Rob Moratti Releases 'Epical' Rock Record
Melodic rock fans get a year-end treat with Moratti's new solo album.
Thank you for spending part of your day with Michael’s Record Collection. I’m still trying to catch back up from being knocked out by the flu, rescheduling some interviews, going through piles of promotional tracks, and trying to recover some rhythm in the midst of a busy holiday schedule.
This week’s issue features a stellar new release by vocalist Rob Moratti, who just dropped his fifth solo album, Epical on Dec. 9. This album wasn’t on my radar until recently and it turned out to be a fantastic surprise, as it channels the spirit of the melodic rock acts of the 1980s — Journey, Survivor, Toto, etc. — but packages it in a modern production with stellar musicianship and soaring vocals.
Let’s get right into that story.
Rock music is far from dead, regardless of what constitutes the Top 40 these days. While it might not be the mainstream musical juggernaut it’s been in the past, there’s still a vibrant rock music scene and plenty of great new music within the genre drops every week.
Sometimes a great rock album comes along and catches me by surprise, and so it was with Epical by vocalist and solo artist Rob Moratti. I will admit that I didn’t know much about Rob’s career, aside from the fact that he stepped in as the replacement in Saga for Michael Sadler when the Canadian band’s legendary front man briefly retired. Moratti appeared on Saga’s 2009 release, The Human Condition, which was a strong album even if longtime fans of the band had to suddenly get used to a new voice.
Moratti formed a band that went by his last name in 1995 and then turned toward a more melodic style with a band called Final Frontier. He’s been releasing solo albums since 2011’s Victory in further service of his love for melodic rock.
When Moratti’s new solo album — his fifth — Epical reached my inbox, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew the man could sing — or, at least I thought I did. The fact that he had signed with Frontiers Music meant that it was reasonable to assume that I would hear some kind of melodic or hard rock, but I was blown away when I dove into the album. The Rob Moratti who sang on that Saga album was only a small part of what the guy on this record puts forth. The vocals are outstanding and Moratti goes for it, taking his tenor voice to soaring heights.
Before even hearing a note, the first thing that grabbed my attention was who Moratti tapped to play on the record. Guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Joel Hoekstra’s 13) was a name I knew. Hoekstra is a supremely talented musician and has worked with many of my favorites. In addition to those named above, he has also played with the likes of Night Ranger, Jack Blades, Jeff Scott Soto, and Amy Lee. I knew the guitar work on the album would shine, and it does.
“The things that (Hoekstra) adds…he gives you more than just a lead (guitar),” Moratti said. “What you hear is a solo but when he’s playing and he starts layering these rhythms — it’s a rhythm thing that he adds and lifts the material…brings it to another place. It shocks you. It’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t live without this anymore.’”
Moratti had recruited Hoekstra for his previous album in 2020, Paragon, and the guitarist contributed to six songs. The singer was so happy with Hoekstra’s contributions that he asked him to play on all of the Epical songs and was willing to wait until Hoekstra had time to record everything.
Then there was bassist Tony Franklin. “The Fretless Monster” was a member of The Firm and Blue Murder, and has worked with seemingly everyone, including Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour & Kate Bush, Whitesnake, Lou Gramm, Jeff Beck, Don Dokken, David Coverdale, Warren DeMartini, Carmine Appice, Graham Bonnet, Gary Hoey, Derek Sherinian, Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, Terry Ilous, Ripper Owens, and Quiet Riot. Like the guitar on this album, I knew the bass playing was in great hands.
“You can get another bass player, but you’re not going to get a better bass player,” Moratti said of Franklin, who has collaborated with him for years, dating back to the first Rob Moratti solo album.
I didn’t know much about the other players on the record, including drummer Felix Borg or keyboardists Fredrik Bergh or Pete Alpenborg (who also adds rhythm guitar), but now I do, and I’m better for it.
Epical is a collection of 11 songs that channel the melodic rock spirit of 1980s bands such as Journey, Toto, and Survivor — bands that Moratti cites as influences on him — but the album has a big, modern production that keeps it from sounding of that earlier era. Moratti wrote the songs with the help of longtime songwriting partner Ulrick Lönnqvist, with some additional help from Alpenborg. Former Journey frontman Steve Augeri also co-wrote a track — “For the Rest of My Life,” which Augeri released as a digital single in 2016.
Franklin and Borg drive the songs forward as the rhythmic engine while Hoekstra walks a fine line between adding the sizzle with his expert soloing and layering just the right amount of rhythm guitar parts to carry Moratti’s vocals from verse to chorus and back.
There are no tracks on this album to skip, either. While there are highlights — notably album opener, “Can I Hold You for a While,” album closer, “Strangers,” second single “Love,” and the catchy “Valerie” — there are certainly no lowlights.
Moratti mixed, mastered, and produced the record. Going in, he knew exactly what kind of sound he wanted on Epical, and he achieved it.
“Can I Hold You for a While” kicks off the record with a driving, upbeat tempo and it’s an obvious first single. The song would have fit into a mid-80s top 40 list alongside any of the classic rock bands of that time. Hoekstra presents one of his best solos on the track and it sucks the listener right into the album.
I had no idea how high Moratti’s voice could go from his work on Saga’s The Human Condition. For that album, he wanted to serve the Canadian band’s existing sonic palette, although no restrictions were put on him by his veteran bandmates at the time.
“Steve Perry was always my number one (influence),” Moratti said, also citing Boston’s Brad Delp, Survivor’s Jimi Jamison, and both Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung from Styx. “These guys are monsters — high tenors, vocally. They just did things properly and they sounded great.
“I did what I wanted (with Saga). Ian (Crichton) and Jimmy (Gilmour) just plastered me with ideas. I took it upon myself to stay within the reality of Saga. It had to be in a place where it made sense with their whole catalog. They were so good with me. I had the freedom vocally and melodically to do anything.”
On “Masquerade,” Moratti hits some notes that are higher than anything he did with Saga. He can hit those notes with power rather than resorting to falsetto, and so it provides more punch. Hoekstra again smokes through a standout guitar solo that suits the song, while Franklin and Borg hold up the bottom end to support everything.
No 1980s AOR album would be complete without a ballad, and Moratti had to include one. “Nothing Left to Say” has the same flavor of classic 1980s ballads and is one of the better songs on the record.
“Valerie,” has a memorable chorus and is certainly one of my favorite songs on the record. Moratti said he didn’t have anyone specific in mind when he wrote the song, but he did like the fit of the name for the chorus.
“It sounds good. It had a ring,” Moratti said of the song title. “I’m always inspired by some of the classics, like Toto and Journey. They’ll write great songs using a beautiful name of a lady. I thought, ‘This is what we’ve got to do,’ inspired by ‘Suzanne’ from Journey back in the day (Raised on Radio, 1986). And, sure enough, it turned out really good.”
“Hold On” is another catchy, upbeat song, and that’s followed by Moratti’s version of the song Augeri recorded in 2016, “For the Rest of My Life.” Moratti’s version is another highlight of the album and not only does justice to the former Journey singer’s previous version without being a copy, but it’s the superior version in my opinion. Recording a new version of the song was an idea that Bergh brought to Moratti.
“That is a song that Fredrik had come to me and said, ‘Hey, how would you like to co-write a song with Steve and I for Steve’s record?’ And I thought, ‘if you’re asking me to get involved, that’s beautiful, absolutely.’ So I did,” Moratti said. “(Augeri) released it digitally, and that was it. And then I remember Fredrik bringing it back to me now, and he goes, ‘Hey man, it would probably be a good idea if you can re-release this song and put it on your CD. And I go, ‘If Steve’s OK with it, I’d love to do it.’ Steve was so happy. He says, ‘I can’t wait to hear it, man.’ So, I did my own version of it.”
“Stay the Night” is a solid mid-tempo track and “Love” is a worthy second single, with hooks for days and more stellar Hoekstra playing. The song almost didn’t make it onto the album. Lönnqvist wasn’t convinced it should go on, but Moratti liked it and wanted to include it. Frontiers ended up making it one of the album’s first singles and vindicating Moratti’s decision. It’s a worthy second single.
The album never tapers off. Rather than being frontloaded with the best songs, what would ordinarily serve as “Side 2” is filled with songs every bit as good as the first half of the record. “Crash and Burn” and a second ballad, “You Keep Me Waiting,” are every bit as strong as counterparts “Masquerade” and “Nothing Left to Say” near the beginning of the album. “Strangers” sends the listener out wanting to push play and hear the entire thing again.
Epical is an album that fans of 1980s Journey, Toto, Survivor, Boston, Styx, and Foreigner should find right up their alley. It doesn’t sound much like any one of those individual bands especially, but it combines the spirit they all embody and wraps it in a big, well-packaged production. It’s a record that Moratti should be proud of, because it’s an excellent release. He seems happy with the way it came out.
“This is why I called it Epical. I found something epical in every track and there’s an epical production going on right through every song,” he said.
For more information about Rob Moratti and his music, check out his official website.
Tracklist:
Can I Hold You for a While
Masquerade
Nothing Left to Say
Valerie
Hold On
For the Rest of My Life
Stay the Night
Love
Crash and Burn
You Keep Me Waiting
Strangers
Unfortunately, I don’t have a video for you this week. Rob was only available for an audio call, which happens from time to time, but I enjoyed our conversation. You can check out the full interview in Episode 90 of the Michael’s Record Collection podcast and hear some short snippets from some of the tracks on Epical. It’s an outstanding album and well worth your time if you’re at all into melodic rock. Rob also spoke about his early influences, his first favorite record, how he got into music, and his time in Saga, so check out the full interview on the podcast.
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