Thursday, 11 February 2016

*ALBUM REVIEW* Sophia Radisch “Beautiful Sin” an 'AMBITIOUS' 13-Track LP

Sophia Radisch - photo courtesy of Sophia Radisch 

by Mike McKenna
Contributor, Nor'Easter Magazine

This young lady comes to me with kudos longer than my arm and she is only 17 years old, having come into the music scene young (at 13!) She has accomplished more in her early years than most musicians experience during a lifetime. Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, this powerhouse is a member of SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) SAC (Songwriters Association of Canada) & CARAS (The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) and is the Co-Founder & Co-Owner Of Rock Solid Talent Entertainment Ltd.

Her musical talents have been well documented and described as “having a style that is all her own that she projects with a cutting edge in a mainstream flavor.” With over 150 songs in her catalog, some of which were included in the feature film, “Thirteen Downs”, for which she was cast in the lead as “Lilly.” This young lady has everything going for her including working with Hall of Fame Songwriter, Publisher, Music Journalist, and Producer Larry Wayne Clark on 3 collaborations.

Her current band is like a Who's Who of Rock and includes former Megadeath members and guest musicians, Glen Drover who produced the LP and gives it up on lead vocals and also on the guitar and drummer Shawn Drover provided the beats; Ronnie "Dawg" Robson with bottom rhythm on bass guitar and Sophia, who composed & co-produced this effort as well as plays guitar and belts out the lead vocals.

This ambitious 13-track LP opens with the title track, “Beautiful Sin”, which gives me visions of the style of an Alanis Morrisette. The slammin' riffs are totally hot! The LP's 1st single, “Hot Blooded” has “London Calling” Clash-like guitars throughout which set the pace for her angelic pipes and melodic vox. The rhythmic changes are fresh and blend together in a nice marriage. Once again, we hear tight manipulation of the frets on the guitar solo. RAD! “Defeated” has a nice retro/mod flavor where the musical flow just moves so smooth. NICE!


“Saint or Sinner” is a cool mid-tempo rocker with tight harmony that has Sophia proclaiming “I'm a Saint, I'm a Sinner”, COOL! “Shiver”most likely alludes to that Canadian cold which does make one shiver, I've experienced that for myself. BRR! “Suffocate” tells an awesome story that comes from way down deep, Sophia nails this perfectly! “Give Me A Soul” has a sound that would raise one's blood pressure in a heartbeat. With a combination of power vocals and bangin guitars, this would light up a nightclub in an instant. HOT! “Come Around” shows one another side of Sophia as she gives everything she has in this feeler.

“Raining Fire” just hits you from the door and holds the listener captive. “Heal Your Woman” has a mainstream Alternative sound that should kick-ass on ALT formats. If I was a programmer, I would have this as an ADD in a HOT rotation! BANGING! “Sweet Injustice” follows in the creative mold of some of the earlier tracks where Sophia's exceptional talents are once again on display for all to hear. “Stairway to Nowhere” has a nice AOR/Adult Contemporary appeal to it, this track could cross over into multiple formats. The final track, “Behind Closed Doors”, showcases those powerful lungs of Sophia's married nicely to some laid-back instrumentation which gives this a smooth flow.

After listening to 13 tracks, coming out of hypnosis by her wonderful voice and finally getting it all together here, I can honestly say that this is a lady on the rise. Are we going to hear more from her? HELL YES! She is one talented, polished musician with the chops to go along with it all. If she can make a believer out of me, than she can do the same for you, the discriminating listener. She has the moxy to do it all in a big way!

This LP is a MUST LISTEN! On the Nor'easter Storm Scale, I give this a FORCE 3! WELL DONE!

LP Review by Michael McKenna

Nor'easter Entertainment Magazine

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