Tampa Bay Times / St. Pete Times Wekend feature by
Soul to rock and back again: Clearwater residents Chilton and Alex met in middle school. They got together with Deliz and started Soulsystem in 1998, and they changed the name to Four Star Riot in...
Relix Music Magazine review December 2007 by
“Something So Right” is the perfect rock love song. The band’s well executed mix of catchy hooks, sultry vocals and classic rock instrumentals magically lures you to sing along. The song is...
Tampa Bay Times / St. Pete Times Wekend feature by
Soul to rock and back again: Clearwater residents Chilton and Alex met in middle school. They got together with Deliz and started Soulsystem in 1998, and they changed the name to Four Star Riot in 2003. As you'd imagine by their former band name, the guys borrowed heavily from the blues and Motown, incorporating R&B inflections and grooves. Later they went in a power pop direction, more like Cheap Trick. For their new CD, Burn So Bright, they return to what they consider a more classic, R&B-influenced style of pop. Click here to read the rest of the feature
Relix Music Magazine review December 2007 by
“Something So Right” is the perfect rock love song. The band’s well executed mix of catchy hooks, sultry vocals and classic rock instrumentals magically lures you to sing along. The song is pleasing enough to listen to on repeat, but the chorus is destined to become engrained in your brain.
Tampa Tribune CD Review by
With each album, Four Star Riot's melodic pop-rock gets tighter, tougher and more focused. Steve Alex's soul/R&B-oriented solo work has given his vocals a new authority. "Burn So Bright" is Four Star Riot at its best.
Weekly Planet / Creative Loafing by
I never get sick of FSR singer Steve Alex's voice. It's got that classic rock 'n' roll blend of sensitivity and swagger. That personality has always informed this Clearwater rock act's music to a certain extent as well, but the addition of veteran local guitarist and vintage rock/power-pop fanatic Finn Walling has brought it out in full force.
Tonight & Tomorrow is a sweet, salty, and pretty much perfect marriage of character and sound. Virtually everything from the Cheap Trick-indebted opener "Get What U Give" through the powerfully aching closing ballad "Golden Age" does much more than work - this is the whole pop-rock package, without sounding too, you know, packaged. (www.fourstarriot.com) ****1/2