For those not in the know, Jesse Damon is lead singer with Silent Rage, with whom he has released three albums. Nothin' Else Matters is Damon's second solo release, following on from the 2003 album 'The Hand That Rocks'  Whereas the former album was produced by Paul Sabu ,this time around Damon has has taken on the mantle of production himself  in conjunction with the French Brothers.

Having had this album for a couple of weeks, on first listen it was not a CD that impressed me all that much. Luckily however what Damon has done is produce a set of songs that, with repeated plays, grows on the listener and ultimately gel together to become a satisfying and enjoyable record. What should be made clear from the outset however is that this is in no way, shape or form a balls to the wall rock record. Damon has gone for a more modern approach, with subtle guitar lines, wandering bass patterns and reflective melodies.

This style of writing is typified by opening track 'What Your Doin' To Me', intelligent and insightful lyrics are delivered in an almost laidback fashion on top of a bass heavy sonic landscape. When the guitar does come to the front in the solo it is again a restrained axe attack that doesn't go overboard on the fretboard frenzy scale.

The closest analogy that I can come up with for the music that Damon has penned for this record is Butch Walker, particularly with regard to the Marvelous 3 records. Given that I have a strong affinity with Mr Walker and his musical output, this is certainly no bad thing. Standout track on Nothin' Else Matters is 'Don't You Know'. With this effort in particular everything comes together and Damon has produced a top quality song. With definite pop/rock sensibilities this number works on many levels from the beautiful melodies, to the understated guitar work and intricate drum patterns. Full marks for this one Mr Damon!

If your penchant is for something slightly different, incorporating a modern approach to the melodic rock genre then this is certainly an album you should invest in. The musical  arrangements are at times complex and it is only through repeated listens that you manage to catch all of the subtle undertones within the songs. However if you are prepared to invest the time to do this then the experience is ultimately rewarding

Let us know your views on 'Nothin' Else Matters'

Track List

What Your Doin' To Me
Messin' With My Head
Good Life
Don't You Know
I Want You
Your My Reason For Livin'
Fame That's Callin'
Nothin' Else Matters
Where You Goin'
Rains With Fire

Line  Up

Jesse Damon - Vocals/Guitar
Troy Spiropoulas - Bass and Vocals
Rodney Pino - Drums and Vocals