Released by: AOR Heaven

Release Date: September 22nd, 2017

Genre: Melodic Rock

Line Up:

Martina Edoff (vocals)
Stefan Bergström (guitar)
Jona Tee (keyboards)
Nalle Påhlsson (bass)
Björn Höglun (drums)

Tracklist:

1. Turn our pages
2. Champions
3. Alive
4. We will align
5. Lay down your arms
6. Face the mirror
7. Set you free
8. I’m invincible
9. Truth came knocking
10. Brand new world

Martina Edoff wasn’t a name that I recognized. Her debut dropped back in 2014 and the follow-up came the following year. Since I have entered an unofficial semi-retirement in regards to writing, and even more picky about what I write about, I tend to scrutinize things even more than I have in the past. In this pickiness, I have also decided that before I write about an established artist I will take the time to check out their prior work. So many times over the years I’ve reviewed bands with long, rich catalogs only to have just heard of them upon that latest release, making it tougher to write about. Lucky for me Edoff is only on her third album, making my “research” fairly quick work.

With her new album, entitled We Will Align, Martina continues basically in the same vein as her prior two: a nice mix of pop meets blues meets AOR/melodic hard rock. The first two albums were good, but not spectacular. On her third album, she seems to have stepped up her game. Delving deeper into the melodic hard rock realm and less into the well-trodden world of bluesy female singers she seems to have found her niche. Not to say that her soulful voice isn’t still blues-tinged because it seems to come naturally to her. Unlike so many others she’s not trying to be Janis Joplin, Melissa Etheridge or even Lzzy Hale, she’s simply a gifted singer fitting comfortably into this male-dominated world of music. I love and admire how she’s not trying to emulate those bluesy singers or trying to be operatic like so many others. She offers something not as frequent in the world of female-fronted hard rock, something new and refreshing from a vocal standpoint if the music is a bit generic. And even though generic is viewed as a negative term in most things, this time I think it’s positive. Sometimes it is fine for music to be a bit “common”…the whole if it ain’t broke cliche. Just because musically it isn’t treading in the new territory doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. On the contrary, like many bands that have created a signature sound loved by their legion of fans, Martina Edoff can easily fit into this category. With songs like “Champions,” “We Will Align,” and “I’m Invincible” you get a great melding of blues-inflected hard rock with strong pop hooks and such a powerful voice that you can’t help but be attracted to this album.

Though I have mentioned Martina being a female, this isn’t a great album because she’s a woman, it’s great because she’s a talented singer. If you by-pass musicians/bands because they’re female, you can skip this one (oh and you’re an idiot for that sort of thinking because you’re missing out on some killer stuff.) If you’re looking for something new and cutting edge, this album is not for you either. If you love great melodic hard rock with a bit of blues and soul to it, but more hard rocking than anything, We All Align is your kind of album.

Written by: Chris Martin