Review | Ronnie Atkins – Make It Count

Frontiers Music srl

Composer/singer Ronnie Atkins relatively quickly follows up his last solo-album ‘One Shot’ with his latest creature called ‘Make It Count’, a title with a pretty significant meaning.

SICKNESS

As you may be aware Ronnie Atkins got diagnosed with cancer some time ago and has been dealing with the consequences of this sickness ever since undergoing treatments and therapy. It is a situation that is obviously on his mind on a daily basis and in some of the lyrics he has written for his new album he refers to that situation. Like the title-song ,,Make It Count’’… Every day counts and Atkins is trying to make the best of a serious condition. I liked ‘One Shot’ but I like ‘Make It Count’ even better.

Working with his steady producer Chris Laney (also rhythm guitar/keyboards) Atkins surprises with a melodic mix. His songs have here and there a slight pop accent which makes the melody of a song like opener ,,I’ve Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)’’ easy on the ear but it is also a melody that sticks. And just that element is one of the strong holders of ‘Make It Count’.

The songs stick to your mind, whether they are heavy, mid-tempo, up-tempo or somewhere in between. I believe the correct word for that is catchy. It is quite an achievement to write an album that is appealing and firing on all cylinders. With guitar fire-works provided by people like Oliver Hartmann, Pontus Norgren, John Berg and some acoustic interludes by Anders Ringman ‘Make It Count’ never lets up. Atkins himself is in fine vocal form, putting his personal stamp on the songs with his versatile yet powerful voice. And the man can also handle a ballad (,,Let Love Lead The Way’’), so ‘Make It Count’ is a winner in my book.

PRETTY MAIDS

Ronnie Atkins is as we know the singer for the Danish rock band Pretty Maids. The future of that formation looks bleak as Atkins admitted in a recent interview that he hardly had any contact with the other band members since 2019 and that he is unsure what the future holds for one the finest Danish export rock bands in that country. In the meantime Ronnie Atkins has not wasted his time and delivered a couple of fine and lasting melodic rock albums in the form of ‘One Shot’ and ‘Make It Count’. The question arises if Ronnie Atkins really needs Pretty Maids as he is doing fine on his own, having complete creative control and without having to compromise on his music. He is his own boss and making the most of that….

Release date: 18 March 2022