MECCA

UNDENIABLE

FRONTIERS RECORDS

RELEASED October 2011

This is a rather fine album that draws on a host of classic melodic influences and plays around with them. The result is that good it’s clear that an awful lot of time, love and attention have been spent on creating what is sure to be a highlight of the year for melodic rock fans. It’s all been worth it. This is close to AOR perfection.   

‘Perfect World ‘ that opens is grand and flawless pomp-AOR and ‘Closing Time’ that follows has you marvelling at the sheer craftsmanship that went into putting together this rather Toto-like creation together.

The album is at times delicate and intricate and others soaring and mesmerising but the real beauty is that it feels so natural and is so clear of vision that if you like the style of music or not, it’s impossible to ignore the attention to detail.

If I was to quibble, and I will, because it makes no difference at all to the beauty of what we have here it’s two things that slightly bug me: the slightly awkward funky spoken portions of ‘Life’s too short’ that fall a little short of the mark (very brave though I’ll give you that); and the way that ‘perfect’ is pronounced in the opening track, as I said not that they amount to a hill of beans in the scheme of things! But when you are looking at something close to perfect it’s nice to pick a few flaws even if they are only in your won mind!

Songs like ‘Did It for Love’ and the west coast AOR feel of ‘Deceptive Cadence’ to be honest just sound timeless.  They have that feel that is so hard to capture.

‘W2W’ sees Mecca at their heaviest but it’s an exception here on an album that consists mainly of finely honed AOR, the good news is that it also works. It’s hard to put this one down at the moment. A modern day classic…

For fans, of Toto, Foreigner and Journey – all class all the way.

By Mark Diggins