Jeff Scott Soto to Chaoszine: “I’m not just a metal singer, I’m not a rock singer, I’m not an AOR singer, or a ballad singer; I’m not a soul singer, or R&B. I’m all of the above.”

Author Flavia Andrade - 22.4.2022

Jeff Scott Soto is an extraordinary performer and amazing vocalist, with a career spanning over three decades. About to release “Complicated”, his eighth official solo studio album, on May 6, 2022, via Frontiers Music Srl, Soto spoke to Chaoszine. As with his previous studio album of all new material, “Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)”, Soto teamed up with producer and songwriter Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Revolution Saints, Edge Of Forever) to craft “Complicated”. Del Vecchio also played keyboards and bass on the album, alongside Fabrizio Sgattoni on lead guitars and Edu Cominato on drums. Arguably the best JSS album since “Damage Control”, “Complicated” has a Talisman feel to it, but it is wholly Jeff Scott Soto at the end of the day. He delivers on hard rocking tracks with incredible energy and easily transitions to a powerful performance on epic ballads.

Jeff Scott Soto has more than 60 albums under his belt, as well as numerous collaborations and recordings, expertly delivering across multiple musical genres, from metal and hard rock to progressive rock. He began his career as the vocalist for guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen before becoming the frontman for bands such as Talisman, Soul SirkUS, Sons of Apollo (featuring Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Bumblefoot), as well as an ongoing membership in Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And let us not forget his stint as lead singer for legendary classic rock band Journey.

In 1994, Soto released his first solo album, “Love Parade”, followed years later by the acclaimed “Prism” (2002), then “Lost In The Translation” (2005), “Beautiful Mess” (2009), “Damage Control” (2012), “Retribution” (2017), “Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)” (2020), and “The Duets Collection, Vol. 1” (2021).

Chaoszine has spoken to Jeff Scott Soto about all the work he has done throughout the pandemic: the making of two albums, including upcoming release “Complicated”, producing another (Spektra‘s “Overload”, featuring BJ, Leo Mancini, Henrique Canalle and Edu Cominato, released on Frontiers Music Srl last August) and shooting a couple music videos. He also addressed his time with Journey, as well as the joy of being part of supergroup Sons of Apollo. He also discussed the ways in which the music business have changed over the years, and how technology puts constant pressure on musicians to strive for perfection.

Check out the video interview below:

You can also check out the singles from “Complicated” released so far: