CHARMING GRACE is an international recording project and brain child of WHEELS OF FIRE lead vocalist/ keyboardist Davide Barbieri, drummer Pierpaolo "Zorro 11" Monti and bassist Amos Monti, both from SHINING LINE & LIONVILLE. The whole idea and/ or concept behind this mega-collection of musicians was to write and record songs in the style of 80's melodic rock using one main lead vocalist (Barbieri) and teaming him up and recording each song as a duet with an individually, hand-picked vocalist based on their own, unique musical style or ability. And not only does the release feature vocalists from all over the world, but a talented blend of guest guitarists as well... some of these musicians haven't even been in the recording studio for years and in some cases even DECADES! The end result is charming anthology of melodic rock songs which is certainly worth a listen.

All of the original songs on the release were penned by Zorro together with Barbieri with the exception of two covers which they picked because of their CHARMING GRACE style. The first of which is a cover of BON JOVI's "Everybody's Broken" which features HUNGRYHEART vocalist Josh Zighetti sharing the microphone duties with Barbieri and since Barbieri's singing style always seems to have "hints" of that Jon Bon Jovi design anyway, it turns out to be a nice compliment to the original. The second, surprisingly, is a cover of Belinda Carlisle's 1989 hit "Leave A Light On" and features both Barbieri and newcomer Aurë hitting some rather impressive notes to pull this one off with all the style and flair of the original.

As for the originals you ask? My favorite track on the release is hands down "Through The Stars" featuring Stephano Lionetti from LIONVILLE. I guess that should come as no surprise since both Zorro and Amos are from LIONVILLE but it just seems on this song in particular everything falls into place perfectly to produce a track which really hits that early-80's sound right on the head. The track also features some absolutely brilliant guitar work and features that blend perfectly into this arrangement... great tune!

Other songs of note are the mid-tempo rockers "The Way You Feel Inside" with Moon Calhoun of the MICHAEL THOMPSON BAND (really like the strong chorus and bridge on this one), "Just Take My Hand" featuring Gui Oliver (AURAS) and "The Sound of Your Heart" with the always impressive Alessandro Del Vecchio from EDGE OF FOREVER. The opening track "Every Time You Touch My Heart" featuring Nick Workman of VEGA is also worth a mention here as it spotlights some incredible harmonies between Barbieri and Workman which seem to set the tone for the entire release. And then there's "Shining Light" w/ David Forbes from BOULEVARD which is the stand-out ballad on the release. I love how the song starts out soft and slow through the first verse and chorus but then builds into an edgy power-ballad. GREAT arrangement and I absolutely LOVE the precise guitar fills complimenting the gentle keyboards through out the opening verse. And finally, I love the addition of Jessie Galante on "Run Away." This woman can sing her ASS off as her powerful pitch and range is augmented by just a dash of R&B soulfulness... gotta hear more from this girl!

CHARMING GRACE is definitely a nice addition to any melodic-rocker's collection and contains more than enough impressive moments and great vocal performances to warrant more than just a quick listen. I guess my biggest hesitation with the release in general that would push my rating up just a little higher is that the pace itself is just a little too slow for me. All of the songs remain in that slow/ ballady to mid-tempo range and never build to that pinnacle of a "HOLY SHIT" moment that just explodes pushing the release over the top. Good effort, but with a collection of musicians like this, as a whole... I WANT MORE!!!