Mayfair Mall Zine:
Well its been eight years since Radio Silence’s Siren’s
album but finally Alistair Gordon returns with the bands latest
album ‘Whose Skin Are You Under Now’. Again Gordon
mixes the modern contemporary rock with the Melodic Rock edge.
The bio likens the bands sound to Foreigner meets Mike and
The Mechanics and I think that pretty much hits the nail on
the head. A great album that you can listen to at ease and
that has that summer drive feel about it you know the top
down the sun setting over the ocean and nothing but road ahead
of you and music on the stereo.
The album opens up with the great ‘Hand To Mouth’,
a track your instantly singing along to and with Gordon’s
vocals backing up a great sound of Martin Kronlund’s
guitars, Imre Daun drums and Mats Olausson keyboards.
The great melodies just keep on coming with
‘Mosquito’, again you’ll find your singing
along upon the first listen, and Kronlund’s guitar on
this one is just superb. This album is a dream to listen to
after a day of album after album. It's nice just to sit back
and enjoy an album that puts you at ease and takes the stress
of the day off you.
The album continues with great tracks like
‘Wall Of Silence’, ‘Staring At The Sun’
and the excellent ‘When The Lights Go Down’, before
picking up the tempo with ‘Somethin Going On’,
which definitely has that, Mike and the Mechanics feel.
For those who like an injection of rock from
time to time then ’Shotgun Love’ will float your
boat for sure and is my track of the album, because this oldie
likes to rock with the best of them. Mind you the cover of
the Beatles classic ‘Hide Your Love Away’ came
a very close second.
This is an album aimed at the more mature
rock fan and will go down a storm with the AOR crowd for sure.
It won’t see Gordon on Radio One but I suppose he wouldn’t
want to be. It will make a few people check out the previous
two albums and for an artist in this genre that’s all
we ask.
Radio Silence: Whose Skin Are You Under Now
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Review: Craig Hartranft, Dangerdog Music Reviews, 07.29.2009
Radio Silence is the project of vocalist and
music veteran Alistair Gordon (Zu Zu Sharks, Bank Statement,
Sad Cafe). Gordon has worked with many industry heavyweights,
in a variety of occupations, over his 30 year career including
Russell Watson, Lionel Richie, Paul Young, Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, Lisa Stansfield, The Average White band, Mick Jones,
and Tony Banks. Even with such a distinguished pedigree, I've
always found his vocal skills and song compositions his most
distinctive feature. Whose Skin Are You Under Now, Gordon's
third Radio Silence project, is another fine example of this
brilliance.
On Whose Skin Are You Under Now, Gordon's
lead vocals and vocal arrangements, as expected, are lush
and compelling. Gordon moves effortlessly between harder rock
(Shotgun Love), rock ballads (Staring At The Sun), and straight
melodic rock (Hand To Mouth or Mosquito). With the latter
style, the album lends itself more towards an AOR style above
anything else, and at times can feel slow. Yet, even these
songs, like When The Lights Go Down or One Day At A Time,
are blessed by Gordon's inimitable vocal style and the crisp
production. I'll favor the more upbeat melodic rock numbers
like the aforementioned Hand To Mouth and Mosquito, but also
the immensely entertaining Somethin' Going On. Gordon also
pulls some Beatles out of his hat showing again his amazing
range on Hide Your Love Away.
Whose Skin Are You Under Now from Alistair
Gordon's Radio Silence project is another showcase for his
brilliant vocal skills and song arrangements. Lovers of all
things melodic rock and AOR will find this a plentiful and
satisfying platter. Recommended!
The English musician Alistair Gordon is certainly not new
to the music business... no Sir... some of you out there
might know that he has lend his voice to several artist
such as; Eric Clapton and The Choirboys (among others).
He has been a part of several bands or projects of his own...
but let’s concentrate on this release by RADIO SILENCE
called ‘Whose Skin Are You Under Now?’. We get
12 tracks of AOR music and usually I like my music harder
but this album is a pleasant surprise in my book. Alistair
Gordon knows how to write a catchy tune that’s for
sure. Give this album a few listens and you know what I
mean. Well... there are a few songs here that are too soft
for my taste but when the guitars start to hum I’m
hooked right away. The rockier songs are dripping with classy
melodic rock hooks from start to finish and you’ll
find yourself singing along to tracks such as; “Hand
to Mouth”, “Mosquito” and the excellent
“Heart of Hearts” before you know it. Fans of
AOR should at least check this album out. Nice one.
Reviewed by: Peter Laursen
Date: July 24th 2009
Rock Report Review July 20th 2009
There’s a gap of no less than eight years between
this “Whose Skin Are You Under Now?” and its
predecessor “Sirens”, but the good news is that
it was worth the long wait. For those who may have forgotten,
Radio Silence is the brainchild of English songwriter Alistair
Gordon, who has worked with many successful acts in the
past. On this third album he is assisted by the multi-talented
producer and guitar/bass player Martin Kronlund, bassist/keyboardist
Mats Olausson and drummer/percussionist Imre Daun. Apart
from the final track, the Lennon-McCartney composition “Hide
Your Love Away”, all songs have been written or co-written
by Mr Gordon himself and among them are a wealth of rockers
and ballads, all catchy as hell with great choruses and
inviting the listener to sing along with (just listen to
“Mosquito”!). Alistair Gordon once again reveals
himself as the creator of great AOR/pop rock tunes that
will appeal to a large audience, young and old! Among the
best tracks on offer are rock tracks like the opener “Hand
To Mouth”, “Somethin Goin On” and “Shotgun
Love” as well as heartwarming ballads such as “When
The Lights Go Down” and “One Day At A Time”.
Provided with an excellent sound (but with rather poor cover
artwork), this is an excellent comeback album from Alistair
Gordon under the monicker of Radio Silence!
Songs: 91%
Sound: 90%
With all the great hard rocking releases around at the
moment, it is hard to find something more soothing to give
my ears the occasional rest they need. Plus I'm not always
in the mood for melodic metal at 9am. My first love has
always been AOR, so with fewer soft/AOR releases around
at the moment, I am even more appreciative of the new Radio
Silence, which hits on that true sound of genuine British
AOR.
Radio Silence is basically the project name that vocalist
Alistair Gordon uses. The line up from the first album has
been replaced by Swedish producer Martin Kronlund's production
team.
But that's not a bad thing - what makes Radio Silence great
is Martin and his band's ability to switch gears from the
hard rock they have normally deliver, toning it down here
to deliver a high-tech 80s styled album.
And Alistair sounds great – the melding of both talents
and some very catchy songwriting makes for a compelling
listen. There are some really intelligent songs featured
on this album and it isn't AOR by numbers at all. There
are rockers, ballads and in-between, but all delivered in
that relatively laid back British AOR style.
Hand To Mouth is a very smooth and sultry opener while Mosquito
is just about perfect uptempo catchy AOR at its commercial
best. Wall Of Silence harks back to the mid-80s with it's
keyboard presence the primary factor – not to mention
the great chorus. Staring At The Sun is another slice of
moody melodic bliss, almost a ballad, but not quite.
But it doesn't stop there – the tunes keep coming
and the following trio of tracks are all worth individual
honors. Another World is a stunning moody AOR track that
reminds me a little of 80s Glen Burtnik, while Shotgun Love
picks up the tempo a little, adding a bluesy vibe to the
album.
Anyway The Wind Blows is another first rate ballad. The
only track on this album that is anything less than essential
is the acoustic cover of the Beatles track Hide Your Love
Away.
-The Bottom Line-
Its been a hard rocking month, so for the other side of
the coin, check out Radio Silence – this month's smoothest
and most traditional AOR release. A fine set of songs that
make the 8 year wait since the debut album almost worth
it! With the line-up featured here in place, there is no
excuse why another album should not be commissioned post
haste!
