Lana Lane – “Neptune Blue” (2022)
Frontiers Music SRL
Review by Warren Mayocchi
Lana Lane is an established artist and “Neptune Blue“ will be the eleventh studio album. However, this release is the first since 2012, a long time for fans of the strong rock vocal to build anticipation for new music.
It is worthwhile spending time examining the detail within the surreal cover, Peace Farm, a 1999 painting by Jacek Yerka. The artist has regularly provided the images fronting Lana Lane albums and contain an interesting set of ideas.
Perhaps the cover is a message from the band indicating a life state, or at the simplest, perhaps the blues in the painting inspired the album name?
It is possible after a ten year break Lana Lane wonders whether a new album will be welcomed, and the first track asks us to “Remember Me”. It is unlikely any fan’s memory will have failed! There is a similar retrospective vibe in “Under the Big Sky”, especially when the music video is considered. Both of those songs do have music videos and do well in sampling what the album will deliver. My favourite track is “Bring It on Home”, it makes great use of the Lana Lane vocal belt and has thumping instrumental support.
One of the songs is titled “Lady Mondegreen” which is a misheard lyric related in an article by Syliva Wright in 1954 (the correct lyric was “laid him on the green”). I like the Deep Purple style of the backing and the lyrical content of this track. When listening, it is a fun exercise to purposely mishear the line “Lady Mondegreen” as “laid him on the green”. Elsewhere the album has many clichéd lines, personally I found it better to focus elsewhere, but closer listeners will hear imagery along the lines of “hazy mists of time”, “it’s a long way down, really, actually”.
The promotional material for the album states the band has offered up an AOR collection with “Neptune Blue“. Sometimes this means a sound in accord with the late 1970s rock bands, however this generally means a polished and professional production. I lean toward the latter interpretation for this album. Every sound drips with the class of performers who know their instrument, how to be meld themselves into a band, and they have jointly delivered exactly what you wished they would create.
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- Remember Me
- Under The Big Sky
- Really Actually
- Come Lift Me Up
- Bring It On Home
- Don’t Disturb The Occupants
- Lady Mondegreen (She’s So Misunderstood)
- Miss California
- Someone Like You (Psych Version)
- Far From Home
- Neptune Blue
Links
facebook.com/lana.lane.official.artist.page