City Of Sound

April '97

Actual Reality

SAVAGE AFFAIR
ACTUAL REALITY
MERCURY 532 847 2, (DENMARK 1996)
7

The debut album from Danish sextet Savage Affair is a fine slab of mid west style AOR. 'Hats Off' is catchy opener with a great hook and groove much in the style of fellow Danes Toys Of Joy, 'Little One' mixes up dobro and chunky riffing for an upbeat romp, the title track eases off to a more laid back and mellow mid west sound with mandolins to the fore and lush backing vocals, 'In Your Own Words' goes off on a bluesy hard rock tangent, which together with the Danny Bowes style singing of Alex Nyborg Madsen gives a slight Thunder taint. 'Was Love Meant To Be This Way' has a off beat little swing again bringing to mind Toys Of Joy, 'The Hurting Poet' is a moody acoustic led piece that evolves into a harder bluesy workout with quite an epic feel, Nyborg Madsen's vocals once more sounding like a cleaner Danny Bowes. 'More Than A Miracle' has a west coast sheen with Brett Walker and Venice coming to mind, both of whom reoccur on 'Approachable' (Walker-esque AOR) and 'Living Alone' (loads of female harmonies and a laid back groove). For some reason 'Dittoheads Unite' makes me think of generic Canadian late 70s AOR! An impressive debut - well worth checking out.

Winter Rose

WINTER ROSE
WINTER ROSE (featuring James LaBrie)
VICTOR VICP-5852, (JAPAN 1997)
5

Winter Rose were the band who featured James LaBrie before he joined Dream Theater. The Canadian act is a very different beast to the prog metal gods. This CD of spruced up demos is very much a product of the late 80s being in much the same vein as bands like Cry Wolf albeit a tad heavier, with lots of high pitched vocals and widdly guitar solos from Richard Chycki. LaBrie's vocals even have a similar sound to CryWolf's Timmy Hall on occasions. 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' opens with Stryper-esque harmonies and is a good midpaced number while 'Asylum City' goes for more of a trad metal approach with galloping riffs aplenty. 'Dianna' has a stripped down Orion/Boston feel, not least on the vocal harmonies which sound like Fran Cosmo! 'One Last Time' has a nice good time feel and a great AOR hook. 'Saved By Love' is a slow but rather dramatic piece with good dynamics. 'Thrill Of The Night' has chunky riffs and a Ponti-esque hook. 'Rough Boys' is as cringe inducing as its dodgy title implies and 'Never Let Go' isn't much better. This is an OK album and an interesting curio but Winter Rose have dated a lot since this was originally done. Dream Theater's prog fans should approach it with much caution, but if you still hark after late 80s cheesy hard rock then this will be a priority purchase.

Republica

REPUBLICA
REPUBLICA
DECONSTRUCTION 74321 410522, (UK 1996)
8

When an original band breaks big there are usually a good number of copyists waiting to grab some of their thunder once things go quiet. But there have been surprisingly few bands to come along post Garbage. Admittedly Garbage have not done anything radical - just put a poppier sheen on the sound pioneered by ace Brits Curve but the lack of similar bands is noticeable. So when Republica come along a few Garbage comparisons are inevitable. They are fronted by an attractive female (Saffron) with a good voice while the music blends rock guitars, with dance grooves and keyboards and endless pop sensibilities. Where Garbage are dark and brooding Republica are upbeat and lively with a more prominent dance influences. References that come to mind go from, obviously, Garbage and Curve to Blondie, Shampoo and Toyah. Big dancy beats and keyboards are all over the shop and keep your foot tapping on numbers like 'Bitch', 'Out Of The Darkness' and 'Get Off', while the guitars are never far away on 'Bloke' and 'Holly'. 'Picture Me' is lush and laid back with a trip-hop groove, something like a more commercial Sneaker Pimps maybe? The lead single 'Ready To Go' is a superb slice of 90s pop-rock, and both the rockier and dancier versions work. 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' is a sure fire pop-rock hit with its sublime hook and chunky riffs while 'Don't You Ever' is just as good but from a more dancy direction. Will Republica have any real staying power or will they be another Transvision Vamp style flash in the pan? Well, I say who cares, my CD is getting played to death at the moment.

Hard Rain

HARD RAIN
HARD RAIN
CBH / SEMAPHORE 50580-422, (GERMANY 1997)
4

What is the point of this name change? Hard Rain feature Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley, the mainstays of Brit pompsters Magnum, and with a new identity you would assume some change in approach, but what you get is pretty much business as usual. The sound simply has Magnum written all the way through it except that this is not classic Magnum we are talking about here (ie 'Chase The Dragon', '...Storytellers...') but second rate late 80s Magnum. At it's best it owes a bit more to the slight return to form of 'Rock Art', as on tracks like 'Rage On', but 'Stop Me From Lovin' You' has a hook that is a dead ringer for The Beatles 'Free As A Bird', not a good move in my book. What really bugs me about 'Hard Rain' is the amount of programmed instruments (and if they're not programmed then they bloody well sound like it) the drums may sound quite big but they seem to have no human input. 'Shame For The Bad Boy' is one of the worst culprits, especially with the fake strings. I don't usually have a problem with programs when they are used well but the disparity between Clarkin's powerful, organic riffing and the mechanized feel of nearly every other instrument is too great to ignore. The only place they do tend to work is on 'Cry Cry Cry' which has a fast paced pop-rock groove and a bizarre Garbage like hook! All in all this is a major disappointment.

Wonder Wheel

ANN-LOUISE
WONDER WHEEL
MEGA RECORDS MRCD 3320, (DENMARK 1996)
8

New Danish songstress Ann-Louise has come up with a very fine debut. From the first moments of opening track 'I Can't Keep Waiting' you know that you are in for some great pop-rock, it's like everything Erika ever promised but without the cheesiness. 'Sleepy Eye' pumps in some fine sludgy riffs, while the more laid back 'Never Give My Heart Away' adds groovy live drums which happen to have quite a programmed feel and acoustics, 'Tell Me Why' and 'People' head into a rootsier direction. The brilliant, Per Gessle written, 'Stay (At Home, At Work, At Play)' is yet another reason why Gessle is one of the best songwriters around, instant hook, excellent melody, it's all there - and he gives this sort of thing away! I for one await with baited breath the return of the mighty Roxette. 'Open Your Eyes' is a superb slow paced moody number, with nice lap steel from Roxette's Micke Andersson. 'Stand Tall' and 'Let's Do It' add a bit more variety, going for more of a Tina Arena/Trine Rein style pop-soul approach. 'Wonder Wheel' is a really classy debut but Ann-Louise has also successfully managed to insert a little bit of dirt under the surface. Great stuff.
Contact:
http://www.mega-records.com/artists/a-louise/

Go!

FAIR WARNING
GO!
ZERO XRCN-1292, (JAPAN 1997)
8

After 2 fine studio albums German rockers Fair Warning make a label change from WEA to Zero. Their home may have changed but when the first single 'Angels Of Heaven' kicks in it leaves you in no doubt that Fair Warning are still the same band. Their distinctive brand of Zeno-esque AOR is as majestic as ever. The whole sound has that familiar German Fair Warning/Zeno sound with soaring vocals from Tommy Heart, powerful yet melodic guitars and a solid rhythm section. 'Save Me' eases off the power slightly but is none the less effective for that. 'All On Your Own' is the first of the lighter waving power ballad/slowies - a fine number. 'I'll Be There' has a vaguely celtic feel to the riff and, added to the straight AOR-ness of the song, makes for one of the records standout moments. The soloing of guitarists Helge Engelke and Andy Malecek is superb individually and during their twin harmonies, always melodic and never too showy, with ear piercing notes from what must surely be Uli Roth's sky guitar thrown in on occasions there are some wonderful moments. Tracks like the midpaced 'Without You', 'The Love Song', 'Eyes Of A Stranger' and 'Somewhere' are incredibly similar to Zeno, the band from which Fair Warning developed, those distinctive hooks, structures and Michael Flexig-like vocals are ever present and simply addictive. Acoustics and massed vocals usher in 'Follow My Heart', while big riffs lead the way into the mighty 'Sailing Home'. There are few bands out there currently playing this sort of late 80s / early 90s Hard Rock/AOR who really do it with the same conviction, style and class as Fair Warning. And as long as they (and bands like Ten and Harem Scarem) continue to produce exciting albums of the quality of 'Go!', (and 'The Name Of The Rose' and 'Voice Of Reason') they will more than make up for the masses of uninspired toss that is out there. Highly recommended.

Prime

PRIME
PRIME
PRCDS 001, (SWEDEN 1996)
6

Right from the first chord Prime's main influence is blatantly apparent. It Bites are the culprits and their influence is obvious. 'The Tears Of Lea' is fine pop-prog with catchy hooks and a mid section like a scaled down 'Once Around The World'. The way the songs are structured and the little musical nuances are so resonant of Egremont's finest exports. Tight riffs mingle with melodic keyboards to create that distinctive Dunnery/Beck sound on 'She Ate Her Heart Out'. Guitarist Tomas Angshammer darts up the fretboard on 'Sleep Tonight' without too much Dunnery seeping in and his melodic lines on 'I Know' show his more restrained side as well. 'I Know' starts with a keyboard run straight off 'Old Man And The Angel' before moving into a more balladesque style not too far from The Quest. Indeed singer/bassist Tobias Tybahl is not too far from a more nasal Steve Murray. The vocals are probably least like It Bites having many more traces of the trio's Swedish origins. This 4 tracker is a nice debut but with the homage to their heroes out of the way Prime should concentrate on developing their own sound.
Email: e96toman@und.ida.liu.se

Miss Rocket

SARA CRAIG
MISS ROCKET
ATTIC ACD1467 (CANADA, 1997)
7

With her second full length album Sara Craig has stripped away some of the weirder aspects of her sound. This makes for a more straightforward sounding record. With modern grooves and a strong Chris Tsangarides production this is a more instant listen. Tracks like the drum heavy 'Breakwall' (hints of Garbage on this one), 'Hey Beauties' (with its strong Heather Nova-esque cello contributions), and 'I'm Pushing You Away' (good guitar work from Tsangarides) are instantly likeable. 'Mister Right' has a modern groove and sultry vocals making it a bit closer to the material on her 'Sweet Exhaust' debut. The rhythmic 'My Sky Too' comes over like Sarah McLaclan minus the folkiness. This is another good album from Craig but my only worry is that she may be tarred with the Alanis clone tag which is not really justified on this evidence although 'Who Are You?' comes close.

Been There

EBBA FORSBERG
BEEN THERE
MNW RECORDS MNWCD 293, (SWEDEN 1997)
6

Ebba Forsberg is another laid back Swedish singer. Her vocals are strong, somewhere between a more convincing Julia Fordham and a less folky Sarah McLaclan, sounding in command on anything from the light jazzy tones of 'Didn't Treat Me Right' and 'Hold Me' to the county tinged 'Lost Count' and 'Fine Is The Line'. 'Most Of All', 'You Surprise Me' and 'Do Without Him' add modern trippy grooves, while 'Photographs' goes for a sparce acoustic angle. The sympathetic production and musical performances (special mention for guitarist Ola Gustavsson) add weight and continuity to what could have become a rather lightweight set.
Contact:
http://www.cabal.se/mnw/mnwlabel/ebba/

Norm

MARATHON
NORM
SPV 499120/5/02, (GERMANY 1996)
7

Rather like Enchant Dutch quintet Marathon emerged playing a style of prog very similar to their mentors, in this case the ubiquitous Marillion and Saga, and they too they have attempted to move their style on. For their second album they have beefed up the sound a bit more, as witnessed on the first cut the excellent 'Ozone Layer' with lots of chunky Ian Crichton patented staccato riffs. 'Heart Of Another World' has many aspects of old prog slowies, but the performance has a looser feel which adds to the power and gives a modern flavour, once the guitars kick in. The title track throws in some great harmony guitars, while 'Casanovas' begins with some deft Queensÿche style riffs and features a Dream Theater like keyboard solo. 'Crime (He Didn't Commit)' is a good fast paced rocker, which benefits from the more powerful production values. While I can see Enchant getting a higher profile its Marathon who have delivered the better album, better in terms of songs, production and originality. Well worth checking out.
Contact:
http://www.inter.nl.net/users/A.J.Wind/marathon.html

Wounded

ENCHANT
WOUNDED
INSIDE OUT MUSIC / SPV IOMCD007, (GERMANY 1996)
6

The first Enchant album 'A Blueprint Of The World' was a very likeable slice of Marillion meets Dream Theater prog. This follow up is less instant, for the most part being more reflective and downbeat than its predecessor. 'Below Zero' and 'Fade 2 Black' open the album in pretty similar style to much of the debut's material with all those obvious Maril and DT influences showing through (not least in the fine Rothery-esque soloing of Douglas Ott and the DT style technicalities). Elsewhere though 'Pure' is a nice ballad with subtle melodies, while tracks like 'Broken' and 'Hostile World' do tend to blend together a little too much. Ted Leonard provides some West Coast style vocal harmonies on 'Look Away'. 'Armour' adds newer but intangible elements to the mix and is just that bit more different to the rest of the set making it stand out. The record ends with 'Missing', which shows off a heavier than usual aspect of Enchant's sound to good effect. Ott's emotive soloing, whilst obviously leaning greatly on Rothery for inspiration, has the benefit of actually sounding perfect for these songs and its these that hold everything else together, and you find yourself looking forward to each new solo or melody line. Indeed Rothery is a big supporter of the band and guested on the debut (as well as producing some of it, he also roped in drummer Paul Craddick for his own side project The Wishing Tree). With 'Wounded' Enchant are slowly moving along the path to a more original sound, but are not quite there yet, hence it's a bit less instant and a bit more patchy than the debut was. But I hope its strengths will grow with greater familiarity.

One Deed

TONY VINCENT
ONE DEED
STARSONG SSD0099 (USA, 1997)
8

The Hi Tech pop rock of Tony Vincent's debut has been toughened up for his second release. Whilst there are still traces of Keven Jordan here and there the guitars are now more prominent. 'Reach Out' is a rocking little opener, and somewhat bizarrely Tony's vocals even have a hint of Geddy Lee in them! 'Polly's Eyes' is a superb reflective number that builds up to a heavy mid section. 'One Deed' sounds like Michael Morales meeting The Beatles and is one of seven songs written with Robert White Johnson. 'Do You Really' is a great upbeat song with an off beat groove and finely crafted hook. Although Tony is a Christian that should not put anyone off as his music is accessible enough for a secular audience, and not every song has the annoying "Praise the Lord"-isms, 'Fighting Over Love Songs' for example lambasts the Christian community for its bickering attitude to love songs when there are more important issues in the world. 'Live For The Lord' (don't let the title put you off) is a great rocker, sounding like a pumped up Jimmy Ryser, while 'Can't Have One Without The Other' and 'Open Your Window' are like normal Jimmy Ryser with it superb hooks and Jack Holder-esque solos. 'One Deed' is a much stronger album than I was expecting, putting Tony Vincent up there with some of the best singer songwriters.

Considering Lily

CONSIDERING LILY
CONSIDERING LILY
FOREFRONT FFD5153, (USA 1997)
7

An unexpected change in direction for the duo formerly known as Serene & Pearl. Now called Considering Lily they peddle a much heavier form of melodic rock, gone are the Jaime Kyle, Rachel Rachel comparisons to be replaced by the likes of Scarlet and Alanis. The country influences of the Serene & Pearl CD are nowhere to be found instead big guitar riffs are the order of the day, with lots of vocal harmonies (the only real link back to the Rachel Rachel sound I guess). Some of Serene's vocal phrasing on tracks like 'Pike's Peak' is very similar to Cheryl Parker from Scarlet, and the way the sound has been heavied up is not unlike Scarlet's progress form 'Naked' to 'Chemistry'. 'Come Rest' is a haunting vocal/piano piece, 'Cup' is blessed with a great hook and strong upbeat acoustics and 'I Don't Need A Picture' is a fine upbeat number with a modern pop rock edge which surprisingly comes from the pen of AOR hero Bob Halligan Jr. 'Real' has a bit of a Cardigans lilt to the guitar work. I have to admit that I had the future for Serene Campbell & Pearl Barrett down as going in an increasingly mediocre direction, but with their transformation to Considering Lily they have certainly made me reassess my perception of them. Well worth investigating.
Contact:
http://www.ForeFrontRecords.com

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Last update 20th April 1997
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