Mecca, the AOR band led and formed by the talented vocalist Joe Vana, has returned to the music scene with their highly anticipated new studio album, “Everlasting”, seven years after “III”. This is typically their fourth studio album, but if “The Demos” is included, it is regarded as their fifth one. This time alongside Joe we hear his son Joey Vana on lead vocals instead of the guitar, as he did on “III”. It is true that they complement each other wonderfully.
Alessandro Del Vecchio, who plays the keys and produced the album, has written the majority of the songs here. One can say that the tracks have that Del Vecchio “trademark sound”, and indeed they do so, but a talented and experienced musician and songwriter like Alessandro knows how to deliver the goods effectively. So, expect a crystal-clear production with a well-balanced sound that’s not retro or over-polished, along with some really good songs.
The album opens ideally with “And Now the Magic is Gone” and continues with tracks such as “The Rules of the Heart”, “I Won’t Walk Away”, “The Mistakes We Make”, “These Times (Are for Heroes)”, “Everlasting” (a wonderful ballad), “Endless Days” and “You Way”. I kinda think that this album has a rockier edge at times, in comparison to their past works.
Definitely, the musicianship is superb, and each musician has given their best to achieve the final outcome. Personally, I’d like to point out that guitarist Sven Larsson (Street Talk, Sapphire Eyes, Room Experience, Lionville) has done an excellent job on both the leads and the riffs.
With this release, Mecca makes a strong comeback to the AOR genre. They simply need to be more consistent with album releases. Without breaking any new ground, they have released an AOR album that will gratify all the fans of the genre at large.
