Review: Michael Catton – Point of No Return
Mighty Music (November 1st, 2023)
Reviewer: Jason Hopper
My oh my! Nothing fires me up more than discovering a new artist that has seemingly come out of nowhere and exploded onto the scene. Michael Catton, formerly of band Tainted Lady, is releasing his debut solo album and it has been blowing up my speakers for weeks now. I am absolutely elated and enthralled. It’s a hard rock extravaganza!
Where to begin with such an album? I’m going to start with the second half. In an unusual turn of events, the second half of the album is slightly stronger than the first. Track 6’s ‘Ready for the Takin’ was the first single I heard six months ago. At the time, I was playing a subscription playlist on TV while doing housework. Thirty seconds in, I stopped what I was doing, stared at the TV, and was in a bit of a disbelief. “Who was this guy, I thought, and why haven’t I heard of him before”? This song has not left my playlist and I played it at least several times a week. A representation of everything I love about the 80s hard rock sound.
Just when I thought I knew what to expect from the album, the next song blows me to the back of the room. ‘Lights Out’ is a borderline metal track, similar in tone to Van Halen’s ‘Get Up’ from their 5150 album. It’s manic and high energy, with its lyrics reflecting both the horrors of nyctophobia and a panic attack. Terror never sounded so fun. An off the wall bonkers track in all the right ways.
Speaking of Van Halen, the Roth era gets represented with next track ‘Gas on the Fire’. Michael makes his vocal delivery similar to DLR with the melody matching to resemble something off Van Halen II. The song structure consists mostly of two verse lines followed immediately by the chorus, which consists of nothing more than a refrain of the title. Simple yet effective.
Finally, Track 9 concludes a stellar four song run by returning to a melody more in line with ‘Ready for the Takin’. ‘Going Down’ is a great mid-tempo rocker about a failing relationship. It’s remarkable how Michael can make such a sombre message sound so damn catchy.
Now let’s return to the first half of the album, which also has some highlights. Opener ‘Faith’ is an anthemic rocker with a harmonious chorus drenched in melody and passion. A powerful opener setting the listener up for what is to come.
Admittingly, Track 2’s ‘Livin’ Lovin’ is not my cup of tea. It’s got a boogie swagger similar to something you would hear from early Y&T. Those who love that type of groove will surely dig this, so I can’t hold it against the band as it’s certainly done well, it’s simply not my favored musical approach.
Michael’s versatility in this album shines with the Whitesnake ’87 fuelled thumper ‘Armageddon Again’. To jump from influences like Tyketto to Y&T and then Whitesnake in the span of three songs is remarkable. Then when you think you have him pegged, he goes and tries out his hand at Journey. The ballad ‘Never Say Goodbye’ could easily be mistaken for one of their songs. At a point in the song, Michael reaches Steve Perry highs without going to a falsetto. Not many singers can pull that off. What a vocal performance!
Outside of my indifference towards the track ‘Livin Lovin’, the only other critique I have is towards closing track ‘Brother’. It’s a well-written piano-based ballad that showcases Michael’s vocal prowess, but my issue has to do with its placement at the very end of the album. After four incredible back-to-back tracks, to end on a melancholic note to such a fiery album is a bit of a downer. It should have been placed earlier in the album or perhaps one more rocker should have been added to close out the album. I would have even taken an up-tempo cover song.
That critique is minor in comparison to the grand picture. I was so fired up by Track 9 that I simply shrugged off the final track. Michael wears his influences on his sleeve for this release and has the chops to back it up. This album has tremendous replay ability and will be one of my top albums of the year. I’ve never heard of his former band Tainted Lady and will correct that immediately by checking out their albums. This man is incredible, and this album is truly a gift to all of us who grew up with 80s rock. Buy this album and spread the word, Michael Catton is the rock vocalist of the year.
Tracklist:
- Faith
- Livin’ Lovin’
- Armageddon Again
- Never Say Goodbye
- Hearts in Danger
- Ready for the Takin’
- Lights Out
- Gas on the Fire
- Going Down
- Brother
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