Black Swan "Shake The World" Album Review
The genesis of Black Swan was sparked by a conversation between Jeff Pilson and Frontiers' president & head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, who wanted a project that would not only showcase McAuley's vocal prowess, but have a mighty musical backbone to stand skyscraper tall behind him. Thus, the initial seeds were planted and Pilson ran with it from there. "Shake The World" was tracked at Pilson's home studio in Los Angeles, being a showcase of both the musical talents of the instrumental players in the band as well as McAuley's powerful voice. The four members got Black Swan off the ground by exchanging ideas back and forth and then bringing all the songs together. The final result is something fresh, very heavy, but still intensely melodic and it's certainly not Dokken nor Winger nor MSG or some combination thereof, but its own unique animal.
Robin McAuley's voice has aged really well, and Pilson and Beach are at the top of their game. There's enough variety and skill on display here that you will find yourself giving this one multiple spins. "Shake the World" is a pure feel good nostalgia that sounds fresh and vibrant taking the listener on a ride back to the glory days of the genre. Hopefully, Black Swan won't be just another "one-off" collaboration and the band will be around for many years to come.
Track listing
1. Shake The World
2. Big Disaster
3. Johnny Came Marching
4. Immortal Souls
5. Make It There
6. She's On To Us
7. The Rock That Rolled Away
8. Long Road To Nowhere
9. Sacred Place
10.Unless We Change
11. Divided/United
Line-up
Robin McAuley
Reb Beach
Jeff Pilson
Matt Starr
