{"id":15312,"date":"2013-08-12T00:00:45","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T00:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=15312"},"modified":"2013-11-21T00:40:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-21T00:40:58","slug":"album-review-robin-beck-underneath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-robin-beck-underneath\/","title":{"rendered":"ROBIN BECK – Underneath (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROBIN BECK
Underneath<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nHMMR \/ Cargo (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been two years since Robin Beck\u2019s 2011 The Great Escape<\/em> opus, but Underneath<\/em> is another dose of lightweight rock that features that customary pop-tinged melody and Beck\u2019s subtle, yet powerful voice.<\/p>\n

The album opens with the crystal clear croons of \u2018Wrecking Ball\u2019 – a classy piece of middle of the road melodic pomp which features a gutsy guitar and drum drive, made all the more fiery by Robin Beck\u2019s tones which drift between honey-filled harmony and a grittier bite as the song progresses.<\/p>\n

The steely stomp continues with the buzzing riff of \u2018Ain\u2019t That Just Like Love\u2019, another simple yet effective rocker as Beck sighs, \u201cI want to let you go, but I hold on tight\u201d<\/em> which leads to a catchy, mid-tempo chorus that yelps of power ballad warmth and a heartier twang.<\/p>\n

Next we\u2019re introduced to the brooding strains of \u2018Sprain\u2019 which is contradicted by the moving title track, a piano-led soul searcher where Robin Beck gets up close and personal, and seems to be digging deep into her past. The strings on \u2018Underneath\u2019 are sweeping and it\u2019s the pivotal track on the opus that becomes littered with guitar strains.<\/p>\n

Those eager for more punch will no doubt find delight in the sprightly jaunt of \u2018Catfight\u2019; a scratchy little number that rocks hard but also adopts a Beatles-styled merriment with some of its instrumentation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Check Your Attitude\u2019, \u2018Perfect Storm\u2019 (which features a killer brooding riff) and \u2018Ya Can\u2019t Fight Love\u2019 are all pop-rock winners. But hidden within those upbeat workouts are such gems as \u2018Burnin\u2019 Me Down\u2019, with its wistful piano, and the gorgeous swirls of \u2018I Swear The Nights\u2019, which simmers reminiscent of Whitesnake\u2019s \u2018Here I Go Again\u2019 before building as a heart-warming power ballad featuring rather formulaic yet welcoming structures.<\/p>\n

The album closes with the vibrant \u2018Follow Me\u2019 rounding of a decent 11-track record that Robin Beck can most certainly be proud of. Underneath<\/em> boasts the type of sound and attitude that should bring in more fans, especially those who have a penchant for melodic rock that is chart friendly.<\/p>\n

Some may argue that there is a dated and generic air about this opus, but with the crisp production of husband James Christian (House Of Lords) \u2013 who also features on the opus alongside their daughter Liv Beck \u2013 there is a homely feel about the Brooklyn-born singer\u2019s ninth platter. I\u2019m all for this type of accessible rock music if it\u2019s done right and Robin Beck has stuck with a tried and tested formula and comes up trumps again. <\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ROBIN BECKUnderneath HMMR \/ Cargo (2013)Rating: 7.5\/10 It\u2019s been two years since Robin Beck\u2019s 2011 The Great Escape opus, but Underneath is another dose of lightweight rock that features that customary pop-tinged melody and Beck\u2019s subtle, yet powerful voice. The album opens with the crystal clear croons of \u2018Wrecking Ball\u2019 – a classy piece of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,820],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-robin-beck"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15312"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15315,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15312\/revisions\/15315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}