### Voices Of Rock: High & mighty

#### 23/09/09 || Smalley

So back in ’07, these two German producers (Chris Lausmann and Michael Voss) tried for a quick buck by getting different rock singers to sing for a compilation disc titled “Voices Of Rock: MMVII” (Roman numerals are ALWAYS a credibility-upper!). On that record, every guest singer was center stage for one track each, and while I’ve never listened to it, I assume that venture was profitable, since the two are back to lure others in with the promise of more rock singers on the series’ second installment, “High & mighty”. Lausmann & Voss not only produced this comp, but were also the sole songwriters as well (so no input from the guest vocalists), and it’s obvious, the way every song here has this generic, cookie-cutter feeling to it; L & V knew they wanted “High” to appeal to the big classic rock junkies out there, and while their coloring inside the lines keeps this record at better-than-bad level, it also makes this a predictable, unengaging listen.

I only recognized one of the guest singers here (Tony Martin of Black Sabbath fame), and I didn’t really care to learn more about the ones I didn’t know, though they are all listed in the information section in case you do (but you shouldn’t, haha). The only thing that really matters is how well they performed, and I can’t say any of ‘em truly stuck out from the crowd; they all gave standard, classic rock-style performances (which is probably just what Chris and Mike wanted), all of them doing adequately, but nothing to write home about. Tony’s the first one up, on opener “Into the light”, which also follows a safe, familiar classic rock tone, and it is a mood that remains constant for the remainder of the comp. I did enjoy “Shame on you”, since it had a nice ‘n catchy chorus/keyboardwork/backup singing, but following track “Tonight” is just another bland cut, and most of the remaining songs failed to impress at all as well, with some parts you can tell were obviously scavenged off of established classic rock staples.

But again, “High and mighty” wasn’t really meant to be original in any way, was it? The instrumental performances here (by whoever the hell) are all solid, but they won’t blow you away (and why would they, on a record so derivative and reliant on other, better music?); there are some nice riffs and solos to be heard here, but the basic songwriting still remains way too safe in its approach. If you’re feeling really nostalgic, and just have to have some musical comfort food, maybe you should spend the money for “High & mighty”; you might just enjoy this classic rock oatmeal. Me? I’m off to enjoy my death metal pizza with extra growls and Thrashy Bread on the side…

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: AOR Heaven
- Website: Voices Of Rock MySpace
- Band
- Tony Martin: vocals
- Bert Heerink: vocals
- Joe Lynn Turner: vocals
- Paul Shortino: vocals
- Rob Rock: vocals
- Mitch Malloy: vocals
- Tony Mills: vocals
- David Reece: vocals
- Paul Sabu: vocals
- Torben Schmidt: take a big fat guess
- The Little People: guitars, drums, keyboards, backup vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Into The Light
- 02. Shame On You
- 03. Tonight
- 04. Rock Me
- 05. Remember Me
- 06. Lay You Down To Rest
- 07. In The Heart Of The Young
- 08. Dirty Games
- 09. Down The Drain
- 10. Only 4 Ever