Lost in the Translation

Lost in the Translation is the third album, moving between hard rock, AOR and soulful nuance around Jeff Scott Soto's soaring, expressive vocals. Released in 2004, with Soto himself also playing bass and keyboards and guitars split between Howie Simon and Gary Schutt. Glen Sobel plays drums. Journey's Neal Schon takes part in the writing and playing, a connection that led to Soul SirkUS, begun the same year. Two years on from the last record, it comes from a period of momentum. The songs value melody while keeping a rock core through the hardness of guitar and rhythm. From the race of the opener “Believe in Me” and “Soul Divine,” through the heaviest track “Drowning” and the title song, to the closing acoustic “Sacred Eyes,” a harder texture than the previous album stands out. Many songs were written on bass, and structures recalling Talisman appear throughout. Beyond flashy high notes, the persuasiveness of the singing in restrained passages is considerable. A satisfying career highlight that gathers varied influences naturally and shows both his range and his deep understanding of a song.