CD REVIEW: THE BOYSCOUT – My Route 66 [Special Edition]

Shane | 4 March 2016 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE BOYSCOUT – My Route 66 [Special Edition]
Sonic Revolution
4 December, 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 /10

With huge stretches of the original iconic U.S. highway Route 66 that runs 3940 kilometers from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, now replaced by more modern freeways and left for dead, Route 66 exists mostly in legend.

Despite this, the magical allure of this road that once represented freedom to an entire generation still remains strong around the world, as evidenced by this collection of ten cover songs by ‘The Boyscout’ (also known as Yugoslavian expatriot German guitarist and singer Manuel Mijalkovski) and a stellar line-up of guests.

The track listing reads like a mix tape of great rocking road songs: Steppenwolf’s biker classic Born To Be Wild; Poison’s Ride The Wind; Bob Seger’s Turn the Page; the iconic Route 66 itself, Foreigner’s Juke Box Hero and more.

Likewise, the guest singers are a wish list for many: Bonfire’s Claus Lensmann, Michael Voss of Mad Max and Bonfire, Jeff Scott Soho, Paul Shortino, Rainbow’s Tony Carey and Oliver Hartmann of Avantasia, amongst others.

It’ll always be difficult to live up to the legendary songs on offer, but The Boyscout does a good job of pulling it all together: it’s a frivolity for sure, but solid performances all round make this a very enjoyable frivolity – much like any hour spent with an above average covers band.

The special edition of this album comes with The Boyscout’s previous album, Blood Red Rose – A Rock Fantasy, which is another slickly produced, enjoyable melodic rock outing. Mijalkovski isn’t the strongest vocalist in the world (a cover of White Lion’s When The Children Cry is particularly grating), so it’s a pleasant respite when highlights Blood Red Rose and Hey… I Love You come up, featuring Amanda Somerville and Robin Beck respectively.