Robin McAuley – Legendary Rock Frontman is SOULBOUND on His Latest Release!

SOULBOUND is the latest solo album from Robin McAuley.

Robin McAuley is the proverbial singer who could sing the phone book and turn it into a work of art. The man doesn’t get talked about enough, but is one of the greatest singers out there, continuing to create his art and still maintaining a fabulous voice into his 70s.

McAuley’s career has been wide and diverse, including stints with Grand Prix (a UK-based rock band that featured two future members of Uriah Heep), the super group Far Corporation (interesting trivia – Far Corporation’s cover of “Stairway to Heaven” was the first version of the song to chart since Led Zeppelin never released it as a single), and the era he’s best known for – The McAuley Schenker Group, alongside guitar whiz Michael Schenker, with whom he recorded three studio records, an acoustic EP, and an unplugged live album.

In the years since his late 80s/early 90s heyday, McAuley has remained active, recording solo material and participating in many collaborative efforts. Recent years have seen more solo efforts from McAuley, as well as albums recorded with the supergroup Black Swan, which also includes former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson. But Mr. McAuley’s far from done. Did I mention he even served as the frontman of Survivor for a few years? And that’s not even everything…

SOULBOUND is the latest in a line of solo albums released by McAuley on the Frontiers record label. Additional musicians joining him on this album include Andrea Seveso, Alessandro Mammola, Aldo Lonobile, Alfonso Mocerino, and Antonio Agate. Confession time: I have literally no idea who any of those people are. However, as Mr. McAuley always surrounds himself with good players, this rock fan definitely entered SOULBOUND with high hopes.

I’m happy to say that the latest effort from Robin doesn’t disappoint in the last. Did you expect otherwise?

As far as McAuley’s more recent efforts go, the earlier solo records from a few years back tended to take on more of a melodic AOR sound, whereas the Black Swan records were much harder rock by comparison. However, as the years have passed, McAuley’s solo sound has shifted more in the harder rock direction as well, while not fully abandoning the melodic AOR elements of those recent records. It’s a great “best of both worlds” scenario, and quite possible the best of the three Frontiers solo albums to date!

From the opening moments of “’Til I Die,” it’s clear Mr. McAuley is firing on all cylinders this time around. I don’t know what this guy’s secret to keeping a good voice is, but it’s certainly still working. The album proves to be a nice balance of the harder and heavier sounds, with tunes like “The Best of Me” being a great example of those straight-ahead rock sounds, while something like “Crazy” (not a cover/remake of the McAuley Schenker Group song of the same name) capture the more melodic pop-oriented side well. Some tracks combine the two extremes excellently. The man is still going strong, and with a great band in his corner, SOULBOUND stands as one of the best rock releases of 2025 so far.

Will I ever get tired of hearing Robin McAuley’s singing voice? Doubtful. This guy owns any stage or studio where he sings, and one need look no further than SOULBOUND to see the man doing what he does best. When it comes time for me to compile my annual “Best of the Year” list for rock releases, I have a feeling this one will be showing up on there somewhere. Very highly recommended!