Today in artist spotlight we have a great find: the album Cruise Control by Max Cruise. This release packs 10 tracks and it is his debut album. It is indeed a powerhouse of 80s synths and everything associated.
The first track Dangerous Love features stunning vocals, very smooth background synths and an awesome sax solo. No doubt, this one was just stepped out one of the 80’s blockbuster movies. Pat DiMeo delivers really fantastic singing here.
The title track Cruise Control doesn’t spare the 80’s power either. Starts with a fantastic sax lead and background guitar, emphasized with some lush drums full of gated reverb - then the sax goes wild! A nice guitar solo also joins in to make a statement and the track ends with both running in parallel.
You And Me Again is a track features smooth vocals by Alessandra Gonzalez and a fantastic guitar solo which really fills the air with positive vibes. Of course the saxophone also makes an appearance for maximum effect.
Star Citizen starts with well positioned vocals, nice synth reverbs and after the magical intro the powerful snares sets an even higher mood. This recipe really works for this song and when the bridge comes, a guitar solo brings more energy. This is a surprisingly energeric track.
I initially tought Dark Days will be sadder song but it is a beautiful synthwave ballad. Features Pat DiMeo’s strong tenor, it is very powerful and it’s anything but sad. It is finished off with a very fitting sax solo which is clearly a trademark of Max Cruise.
I had great expectations for the track Sunset Beach but it definitely lived up to it: starting with sweeping sea sounds and nicely arranged reverbs and pads it channels the mood of its title wonderfully.
Who we are is a track with a calmer track, and vocals sung by Pat DiMeo paired with sax backing is really awesome.
Finally, Arcade Master is an instrumental tour de force of guitar solos and carefully selected synths in a great package. It is a nice finishing song for the album.
Cruise Control is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music
, Spotify
.
If you like guitar and saxophone solos, this is the album for you. Highly recommended!