US artist Jessie GALANTE may not be the best known artist around, but she has been an active entity in the US rock scene for more than 30 years by now, with a solo career spanning two decades. “The Show Must Go On” is her most recent solo production, initially self released in the spring of 2016, and now set for a full international release in May 2017 through Italian label Tanzan Music.

While Galante may not be all that well known at this stage, she joins the ranks of the myriads of artists out there that deserves a wider recognition. Galante’s forte are her vocals, and many of the songs relies at times heavily on her vocal talents to carry them. Perhaps due to that she doesn’t explore any specific narrowly defined subset of music, but have spread her net fairly wide as far as musical styles are concerned. Rock music is something of a cornerstone though, and then more often than not of the radio friendly variety.

AOR style hard rock, which she has a past from as a band member in the 80’s, have their natural place on this production. Funkier escapades nodding in the direction of bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and 70’s blues based hard rock bands of the kind that flavored their escapades with funky guitar details are also present, as are creations with something more of a hair metal orientation to them: A track like Drown wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the earlier Bon Jovi albums. But cuts with a gentler style have their place too, on a couple of occasions in a classic early 70’s guitar and organ manner that for some reason or other made me think of the great Janis Joplin, even if the style of music itself may actually be closer to what an artist like Tina Turner might have crafted in her more energetic moments. Galante’s vocals may have something to do with this association, as her particular vocal style is one that for me comes across as something of a cross between those two: Lacking the huskiness of the latter and the sheer, emotional gut-wrenching belting abilities of the former, but with a timbre that at times can remind me of both of these vocal legends. Galante tends to have a sharper and more cutting delivery though, one probably not quite as universally appealing but a good voice nonetheless. And on the most excellent concluding track, Nights in White Satin, she showcase that restraint and control are well within her grasp, only carefully applying a bit more power and sharpness in the appropriate moments on this captivating, orchestral take on The Moody Blues classic creation.

Jessie Galante is a strong vocalist with what appears to be a well schooled and well trained set of vocal chords, and she knows her way around soul just as much as rock and the relatively gentler aspects of hard rock. Those who find the thought of a quality vocalist operating in such waters, by and large focusing on music of the kind that ideally should be on rotation in the FM radio airwaves, should find plenty to enjoy on Galante’s most recent studio album. An artist and an album that deserves to be presented to a broad audience, and one that probably would sell fairly well if that ever should happen.

My rating: 78/100

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Track list:
Diamond in the Sky; Dreamer; Border Song; Drown; Mamma (I Get a Little Crazy); More Like
Love Divine; Mamma Said; Remains of the Day; The Show Must Go On; Beautiful Man; Nights in White Satin