PAMELA MOORE "Resurrect Me"

(c) 2013 Rat Pak Records

1. Acquiescent
2. Melt Into You
3. Paranoia
4. We Are Damaged
5. Resurrect Me
6. The Sky Is Falling
7. Awakening
8. Breaking Down
9. Desperate By Design
10. Wide Awake (Phoenix Rising)

Pamela Moore--All female lead vocals, backing vocals

Michael Posch--Guitars, Bass, Keys, Orchestration

Brooke Lizotte--Piano, Orchestration ("Breaking Down")

Jeff Loomis--Guitar solo on "Awakening"

Chuck Macak--Drums

Additional Vocals:  Ralph Scheepers ("Sky Is Falling") 

Backing Vocals: Ralph Scheepers, Aury Moore, Patrick Moore, Brenda Kashmir, Randy Piper, Scott Bowen

For those who put this CD in without knowing who they are listening to, they are likely going to say to themselves, "Man, I KNOW this voice!"  Of course, that is going to be a definite possibility if that fan is even a casual fan of metal, as Moore is most famously known as the voice of Sister Mary on the epic Queensryche album, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its less-than-epic follow-up, "Operation: Mindcrime II". Moore has also seemingly cast her lot with the Tod LaTorre-fronted version of the fractured group, as she can be heard singing on that Queensryche's new, self-titled album on the song "A World Without".  

Her involvement with Queensryche aside, Moore is notable because she does, in fact, possess an incredible voice.  Additionally, she is no stranger to recording, as this is actually her fourth solo record (not counting 2004's release, A Retrospective), and she has also fronted other bands and performed on numerous other albums, so it is very likely that you have heard her voice in numerous places and simply not realized who it was you were listening to.

2013 saw Moore move her talent to Rat Pak Records, which is also the home of George Lynch, John Corabi, Dave Rude (Tesla), Metal Church, and several other name acts.  For this album, Moore enlisted the musical aid of Michael Posch, who performs nearly every instrument on the album except for drums, which are handled by Chuck Macak.  Additionally, several friends are called in for support, including Ralph Scheepers, Jeff Loomis, Randy Piper, and Scott Bowen, to name a few.  

The music on this album is not overly far-removed from that of her work with Queensryche, as it tends to be in the heavy-progressive vein, with heavy guitars, sweeping orchestration, and some keyboards added in for filler effects.  

The main problem I have with this album is NOT the talent level, the production, the mix, or anything like that, as all are really and truly top notch.  The guest list is impressive, as well.  No, the problem I have is the songs themselves are not that memorable.  I'm not saying they are terrible, because they aren't.  They just don't jump out and grab hold of me, with the exception of "Awakening", which sounds very reminiscent of a Queensryche song, and the album's closer, "Wide Awake", which I think is a truly amazing piece of music.  Other than that, while there is nothing horrible at all on this disc, there is just nothing that sticks with me for an extended period of time.  It's a disc of 90% background music and a couple of songs that will suddenly grab your attention, only to be lost again a song or two later.

The production is top-notch, the musicians are of excellent caliber, and Moore's vocals are clean and powerful and very emotive...the songs just lack that hook that snags you and keeps you hanging around for more.  Not a trash bin album, but also not one that will find its way into my player with any great frequence.

Rating:  Rock this at a 5, simply because the musicianship is so good I really WANT to like it!

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