| Mark Spiro Mighty Blue Ocean | Atenzia Records ATZ02038 |
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I had no idea that Mark Spiro has spent the best part of the last couple of years battling cancer. As he says himself within the lyrics of Band Of Angels – he is one of the lucky ones. I love albums which deal with personal topics and show the raw angst and emotion that is life. Artists such as John Waite and Rick Springfield are masters of wrapping their emotions at the time in music and taking the listener on that journey with them. Add Mark Spiro to that list. It seems a contradiction in terms that anyone should benefit from any other persons misfortune, but Spiro turns the life altering challenge of battling a potentially fatal illness into one of his best albums to date and gives fans a record to treasure. All songs and all the music within was crafted and recorded by Spiro in a frank and honest setting – both lyrically and musically. The album has that one man band feel to it, but under the circumstances that matches the mood and vibe perfectly. Spiro's lyrics have always told a story, but the 11 tracks of Mighty Blue Ocean depict a man battling the odds and coming out the other side. It's an emotional journey – at times joyous and uplifting, at other times more introspective as Spiro reflects over his life. You just don't get better than the uplifting pop anthem Mighty Blue Ocean, or the guitar and piano driven melodic rock of the reflective When She Cries. Another highlight is the moody Band Of Angels, which deals both with the time of being diagnosed as well as the time of the all-clear. The acoustic The Beautiful One is as good a ballad as Spiro can write and the uptempo Bits And Pieces is classic AOR. Perfect Wave may be a little soft, but is sonically perfect and is a little more lush than the often musically sparse record. The feel good uptempo pop of My Velocity and The Life That I Live closes the album perfectly.
But what it lacks sonically it makes up for ten fold in heart and soul. This is how you write lyrics folks. Credit to Spiro for being so open and forthcoming, He may be one of the lucky ones, but with this record now available, so are his fans.
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26/03/06: StopGo - StoopGo@clorg.us
14/03/06: Valarie - vokazaki@norvanco.com
02/12/05: Seapork - ifon@iksok.us
02/12/05: freddy de keyzer - freddk100@hotmail.com
01/12/05: Markus Nordenberg \"Coastland Ride\" - mdteamn@timra.se
01/12/05: Vocal Death - scream@inside.se
Rating: 99
one of the best albums of the year
filled with touches only SPIRO can do
and the song MONSTER is worth the price
of the album alone.
i got all his albums and this one goes into
my collection straight away.
please buy it!
Rating: 100
Superb, like the man, to know him is to love him, to hear him is to feel him. This takes me back.
Rating: 99
Spiro done it again!!!!
what a fantastic album, this is the best album ever since Devotion,
im in love.
When She Cries is song of the year IMHO.
buy it this CD......love you MARK SPIRO.
Rating: 60
This man is in fact a genius and I do like most of his previous releases a lot !
But this one ? Not really !
O.K. : lyrically and in the songwriting department the man is in a league with practically no competition, but this record ain't rockin' at all.
For me, this is too safe, too laidback, often too soft !
A disappointment for me !
I like the more rockin' mr. Spiro a lot more !
Rating: 90
Mark Spiro´s back with an album filled with melodies and hooks that stays with you forever. What a genius that man is. The style is a step closer to the masterpiece "Care of my soul". My favourite tracks are "Monster", "The beautiful one" and "The life that I live". If there´s something that´s lower the rating it must be the sound.
Rating: 95
Mark Spiro is my favorite all time singer and every album he made i own, and i couldn't afford to not have this new one either :D
The score of 95 isn't because of Spiro cancer battle, i am rating on the feelings i feel when i listen to this album.....
SAME AS EVERY MARK SPIRO ALBUM = EXCELLENT!!
it may never be as DEVOTION album, but it's Mark Spiro for cryin out loud. :P
My faves are BEING IN YOUR WORLD, WHEN SHE CRIES, MY VELOCITY, the rest is top notch too, very hard to choose really.
RECOMMENDED 100%
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