Singles Roundup: Kat Kennedy, Blind Guardian, Soilwork, & Journey

 Kat Kennedy - Bittersweet

"Party" was one of the best songs of last year, and "Unpacking" wasn't far behind. Kat has found a sound and niche I absolutely love, making music that is unabashedly pop at its heart, but comes at it from a depressing and cynical angle. This song is about the irony of hating someone who is no longer around, because it was their ability to make Kat happy that she now holds against him. It's a clever way of approaching a breakup, and the bittersweet nature of the message fits with the music, where Kat's soft voice once again sounds broken and detached, which plays so well off the melody. Her recent work has been so good, I would love to hear a full album that does this. That would be a highlight.

Blind Guardian - Blood Of The Elves

Now that they have gotten their orchestral album out of their system, where will Blind Guardian go? Judging by this song, the answer seems to be more toward their speed/power roots. I have to say, that is perhaps their least interesting period to me, so this song is not holding a strong appeal to me. It does everything a Blind Guardian song should, but I'm not being hooked in by the riffs or the melodies, and yet more lyrics about elves isn't helping matters much. It's fantasy metal, but my fantasy is something completely different.

Soilwork - Overgivenheten

This song is trying to be a bit more of the traditional Soilwork we know, but I can't escape the feeling the band is doing it because thye have to, and not because they want to. Bjorn has been spending so much time making 80s style melodic rock, his clean vocals on this song are pulled much more from that world than where Soilwork started out. Also, like some other singers of his era, his harsh voice doesn't have the same fury to it as it once did, so the range of aggression and melody continues to narrow. There's nothing wrong with this, but it sounds like a band still struggling to believe in themselves. Honestly, it sounds like they're still trying to make the change they want to.

Journey - You Really Got The Best Of Me

It's a cliche that older bands have nothing left to offer, but every once in a while it turns out to be the truth. Journey seems to be on that path. No one expects them to make a record that could compete with any of their classic hits. After decades of listening to them, no song could ever do that. However, they could certainly write songs that you can actually remember, which I can't say about this one. The band sounds so dull and lifeless, as if the legal issues they have been going through is the only reason they are putting out new music. It's played and sung well, but there's nothing at all to the song to hook us. No riff or solo that drips with passion, no vocal melody we will be singing in a karaoke bar someday. It's as if someone made a photocopy of a Journey song, and nailed it to a board asking if we have seen the missing band.