YYNOT are a US hard rock band that's been making some waves in recent years as not only a Rush cover band, but also with a couple of albums of all-original material under their belts, and their latest & third is titled Light and Shade. The line-up here is comprised of Billy Alexander (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Rocky Kuner (vocals), Tim Starace (bass), and Mike Hetzel (drums). Much of the material on this new release is melodic hard rock and pop, with Alexander's muscular riffing and blazing solos leading the charge over some rock solid rhythms, and Kuner's lovely vocals adding that sweet icing on the top of the cake. Opening instrumental "Wire and Wood" is an excellent, prog/fusion/hard rock piece, and here you can see why these guys are so good at playing Rush classics...they have some serious chops. "Living Proof" is an upbeat, engaging rocker, Rocky's vocals soaring over some tremendous arrangements, in what is perhaps the catchiest song on the album. She and Billy share vocals on the gentle "Fall From the Sky", which is followed by the more riff-driven "Mask", a song with more of a melancholy feel but has a nice memorable chorus. "Firefly" is a mellow pop song, followed by the radio friendly "Weight of the World", and the equally accessible yet musically challenging "Burning Bridge", which sees Billy and Tim laying down some impressive riffs together that will bring Alex & Geddy to mind instantly. Light and Shade closes with the upbeat pop-rock of "Stars, Sun and Moon", a track that has a nice hook, though I'm wishing Rocky had a little more 'grit' on her vocals. That's basically my complaint about much of this album; it's all impeccably produced and played, and Rocky has a lovely voice, but I'm finding her vocals to be a tad 'too sweet' perhaps for this band, and they seem to be trying too hard to go for a pop sheen on many of these tracks to suit her vocal style. Well, Rock Kuner is no longer in the band, having left since the release of Light and Shade, and word has it that her replacement has a little more of that grit & fire that I think I was looking for here. So, let's see where the band goes next on their future studio releases, but for now, I'm finding Light and Shade a fun enjoyable listen, though perhaps missing a little 'bite' on the vocal front.
Track Listing
1) Wire and Wood
2) Living Proof
3) Fall From the Sky
4) Mask
5) Firefly
6) Weight of the World
7) Burning Bridge
8) Stars, Sun and Moon
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