Jeff Scott Soto
Live at Firefest 2008

February 2011
Released: 2010, Frontiers Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

It’s probably safe to say that just about every metal or hard rock fan has heard of Jeff Scott Soto. Whether it was with his pioneering work on the early Yngwie Malmsteen albums, his contributions to the lengthy career of Axel Rudi Pell, or his own solo albums, Soto’s voice is one of the most celebrated in rock today. Indeed, his solo career has been extremely busy since the turn of the century, releasing three albums, three live albums, an EP, and a “best of” in that time. While you can question the validity of putting out a fourth live album (and second since his last studio release), there’s no denying that Soto has enough material to pull it off.



Indeed, LIVE AT FIREFEST 2008 is packed full of songs culled over Soto’s solo career, and all are performed flawlessly. In fact, you may not have heard of the guys in this band before, but one listen to this album proves how incredibly talented they are. As for Soto himself, his vocals are delivered with all of the charisma and talent we’ve come to expect.



As I said, the track list covers the gamut of Soto’s solo albums, featuring some great hard rockers like “21st Century”, “Drowning”, and “Eyes of Love”. The high lights though, are the two medleys: “Piano Medley” which runs through several of the best ballads of his career, and “Funky Medley” which is amazing and hilarious whipping of a ton of funk classics – it proved so popular in fact that the band still perform it today.



Needless to say, any fan of Jeff Scott Soto can pick this album up without hesitation. The album is also great for those, like me, who aren’t familiar with his solo work but love quality hard rock. Excellent stuff.