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Mature yet still fun!

Big Al | North Carolina USA | 09/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ted Poley's musical progression can be heard on this album more than any other. The stuff he did with Danger Danger was fun and rocking, then he moved on to Bone Machine and showed some true musical diversity. Now, with Gerhard Pichler and Melodica, he comes to full fruition in his music. The songs are deep and soulful dealing with topics such as being lonely, full of despair and feelings of sorrow. It is a quite refreshing to listen to these songs. And as always, Ted's voice is fantastic. He can still do it after all these years. If you like melodic rock, Melodica is for you!!!"

Ted Poley & Gerhard Pichler's "Melodica"=Class Act!

Antoinette Avalon | USA | 12/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ted Poley, former Danger Danger and Bone Machine vocalist, has delivered one of his finest performances with "Melodica". Forget anything BAD you may have read or heard or even THOUGHT because this album DELIVERS! Ted has returned with a collection that is a wonderful example of melodic hard rock at its finest. The music is wonderful, the lyrics mature, and Ted always SOUNDS like Ted. You can recognize his vocals, and that makes him stand out in a world where so many bands try to sound the same. Credit should be given to Ted for progressing musically while keeping his style intact. I've heard it implied that Ted sounds a bit strained at times on this album. I would say that this is 100% inaccurate. Ted is absolutely hitting the notes. I think what some folks may be hearing is the result of an artist that is also producing his own work. It's kind of like a writer editing THEIR own work. The writer reads right past their own mistakes because they know what they meant. I think sometimes vocalists don't hear something that sounds a little awkward because it's difficult to judge when it's your own voice. Think about how odd your own voice sounds on a recording, a voice mail for example, and you'll follow what I mean. The only spot I personally thought sounded just a little "squeaky" is in the song "The Hardest Part of Love" where he sings "Or if I find a cure I'll tell you". He's definitely hitting the notes, but I had to read the lyrics sheet to understand what he said there. Funding available, it might be wise to invite somebody like Dana Strum to produce the album next time. Dana has been producing Mark Slaughter, vocalist for the band Slaughter for years, and is accustomed to keeping a high octave singer from sounding squeaky in the final mix. Overall, that's the only spot that sounds a little awkward to me. One little sentence out of an eleven track CD. Melodica is definitely a worthwhile addition to any melodic hard rock collection. It will always have a special place in mine. Ted isn't the only melodic hard rock artist that released a new album in 2000. Related artists, such as Slaughter and FireHouse have also released wonderful new material. I have most of them reviewed. Check out your favorites, you may be pleasantly surprised!"

Ted's way out of tune

Justin Gaines | 08/27/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Listen, I love Ted Poley's voice (I'm a huge D2 fan), but I can't recommend this CD. Ted is WAY out of tune on many of the songs here. They sound like they have the potential to be cool tunes, then Ted just loses his way. Played this for a friend, and we were both just cringing at times. I don't know if a stronger producer and a bigger budget would've helped-probably. If you're expecting to hear the Ted Poley voice from the first 2 Danger Danger albums, you're going to be disappointed."