Send "The LoveCrave " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 The music business is stuck in a vicious cycle that they just can’t seem to break away from. When a genre’s popularity starts to wane due to over-saturation, the record labels will begin to look for the next big thing. Eventually they’ll find it (or just make it up) and exploit it until it is completely driven into the ground. It’s not just a problem with major labels either, independents are just as guilty of it. A perfect example is the female-fronted gothic rock genre. Female-fronted gothic rock has always struggled to maintain enough quality material to be relevant, but after Evanescence broke into the mainstream everything went to hell. These days there are easily ten times as many generic bands as there are quality artists, and it’s killing a genre that has mostly been on life support to begin with. So, where does that leave a band like Italy’s The LoveCrave? While they’re not going to be another knife through the heart of the genre, they’re also not making any attempt to be its savior either.Instead of trying to do anything different or ambitious, they’re more concerned with crafting songs around the almighty hook. For the most part they succeed, but everything else seems to suffer as a consequence. Their integration of mainstream rock as a means to enhance the choruses has mostly resulted in riffs that fade into the background over beats that are streamlined down to their most basic elements. That’s not to say that there aren’t the occasional exciting sections, but they’re mostly reserved for accentuating the hooks (or building up to them). One element that really does work for the band, though, is their keyboard sound. The LoveCrave have avoided the pitfalls associated with the huge walls of keyboards that the genre is known for, and have opted for a more modern industrial approach instead. It is often these subtle beats, loops, and melodies that carry the verses and one of the big reasons that the album doesn’t fall flat. The other reason is due to the unique vocals of Francesca Chiara. Her vocals are delivered in a semi-nasally style that will end up being the element that makes or breaks the band for a lot of people. She is also able to deliver the huge soaring vocals associated with the genre, but she uses them solely as a means accentuate certain sections of each song....full text |
| Side-line |
| After the debut-cd "The Angel And The Rain" released in 2006 it all seemed a bit like this Italian formation deserted all studio work. Such a long hiatus in between albums isn't the best way to keep your band in the spotlight, but I can assure you The Love Crave have been busy. It took them three years to achieve "Soul Saliva", but there are albums that made you forget all the time we'd to wait. The Love Crave can clearly be considered as a rock band in the widest sense of the term. Their rock music is constantly reinforced with very diversified influences. "Soul Saliva" doesn't exactly appeal to an explicit audience, but touches a wider range of fans. They don't hesitate to inject a fresh and quite pop touch here or a rather new wave exposure there. A quite and familiar moody touch emerges from most of the songs and that's for sure the real link between the albums. I sometimes get the impression that they're coming close to The Birthday Massacre, but any further link or comparison wouldn't make sense. The guitar parts are quite different and definitely sound like a trademark of The Love Crave's work. Tank Palamara is a damn great guitarist who's maybe sometimes a bit too much influenced by metal music, but he plays the instrument in a genius way. Francesca Chiara is the other secret weapon of the band. Her impressive vocal parts are quite muscled and she never falls into ethereal clichés that have been too often used. The cover version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is definitely the most surprising song from the tracklist. I think it also represents the band in their real style. There's a great progression in the writing empowered by heavy guitar riffs. My favourite songs can be found in the early beginning. The opening song "The Other You" is definitely a solid opener while "And Scream" coming next reveals a refined pop touch in the background. The moody "Fade" isn't a real highlight, but just a perfect illustration of the darker side of the work. "Get Outta Here" is one more song to keep in mind. This efficient release ends with the more metal and I even dare to say hard-rock inspired "Outisder", which isn't their best exponent, but a confirmation of their diversity! No doubt about the potential success of this new album. "Soul Saliva" will be consumed by a wide range of rock-lovers! (ED:7/8)ED....full text |
| Metalglory |
| Die meisten werden dieser Tage Mailand eher mit dem bevorstehenden Champions League Finale in Verbindung bringen, bei dem Inter Mailand auf den FC Bayern München treffen wird. Doch die Modemetropole stellt nicht nur italienische Top-Vereine, sondern auch eine äußerst interessante Band namens THE LOVECRAVE. Auf ihrem Zweitwerk „Soul Saliva“ legt die Band um die inzwischen Mutter gewordene Frontfrau Francesca ein sicheres Gespür für eingängige Hits in Sachen moderner Gothic Rock vor. Anders als manche Bands, die überladene und mit opernhaften Gesang ausgestattete Songs oder tiefschwarze Tristesse zum Besten geben, bieten THE LOVECRAVE trotz leichter Düsternis eine treibende Rock-Schlagseite mit einem fast schon leichtfüßigen Charakter, welcher die Melancholie beinahe unbemerkt in ihren Songs transportiert und dabei doch mit einer erhabenen Eleganz gesegnet ist. So verwundert es nicht, dass die mannigfaltigen Einflüsse der Band von Iron Maiden bis Depeche Mode reichen. Allgemein beinhalten die Songs ruhige und gefällige Passagen, die sphärisch bis balladesk daherkommen und dann in einen rockigen Ausbruch gipfeln. Dieser hat dann mit seinen catchy Refrains echtes Hit-Potenzial und klingt zugleich kraft- und gefühlvoll. Paradebeispiel dafür ist der Opener, der mit einem geflüsterten Monolog startet und sich dann von einem zarten Zwischenpart zu modernen Düster-Rock mit Synth-Einlagen und orchestraler Instrumentierung entwickelt. Die Musik ist wie gemacht für die junge Generation, die auch mit einem präsenten Pop-Einfluss leben kann. Hervorzuheben sind das eingängige „Warriors“, das deutlich metallische „Tru Blood“, oder der bombastische Rausschmeisser „Outsider“. Francescas Organ zeigt sich dabei als wandelbar und reicht von einem kindlichen Stimmchen über leise säuselnden Gesang bis zu kraftvollen aber keineswegs übertriebenen Rock-Shouts....full text |
The LoveCrave lyrics
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