Proving that rock n roll will never die, the Singapore-based singer/songwriter Sanjay Michael dropped his latest record Rocking Into Midnight on the 7th of July 2023. An extremely energetic and uplifting record that brings back a lot of rock’s glory days’ memories. Let me tell you more about it.
Sanjay Michael kickstarted Rocking Into Midnight straight with its title track, a highly ACDC-influenced rocking tune with bluesy solos and a moving flow. It brings back a lot of old-school memories and shows Michael‘s deep rocking roots, and how he mixes them with his touch to create something modern that’s his own. Rattlesnake Shuffle picks up its predecessor’s energy with playful rock riffs, bluesy licks, and pounding drumming, taking the record’s dynamics to the next level. It’s a fast, intense piece with a piercing flow that moves only forward, moving towards a bigger heavier sound that grabs the listeners’ attention, keeping them hooked and entertained. Fly Away takes a different approach with its acoustic intro, it shows a different side of Sanjay Michael‘s writing before blasting its energy into a heavier sound with his distorted riffs. Michael mixes acoustic and distorted electric guitars in an interesting mix within a solid catchy structure leading to a surprising creative outro. Rocking Machine hits next with pure blues rock melodies in an engaging flow and a damn catchy vocal melody. It has a powerful structure with dynamic twists and turns, mellow solos, and singalong engaging parts that I believe would produce some awesome moments when played live. Vampire Girl comes next with a building-up intimidating riff and deep bassline, keeping the energy levels at their highest with its open sound and hard-hitting sound. Sanjay Michael created an unpredictable flow in Vampire Girl that adds to the record’s sound and shakes things off as we reach the middle of the record. Introducing a mellow groovy pace, Backtracks comes next. Michael‘s crunchy distorted guitar added a raw texture to the song’s bluesy vibes, while its smooth chill flow allowed the listener to follow and fully digest each part of it and its flexible structure gave his guitar work the space to shine. Should Have Never Let You Go steers towards a slower sound with deep emotional vibes, showing off Michael’s skills in writing slowed-down ballads. It has detailed writing with multi-layered streaming melodies that smoothly carry the listeners through its chilling flow. It’s Just Business takes us again to a more groovy rocking sound with inviting vibes, and a solid structure with some guitar hero moments by Sanjay Michael. It’s Just Business has some subtle classic rock n roll badass vibes within its steady challenging flow, producing an interesting tune with raw feelings and attitude. With fast-moving riffs and an irresistible groove, Friday Night Drinks kicks in. It has some of Michael‘s best guitar work off this record, mixed with upbeat country-influenced riffs that’ll throw the listeners off their seats. All this with a cool delivery that definitely puts it among Rocking Into Midnight’s top songs. Ending the record on a high note comes City Blues, an open-sounding song with the perfect guitar tone and arrangement, cementing Sanjay Michael‘s style and approach. He cleverly steered his sound keeping things interesting with constant sound shifts, directing the song’s flow to keep the listeners on board and slowly banging their heads to his killer guitar.
Rocking Into Midnight is an uncompromising rocking journey by Sanjay Michael. It shows his well-knowledge of his sound and direction, and his deep rock roots that he smartly uses to craft such hard-hitting catchy pieces that formed Rocking Into Midnight. Looking forward to more from Sanjay Michael, keep on rocking. Cheers!
