From the voice behind one of the most successful independent acts not only in the United States but the WORLD, 7TH HEAVEN's front man Keith Semple and his band SEMPLE have released a new solo effort entitled "Not For Radio." Going against the grain of your typical "solo efforts" where the main artist writes and controls most of the songs on the release, what I really like about this one is that just reading through the credits you can see that everyone in this band from bassist Drew Johnson to guitarist Charley Bredrup to drummer Johnny Jannotti as well as Keith himself all contribute to the song writing and music in one way or another making this more of a true GROUP effort. And put together, SEMPLE has produced a release packed with potent harmonies, toe-tapping, can't-get-it-out-of-your-head melodies and some tracks which are nothing less than pure AOR/ Melodic-rock gold!

Just take the opening track "Living For Today" for example. This up tempo rocker opens with a funky bass driven verse which builds to a heavier, richer melody as the guitar kicks in then shifts gears suddenly rolling into a punchy, melodic chorus… LOVE IT! Great track, and this opens the flood gates into another dynamic-chorus featured tune "You're Crazy." Love the arrangement on this one as the bridge really slows it down a notch then again builds and builds and builds to that effervescent climax. Another great tune although it seems to end a bit too suddenly at only 3:25 in length. Maybe another early verse and chorus repeat would have benefitted this track a little more.

Right from the start, "One Day" stakes its claim as a melodic jewel sporting a thick, toe-tapping melody and one of Semple's best vocals on the release. The title-track "Not For Radio" has a more modern flair to it with and almost funky/ "rappy" verse leading into another convincing, melodic chorus then "Thank You, Dear" kicks it up a notch into a harsher, lusty rocker.

I'm kinda on the fence with "Rewind." Yes, it slows the release down a bit at the appropriate time with its acoustically-driven melody and I absolutely love the short guitar break before the final chorus but the chorus itself on this "pseudo-ballad" doesn't quite seem to reach the climax you expect it to and ends with a somber fade that just doesn't seem to sit right… at least for me. But the following track, "Seeing Red," redeems the CD in a big way… and I mean BIG! This is just a great, great tune all around featuring a bit of a laid back verse which flows effortlessly into a strong, convincing, harmony-filled chorus and an absolutely stellar bridge that really launches this one to a whole other level… awesome job!

"Only for You" continues on in the same vein as "Seeing Red" highlighted by another brilliant chorus and a funkier, bass-driven verse. "King of Closed Minds" slows the flow down a bit with a nice, guitar-riffy verse and judicious bridge while "Green Light" boosts the CD back into overdrive with some sweet, underlying drum fills and a powerful, electrifying chorus. This brings us to "This Letter" which features just Keith and an acoustic guitar through most of the song before climaxing with an electric and drum filled final chorus that slowly fades back to just Keith and the acoustic… easily the ballad winner of the CD.

As we come to the end, "Me, Myself and I" starts as a mid-tempo number leading into a thicker, more vibrant chorus which segues into the final track "Must Be The Rock-N-Roll." This one's interesting and will take a little getting used to as the melody itself is a bit "off-beat" and the subtle but yet noticeable effects on Semple's vocals are definitely not what you've come to expect from a Keith Semple featured project but still, after a couple of listens I've gotten more use to it although I still don't think it fits well with the rest of the songs on the release and certainly not the explosive climax I was longing for.

It goes without saying that "Not For Radio" by SEMPLE is an absolute MUST have for any 7TH HEAVEN fan and tracks like "Seeing Red," "Only For You" or "Living For Today" will definitely more than satisfy any fans of the genre. Overall, a group effort definitely worth a listen and had it not fallen a bit flat in the end and with a bump or so along the way, this could easily have been a 4 or 4.5 release as any project featuring the caliber of Semple's vocals could never totally disappoint.