Ok lets get this straight from the start. No matter what the press hype surrounding the release of 'From The Inside' might say, this certainly is not Danny Vaughn returning to the melodic rock fold... to my mind he never left anyway. This is also not Don't Come Easy Mark II. Tyketto were a band whose songs were built around an acoustic base and Vaughn simply carried on that tradition. 'From The Inside' however is a more of a pure AOR album with lush production values, generous use of keyboards and multi-layered harmony vocals.

Now lets be honest up front, I am a huge Tyketto/Danny Vaughn fan and this album was one I was looking forward to getting my hands on immensely and in the week or so I have owned it it has rarely left my CD player. My reactions have varied on an almost day to day basis from absolutely loving the entire record to feeling ambivalent to say the least, but above all I have kept listening.

Album opener 'Nothing At All' is a Vaughn/Grossi co-written track. As such the melody is pure Vaughn, and the song could easily have been lifted from either of the two Vaughn studio albums. The vocals, delivered with feeling and emotion, sit beautifully atop the musical backdrop. A slightly mellow and restrained verse gives way to a soaring chorus hook and although lacking an out and out guitar solo the harmony guitar behind the final choruses works perfectly.

Next up is 'Suddenly', a song co-written by Desmond Child and Andreas Carlsson. As with any song Child pens there is a killer chorus and it is in the chorus that the keyboards and harmony vocals alluded to earlier really make their first mark. 'Fight For Love' is a slower tempo number and is  predominantly a keyboard led track. The chorus once again boasts beautiful harmony vocals, even if the lyrics are slightly on the corny side.

'Losing Game' continues in the same vein as the previous song, although lacking the instant hooks in the chorus and then we have 'Damn'. Originally performed by Leanne Rimes, Vaughn makes the song his own with a slightly breathless, almost sensual vocal delivery backed up by the multi-layered harmonies that litter the song.

'Stop' raises the tempo and is a more guitar orientated number with a rolling bass line providing a solid bass for the vocals. The chorus is one of the best on offer on the album and will have you singing along from the first listen. 'Relentless' , of all the songs on the CD  is probably the least memorable. Built around a drum/bass groove in the verse, the chorus lacks a major hook to draw the listener in.

The next two songs are both Danny Vaughn compositions. First up is 'Blessing In Disguise', a song that sees Vaughn at his best. Lyrically similar to 'Fly Away' from the 'Fearless' album, The arrangement is more laid back than most songs on the record and as such stands out. 'Is Anybody Watching Me?' is another example of Vaughn telling a story through his lyrics. This aspect of his writing is certainly one of his strengths and although slower in tempo than 'Blessing In Disguise' the song boasts yet another killer chorus.

'Always' is the final track co-written by Vaughn on the CD and proves to be another winner. Musically the track comes is similar to 'Is That All There' Is from the Soldiers & Sailors album, in that it is an uptempo pop/rock song. The chorus is certainly one to sing-a-long to and as with all of the Vaughn penned tracks on the CD benefits from a less cluttered production

The final track is 'Beautiful Goodbye' a song originally performed by Amanda Marshall. As a ballad it is perhaps not the best way to end an album, however the orchestration works well and Vaughn produces yet another excellent vocal performance.

There is seriously very little that can be faulted with the CD, Vaughn produces consistently excellent vocal performances, whilst the musical execution and production is of equal quality. However at times it doesn't quite hit the spot emotionally that Soldiers & Sailors or Fearless managed to hit. This is particularly evident during 'Relentless' and 'Losing Game, which prove to the weakest songs on the disc. Conversely, the self penned tracks are among the best Vaughn has produced. Perhaps it is the personal investment in these numbers that give them the edge. Given the fact that Vaughn, the band, currently appears to be without a record deal, then 'From The Inside' is certainly a strategically good move for Vaughn, the man. The publicity and promotion this release is garnering will raise his profile and hopefully enable him to find a home for future completely self-penned projects.

Let us know your views on 'From The Inside'

Track List

Nothing At All
Suddenly
Fight For Love
Losing Game
Damn
Stop
Relentless
Blessing In Disguise
Is Anybody Watching Me
Always
Beautiful Goodbye

Line Up

Danny Vaughn - Lead Vocals
JM Scattolin - Guitars
Fabrizio Grossi - Bass & Keyboards
Masayoshi Yamasuka - Drums
Joachim Cannaiuolo - Drums