It’s been a while since we raved about the Guitar Odyssey album and interviewed Milan Polak. Having had an exclusive listen to the demos for his new album Straight, we decided to catch up with the guitar hero to find out how his vocal album had been received so far prior to its April 20th release on Lion Music? Milan is on the road at the moment but contacted us to give us his first official interview with regards to the Straight album. Our last interview with him was an epic this time we have kept it short and sweet.

BB's: How do you feel to be having your first vocal record released?

Milan: I am very excited! It's been a long, hard road full of fun and good times but also full of pain, blood, sweat & tears. Being producer & executive at the same time, I financed the whole CD out of my own pocket, the musicians, the studios, the travels, the mixing & mastering, photo shoot, artwork, etc. But then again, the advantage was that nobody told me what to do. I was lucky to work with awesome musicians and I am really happy with the result.

BB's: How did you find the transformation from instrumental albums to having to come up with lyrics and more simplistic song structures?

Milan: Even though this may be surprising to those who only know me by my instrumental CD's, I have always preferred to play what I call "real songs". I have always played in bands or been a sideman for famous singers, so this is basically something I am well acquainted with. I prefer expressing my emotions & thoughts with lyrics rather than showing the world how fast I can shred up and down the fret board.

BB's: Will you be going on the road to support the album?

Milan: I hope so. Touring is always a question of budget. Let's see how supportive my record label will be....

BB's: Did the album turn out the way you wanted?

Milan: Yes. It was a tedious struggle at certain times but I'd say the result is about 99% of what I wanted it to be. There is always something you could do better and/or differently but that's what I refer to as "progress". This will definitely not be my last vocal album.

BB's: Having sat with it for a while is there anything you would change if you had an opportunity to?

Milan: Nothing I can think of at the moment really. I am happy.

BB's: How’s the reaction been from the media and the fans?

Milan: Overwhelming. A Dutch magazine already rated my pre-release CD in the top 10 albums of the year. So far there has not been a single negative feedback. People really dig the songs and my voice gets compared to a lot of different great singers. I also get a lot of great feedback on my Myspace profile. My Myspace player is getting close to 60.000 plays as we speak! There was a point when I was afraid that I might lose my guitar fans but it looks as if they stuck with me and I am gaining new fans everyday.

it’s rewarding to know that there are still decent labels who will take a few chances and promote emerging talent. Milan had nothing to prove as a musician due to his previous releases but he now enters the ring as a vocalist, he may take some hits on the way but he will definitely throw some punches. Straight will be one of many vocal album releases from Polak who continues to impress the Bailey’s. He now has the ideal foundation to build on the reputation he’s earned across Europe and we wish him well on his journey.

Interview by The Bailey Brothers,
Photos from www.milanpolak.com