BOSTON's new studio album, "Life, Love & Hope" availab

[blindjester]

Sounds a lot like CA. Maybe because almost half of it is. CA had a moment or 2 but by and large wasn't really good. Walk On was really to me the last album that sounded like Boston. I am not in the industry and I really don't know anything about recording music but this is my take. The first 4 albums had a very sharp and clearly defined sound. They sounded very crisp. CA and LL&H sound very muffled to me, like I am listening through a wall. I keep waiting to hear the signature Boston guitar come blistering through but it never seems to get there. Maybe it's just my ears (and too many years of listening to really loud music) but it sounds compressed to me. The guy who did the review on the Boston website evidently wasn't listening to the same songs I was. Maybe he was a singer on the cd also. Dig the album cover though.

Maybe at this point maybe Boston should just WALK ON.

Sandy

[Stefan]

[KarpetRydOFunk]

April Fool's is a long way off, so I don't know what this joke is all about.

[Jez]

Oh dear..a bit of a car crash this one. a couple of good songs, but the whole thing is not up to par at all. The drums on here are fucking atrocious, a weedy programmed drum machine. I could have done a better job on a couple of tins. I thought Tom Scholz was a bit of a perfectionist ffs. Obviously not. 10 years for this!!! MAJOR major disappointment

[Nightrain]

I agree it's sub-par, although songwise not entirely terrible, but largely forgettable. Probably couple of songs that I dig here is 'Heaven on Earth', although this one also reminds me of a second-tier Collective Soul ballad, 'Didn't Mean To Fall In Love' is also very poppish but not bad, and the last two tracks as I recall are also pretty okay, but the rest is just plain average and I guess production value is one of their lowest point. Musicianship is also quite average so I don't know what did they expect with this kinda release, I guess around 55%-65% is a reasonable score for this one.

[manicego]

The best thing about this album is the artwork.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

The best thing about this album is the artwork.

And even that isn't very good.

[manicego]

 

The best thing about this album is the artwork.

And even that isn't very good.

 

Was precisely my point

[KarpetRydOFunk]

 

 

The best thing about this album is the artwork.

And even that isn't very good.

 

Was precisely my point

 

Yep.

[Dead Planet]

I've heard a couple of songs and it is very average at best...I won't be picking it up...

[Guest MusicJunkie]

I can usually find SOMETHING good in almost anything I listen to and I REALLY wanted to like this record...

 

But after giving it several listens (I was hoping it was a grower) I just gotta give it a thumbs down!!!

 

Too bad because I LOVED this band as a kid (I liked Walk On too) but I think they've lost me forever after this release!!!

[Leykis101]

Does Cosmo even appear on this???

[manicego]

Does Cosmo even appear on this???

Nope:

 

Tracklisting

 

"Heaven on Earth"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: David Victor with special guest: Louis St. August

Harmony & Backing Vox: Tom Scholz

 

"Didn't Mean to Fall in Love"

Written by Tom Scholz, Curly Smith, Janet Minto

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: Brad Delp

Harmony & Backing Vox: Tom Scholz

 

"Last Day of School"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

 

"Sail Away"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: Brad Delp, Kimberley Dahme

Harmony Vox: Brad Delp, Kimberley Dahme, Tom Scholz

 

"Life, Love, & Hope"

Written by Tom Scholz

Drums, Bass, Organ, Rhythm Guitars: Tom Scholz

Lead guitars: Tom Scholz, Gary Phil

Lead Vocals: Tommy Decarlo

Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, Jeff Neal

 

"If You Were in Love"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

All Vocals: Kimberley Dahme

 

"Someday"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Drums: Tom Scholz

Harmonica: Curly Smith

Lead Vocals: Tommy Decarlo, Tom Scholz with special guest: Jude Nejmanowski

Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz

 

"Love Got Away"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: Tom Scholz

Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, Gary Pihl

 

"You Gave Up on Love (2.0)"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Guitars, keys, bass, and drums: Tom Scholz

Flute: Kimberley Dahme

Lead Vocals: Kimberley Dahme, Tommy Decarlo, Tom Scholz

Harmony Vox: Kimberley Dahme, Tom Scholz, Beth Cohen

 

"Someone (2.0)"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: Brad Delp

Harmony Vox: Brad Delp, Tom Scholz

 

"The Way You Look Tonight"

Written by Tom Scholz

All Instruments: Tom Scholz

Lead Vocals: Tommy Decarlo

Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, David Victor

 

Produced, Arranged, and Engineered by Tom Scholz

[Leykis101]

So there is NO Boston sound whatsoever?

[AlphaMale]

So there is NO Boston sound whatsoever?

 

 

Nope. What a waste of time. This is pure utter trash. The drums kill this disc for me. It actually pisses me off to listen to this CD.

 

In fact, I'd rather listen to a Michael Bolton CD than this. Ugh..... there is another of his damn car commercials.....

[KarpetRydOFunk]

 

So there is NO Boston sound whatsoever?

 

 

Nope. What a waste of time. This is pure utter trash. The drums kill this disc for me. It actually pisses me off to listen to this CD.

 

In fact, I'd rather listen to a Michael Bolton CD than this. Ugh..... there is another of his damn car commercials.....

 

 

Well that goes without saying. Michael Bolton is king!

[DeLaCruz]

Yes, yes he is Bolton FTW!

[Leykis101]

I knew you would all start to get it, ALL HAIL THE KING MB!!!

[Leykis101]

Boston only wished they could secure some studio time with MB, imagine the album that wouldve been!!

[HighNDryRulz]

This album is so bad that it warrants my first post in eons.

 

I have nothing else to say. The album is horrible and worthless. I have not been able to muster the courage to give it a second listen.

 

[manicego]

Sad thing is, this album has scanned 23,117 copies and was sitting at #120 on Billboard on 15 December. Of those, 20,088 were physical sales. Won't see the next round of charts until next week, due to the holidays.

 

I'm guessing a lot of those "sales" were part of a giveaway with Guitar Center or something (buy something, get a free CD ...)

[AlphaMale]

This album is so bad that it warrants my first post in eons.

 

I have nothing else to say. The album is horrible and worthless. I have not been able to muster the courage to give it a second listen.

 

Welcome back! And you are 110% correct. This will never get played again. My ears would explode if I played this garbage again.

 

R.I.P. Boston

[heavyharmonies]

Sadly, when listened to in a vacuum, without the "Boston" connection, it's not a bad laid-back album (other than the tinny/thin drums), but when examined in comparison to what we all remember as Boston, it comes up woefully short. Pitifully so, actually.

 

In short: "My, how the mighty have fallen."

[AlphaMale]

Sadly, when listened to in a vacuum, without the "Boston" connection, it's not a bad laid-back album (other than the tinny/thin drums), but when examined in comparison to what we all remember as Boston, it comes up woefully short. Pitifully so, actually.

 

In short: "My, how the mighty have fallen."

 

Agreed 110%