Current lead singer of
Enuff Z'nuff, Johnny Monaco, has recorded a 5-track EP which serves as a pre-taster of his upcoming full length solo album. If this EP is anything to go by then the full album will be a nice treat for both
Enuff Z'nuff fans as well as fans of melodic rock in general. Monaco is the sole songwriter and performer, managing all instruments himself. His voice carries the songs nicely with good emotion, capable of both hurtful and positive vibes when needed and he's able to create some compelling vocal melodies and harmonies. Listening to these songs I often find myself suddenly singing along without thinking about it.
Most songs lean heavily upon a distorted guitar and the opener
The Wrong Crowd is no exception. The whistle-like computerized melody which pops up a few times is a fun addition which almost works, but not quite. You can listen to this song for yourself by downloading it from our
media section. I uploaded a better quality version of this one today.
Tall, Thin and pretty is pop rock at its speediest. The tempo is frantic but a tight performance keeps the focus on the melodies. A nice bridge leads to the final verse and Monaco's vocal work here is excellent. Definitely a step up.
Shifting down a couple of gears we arrive at my favorite song of the EP,
I'll take you as you are. The song has a good structure and is again carried by Monaco's impressive vocal performance. The chorus is pretty cool and has a nice beat to it. I always get a smile of recognition on my face when he sings the line
"All I wanna do is drink at the bar".
The last two songs don't manage to bring any surprises to the table.
Overrated speeds up again and has a nice build-up to the chorus but it kind of blows its wad in the chorus without hitting the target. An ok song nonetheless.
Long Way down suffers from an unexciting and overly repeated chorus as well as a loopy guitar riff. While I like the verse section this song ends up sliding all the long way down the rollercoaster .
The first three songs are the real meat on the EP and they show very good promise for the future. These short and to the point rock songs will surely win some people over. There is a slight feeling of The Beatles on speed to this EP. While a full album with songs like these would need some more variation this makes me excited to hear what Monaco can come up with in the future.
If you want to find out more about Monaco then go to
his website.
Written by
Steen Sunday, September 11, 2005
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