A great debut and a really easy listen. Well done.

Hailing from Boston, Neon Alley is a hard working bar band who have taken the next step from being a covers band to producing their own music. The trio class themselves as Modern Classic Rock, which in truth covers a magnitude of genres. David Vaccaro, a veteran of the nineties Los Angeles music scene, has worked with some of the Melodic Rocks top vocalists including James Christian and Robin McAuley. Vaccaro handles the guitar work and keyboards whilst also being the lead vocalist. Ably assisting Vaccaro and rounding out the trio are Mike McDonald (bass, vocals) and Scott Marion (drums & percussion). Vaccaro also produced the album so it really was a labour of love.

'That's How It Is' kicks off proceedings and this up-tempo Rocker really builds a crescendo of sound and has a really catchy chorus that had me instantly hooked. Vaccaro's voice is suited to the faster-paced songs on the album. 'All I Want' follows and has much more of a modern sound to it, again with a catchy, punchy chorus followed by some excellent guitar breaks by Vaccaro. A cover of 'Jailhouse Rock' is up next; whilst a fast-paced version with a great guitar solo, I would have much preferred an original track. 'I Only Want To Be With You' slows the pace and has a definite sound of the seventies West Coast. 'Let Your Loving Come Down' reminds me of early Wings with great harmonies and a solid beat that will have you tapping along.

The tempo then re-ignites with 'Piece Of The Pie' and 'Got To Rock', two go-ahead Rockers that give you a feel of how tight the band is together. The final track, 'Til I'm Done', contains some great work on the guitar from Vaccaro and solid backing from the rhythm section, then suddenly it's done.

Neon Alley is a solid debut from a band that has obviously put a lot of time, effort, and sweat into producing something they can be proud of. You can tell by the tightness of the playing how long they have worked together. This is a great selection of songs that cannot be placed into any specific style; it has songs to entice any fan of quality well written, well performed music. A great debut and a really easy listen. Well done.

Mick Parry