Review ROBIN MCAULEY “Soulbound”

Robin McAuley is a singer with a voice that stands out from any other. The mixture of fine accentuated singing and a rough rock’n’roll voice defines his way of singing. It was the McAuley Schenker Group release “Perfect Timing” that put the singer in the spotlight, after he had also been part of Frank Farian’s Far Corporation.

In recent years, the singer has focused more on his solo releases, with “Alive” from 2023 being the latest to date. With “Spellbound” the next album is waiting and eleven new songs are supposed to be the next strong statement of the singer.

“Spellbound” starts with a song called “‘Till I Die”, which is a rocking opener with the right amount of heaviness. The song combines the heavier side of McAuley’s music as well as melodies are also an important essence for the singer’s music. Next comes the title track, which is in a darker mood than the opener and is more rock than metal. Well-crafted hooks shape a song that also shows some AOR elements. “The Best of Me” is the heaviest and most guitar driven track in the first half of the album and made me wonder why there aren’t more of these roaring moments on “Soulbound”. “Paradise” is another hard rock highlight with very present guitars, while the following “Born to Die” seems a bit standard.

It feels almost obligatory that such an album comes with a ballad. The fourth spot on the tracklist is also the usual position of such a song and here it is “Crazy” that fulfills the demands. Well, there’s not much crazy about “Crazy”, because it’s a standard tearjerker, which isn’t a bad song, but also doesn’t create a big wow-effect.

Robin McAuley has a great rock’n’roll voice and the new album underlines that. And although the album has some good songs, it is a rather predictable and standardized affair. There aren’t any real surprises and there aren’t any really exceptional songs. “Soulbound” is a rock solid album – nothing more, nothing less.