"All About The Album - 15 Questions" - a section at the RockUnited site where a recording artist with an recently released CD is confronted with 'album'  questions (15 of them, duh!). If you'd like to have your material up here, email: urban "at" rockunited.com (simply replace "at" with your standard @ )

JEFF SCOTT SOTO: "Damage Control"

JEFF SCOTT SOTO - a well known U.S. power-house vocalist and you've seen him upfront with acts such as Journey, Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman, Eyes, etc, etc.  "Damage Control", his latest solo effort, will be released on March 27 in North America via Frontiers Records.  The album was recorded in Fall 2011 and features guest appearances by Jamie Borger and Nalle Påhlsson (Treat), Casey Grillo (Kamelot), Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger) and Dave Meniketti, founding member of Y&T. The man has lent his powerhouse vocals to more than 60 albums, expertly navigating numerous genres from hard rock to funk. Here to answer the Q's and to inform us about Damage Control, JEFF SCOTT SOTO...

How has the reaction to your latest CD been?

So far great, its always nerve wracking and exciting at the same time when a new album is coming out, you want people to love and herald it as your best work but the main concern is that everyone knows about it. So far, so good!

How long did this CD take to make from start to finish, recording-wise?

Pretty much knocked it out from soup to nuts in 3 months, that's everything from writing to mastering it... and all of this done while I was touring, other gigs, sessions and the contributors on the album all living in different countries around the world... it was an amazing feat, one I was crazy to attempt and actually did pull off.

What kind of 'sound', production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?

Just that it was strong and kicked ass... I wanted to make sure sonically the uptempo songs jumped out of the CD and the mellower ones still had impact without being too light. This is all credit to my mixing engineer John Ellis.

What kind of input did the producer have during the process?

I am the producer so the impact is in the results of the final product!

And are you pleased with the final outcome? (sound - production wise)

Yes but of course one is never fully satisfied and knows things could always
be better. That being said, you have to at some point know when to move on and that things are as close as you can get them without spending a month on each song to mix.

Did the producer (you) use any (weird) experimental miking and/or recording techniques?

Not really, pretty traditional recording overall and did all the tricks with EQ and plug-ins later, this album is pretty much in your face without too
much trickery involved.

How did you go on about capturing your 'live sound' in the studio, or perhaps you didn't

Not really, most of the album was recorded with modules for the instruments, midi for the keys and D/I for everything else. Drums were all live and
re-triggered later with great samples and vocals were via my Groove Tubes M1 mic. All tracks were done and mixed on Pro Tools HD.

Please inform us about your favourite songs and lyrical highlights and why?

I have quite a few on this album, as well I mixed them up in the sequencing of the album as most put what they feel the strongest at the top and weakest at the end... I disagree with that as not only does everyone have a different opinion on whats better from song to song, but I like to vary things so there is more dynamic on how it all flows. One of my faves is an uptempo song called "Take U Down", very aggressive musically and lyrically.

Any overall theme of mood that you're trying to capture while writing songs?

Not really, in that I mostly write melodies and lyrics on my songs after getting ideas from others I collaborate with, I let the music dictate what I will write about and how the melodies will connect.

Does your vision for coming up with music get affected at all by time?

Not really, the key for me is 'don't think too much', let it flow and let it happen.

Did the record company interfere with anything on your "sound" and songs?

Not at all, they only chose their top eleven for a 'standard' edition of the album where as I got to do all fourteen I wanted to for a 'deluxe' edition. Other than that, they leave me be and trust I will deliver what they expect of me.

Are there any 'crazy' behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?

Not so much, the only craziness was my idea to include 26 musicians from 3 continents to be involved without being there with them while were creating it, the fact that they all shine and it sounds like a cohesive piece of work is thrilling!

How would you describe the sound of your new CD to any potential new fan? 

As a rock album, it takes you everywhere you want to go... melody, muscle, songs and attitude, what more do you want?

Who are your influences and heroes? (music-wise)

Queen, Prince, Van Halen, Terence Trent D'Arby...

If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do:

If
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Jeff Scott Soto

Interview by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
Photos from the band's website www.jeffscottsoto.com
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