SPOCK’S BEARD - The Archaeoptimist (2025) Hi-Res

Rob Moratti’s all star cast is arguably more famous than he is : Joel Hoekstra, Tony Franklin, Felix Borg, Fredrik Bergh and Pete Alpenborg.

Alpenborg’s written stuff for Harry Hess, Robin McAuley, Kee Marcello, Tommy Heart and Tony Harnell.

He co-wrote the songs on Moratti’s well received 2024 album, Epical, and along with Fredrick Bergh has co-written much of Sovereign.

Echoing Epical, it is an elegant AOR album. In the manner of artists like Kent Hilli and Bro Firetribe, Moratti reclaims the musical space that was ultimately vacated by Alias, Starship, and perhaps even Journey.

It catches the mood of that era, where sentimentality and romantic musical moments, coated with a commercial sheen, were the currency of Melodic Rock.

Moratti takes an unapologetic stance on this. And that means there aren’t many surprises.

The good news is he’s still the same consummate pop-rock craftsman who has been making it all sound so smooth for years.

The evidence? Almost any track picked at random.

The teaser trailer single, ‘Can’t Let You Go’ is so last century, but in a good way; very Journey, very Survivor, an homage to the eighties, with a cool, lip smacking key change toward the finish.

All through Sovereign, Hoekstra shines, not by taking centre stage but by investing his axework with low profile emotion and passion, threading discreet solos through each track, lifting the melodic rock onto another plane.

The balladic ‘Every Word’s stuttering keyboards, shimmering production and measured BGVs, along with Hoekstra’s starstruck solo, underline the adage that for AOR, underdone is always better than overdone.

The only very slightly more aggressive ‘Waiting’ and ‘Locked Down’, and the even more Survivor-ish ‘Two Hearts’ are absolute peaches … tantalising AOR songs with luscious melodies. Nothing if not derivative. But unashamedly so. Tributes to past AOR glories. Skilfully done.