Kent Hilli

Thu
05
Mar

GIANT - Stand And Deliver (Album Review)

information persons: 
content: 
89%
Produced By: 
Jimmy Westerlund, David Huff, Alessandro Del Vecchio
Release Date: 
2025
Released: 
World
Musical Style: 
Melodic Rock
Label: 
Frontiers
Artist: 
Score: 
89
Categories: 
Reviews
Year: 
2026
GIANT, or Euro-Giant as I prefer to call this incarnation deliver the second album to feature Perfect Plan frontman Kent Hilli – a natural choice given to tone of his voice and the unavailability of the band’s founder and creative heart Dann Huff.
 
David Huff (drums) and Mike Brignardello (bass) remain, but creative control on this album goes to One Desire guitarist/main man Jimmy Westerlund. Alessandro Del Vecchio stepped back halfway after parting ways with the Frontiers production house.
 
So this is a very good, almost great slice of melodic rock, but it still isn’t Giant. I think it’s even a step up from the last album, but here’s what confuses me – if some songs have a real traditional Giant feel to them, with Westerlund putting in a very credible Dann Huff imitation – then why do others sound like the standard personality void Euro-AOR Frontiers keeps churning out?
 
The touches of old Giant add to the album’s appeal while the other tunes can be appreciated for what they are.
 
Oh, and the guys cover two of Van Stephenson’s unreleased co-writes with Dann Huff which I uncovered in Van’s vaults and released in 2024 (‘Holdin’ On For Dear Life’ and the wondrous ballad ‘Paradise Found’). Did they ask permission to use? Of course not, but you’re welcome guys, it does help this record sound more authentic.
 
Now they’re coming to Italy in 2026 to perform with Dann, but without Kent. Makes as much sense as anything else they’ve done I guess.
 
 
Wed
29
Mar

TENORS – Naked Soul (Album Review, 2023)

information persons: 
content: 
40%
Produced By: 
Alessandro Del Vecchio
Label: 
Frontiers
Artist: 
Score: 
40
Categories: 
Reviews

I get the idea…in itself it’s not a bad proposition – three of the scene’s leading male vocalists all appearing intertwined through a dozen new melodic rock tunes. But there are issues from the outset here. Bland songs, sterile production, no real plan to work their voices together and an unfortunate lack of emotional urgency that music of this style should carry.

Fronting up for this latest Frontiers ‘project’ is Kent Hilli – one of the most melodic and popular vocalists around right now, who is in real danger of spreading himself way too thin (Perfect Plan, Giant, Solo Album and TBA fourth project pending); Robbie LaBlanc – the powerhouse singer left powerless with a bland mix of songs; and Toby Hitchcock, the star of Pride Of Lions, who is yet to find consistency outside of that vehicle.

The concept has worked brilliantly when a two pronged approach is used such as with Russell Allen and Jorn Lande, but those albums had the bonus of Magnus Karlsson at the helm, providing some killer songs and intuitive mixing of the vocalists.

With Tenors, it is Alessandro Del Vecchio, the Frontiers songwriter/producer/mixer/multi-instrument playing machine, responsible here for writing, production, mixing, mastering, bass, additional keyboards, guitars, and backing vocals.

On top of some completely twee lyrics, none of the voices are given any room to breathe. There’s no comradery or sense of a unified mission between the singers. There’s no natural chemistry – just three voices recorded in different studios, singing songs they didn’t write, mixed together at ADV central.

The mid-album Silent Cries is the only song that stands out as anywhere near memorable.

The idea of three singing together as “tenors” should be to create a wall of vocals, rich harmonies, not just three guys singing one line each at a time. It’s way too disjointed. And to be frank, its just plain dull. Lifeless and repetitive and all too familiar to those following along with the endless Frontiers projects.

 
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