which features Danny delivering a more inspiring vocal that helps
put things back on track. Again harmony vocals remain the standout
feature and with a near instant sing-a-long chorus it's near
impossible not get into the hooks of this composition. If only more
artists could learn from this and come across to have fun in the
music they write then I think in the end we'd have more genuine
performers in the current scene.
6. The Touch Of Your Hand -
Halfway through this album and everyone is treated to the most
sentimental piece of music to be featured thus far. "The Touch Of
Your Hand" finally sees Danny and company release a half rocker/half
ballad that can be best described as a song that could have been
featured on any classic sounding Journey album, mainly from the
Escape or Frontiers eras. That is thanks in part to the haunting
backing vocals. Although Danny Vaughn isn't exactly Steve Perry, his
voice carries the song note for note and his range is purely amazing
as he obviously takes a great deal of care of it. I must say it's an
absolute pleasure to hear a song like this come through the speakers
as Vaughn works his magic with near flawless precision.
7. Lifted - A beautifully
delivered piano melody starts things off as Danny's vocals come in
bringing out an indescribable aura that shows that he can work every
aspect of the rock spectrum. As the song swiftly picks up to a
mid-tempo rocker there is no strain on Danny as he adjusts and quite
honestly I don't know how the rest of his backing band kept up on
him. He brings an intensity that is hard to match, however thanks to
some well placed masterfully done guitar solos this track takes on a
entirely different characteristic. In turn this shows that everyone
involved with "Traveller" has come to provide fans with a top notch
album and there is no mistaking another standout track, well done
guys!
8. The Warrior's Way - Perhaps
the most solidly written masterpiece on the album, it also is the
heaviest rocker. If it were on an album the likes of Journey's
"Generations" it would have made for a better album, then again this
is a song that is very much Danny Vaughn and I believe he's captured
something quite special here. Something hasn't been seen or heard
since his days with Tyketto. As if Brooke St James were to play
guitars on this then it would be a Tyketto track for sure. Songs
like this only come along every so often and to hear Danny release a
track this amazing makes me proud. It just goes to prove that even
though time goes by and artists change to keep up, Vaughn gives a
little nod from his earlier years with this rocker certainly shows
no signs of wear.
9. The Measure Of A Man - It's
nice to hear musicians the likes of these keep things fresh. Here we
get a little more swagger behind the music and from the opening riff
the guitars sound like they were coming straight from Richie Sambora
ala the "These Days" era, except the tone is a bit more optimistic
compared to that album. For me when I listen to this song I hear the
heartland rock vibe through and through with a main chorus that is
intricately layered. Without a doubt this track offers something new
with every repeated listen.
10. Think Of Me In The Fall -
For the most part this next song is basically Danny letting his
voice do the work even though an acoustic element compliments the
mellow atmosphere. A more raw feeling takes over on this song as it
doesn't rely that much on a backing band. Every song written by
every artist out there has a core structure that begins as an idea
and when an artist can sit down and just use those raw elements to
convey their thoughts then why kill the emotion with other
instrumentation? Glad to hear Danny keep it nice and simple and it
works so flawlessly here too.
11. Death Of The Tiger - More
thick guitar riffs dominate the overall tone here as Vaughn
unleashes quite simply an epic number with every great aspect you
could ask for in a nearly 7 minute song. Everyone seems to be
drawing from a darker place compared to other anthems littered
throughout the 12 songs featured. There is no complaining here it is
just nice to hear a more mature feel from such a talented artist.
Not only does Danny remain true to himself and his fans but he
explores the inner depths of his soul. Exploring further simply
results in a perfect blend of emotions that showcases his own unique
style.
12. Better By Far - To conclude
"Traveller" Danny goes the acoustic route once again. Like "Think Of
Me In The Fall" the vocal work is enhanced over the instrumentation
which in turn really showcases a pure sound that only Danny Vaughn
can harness. While not as distinguishing as "Think Of Me In The
Fall" it still has the right combination of essential components
spread throughout it. As an album closer Danny and the guys make
sure to give every fan a pleasant send off.
The Rundown:
In this day in age it is mostly the under-rated artists who end up
releasing genuine material. Yet for one reason or another careers
were sometimes overlooked and weren't able to be established. One of
those musicians I feel was deeply ignored was Danny Vaughn and while
he did shape out a career back in the mid-80s through his
involvement with a group by the name of "Waysted," a band that
showed signs of great promise but were one of numerous that were
unfortunately lost in the shuffle. Danny's next band was the break
he so desperately needed. In 1991 an album was released that to this
day is highly regarded as one of the best rock albums ever created
in terms of production, songwriting, quality and ran the gamut from
stories of youthful adventure to tender love sonnets. Now for those
of you wondering what the album was, it came by the simple yet
well-expressed name of "Don't Come Easy" and the band who delivered
this deafening explosion of melodic hard rock were called "Tyketto."
With sonic anthems like "Forever Young" driving the momentum it
looked as if Danny Vaughn and Tyketto were about to become a
household name. However to borrow a lyric from the above mentioned
song "Forever Young." "Forever Young, Time on her side, We got
tomorrow, We got tonight." Time wasn't on the side of the group that
in my view could of become the next Journey. As at the time bands
like "Nirvana" and "Alice In Chains" played the role of the grim
reapers taking life away from everything that was melodic rock.
Despite the short moment in the spotlight, over the last 10 years
Danny Vaughn has become one of the most unique voices in rock and
has reached a status as one of the world's most distinctive
singer/songwriters. One who is respected by his peers and every
individual that has discovered his voice. The re-emergence of Vaughn
in 2000 with his first undertaking as a solo artist found him not
only picking up the pieces but reassembling them in another fashion
that brought about different aspects in Danny's musicianship.
For this latest effort Danny has once again gone deep into his soul
and spent the time crafting material that doesn't only see him
returning to familiar territory but takes listeners on a new
journey. Although the climate of this specific genre is generally
cold towards sincere artists, the breaks that Danny Vaughn didn't
get early on in his career have ultimately come back around and this
time the society that makes up rock 'n' roll have become a lot more
receptive towards Vaughn's unrelenting flair as a genuine showman.
Even though musicians the likes of this are becoming harder and
harder to find, a firm grasp is held on those who have always valued
substance in their musical preferences.
+'s (Positives):
+ One Great Song After Another: Early into 2007 and it's nice to hear a melodic rock album that has a truly great running order from beginning to end. Sure not every song is a standout, on the other hand you don't have to pass over tracks to find the anthems on this disc. The flow of "Traveller" is consistent and is definitely one of the most solid releases from Frontiers Records in the last year or so.
+ Poignant Yet Masterfully Crafted: If you know the name Danny Vaughn then I don't think you will need to debate on whether or not to pick up this album as it features him still proving he is still in his prime. If you have heard any of his material from "Waysted" or "Tyketto" you should be deeply impressed with what Danny has done here. The room for growth beyond his past is touched and expanded on. If you haven't heard his voice then this can be the ideal introduction to those who are looking for straight forward guitar driven rock that is done in a simple yet effective manner.
-'s (Negatives):
- Some Different Variations: A
couple songs don't match up to the rest and what I mean by that is
there are tracks that do feel a little bit dated but hey I guess
it's that genuine feel that holds true to what makes good music.
Besides what will a majority remember? Songs that have held the test
of time or something that was manufactured and won't stand up 15
minutes from now, thankfully I feel a majority of these songs will
hold strong as time goes by.
Overall:
The last time the world heard from Danny
Vaughn was in 2004 on an album that wasn't technically a solo
release but it was more along the lines of a project which was
called From The Inside. At the time of its release it was slightly a
step in a different direction as basically the songs were written by
various writers and perhaps a bigger challenge for Vaughn coming up
with new material essentially as the project was still coming
together. The results however were very impressive as evident on the
final product. Danny's presence brought out the absolute finest not
only in his vocals but by his impressive track record. "The From The
Inside" project showed fans and critics alike another side to
Vaughn's personality. While not damaging his integrity as with many
artists who build a career if they go off and try a different facet
in a another area.
Now a few years later and Danny has once again emerged with
Traveller an album that picks up where From The Inside left off
except it doesn't take much to hear the difference between the two
as while the From The Inside project had outside writers it ended up
being a great collaborated effort and I'm not saying that Vaughn is
a slouch when it comes to songwriting because he isn't as with this
latest endeavor it features some of his best writing to date. As a
whole Traveller has a back to basics feel with Danny returning to
the thick of things and doing it in such a grand fashion that for
the most part should result in listeners being absolutely stunned
with the material. I've always considered Danny Vaughn's finest hour
with Tyketto since it was his time to shine yet like most gems out
there if you lose them for a considerable amount of time usually
when you find them again they will continue to shine and with this
latest Vaughn album there is no further proof needed.
In terms of how this fits into Vaughn's discography I'd rank this
pretty close to his 2001 effort Fearless which I consider the
pinnacle of his solo career. If you are a fan of that classic sense
of what melodic rock is all about I don't even have to recommend
this one as it's simply a must and fits into 2007 wonderfully. If
anything by the end of the year Traveller will end it's voyage as
one of the year's best as world caliber songwriters simply don't
write like this without time and experience and in the case of Danny
Vaughn I don't think he needs to prove himself further... He's
simply one of the elite at this craft and should be very satisfied
with what he has done here.
Final Rating
For "Danny Vaughn - Traveller":
1 Point = Transitions /
Order
1 Point = Fun Factor
1 Point = Instruments / Vocal Sound
1 Point = Writing / Lyrics
.85 Points = Overall Design / Feel
Overall Total: 4.85/5
Favorite Songs: The Warrior's Way, Miracle Days, The Measure of a Man, Badland Rains, Lifted
For more on Danny Vaughn visit the following websites: www.myspace.com/vaughnband - www.dannyvaughn.com - www.vaughn.de