| Artist |
| Spectra*Paris |
| Title |
| License To Kill |
| Format/Cat |
| CD/DVD OUT 412/413 |
| Label |
| Out Of Line |
| Style |
| Glam/noir rock/pop/electronica |
| Date of review |
| 19th August 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 8.5/10 |
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The cover of this second album from Elena Alice Fossi & co is, as the old saying goes, 'one for the dads' but this trio have a lot more to offer than mere eye candy (although the accompanying DVD will prove worthwhile in this regard as well as proving Italian TV knows good music when they hear it!) as their music is a refreshing, dynamic & consistently inventive mix of rock, electro & pop that's not without its more adventurous moments as well.
As the best-known of the trio, much has been made of Fossi's talents & while her keyboard & vocal skills are top class the real heroine here for me is guitarist Marianna Alfieri who makes her mark throughout the album, whether she's laying down the exciting & rousing riffs that form the basis of the superb opening title track, which gets the album off to a storming start, or cranking out a blistering solo towards the end of the slower 'A Clockwork London' or the nicely chunky 'Death Records' or setting the scene for the whistfully chilled & slightly reflective closer 'Phantom' Theme', her musicianship is of the highest quality. Furthermore, it doesn't rely on one mood or a single mode of expression, as the more atmospheric tracks such as 'Movie Ghouls' where Elena Alice's softer vocals & ethereal but uplifting synths are carried along by some thoughtful rhythmic colouring & the appropriately mysterious 'Lost Highway Voices' where she proves her versatility by adding some wordless vocals that form an intrinsic part of the musical tapestry, being contrasted by such infectious up-tempo numbers as the highlight that is '007 Cold' with its superb bass synth line setting the scene quite nicely for this busy & attention-grabbing number & 'Carrie Satan', which sounds almost understated by the standards of the former but is another solid glam/noir offering underpinned by a nicely chunky rhythmic base. 'Aston Martin DB5' provides an appropriate theme for this iconic motor although the promising mix of 90s rave effects & assertive rhythms that grace 'S.I.S. Soundtrack' are ultimately rendered as nothing more than a mild diversion due to its brevity.
I do know that one or two people don't take this band as seriously as they should due to their appearance but this album proves that it's time any chauvinistic attitudes were put aside, this band have got so much going for them musically that to ignore this release is to do both them & yourself a grave disservice & you surely don't want that, do you?
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