Phil Vincent
Passion and Pain Independent

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Comments: Since 1996, singer/songwriter/musician Phil Vincent has released an insane number of 10 solo albums -- take that Axl! As Vincent ages, his music, instead of branching or "evolving" into AOR/Melodic Rock, simply gets more Metal each time out. If you don't believe it, then get a hold of his latest solo release, Passion and Pain.

On Passion and Pain, Vincent handles lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars; piano, organ and synth; and bass and drums. Oh yeah, he's the lead singer too. He also produces, arranges, mixes and produces everything, but on this CD, he brings in friends Michael Reisenback, Steven Albanese and Michael Sprague to help with guitar duties.

Passion and Pain begins with "New Way to Live." If you haven't heard Vincent's voice yet, he sounds similar to Don Dokken in a lot of ways, especially when he sings two-part harmony with himself. The music is heavy, driving, with somewhat low riffs but noisy, bending leads. Vincent slays on this song as a vocalist, and Albanese lays down a furious solo, making a great song that much better.

"Locked Up in Love" is a bit more mellow, slightly, with a static, white noise intro, leading into a churning groove. If there's been one knock on Vincent in the past, it's that his sound is so pure and clean, he never sounds dirty. Well, throw that critique out the window, because this is a gloomy, dark and dirty composition, sort of like Oni-era Lynch Mob.

"Comin' Apart at the Seams" is like an updated Beatles' song at the start ... that's if they decided to write a Metal song, anyway. Vincent almost sings with a British lilt to his lower vocals, making everything seem a bit more regal. By the middle of the song, though, the tempo continues to kick up and Vincent touches on his more Dokken-ish delivery. Vincent is no slouch on the guitar either, as he rips into a solo that will make any '80s fan drool.

Just when you think are going to slow down, you run headfirst into "One Chance." Based on the title of the CD, you know Vincent was trying to get a point across -- mainly that he's pissed. It's not just the downtuned guitar riffs that convey the anger, though. Vincent's off the charts drum fills, with double-bass explosions and just manic power set this one apart as well.

"Top of the World" is one of those feel-good Rock songs, something like Enuff Z'Nuff write so well. With fat harmonies and uplifting vibes, you'd have to be soulless not to smile when you crank this one.

The CD never really slows down, but you do get to take a breath on "Who Do You Think You Are?" It's not a ballad, but sort of an XYZ type mid-tempo rocker. In fact, Vincent channels Terry Ilous slightly in this one. The synth is the focus of this track, and while he isn't taking any chances, it is just another facet to Vincent's many skills.

It all ends with "I Want You Now," a chunky, thumping song with odd synth effects. Vincent isn't know for writing vacuous lyrics, but he sort of brought him down to the gutter on this one, with a song about, well, sex. He takes an odd chance on the chorus, basically using a strangling scream to set things afire. Weird ...

Passion and Pain is another high quality Vincent release. If you have heard any of his solo work, he rarely writes something you don't want to hear. That's the upside. The downside is that some of the songs run into one another, and since he relies so much on himself for all the songwriting ideas, he doesn't have any outside chemistry to work with. He did co-write "One Chance" with Sprague, and is mentioned, it's one of the best on the CD. Maybe next time he'll bounce some more ideas off a few more friends and see how much farther he can push himself.

http://www.philvincent.com

Track Listing:
1 New Way to Live
2 Locked Up in Love
3 Comin' Apart At the Seams
4 Rumors(parts 1 & 2)
5 All Because of You
6 One Chance
7 Keep Runnin'
8 Top of the World
9 Will You Remember?
10 Wastin' My Time
11 Who Do You Think You Are?
12 I Want You Now

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10