Shayne Malone
Real Life Games
© 2007 EnolaMusic (0094922793461)
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Great hooks, catchy anthemic melodies that are sure to get you rockin’ out.
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The Band:
Shayne - Lead Vocals & Guitar
Odee - Rhythm Guitar
Jon - Bass Guitar
Natt - Drums
Shayne Malone are a four-piece rock band from Hamilton that are setting themselves apart from their counterparts with their music, appropriately described as anthem rock, full of great guitar riffs, melodic tunes and a bit of hard rock thrown in there to keep audiences on their feet. Labeled as “New Zealand’s answer to Bon Jovi” via sites like YouTube.com, Shayne Malone have received a ton of fan e-mail enquiring as to when they will be touring their countries. One fan writes “just listening to “Touch My Soul”, what a revelation man….it’s all there! Nice fat sound, the melody is amazing…..great vocal, conviction….if the rest of the album is this good then you’re onto a real winner!”.
Shayne Malone released their first album titled Real Life Games in August 2007. Real Life Games has been appropriately described as ‘classic guitar-driven rock with a modern bite’. The album displays a powerful, full-on rock style with strong hooks and melodies, setting the bar a lot higher for New Zealand music. Shayne Malone’s videos, mostly acoustic versions, have been exploding on YouTube.com, with over 200,000 listens and an outpouring of positive comments. The video for the first single, Touch My Soul, has received over 335,000 views to date which makes them one of the most viewed videos of all time in New Zealand.
Shayne Malone write great songs about real things that people can relate to. The tracks are tight, punchy and feel good. This band is bringing back the rock that has been lost – and thrives on putting on a polished and exciting live show. They are explosive, melodic and crowd driven and you will find that there’s no other rock band in New Zealand, quite like this.
ALBUM REVIEW: Shayne Malone - “Real Life Games”
Review by Richard Anderson songwriter/lyricist and rock addict.
Introduction & Overview
They say first impressions count, well my first impression was that here was someone fresh to listen to and given that i could relate to a lot of Shayne’s musical influences i figured that i would find something of merit within the confines of his silver platter. Usually i allow (or it allows me) time to grow and melt into the consiousness, music can be a bit hit and miss sometimes in whether you can really connect with it….thankfully i found myself listening and loving what i was hearing, so much so that i played this disc 3 times before i found myself having to step back and come down from my high. As someone who has listened and lived with a lot of rock music over my years i felt that perhaps i would be able to offer up some sort of critique that might have a little bit of merit, finding little things to be nice about…afterall as a songwriter myself we know we want some people besides ourselves to dig what we are doing….and i do dig…I can assure you that i am sincere in my comments within and wish Shayne and his band all the best well into the future, New Zealand needs another class act to shine above them all…..we might just have found our Springsteen.
Not one to be merely a copycat of anyone elses style, Shayne has his own mojo working for him….and work it does. What you’ll hear here you will be able to identify with for sure, massive hook-laden rockers and some dignified tender moments. I don’t personally like to make comparisons but the world always wants to know who an artist sounds like, so to my mind think Bon Jovi meets The Feelers with a good old kick in the balls and you are on a good track to gathering up a vision of where Shayne Malone is coming from in regards to songwriting and bringing those visions to life on disc.
Song By Song:
A Story
- Kicking off the album with some balls musically, “A Story” sets you up for a feast. Prepare yourself for liftoff as theres no turning back now!
Masquerade
- A rock ‘n’ rolling primal orgy of fantastic melodiousness……this song has a nice fat main riff, and that chorus is delivered with some wicked punch. Lyrically its serious but with a pinch of humour too. I really like the production tricks that stop what could have easily have been a pop song, but thankfully isn’t.
Better
- The killer hook is here on this one too….many a courting could be done with this as the soundtrack to the journey. I can relate to this one lyrically as much as anything on this disc.
Touch My Soul
- My first taste of Shayne Malone’s music was this hearing this song (and his great acoustic renditions of this and other treats on youtube where the feedback has been great). I always have a soft spot for the first song i hear of an artist that i like, this song is melodic rock ballad personified..everything a heartfelt rocker could need is there. Love the slide guitar and the strings, check out the accompanying video on youtube too!, i also love those soaring vocals! This song needs to be on heavy rotation on every decent radio station around the world…it oughta be a huge hit!, now as this song is telling a story i wonder if it turned out well for all concerned?, i could use every cliche in the book but will say that my soul has indeed been touched by this track.
Edge Of A Broken Heart
- Another of this discs many highlights, knowing that Shayne is a huge Bon Jovi fan i figured this might have been a cover of one of their tunes by the same name (in fact Vixen had a title the same), but not so (that’s good really), although vocally this is probably the closest you’ll get to a Bon Jovi tune here….the grungy guitars deliver the blow required to hit home the message, Shayne lets the music do the talking as much as the singing on this one….a treat, check out the change of pace mid-way through this track…genius! and fantasic drumming there Natt (like bodyblows). Sebastian Bach or Brad Delp would be pleased to hear that scream too, an awesome touch.
Cowboy Rides
- I’m a sucker for cowboys turning up in rock songs (see “Wanted Dead Or Alive”), shades of Bob Segar in the intro with the slide guitar (and the theme too i woulda thought). After the heaviness of the last track it was a nice song to slow down a lil to…someone needs to make a western and use this as the main title song.
Who’s Your Hero
- Another of the first tracks i heard from this album, i knew that once i got the disc i would be playing this song over and over (not wrong), this song is delivered with utter conviction, a great lyric too (one of the best on the album). Clever uses of production take this out of being just a grungefest musically, i would compare this favourably to some of the heavier tracks by The Feelers (a favourite kiwi act of mine) with a bit of a Bono vibe going on vocally there (although i don’t think Bono could hit those high notes). Bliss!
Sinner vs Saint
- Rock rebels unite! im sure i am not the only one who will be able feel as if this song was written about them or something. Carrying on from the previous song in terms of the production fun, love the pounding drum/bass combo breaks.
Wild Wind
- Wild Wind and Sinner vs Saint were well placed together, its as if they were Part 1 & Part 2 of a theme…..too cool. And best of all theres a sign of a guitar solo that shows of Shayne’s real lead guitar abilities (my only advice is that on CD #2 we hear more Brian May or Gary Moore style lead breaks….please). The penny has dropped that in places vocally Shayne reminds me of Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), a huge compliment i can assure you.
Candy ‘N Rain
- This is a nice track, clearly the aim was to deliver up a different change of pace to highlight that Shayne is not a one-trick wonder.That all said it is a lovely song with a sweet lyric which i am sure was written with someone in particular in mind, very heartfelt sung and nice acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies abound.
Take The Lead
- What a helluva song to finish a CD with, has ya panting and aching for another dose of Malonemania ! If you don’t feel like you have been rocked after hearing this song then you need to get yourself into a bodybag because you’re obviously dead. I’ve not heard a song delivered with this amount of conviction in a long time as far as solo artists are concerned, kudos for that alone (let alone for the rest of the albums efforts). Ably backed up by his brother Natt on the drum stool (not overtaking the songs, but supporting them in fine style!), drummers don’t get enough credit for lending their craft to the cause, so i hereby throw my hat off in respect, its a masterclass in how to play just right for the benefit of a song.
Conclusion:
“Real Life Games” has something for everyone, songs that take you into a headspace that makes you want to break out the air guitars and rock out til the cows come home.
Not content to just amble through the motions, some clever production techniques have been applied to bring this album into the current climate of rocking/pop. This album is well produced from go to woah and will get more than a token spin in my household, and should in yours too.
You will find yourself singing along (once you learn the words). These songs belong on the radio and not just with token airplay, heavy rotation is whats called for here especially with the big ballad “Touch My Soul”, if i were a radio programmer i would be salivating over this disc…in fact you don’t need to be one…salivate away and be sure to come back for another bite when an album #2 gracious your consciousness…i can’t wait!
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Great hooks, catchy anthemic melodies that are sure to get you rockin’ out!
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There’s nothing bad about this collection of songs, just buy the CD already and play it loud for best effect!
Credits:
Produced & Engineered by Shayne Malone
Tracks 3 & 7 Produced & Engineered by Stuart Stuart, Chartsong Productions, Brisbane, Australia, Remixed by Shayne Malone
Mastered by Chris Winchcombe, York Street Studios, Auckland, New Zealand
Released: 2007
Label: Enola Music
Shayne Malone - Vocals, Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Natt Malone - Drums
Stuart Stuart - Additional Bass & Keyboards