Polak, Milan - Straight


Year of Release: 2007
Label: Lion Music
Catalog Number: LMC204
Format: CD
Total Time: 52:09:00

Unsure what's up with the title or the cover. On it, Milan Polak poses like a young Marky Mark with six-pack abs and no shirt, but this is not at all Hip-Hop. Instead, there's a clear-cut emphasis on the guitar. Unlike earlier albums from this instrumentally-driven artist, his compositions now incorporate lyrics. Rather than post a classified ad, audition and introduce a vocalist, he does the singing himself. What's hard to believe is that this is the strength of the album. Stylistically, Straight is less like Jazz Fusion and closer to the Power Rock of King's X. Other bands that come to mind are Extreme, Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, and Living Colour. However, this has modern flair inline with The Progressive Era.

After a song and a half highlighting his vocal cords, his axe tears up the bridge with monster riffs in "Psychobitch." Thereafter, remaining songs exhibit an equal mix of his talents. As for topics shared, they're intriguing; oftentimes, bordering on taboo.

While this album has been made to reach a wider audience, it's gained critical acclaim amongst several magazines headquartered overseas from the Netherlands to the UK. To be honest, it deserves attention both near and far. Likewise, the ballad, "Hero"; the upbeat ditty, "My Favorite Vice"; the trendy, "All I Want"; the catchy, "Superstar Mania"; the builder, "I Don't Care"; and the all-around well-formed but arguably regular number, "The Glowing Of A Cigarette"; is a list that should be receiving tons of airplay. In other words, there is plenty of fun wrapped around this disc's tight half-inch hole.

Now that Polak's out of the closet in terms of what he can do vocally and on the guitar, he's taken his trade to the next level. Innuendos aside, this is a fine demonstration of fusing one's skills. To give it to you straight, this is an excellent album -- if you're into that sort of thing.


Tracklisting:
Difference / Psychobitch / Crosses / Hero / Favorite Vice / Some Kind Of Jesus / All I Want / Superstar Mania / Straight / Happy Now? / I Don?t Care / Free After All / The Glowing Of A Cigarette

Musicians:
Milan Polak - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, additional basses, percussion, blues harp
Randy Coven - bass
Fabio Trentini - bass
John Macaluso - drums

Discography:
Dreamscapes (2005)
Guitar Odyssey (2005)
Straight (2007)

Genre: Rock

Origin AT

Added: April 19th 2009
Reviewer: Joshua "Prawg Dawg" Turner
Score:
Artist website: www.milanpolak.com
Hits: 3996
Language: english

  

[ Back to Reviews Index | Post Comment ]