Released by Escape Music – 2010
Review Added February 18, 2010
Released by: Escape Music on February 19, 2010
Run Time: 41:28
Style: Melodic Rock
Links: http://www.myspace.com/landbergmusic
Tracklist
1. My Valentine
2. The Devil’s Wine
3. Drama Queen
4. Skyscraper
5. Sundance
6. Bitch Is Back
7. The Thorns
8. Invasion
9. All I Wanna Do (Is You)
10. Abduction
11. Crazy Lorraine
Hot Tracks**
Erik Jayce Landberg: All guitars & Steinway piano.
Göran Edman: All vocals & background vocals (except on track 8).
Jens Bock: Drums (except on track 7, 9 & 10).
Chistian Pettersson: Bass (except on track 2, 8 & 10).
Additional musicians:
John Leven: Bass on “The Devil’s Wine”, “Invasion” & “Abduction”. Europe
Mark Boals: Vocals and background vocals on “Invasion”. ex Yngwie Malmsteen “Abduction” features special bass solo by John Leven.
Eric Jayce Landberg may not be a name that you instantly recognize, but on his new album released on Escape Music GOOD SLEEPLESS NIGHT, he has managed to enlist the help of vocalists Goran Edman and Mark Boals, both who are better known for their respective stints as lead vocalists for Yngwie Malmsteen. So who is this guy then? Swedish born guitarist and composer ERIK JAYCE LANDBERG is a new face in the guitar virtuoso field which has been previously paved by guys like Yngwie Malmsteen and Uli Jon Roth, and like these two guys JAYCE comes from a mixed background of rock and classical music.
The album does have its fair share of great guitar playing moments, but not unlike a few of the latest Malmsteen records, great guitar playing doesn’t always make great songs. The vibe of the album is an interesting one, as it mixes some traditional sounding melodic rock, with some sleazy Guns ‘n’ Roses style riffing and an overall punkish attitude and production. I’m not sure who was in charge of the lyric writing of this album, but it also didn’t strike the right chord with me, for the most part the lyrics are based in the sleazy hard rock vein, but they really aren’t up to scratch. The album isn’t a complete wash however, as the QUEEN inspired track THE THORNS has a great feel to it and will more than likely feature in my favorite songs of the year. Sad is the fact though, that the best track on a guitar virtuoso album is a piano ballad. The Mark Boals sung INVASION is also a bit above the rest quality wise, which makes me think that maybe Goran Edman isn’t the best fit for JAYCE LANDBERG.
There is definitely potential here, but with a great lead guitarist and vocalist in the caliber of Goran Edman, the emphasis needs to be on good songwriting. Sure there will be some folks that think this album is fantastic, but truthfully it’s a bit of a disappointment really.
Written by Zeezee
Ratings Zeezee 4/10
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