Year : 1997 (Escape Music Records Remastered Edition 2025)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 113 mb
Bio:
Hugo Valenti started his career as frontman for the band Valentine.The band was orignally signed with Columbia Records and released their debut album in 1990 through Warner Bros. Records. The bands video for the song “No Way” was consistently featured on MTV. Valentine also wrote and performed songs for the movie “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter Is Dead” starring Christina Applegate. Valentne's ballad "Never Said it Was Gonna be Easy" was recently ranked by Classic Rock Magazine as the #1 'Greatest Power Ballad You've Never Heard'.For the 2nd release, the band changed their name to Open Skyz and released their album through RCA/Giant Records. Produced by Ritchie Zito (Eddie Money, Cheap Trick, Heart, Cher) and Rob Jacobs. (Don Henley, The Eagles, U2), the album provided several singles, including the top 20 AOR single “Every Day Of My Life”. The band went on to tour with acts such as Mr. Big and KISS. After years of touring and searching for their dream, the band broke up. Hugo went on his own making his debut solo album recognized throughout the AOR community.Constantly being compared to Steve Perry, he started fronting his own tribute band to keep his voice strong while releasing two more solo albums "Time On Earth" and "Fire In The Night" and partnering with Josh Ramos, (formerly of The Storm, Two Fires and Hardline) to complete Ramos/Hugo album. Hugo's next project was getting together with Valentine for a one time album project called "Soul Salvation" which was released 2008/2009.Hugo has many songs written and when time permits he will put out another solo project. Right now he's enjoying his time with VOYAGE, a musical tribute to Steve Perry and Journey featuring world class players top in their field.
Album:
Originally released 1997 by legendary Now & Then Records label who saved us melodic rockers during the obscure second half of the Nineties age, singer HUGO Valenti released his debut album, the self-titled “Hugo“. Long time out of print now Escape Music added the album to their catalog and is releasing “Hugo (2025 Remastered)“.Hugo has had a very good AOR career. He has fronted Valentine and Open Skyz on major label contracts and tours with, among others, Mr. Big, Extreme and Winger. His debut solo album in 1997 is universally considered an AOR classic decades after its release. He still has a small but core following in the U.S., Europe and Japan.So it’s great to see “Hugo” reissued & remastered.Simply put, this is ‘the album’ Journey should have released after 1996’s ‘Trial by Fire’, the last with Steve Perry. HUGO Valenti was poised to replace Perry, but no-one knows why Schon & Cain didn’t pick up the talented HUGO for the job. HUGO’s voice sounds like the best Steve Perry. Darn, he even looks like Perry. He moves like Perry on stage.Co-produced by Gary Hughes (Ten), on this record Hugo is so close to Steve Perry that you can play it for a casual Journey fan, tell them that it is new or ‘lost’, upcoming Journey or Steve Perry solo stuff, and they’d believe you. An impersonator? I don’t think so. HUGO Valenti sung this way since the beginning of his career, and has done music pretty different to Journey all along.But it’s clear that HUGO loves classic AOR, and “Hugo” delivers. From the harmonized layers of the Oh-Oh’s to that beautiful high note he holds out at the end of the track ‘Standing Alone’, this album is all about elegant melodies.If you like classic Journey, then you will love this CD. It’s really that simple. Hugo is not a second rate knock-off. He’s just that good. You won’t be disappointed.
Line Up:
Hugo Valenti - Vocals - See also: ex-Valentine, ex-Open Skyz, Hugo's Voyage
Vinny Burns - Guitar - See also: Dare
Gary Hughes - Bass, Piano - - See also: ex-Ten , ex-Ayreon
Greg Morgan - Drums
Ged Rylands - Keyboards
Production:
Art Direction – Bruce Mee
Design [Sleeve & Logotype] – Sebastian Kozak
Engineer – Gary Hughes
Engineer [Additional] – Audu Obaje, Ray Brophy
Mastered By – Jon Blamire
Photography By – Scott Michael Carroll
Producer, Mixed By – Gary Hughes, Hugo
Tracklist:
01. Intro (2025 Remastered)
02. We’ll Find a Way (2025 Remastered)
03. Walk Away (2025 Remastered)
04. So Many Tears Ago (2025 Remastered)
05. Crazy (2025 Remastered)
06. All That You Wanted (2025 Remastered)
07. All the People You Love (2025 Remastered)
08. If You’re Ever Lonely (2025 Remastered)
09. Desire (2025 Remastered)
10. Standing Alone (2025 Remastered)
11. A Tear in L.A. (2025 Remastered)
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