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TODD MICHAEL HALL
Off The Rails
Rat Pak Records - 2024
http://www.toddmichaelhall.com

Three years after the release of his debut solo album, the rousing Sonic Healing, RIOT V singer TODD MICHAEL HALL has once again teamed up with METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof for the release of solo album #2, Off the Rails.

Coming from Rat Pak Records, there were a variety of options to check out the album. I ended up getting the version that comes with the two bonus tracks, a guitar pick and stickers. Plus the album was signed.

But that all takes a back seat to the music, of course. The cover art is eye-catching and certainly dynamic. With Vanderhoof writing all the music and Hall handling all the lyrics and vocal melodies, the duo are certainly in sync with each other for the album's 12 tracks.

Off The Rails opens up with the song "Are You With Me". In terms of pacing, I did find myself a little surprised that a mostly-midtempo track was chosen to open the album but that doesn't take away from the overall appeal of the track. I love the moody vibe that is established with the musical score. The pace increases to a far more intense and heavy feel during the chorus. The way TODD MICHAEL HALL's vocals come off in the main lyrical portions of the song are really cool. It's a fully rounded vocal performance that really captures the imagination and when you combine it with the music, it is just one hell of a track.

The song "The Doctor" is one of two songs from the album that they've done music videos for so far. It's a fully charged rocker that grips you right from the start.

For "Start With Love", I really liked that brief table setting intro before the more rocking pace of the song kicks in fully. For me, I liked the way the "love song" type song lyrics were offset by a highly definitive energetic score in the overall delivery of the music. No one is ever going to confuse me as a lovey-dovey kind of guy but this song kicked my butt!

When I first looked at the back of the CD jewel case for the album's track listing, I saw the song "Sitting On Top Of The World" and though the songs have nothing in common, my mind made the comparison in song titles to the Otis Redding classic "Sitting On The Dock of The Bay". I don't know why the brain works that way but it is what it is. Much like "The Doctor", the song is a full bore rocking track. I like the thump provided by the drumming on the song and the way Hall delivers the vocals, there's a cool hook to his delivery. Overall, I found my foot tapping to the rhythm of the song and with each successive spin of the CD, I grew to love the song that much more.

In the lead-in for "Part of Me", the song starts off a bit slow but after that it moves into a more mid-tempo groove that eventually grows into a much more intensely driven song with an impassioned vocal turn from Hall.

The title track for the Off The Rails album gets topical in the song lyrics as it addresses how the world is (or isn't) nowadays. This was the other song they did a video for (though I think it came out first) and it's a definite thumper. I love the guitar solo Vanderhoof has in this one.

One of the most interesting tracks on the album for me was the song "Name The Time & Place". It has a set of nostalgia driven lyrics and it is just a fantastic song. But what made me really connect with the song is how it made me think it is a spiritual companion piece to the song "Back in '74" from this year's HALL AFLAME album Amplifire. The tie between them is Kurdt Vanderhoof since he's part of both projects. This is a flat out rocking performance and that extra (again, this is perhaps only in my mind) connection helps..ahem...amplify how much I am attached to this song.

I like the slightly bluesy brief opening for "Can't Get Enough" before it becomes another foot-stomping rhythmic rocker. As for "Roll Me Over", it hits the gas pedal from the start of the song and has a slyly understated set of lyrics that actually took me til the last spin of the CD before writing this review to catch some of the ideas TODD MICHAEL HALL was singing about in the song.

The album's main portion closes out with the song "Gone". When I first started my notes for this review, I noted "power ballad style" on the first spin of the disc. As I listened to the song a few more times, the description certainly fits in terms of song structure. But the lyrics aren't exactly tied to any sense of what you would've gotten from the same type of song back in hard rock/heavy metal's heyday. I like the way the first part of the vocals are slowly rolled out but then when you hit that chorus, TODD MICHAEL HALL's performance becomes more in-your-face and forceful. Overall, this is a dramatic kind of presentation that allows the music and vocal performance to shine in both measured and rocking styles.

The album's "bonus tracks" finish the album out in fine style. The song "Lone Wolf" could be taken by me as a theme song since I enjoy the solitary nature the song's title and lyrics conjure up. It's got an energetically packed musical score that certainly keeps things lively throughout. And Hall's vocals give an added sense of dimension to the lyrics. Meanwhile, I liked the straightforward nature of "One Moment" as the album closer. It rocks out from start to finish to put a fine point on the album as a whole.

TODD MICHAEL HALL has plenty of musical bonafides having been the RIOT V singer for a while now, plus the time he spent with REVERANCE and yes, even his appearance on The Voice. But I'd be lying to you if I said that any of that has made a bigger impression on me than his solo work. First came Sonic Healing which is an album I love. And now Hall (with Kurdt Vanderhoof again) has unleashed Off The Rails which only further burnishes his resume. Simply put, this is a great hard rock album that packs plenty of melody too and it should make people sit up and take notice!

5.0 Out Of 5.0