DORIS BRENDEL - The Last Adventure (2010)

Twenty years after being the vocal driving force on the iconic 'The Fire Sermon' album from the UK dream-lite-prog band THE VIOLET HOUR, Doris is now shining brightly as a solo artist with her just released 12 track album “The Last Adventure”.
The first thing that grabs you by the scruff of the neck when hearing DORIS BRENDEL is her husky, sultry and let's be honest, god damn sexy voice.
She has that power, that great demand to be listened to just by that alone.

"The Last Adventure" it's pretty difficult to categorize but I would say the mix of music is along the lines of easy listening rock, classic melodies and unusual retro vibe. Eclectic... definitely eclectic, diverse, and darn superb.
Hey, what about those huge vocal harmonies ala Queen and ELO on the title track 'The Last Adventure' and 'Work In Progress' or the utter f-a-t Prog keys on 'Why Are You Still Here' ?
It's basically a perfect display of diversity as you can find everything from classic Prog-Rock to Classic Rock, Opera/Pomp, Beatle-esque pop, Art-Rock, Rockin' Funk, and mere hints of more modern influences and bits of the old celtic / medieval too.
Yes, it's a full platter in other words and the arrangements will constantly keep you up on your toes.

The disc was recorded in the old-fashioned way — no sequencers or click tracks — giving the album a great retro feel in today's digital age.
It's been produced by Dave Beeson (mastered at Abbey Road studios), who also did Brendel's previous CD, and you'll get a full and rich sound with Doris' excellent and strong bluesy vocals at the centre of attention, and her vocals are simply outstanding throughout the record.
On the making of this record she has surrounded herself with tried and trusted musicians. She appears both comfortable and confident with all around her.

Starting out with 'What Are You Saying', this is quite a rocky opener, and sounds like it's well steeped from the 90's era.
The title track 'The Last Adventure' is a piano led, rousing track which has an essence of Queen circa '76/'77, with very deep harmony vocals.
'I'm Not Old I'm Experienced' combines modern textures with tongue-in-cheek lyrics in the funky rock style of the modern Glenn Hughes.
'Latest Fantasy' is a superb tune, lilting, with the rare flageolet (a medieval woodwind instrument) being used by Doris throughout to add to the ambience, coupled with some sweeping synth work and Doris' dreamy vocal.
'What Have I Done' is absolutely retro british with a Beatlesque-early Queen vibe but with updated sound.

'Work In Progress' features a regimented mid-section, some near harpsichord sounding keys, and Dave Beeson gets to let loose with a display of power chords which gives the impression of a fully laden rocker. You won't find a song like this recorded in 2010 for sure.
I liked the modern sounding 'Get A Life', with dare I say it, a touch of power pop which acts as a little booster rocket.
Track number eight is titled 'You’re Almost Perfect' with an intro that will encapture you within the song from the very first beat. The song is mesmerising with captivating vocals from Brendel and graceful guitars relaxing you into a state of trance.

'Be My Guitar' starts with a strong guitar solo to introduce the song. The track as a whole is a very busy tune with a lot of querky guitar twangs and hammond keys which lead you on a near three minute journey of pure music.
Dave Beeson gets to perform some guitar magic at the start of 'Why Are You Still Here', coupled with the modern synth flash from Mike Wesson, though this track is all over the place in terms of time changes and a stop/start arrangement. It's quite a bit different to the rest of the album.
'My Town' maintains an uptempo presence, and is sung in a defensive (as in proud) manner.
The album finishes with the track 'Memory' and is an good sign-off. It has the feeling of a set closer, such as if you were at a musical and the last track was coming on before going home. It winds down the album with good vocals and harmonies.

"The Last Adventure" it's the thinking woman/man's music and not the latest melodic rock sensation.
Though keeping within a rock framework, the genres are oh-so varied and interesting that I decided to post this album here because it's well suited to the 0dayrock audience as it straddles the fence between the past influential eras of the '70s, 80's and 90's with the trends and styles of today.
Any music lover would appreciate the musicianship involved throughout the album and Doris' husky vocals, she's a marvelous vocalist and artist, a blend of Chrissie Hynde and Janis Joplin in the 21st century.
There's a lot of 'outside the box' material to be found here.
As Doris points out; "No one is really doing my type of music nowadays... "


01 - What Are You Saying
02 - The Last Adventure
03 - I'm Not Old I'm Experienced
04 - Latest Fantasy
05 - What Have I Done
06 - Work In Progress
07 - Get A Life
08 - You're Almost Perfect
09 - Be My Guitar
10 - Why Are You Still Here
11 - My Town
12 - Memory


Doris Brendel - Lead and backing vocals, fiddle, flagolet
Dave Beeson - Guitars, backing vocals
Mike Wesson - Keyboards
Andre Harewood - Bass, backing vocals
Steve Clark - Drums, Percussion
Aitch McRobbie, Julie Harrington, Julie Winchester, Lynne Butler, Jo Maloney, Mark Dalton - backing vocals



dorisbrendel.com
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