Unbroken
Carl Dixon
A man of titanium, rock and soul. Carl's returned to his rock roots with his new album "Ubroken" released through AOR Heaven Germany Nov 29,2019. Since signing his first international record deal at 22, with Coney Hatch, Carl's stellar voice and songs forged a music career for 30+ years. With the Hatch opening for IRON MAIDEN Piece of Mind tour (40 shows), 27 shows for JUDAS PRIEST and more. Carl went on to a solo career and joined world chart toppers THE GUESS WHO as lead singer for eight years.
Carl's extraordinary life was blindsided by a near-fatal car accident in 2008. His dogged comeback from traumatic brain injury, losing an eye and with 50 other injuries, he is the stuff of legends. He is one; having just toured again with CONEY HATCH to sold out venues in France, Germany, and in Quebec and Ontario with Steve Harris's BRITISH LION. Carl rejoined THE GUESS WHO for two special shows in 2016, released a book "Strange Way to Live" which remains on his publisher's best seller list. Carl is with Canada's National Speakers Bureau and shares his inspiring comeback story "Rock to a Hard Place the Journey Back" to corporations across North America. "Unbroken" contains eleven tracks.
"Can't Love a Memory" leads us off. Carl's voice reminds me a bit of Ted Poley. It has a raspy edge, and the music take me back to the carefree days of the 1980's. It has that sentimental quality to it as it eases by you like a warm breeze. "Bowl me Over" a bit slower and features some wonderful harmonic vocals. Some of the music however is just a bit thin. They could fatten things up just a bit with some additional guitars or keys. "Nothing Lasts Forever" is more up tempo in nature and featured a nice guitar riff with some leads. Spoken words introduce the singing lines. "Enjoy the ride, because nothing lasts forever" he croons.
"Every Step of the Way" is a mid-tempo swinger with some depressive tones in the verses but a positive chorus. His voice in the upper ranges sounds a bit strained. "Summer Nights" is another mid-tempo number that talks about the old days meeting with a woman on the beach. Again, some harmonic vocals could thicken up that chorus nicely. "This isn't the End" doesn't leave much of a mark on me for some reason. It's classic AOR but doesn't really separate from the other tracks. "Drive just Drive" opens with the thudding of bass guitar and some lead work. It's a slower track that features Carl's vocals prominently. "Roll the Dice" is a faster moving song where he asks for trust. The lyrics are sometimes cliché, relying on too much of the older 1980's type lyrics. "Keep the Faith" is yet another mid-tempo song that uses an easy guitar riff and Carl's vocals take center stage.
"Unbroken" closes the album; an ode to what Carl had been through considering his awful car accident. His vocals really shine here on this track, complete with some nice leads. Overall, I enjoyed the album, but I'm afraid it fell into what I call the "mid-tempo" blues...meaning too many songs had the same pace. What this can do is bleed one song into another and not leave many memorable moments on the album. Though I commend him for what he has been through, I will have to file this one under "has potential."
6 / 10
Had Potential
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Unbroken" Track-listing:
1. Can't Love a Memory
2. Bowl over Me
3. Nothing Lasts Forever
4. Every Step of the Way
5. Summer Nights
6. All my Love and Hopes for you
7. This isn't the End
8. Drive Just Drive
9. Roll the Dice
10. Keep the Faith
11. Unbroken
Carl Dixon Lineup:
Carl Dixon - Vocals
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