Signal
Loud & Clear

THE REVIEW

Who is the greatest rock singer of all time?
Well, on this point there might be many disagreements but, probably, the usual names would come up: Freddy Mercury, Ian Gillan, Robert Plant, Ronnie James Dio, Glenn Hughes, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson.

However, there is a semi-unknown American singer who represents the archetype of the rock singer, the perfect fusion of the best qualities of the aforementioned artists: his name is Mark Free.
He inherits the power of a God and the vocal range of Gillan, the stage presence of Plant, and the theatricality of Mercury.
Already with King Kobra, an excellent class rock band, it is, however, with the Unruly Child project that he would gain the deserved acclaim from critics and the public, but his name would become legend with the only album from Signal, namely Loud & Clear.

Released by EMI in 1990, for many years this platter would represent the Holy Grail of American adult rock, an elusive relic, something to have at all costs and to venerate. For the recording, EMI spared no expense, providing the band with stellar production, but when it came time to promote the album, inexplicably, the record label looked elsewhere, printing very few copies and immediately dismissing the artists. The few lucky ones who managed to snag a copy spoke of a phenomenal album, something that would have rewritten the pages of melodic rock.

After 9 years, the French label Axekiller decided to reissue the now-unfindable work on a large scale, which had reached dizzying prices in the used market. Loud & Clear is the apotheosis of melody in a rock key, the ultimate in star-spangled AOR. I couldn’t say if it’s the best album ever made in this genre, especially since the teachings of Journey, Toto, Survivor, and Foreigner had already been imparted, but in this album, they are masterfully performed, sublimated by Mark’s interpretation, absolutely over the top, making any ordinary song an anthem.

The captivating opening riff of In the arms of a stranger acts as a springboard for a powerful rock ride, characterized by a memorable refrain. The rock anthem reaches unparalleled heights in Does it feel like love and Run into the night, powerful tracks characterized by melodic openings where Mark’s voice delivers unique emotions. Could this be love is so sweet and sugary that it will make you risk a diabetic coma, while the chorus of You won’t see me cry will stick in your head and never leave you. Wake up you little fool and Go demonstrate how it's possible to combine melody with the power of class rock, while even funky sounds will peek through in My mistake.

After the brief adventure with the Unruly Child, another stellar band, and the tsunami called Grunge, Mark would gradually disappear from the scene, gifting us with some always high-level solo albums. A few years ago, he managed to realize his dream, which was to change sex and become Marcie Free. Today it seems that he has completely abandoned the music world. But who is legend never disappears… .