Steve Plunkett - Straight Up (CD digipak)

American vocalist STEVE PLUNKETT (ex AUTOGRAPH) puts out a new solo effort, the first since 1991! It's no surprise that we have a hard rock album with energy-driven vocals and razorsharp riffs here. The anthem-like "Rock Machine" provides a pretty good first impression. Even though the material seems to be artificially made somehow and is a bit sterile sounding, Plunkett's voice obviously passed the test of time. Given all that, the futuristic artwork fits the album quite well. Certainly not a ground-breaking record here but definitely interesting for fans of AUTOGRAPH. (MS)