...IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING

Chris Mallia has put together an impressive debut under the name of DIFFERENT STRINGS. There is some fine musicianship, and quality composition. The only part of this he didn't handle himself was the vocals. I don't know if Chris can sing or not, but Alan Mayo was a very good choice. His voice suits the music perfectly. On the whole, it's low key, but there are some rocking segments. He pulls off a pretty decent ballad on "Dead Man Walking." What's missing is a spark. There is nothing that really gets me excited here. Technically, there are no problems. It just needs a boost of energy, inspiration, hook, or something. I can't really nail it down, but it doesn't pull me in. What I really see here is promise. One person pulling off a debut album of this quality is quite impressive. The talent is evident. If he continues to grow, this will probably be viewed with much more affection. As it is, I can give it no more than three stars.

H.T. Riekels