For nearly four decades, Joe Lynn Turner has been delivering inspiring vocal performances. Although he is most widely known for his time with Rainbow, he also enjoyed a successful run with Yngwie Malmsteen and an abbreviated stint with Deep Purple where he recorded one studio album (Slaves And Masters). The album (released in 1990) features one of the best power ballads of that era, “Love Conquers All.”
A quarter of a century has passed since the release of the “Love Conquers All,” but it is still as powerful today as it was in 1990, as evidenced by the acoustic version of the song recorded recently in Glasgow, Scotland. These days, the legendary frontman spends much of his time performing overseas, no longer grabbing the spotlight that he once did in the United States.
Aside from being moved by this inspiring performance, the other emotions that come to mind when listening to this version of “Love Conquers All” (several times over) are jealousy of overseas audiences and sadness that America has dropped the ball when it comes to supporting transcendent talents like JLT.
We have become a country that celebrates mediocre singers who rely upon technology like Auto-Tune just to stay in key in the studio, and then lip sync their “performances” of songs that are average at best. Even more disheartening is our reliance upon reality television to discover new “talent.” Meanwhile, overseas audiences embrace true talents like JLT.
The vocal performance on the acoustic rendition of “Love Conquers All” is nothing short of brilliant. There is no need to rely upon technology to enhance the vocals because, even as he approaches his mid-60s, Turner is still as great as he ever was in his heyday.
We can only hope that Ritchie Blackmore’s recent overtures about playing rock music again will come to fruition in the form of a Rainbow reunion with Turner at the helm. Maybe then, JLT will get the attention that he so richly deserves here in America. Until then, enjoy the incredible moment that was captured in Glasgow, Scotland recently…
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