GARY HUGHES – Waterside
- Posted on 18-05-2021
The talented Gary Hughes (TEN) recently released this 10-track solo album of his via Frontiers Records, and if you are familiar with his past work then there is simply no way getting around the fact that you ought to add this to your playlist.
From a musical and stylistic standpoint, "Waterside" falls somewhere between the epic (melodic) hard rock of his main band TEN, singer-songwriter music in the broad sense of the term, and AOR. With its emotive vocals, beautiful melodies, robust riffs, and a melancholy tinge, this record is quite soothing and pleasing to listen to and there is an incredibly comforting and uplifting quality to Hughes’ voice. The songs speak of yearning and (lost) love, salvation and introspective thoughts, the curse of social media and modern-day narcissism, and reflection – all of which is emphasized by the warm production and intimate sound of the whole endeavor. The only downside to the album is that it is slightly uneven and that some experiments and arrangements are markedly better and more captivating than others. While "Video Show", "Screaming in the Half Light", and "All at Once It Feels Like I Believe" are strokes of genius and superbly written, "Electra – Glide", "When Love is Done", and "Save My Soul" feel somewhat pedestrian and uneventful, or akin to filler material, if you will. Two other strong cuts are the femme fatale-inspired "Lay Down" and the energetic "Seduce Me" – both of which contain some rather tasty riffs and excellent vocal melodies. The way in which the piano and keyboards complement and color the compositions is a pretty marvelous thing to experience too.
"Waterside" is a dynamic offering that showcases the enormous talent of Gary Hughes and this is nothing if not inspired and heartfelt music. It could have been a bit more solid and cohesive with respect to quality and maintaining its feel and momentum throughout, but it is one of those discs that will grow on you the more you listen to it even though it is neither all-out compelling from beginning to end nor one of those stunning musical outputs for the history books. Then again, those fantastic vocals courtesy of Mr. Hughes are more than enough reason why you should give this confident solo opus a chance, and the aforementioned "Video Show" simply has to be one of the most memorable rock tunes in recent years.