First Spin Impressions

[Glen]

WHITE WIDDOW - Serenade

 

A slightly more consistent disc than the first one, but otherwise it's impossible to tell the difference. If you liked the first you'll like this one. And if you have kittens over anything that takes zero risks and follows the MR blueprint to the letter then you'll probably think this is the 21st century's "Vital Signs" or something. Personally I wish they didn't sound quite so much like it's 1984, but respect their ability to write some pretty damn good songs (especially in the first half of this) and think several of them match the high quality of "Broken Hearts..." from their debut. In truth there's no real filler, although I'll always skip a chorus that's just a 4x repeat of the song title - something they do a few times - as that's just lazy IMO. Good quality and very slick sounding stuff this, and it's v.refreshing to see bands like this still making this style of music in 2011. No doubt some idiot will take my above review and ask why I "hated" the debut but like this one, but the truth is I don't mind both of them - I just think they're a million miles behind Toby Hitchcock/WoA/Lovex (my fave discs of 2011). Probably a 7/10 from me.

 

 

Well F**k Me!!! I couldn't agree more. They are a very good band, but this release nor last years debut are in the same class as WOA, Toby Hitchcock or Treat. For me the biggest hurdle for the band is the bland vocals. The keys are stunning, the guitar soloing is awesome, the songs are generally great, it's the vocals that are holding them back. They aren't terrible by any means, but imagine the vocalists from any of the bands mention beforehand...the result would be sick and I believe would bring this band to another level. I'm sure when all is said and done, this will be one of my fav of 2011, but there is no way they will even challenge for a podium finish.

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

I tell you what the problem is with this album - all the best songs are on the first half.

 

Up to and including 'How Far I Run', I agree this is pretty damned good, but by track 6 things start to get a bit patchy..........

 

6. Serenade - only good - suffers from a weak chorus and hook

7. Show Your Cards - doesnt really suit the style of the album. weak track

8. Mistake - strongest song on the 2nd half but a mile behind 'Cry Wolf' or the like

9. Patiently - should be retitled 'Painfully'...boring chorus, too slow and too long

10. Love Wont Wait - repeat title x4 in chorus. Nuff said.

 

Dont get me wrong I do like this album and I do like White Widdow, its just to say this is better than the likes of WoA, Toby Hitchcock or even Night Ranger is complete madness to me....cos it aint.

[Glen]

WHITE WIDDOW - Serenade

 

A slightly more consistent disc than the first one, but otherwise it's impossible to tell the difference. If you liked the first you'll like this one. And if you have kittens over anything that takes zero risks and follows the MR blueprint to the letter then you'll probably think this is the 21st century's "Vital Signs" or something. Personally I wish they didn't sound quite so much like it's 1984, but respect their ability to write some pretty damn good songs (especially in the first half of this) and think several of them match the high quality of "Broken Hearts..." from their debut. In truth there's no real filler, although I'll always skip a chorus that's just a 4x repeat of the song title - something they do a few times - as that's just lazy IMO. Good quality and very slick sounding stuff this, and it's v.refreshing to see bands like this still making this style of music in 2011. No doubt some idiot will take my above review and ask why I "hated" the debut but like this one, but the truth is I don't mind both of them - I just think they're a million miles behind Toby Hitchcock/WoA/Lovex (my fave discs of 2011). Probably a 7/10 from me.

 

 

Well F**k Me!!! I couldn't agree more. They are a very good band, but this release nor last years debut are in the same class as WOA, Toby Hitchcock or Treat. For me the biggest hurdle for the band is the bland vocals. The keys are stunning, the guitar soloing is awesome, the songs are generally great, it's the vocals that are holding them back. They aren't terrible by any means, but imagine the vocalists from any of the bands mention beforehand...the result would be sick and I believe would bring this band to another level. I'm sure when all is said and done, this will be one of my fav of 2011, but there is no way they will even challenge for a podium finish.

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

I tell you what the problem is with this album - all the best songs are on the first half.

 

Up to and including 'How Far I Run', I agree this is pretty damned good, but by track 6 things start to get a bit patchy..........

 

6. Serenade - only good - suffers from a weak chorus and hook

7. Show Your Cards - doesnt really suit the style of the album. weak track

8. Mistake - strongest song on the 2nd half but a mile behind 'Cry Wolf' or the like

9. Patiently - should be retitled 'Painfully'...boring chorus, too slow and too long

10. Love Wont Wait - repeat title x4 in chorus. Nuff said.

 

Dont get me wrong I do like this album and I do like White Widdow, its just to say this is better than the likes of WoA, Toby Hitchcock or even Night Ranger is complete madness to me....cos it aint.

 

also has anyone else noticed the similarity in melody in the chorus between 'How Far I Run' and 'Never Walk Away' by Journey ?? Or is it just me??

[TIM (2)]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

[zacharyamelie]

WHITE WIDDOW - Serenade

 

A slightly more consistent disc than the first one, but otherwise it's impossible to tell the difference. If you liked the first you'll like this one. And if you have kittens over anything that takes zero risks and follows the MR blueprint to the letter then you'll probably think this is the 21st century's "Vital Signs" or something. Personally I wish they didn't sound quite so much like it's 1984, but respect their ability to write some pretty damn good songs (especially in the first half of this) and think several of them match the high quality of "Broken Hearts..." from their debut. In truth there's no real filler, although I'll always skip a chorus that's just a 4x repeat of the song title - something they do a few times - as that's just lazy IMO. Good quality and very slick sounding stuff this, and it's v.refreshing to see bands like this still making this style of music in 2011. No doubt some idiot will take my above review and ask why I "hated" the debut but like this one, but the truth is I don't mind both of them - I just think they're a million miles behind Toby Hitchcock/WoA/Lovex (my fave discs of 2011). Probably a 7/10 from me.

 

 

Well F**k Me!!! I couldn't agree more. They are a very good band, but this release nor last years debut are in the same class as WOA, Toby Hitchcock or Treat. For me the biggest hurdle for the band is the bland vocals. The keys are stunning, the guitar soloing is awesome, the songs are generally great, it's the vocals that are holding them back. They aren't terrible by any means, but imagine the vocalists from any of the bands mention beforehand...the result would be sick and I believe would bring this band to another level. I'm sure when all is said and done, this will be one of my fav of 2011, but there is no way they will even challenge for a podium finish.

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

I tell you what the problem is with this album - all the best songs are on the first half.

 

Up to and including 'How Far I Run', I agree this is pretty damned good, but by track 6 things start to get a bit patchy..........

 

6. Serenade - only good - suffers from a weak chorus and hook

7. Show Your Cards - doesnt really suit the style of the album. weak track

8. Mistake - strongest song on the 2nd half but a mile behind 'Cry Wolf' or the like

9. Patiently - should be retitled 'Painfully'...boring chorus, too slow and too long

10. Love Wont Wait - repeat title x4 in chorus. Nuff said.

 

Dont get me wrong I do like this album and I do like White Widdow, its just to say this is better than the likes of WoA, Toby Hitchcock or even Night Ranger is complete madness to me....cos it aint.

 

also has anyone else noticed the similarity in melody in the chorus between 'How Far I Run' and 'Never Walk Away' by Journey ?? Or is it just me??

 

At first, I thought of 'Be Good To Yourself' which 'Never Walk Away' is a direct rip from the same band. Personally I love Seranade (the song) and Love Won't Wait. Patiently reminds me of a weak imitation of 'Honestly' from Harem Scarem. Show Your Cards isn't that great, too hi-tech AORish. Not big on the chorus for Cry Wolf. The keys and guitars smoke, but it's nowhere near as good as some other releases this year. However, just like The Poodles who also released an album that had plenty of flaws, I will pre-order their next release and eagerly wait for it.

[Geoff]

Theory of a Deadman - 'Truth is...' ; usually a band people discuss on these forums, I can't help but notice the silence surrounding this one, that's been out for ages. Is it just because it's crap? They have always been average at best, but the last CD showed a lot of promise and they have generally shined quite brightly when it comes to the commercial / balladic numbers. And this time around they're still the stronger songs, but man, it must be said... the whole album is pretty much crap. The rockers are pretty much one and all just dreadful, and the best ballad/commercial number isn't anywhere as good as the weakest ballad/commercial number from 'Scars and Souveniers.' Yeah, not a band I really expect too much from, but even still, this is pretty disappointing stuff.

[Nightrain]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

 

Airrace is very mediocre disc I agree, but XOrigin and Lionville are pretty strong AOR friend. Work of Art's 'In progress' is heavier than the debut so I consider it's melodic rock and a head-to-head game with Toby Hitchcock which is also heavy, but both are different than White Widdow.

 

I think 'Serenade' is in the same league as last year's Houston, which is very keys oriented, and also probably pretty similar with Lionville. Yeah, very few standout AOR this year, I think only WW, Williams/Friestedt (westcoast), Lionville, and XOrigin are probably in my top 20.

[Nightrain]

FOREIGNER - Acoustique (2011)

laid-back, stripped down versions of most Foreigner hits, and great value for money when it's packed with re-recorded versions. Kelly Hansen's vocal is pure magical, I do think Lou can't sing this good anymore and somehow his vocal cord is very similar. I know many people prefer Lou but Kelly has done a brilliant job, especially when I saw the Bluray live at Sound Stage, he's stunning there!

 

The acoustical version is very good if you want a relaxing atmosphere in the dead of the night and also a good companion in your car, not very threatening to your wife who hates rock lol well yeah, nothing's really new but I'll grab this one later to complete my Foreigner collection.

 

SENCELLED - s/t (2011)

wow, surprisingly excellent! this is Swedish modern melodic rock with a combo of American pop/punk style. Full of catchy choruses and vocal harmonies layer. The arrangement is pretty simple and predictable as in most teenage-rockers thing, but it's effective and very uplifting. Most of the songs are uptempo, energetic, and usually pop/punk hates solo guitars, but Sencelled is bold enough to put some solos to almost every songs. Some highlights for me are 'Breathe Out', 'I Love The Way You Are', 'Wild One', 'One Night Stand', and 'I Wanted You', and only 'Oh Sarah' and 'Things I Feel' which I think are weaker, but overall, all songs are basically good. I rank this slightly higher than Lovex, but both should be around 85% as a great modern melodic rock of 2011.

 

STEVEN WILSON - Grace For Downing (2011)

two CD albums of Porcupine Tree's mainman, second release of his solo work, and probably better than the first, this one is accessible, more psychedelic and atmospheric, the first disc seems better, the second one is more difficult to grasp, especially on the over-20 minutes track. The sound is excellent and probably should be awesome if you listen this album to the DVD-audio with an excellent set of hi-fi. 75% on the first spin, but might climb to 80%, depends on the mood and how it turns out later.

[Geoff]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

 

Airrace is very mediocre disc I agree, but XOrigin and Lionville are pretty strong AOR friend. Work of Art's 'In progress' is heavier than the debut so I consider it's melodic rock and a head-to-head game with Toby Hitchcock which is also heavy, but both are different than White Widdow.

 

I think 'Serenade' is in the same league as last year's Houston, which is very keys oriented, and also probably pretty similar with Lionville. Yeah, very few standout AOR this year, I think only WW, Williams/Friestedt (westcoast), Lionville, and XOrigin are probably in my top 20.

Glad to see these last couple of comments on the Airrace album. I remember seing posts here that it was some great album. Man was I shocked when I heard it. It's decent to okay old AOR/melodic rock from the archives, but not even when it was recorded would this have been considered anything too good, nor is it now. I didn't hate any song on it, but none rated above a 7 either. Very average album.

 

Still haven't heard the new White Widdow disc (should be here next week, right in time for me to leave the country ) but I know I'm going to have conflicts with what people compare this too and the genre it's slated into. I only know the debut, and to me that was pure classy melodic hard rock, ala Masquerade. Not fluffy AOR ala Houston, or even Lionville or the like. I think people are getting a bit confused by the heavy use of keys and forgetting the balls that accompany these keys, with a killer beefy sound. I dunno, maybe the new one's more lightweight than the debut, but if you're separating between AOR and melodic hard rock, I'd personally have White Widdow in the latter department. But that's just me. To each their own.

[Glen]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

 

Airrace is very mediocre disc I agree, but XOrigin and Lionville are pretty strong AOR friend. Work of Art's 'In progress' is heavier than the debut so I consider it's melodic rock and a head-to-head game with Toby Hitchcock which is also heavy, but both are different than White Widdow.

 

I think 'Serenade' is in the same league as last year's Houston, which is very keys oriented, and also probably pretty similar with Lionville. Yeah, very few standout AOR this year, I think only WW, Williams/Friestedt (westcoast), Lionville, and XOrigin are probably in my top 20.

Glad to see these last couple of comments on the Airrace album. I remember seing posts here that it was some great album. Man was I shocked when I heard it. It's decent to okay old AOR/melodic rock from the archives, but not even when it was recorded would this have been considered anything too good, nor is it now. I didn't hate any song on it, but none rated above a 7 either. Very average album.

 

Still haven't heard the new White Widdow disc (should be here next week, right in time for me to leave the country ) but I know I'm going to have conflicts with what people compare this too and the genre it's slated into. I only know the debut, and to me that was pure classy melodic hard rock, ala Masquerade. Not fluffy AOR ala Houston, or even Lionville or the like. I think people are getting a bit confused by the heavy use of keys and forgetting the balls that accompany these keys, with a killer beefy sound. I dunno, maybe the new one's more lightweight than the debut, but if you're separating between AOR and melodic hard rock, I'd personally have White Widdow in the latter department. But that's just me. To each their own.

 

Keys are keys my friend. As the legend that is AOR Freaky used to bore us to death with - it aint AOR if it aint got keys - whilst that is a pretty extreme view, I have to agree that a band that uses 'keys' as extensively as White Widdow has to be classed as AOR - but of course like any genre there are varying degrees.

 

Just a few more comments - WoA is not melodic rock - thats about as close to model 'AOR' as you can get. Lionville will probably rate higher than WW this year even if it is 'fluffy'....what ever that word means - after all a good song is a good song, and Lionville is more consistent. Airrace suffers from a poor production, but if 'Two Of A Kind' is a 7/10 I must be going deaf.....one of my favourite songs this year.

 

Lastly just to....again....wrap up all this crap surrounding the White Widdow album....song wise it is almost exactly the same as the debut. WTF are people hearing that makes this so much better than the debut, apart from the production of course. I am puzzled.

[Geoff]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

 

Airrace is very mediocre disc I agree, but XOrigin and Lionville are pretty strong AOR friend. Work of Art's 'In progress' is heavier than the debut so I consider it's melodic rock and a head-to-head game with Toby Hitchcock which is also heavy, but both are different than White Widdow.

 

I think 'Serenade' is in the same league as last year's Houston, which is very keys oriented, and also probably pretty similar with Lionville. Yeah, very few standout AOR this year, I think only WW, Williams/Friestedt (westcoast), Lionville, and XOrigin are probably in my top 20.

Glad to see these last couple of comments on the Airrace album. I remember seing posts here that it was some great album. Man was I shocked when I heard it. It's decent to okay old AOR/melodic rock from the archives, but not even when it was recorded would this have been considered anything too good, nor is it now. I didn't hate any song on it, but none rated above a 7 either. Very average album.

 

Still haven't heard the new White Widdow disc (should be here next week, right in time for me to leave the country ) but I know I'm going to have conflicts with what people compare this too and the genre it's slated into. I only know the debut, and to me that was pure classy melodic hard rock, ala Masquerade. Not fluffy AOR ala Houston, or even Lionville or the like. I think people are getting a bit confused by the heavy use of keys and forgetting the balls that accompany these keys, with a killer beefy sound. I dunno, maybe the new one's more lightweight than the debut, but if you're separating between AOR and melodic hard rock, I'd personally have White Widdow in the latter department. But that's just me. To each their own.

 

Keys are keys my friend. As the legend that is AOR Freaky used to bore us to death with - it aint AOR if it aint got keys - whilst that is a pretty extreme view, I have to agree that a band that uses 'keys' as extensively as White Widdow has to be classed as AOR - but of course like any genre there are varying degrees.

 

Just a few more comments - WoA is not melodic rock - thats about as close to model 'AOR' as you can get. Lionville will probably rate higher than WW this year even if it is 'fluffy'....what ever that word means - after all a good song is a good song, and Lionville is more consistent. Airrace suffers from a poor production, but if 'Two Of A Kind' is a 7/10 I must be going deaf.....one of my favourite songs this year.

 

Lastly just to....again....wrap up all this crap surrounding the White Widdow album....song wise it is almost exactly the same as the debut. WTF are people hearing that makes this so much better than the debut, apart from the production of course. I am puzzled.

Yeah, no worries mate. To each their own and there's a billion and a half discussions elsewhere here about what's AOR and what's not and they're just silly discussions... everyone has a different idea.

 

But mate, I do have to quickly totally disagree. Saying a band who uses a lot of keys is automatically AOR is like saying a band who use a lot of guitars has to be a heavy metal band. Nowhere near as simple as that. To me it's all about the song writing style and from what I hear White Widdow is much closer to your typical MHR band than the more lightweight pure AOR groups. Again, though, as I say... just my opinion. End of the day, as you say if it's good it's good and that's all that really matters.

[Jez]

The Airrace is still a great disc to my ears. Not as polished as the WW's and WOA's of this world and maybe a little 'Old School' as Geoff says for some (This is a brand new album by the way, not old recordings!!) but I hear at least 6-7 really good songs on it.

 

I've only had White Widdow for a day, but initially, bar the production that is a notch or 2 up, the songs are pretty much on par with the debut. It does vary a little in quality after track 6 as Glen mentioned t'other day and compared to some other discs, is about as generic as you are gonna get in this genre (I was humming the choruses before they arrived on nearly every song), but I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to spending some more time digesting it. Loving the new House Of Lords too.

[Glen]

The Airrace is still a great disc to my ears. Not as polished as the WW's and WOA's of this world and maybe a little 'Old School' as Geoff says for some (This is a brand new album by the way, not old recordings!!) but I hear at least 6-7 really good songs on it.

 

I've only had White Widdow for a day, but initially, bar the production that is a notch or 2 up, the songs are pretty much on par with the debut. It does vary a little in quality after track 6 as Glen mentioned t'other day and compared to some other discs, is about as generic as you are gonna get in this genre (I was humming the choruses before they arrived on nearly every song), but I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to spending some more time digesting it. Loving the new House Of Lords too.

 

Mmm interesting the HOL was one album I wasnt that excitied about. Will check it out. I just find their music so 'forced'.....i dunno, maybe its just me but this band has never really blown me away....and I found them intensely boring live as well....the expression 'pole up arse' came to mind. Like PC69....you expect them to kick arse in the live environment only to be disappointed by a 'static' performance.

[Swazi]

 

Mmm interesting the HOL was one album I wasnt that excitied about. Will check it out. I just find their music so 'forced'.....i dunno, maybe its just me but this band has never really blown me away....and I found them intensely boring live as well....the expression 'pole up arse' came to mind.

 

Actually I love most of the HOL releases, but I do totally agree to your point about their live performance. Really boring ! And playing the keys from IPod doesn't help either. At least that's what they did in Germany a few years ago.

[Glen]

 

Mmm interesting the HOL was one album I wasnt that excitied about. Will check it out. I just find their music so 'forced'.....i dunno, maybe its just me but this band has never really blown me away....and I found them intensely boring live as well....the expression 'pole up arse' came to mind.

 

Actually I love most of the HOL releases, but I do totally agree to your point about their live performance. Really boring ! And playing the keys from IPod doesn't help either. At least that's what they did in Germany a few years ago.

 

Yeah backed....their performance at FF , was very average. Some loved it, I didnt. I know its 20 odd years on from their heyday, but christian was a bit of a grandad!! lol. Just a very plod like performance which i wasnt expecting.

[Nightrain]

 

When the songs are this good, I don't really care if the vocalist is not the strongest ever. This is the best AOR album this year without competition.

 

If I only liked pure AOR and absolutely nothing else (Toby Hitchcock is more like Melodic hard-rock) then I might be tempted to agree with you. After all, what else has there been? Airrace? Seriously - that's one mediocre disc. Last year it would've been kicked-into-touch by albums like H.E.A.T/Treat/First Signal, but this year there's been nothing.

 

Trouble is I like too much of a variety of melodic rock to narrow the field so much to just pure/smooth AOR. And in all honesty I try and put aside the vocalist/band and consider how many songs off the new WW would've made the Toby Hitchcock disc (my personal fave of 2011 so far)? Very very few IMO...

 

Airrace is very mediocre disc I agree, but XOrigin and Lionville are pretty strong AOR friend. Work of Art's 'In progress' is heavier than the debut so I consider it's melodic rock and a head-to-head game with Toby Hitchcock which is also heavy, but both are different than White Widdow.

 

I think 'Serenade' is in the same league as last year's Houston, which is very keys oriented, and also probably pretty similar with Lionville. Yeah, very few standout AOR this year, I think only WW, Williams/Friestedt (westcoast), Lionville, and XOrigin are probably in my top 20.

Glad to see these last couple of comments on the Airrace album. I remember seing posts here that it was some great album. Man was I shocked when I heard it. It's decent to okay old AOR/melodic rock from the archives, but not even when it was recorded would this have been considered anything too good, nor is it now. I didn't hate any song on it, but none rated above a 7 either. Very average album.

 

Still haven't heard the new White Widdow disc (should be here next week, right in time for me to leave the country ) but I know I'm going to have conflicts with what people compare this too and the genre it's slated into. I only know the debut, and to me that was pure classy melodic hard rock, ala Masquerade. Not fluffy AOR ala Houston, or even Lionville or the like. I think people are getting a bit confused by the heavy use of keys and forgetting the balls that accompany these keys, with a killer beefy sound. I dunno, maybe the new one's more lightweight than the debut, but if you're separating between AOR and melodic hard rock, I'd personally have White Widdow in the latter department. But that's just me. To each their own.

 

Keys are keys my friend. As the legend that is AOR Freaky used to bore us to death with - it aint AOR if it aint got keys - whilst that is a pretty extreme view, I have to agree that a band that uses 'keys' as extensively as White Widdow has to be classed as AOR - but of course like any genre there are varying degrees.

 

Just a few more comments - WoA is not melodic rock - thats about as close to model 'AOR' as you can get. Lionville will probably rate higher than WW this year even if it is 'fluffy'....what ever that word means - after all a good song is a good song, and Lionville is more consistent. Airrace suffers from a poor production, but if 'Two Of A Kind' is a 7/10 I must be going deaf.....one of my favourite songs this year.

 

Lastly just to....again....wrap up all this crap surrounding the White Widdow album....song wise it is almost exactly the same as the debut. WTF are people hearing that makes this so much better than the debut, apart from the production of course. I am puzzled.

Yeah, no worries mate. To each their own and there's a billion and a half discussions elsewhere here about what's AOR and what's not and they're just silly discussions... everyone has a different idea.

 

But mate, I do have to quickly totally disagree. Saying a band who uses a lot of keys is automatically AOR is like saying a band who use a lot of guitars has to be a heavy metal band. Nowhere near as simple as that. To me it's all about the song writing style and from what I hear White Widdow is much closer to your typical MHR band than the more lightweight pure AOR groups. Again, though, as I say... just my opinion. End of the day, as you say if it's good it's good and that's all that really matters.

 

Agree, to define what's AOR or not is trivial, and after all, I don't really think that AOR is a genre after all in the first place. If I'm not mistaken, the term came out just because it's album-oriented which means they have lots of singles that went to the radio/TV/charts, and it happens most of em are ballads/slowtempo songs so basically AOR is usually when your album is full of mid/slower tempo and it's melodic rock if it has more uptempo dominating.

 

Regarding 'In Progress', I just spotted that WoA pumped up the tempo in most of the songs compared to their debut, installed heavier guitar works, and reduced the amount of slower songs. Although the style is still quite similar to the debut, it's heavier, so I personally categorize it in the melodic rock territory while WW utilizes keyboard and played mostly in midtempo, so it goes to AOR, but I don't think it really matters at all, every one has their own opinion and right to put those bands into any basket they like

 

Back to White Widdow again, I don't know why there are a lot of controversies regarding this band, the new album sounds pretty amazing even only in my first spin and disagree that the second half is weak, I found it's as strong as the first, but hey, to each their own, as usual. In the end, it's a very strong disc by the band, better than the debut, and there's no way it could go below 90%.

[Nightrain]

The Airrace is still a great disc to my ears. Not as polished as the WW's and WOA's of this world and maybe a little 'Old School' as Geoff says for some (This is a brand new album by the way, not old recordings!!) but I hear at least 6-7 really good songs on it.

 

I've only had White Widdow for a day, but initially, bar the production that is a notch or 2 up, the songs are pretty much on par with the debut. It does vary a little in quality after track 6 as Glen mentioned t'other day and compared to some other discs, is about as generic as you are gonna get in this genre (I was humming the choruses before they arrived on nearly every song), but I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to spending some more time digesting it. Loving the new House Of Lords too.

 

I also like the new HoL, and quite shocked Andrew bravely scored this one at 95% as I believe it's fair to be around 80% max, and labeling the first two tracks as his strongest as I found it's among their weakest. But it's always interesting to read a different perception

[Jez]

The Airrace is still a great disc to my ears. Not as polished as the WW's and WOA's of this world and maybe a little 'Old School' as Geoff says for some (This is a brand new album by the way, not old recordings!!) but I hear at least 6-7 really good songs on it.

 

I've only had White Widdow for a day, but initially, bar the production that is a notch or 2 up, the songs are pretty much on par with the debut. It does vary a little in quality after track 6 as Glen mentioned t'other day and compared to some other discs, is about as generic as you are gonna get in this genre (I was humming the choruses before they arrived on nearly every song), but I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to spending some more time digesting it. Loving the new House Of Lords too.

 

I also like the new HoL, and quite shocked Andrew bravely scored this one at 95% as I believe it's fair to be around 80% max, and labeling the first two tracks as his strongest as I found it's among their weakest. But it's always interesting to read a different perception

 

Go with you on that. I quite like the 2 openers, but for me it gets going from track 3 to 10. I love the Denander co writes on here 'Someday When' and 'Searchin'' especially. Definitely wouldn't give it 95 but a healthy 80 odd is a good mark for it. Much better than 'Cartesian Dreams' aswell.

[Swazi]

 

Back to White Widdow again, I don't know why there are a lot of controversies regarding this band, the new album sounds pretty amazing even only in my first spin and disagree that the second half is weak, I found it's as strong as the first.

 

Absolutely backed ! Why the second half should be weak is beyond me, but then tastes differ as we all know ..........

[Geoff]

The Airrace is still a great disc to my ears. Not as polished as the WW's and WOA's of this world and maybe a little 'Old School' as Geoff says for some (This is a brand new album by the way, not old recordings!!) but I hear at least 6-7 really good songs on it.

I had a feeling from what people said about it that it was a new recording, but having only heard the MP3's and not seen any liner notes, I just can't believe it myself. It sounds like it MUST be a shelved album from 1988/1989 - it even has that dodgy almost there but not quite finished recording/production sound of an album left on the shelf for 20 years. Oh well, as I said, not a bad album at all but certainly nothing outstanding either.

[Glen]

 

Back to White Widdow again, I don't know why there are a lot of controversies regarding this band, the new album sounds pretty amazing even only in my first spin and disagree that the second half is weak, I found it's as strong as the first.

 

Absolutely backed ! Why the second half should be weak is beyond me, but then tastes differ as we all know ..........

 

I didnt say that the second half was weak - just that the best songs are on the first half, which is true. The first half is probably worthy of an album in the 85-90% bracket....the second half is more 75-80%.......overall will probably rank in the low to mid 80s like the debut.

 

A very cool band tho and really looking forward to seeing them live in a few weeks time :-))

[Nightrain]

ANSWER, THE - Revival (2011)

I really love their debut, and I think the second album is a bit weaker, but didn't expect they continue the trend to keep releasing weaker albums on their third. With only 3-4 great tracks and the rest are between weak, average, and good tunes, 'Revival' is quite disappointing as I expect a lot from them. 'Use Me' and 'Can't Remember, Can't Forget' are the best tracks, with 'Nowhere Freeway' and 'Lights Are Down' came second. 'Waste Your Tears', 'Tornado', and 'Destroy Me' are among the weakest. Not bad at all, but I guess it's hard to go beyond 65% after multiple spins.

 

CHASING MAGIC - s/t (2011)

the latest Kivel project, good band, good album, melodic hard rock thing with several outstanding tunes here are 'World Is Wide', 'Room To Run', 'The Corners of My Mind', 'The Edge of Goodbye', 'This Time', 'Fine Line' (FarCry track?), but not really awesome as most upper songs are around 80-85 range only, and perhaps only one song that I dislike here, 'Same'.

I'm good with 75% on this.

 

TUPELO HONEY - Caught Up In The Excess (2011)

decent modern rock band, some songs that I like here are 'Falling', 'One Step', and 'Moment'. Other good songs are 'Last Thing', 'Reason', and 'Hollow', with 'Pull Me Closer', 'Best I Could', and 'What Are You Waiting For' being the weakest. Hm I'm okay with it and probably around 65-70% deserved, will consider buying for $3-$4, but not more.

[Geoff]

Blindside - 'With shivering hearts we wait' ; I should let this pass without acknowledging it, but I feel it's my duty to warn any potential buyers about this one. I know they've been briefly mentioned on the forum here with their 'About a Burning Fire' album. By no means good, it was patchy as hell. But it had a decent song or two. This one does not. It is terrible. Avoid this like it'll give you AIDS if you hear it, because I fear it actually did already. Yuck.

[Nightrain]

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION - BCC 2 (2011)

i like many classic rock releases or anything that has to do with classic rock but don't know why BCC just can't please my appetite. I know I don't really like the first album, but this one who has been hailed by many as one of the strongest releases is actually a very average disc packed with passable tunes. Probably 'The Outsider', 'I Can See Your Spirit', and 'Little Secret' are the only bearable track and it's probably only around 6.5/10-7/10 range and the rest are mediocre.

 

Horribly overrated, 55%-60% for me, despite of the big names behind this band, and no way it could go beyond 70% after some spins.

 

MITCH MALLOY - II (2011)

i've heard something a while ago that Mitch wants to go back to his debut style and when I first heard this album, I was totally blown away by how good this one is.

 

Stylewise, yeah I think it has that debut vibe, but this one is more rockin', heavier in many places, but still you can hear Mitch's wonderful voice singing at least three ballads here and some midtempos. I'll say most of the songs are varied in the range of 8/10 to 10/10, and probably only couple of weaker tracks, but still good. Fave here are 'I'm The One', 'Falling To Pieces', 'Carry On', 'Love Song', 'On And On', 'I Don't Know How', and 'Let Love Win'.

 

Awesome gem, probably as strong as the debut without modern influences at all, more melodic rock than the AOR in the debut, and i guess 90% is warranted as barely any horrible songs at all actually. Highly potential to finish in the top 10 by the end of the year.

 

ps. looks like Firefest guests will be pleased to be able to buy this new disc at the concert, well if any of you are willing to grab some for HH folks here, I'll be happy to buy one

[Glen]

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION - BCC 2 (2011)

i like many classic rock releases or anything that has to do with classic rock but don't know why BCC just can't please my appetite. I know I don't really like the first album, but this one who has been hailed by many as one of the strongest releases is actually a very average disc packed with passable tunes. Probably 'The Outsider', 'I Can See Your Spirit', and 'Little Secret' are the only bearable track and it's probably only around 6.5/10-7/10 range and the rest are mediocre.

 

Horribly overrated, 55%-60% for me, despite of the big names behind this band, and no way it could go beyond 70% after some spins.

 

MITCH MALLOY - II (2011)

i've heard something a while ago that Mitch wants to go back to his debut style and when I first heard this album, I was totally blown away by how good this one is.

 

Stylewise, yeah I think it has that debut vibe, but this one is more rockin', heavier in many places, but still you can hear Mitch's wonderful voice singing at least three ballads here and some midtempos. I'll say most of the songs are varied in the range of 8/10 to 10/10, and probably only couple of weaker tracks, but still good. Fave here are 'I'm The One', 'Falling To Pieces', 'Carry On', 'Love Song', 'On And On', 'I Don't Know How', and 'Let Love Win'.

 

Awesome gem, probably as strong as the debut without modern influences at all, more melodic rock than the AOR in the debut, and i guess 90% is warranted as barely any horrible songs at all actually. Highly potential to finish in the top 10 by the end of the year.

 

ps. looks like Firefest guests will be pleased to be able to buy this new disc at the concert, well if any of you are willing to grab some for HH folks here, I'll be happy to buy one

 

havent listened in full yet, but on skipping through some tracks it sounded promising albeit the mix sounded a little muddy - MM's vocals sounded a little 'buried' which was a shame. Looking forward to a full listen tomorrow tho.

[heaven&hell]

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION - BCC 2 (2011)

i like many classic rock releases or anything that has to do with classic rock but don't know why BCC just can't please my appetite. I know I don't really like the first album, but this one who has been hailed by many as one of the strongest releases is actually a very average disc packed with passable tunes. Probably 'The Outsider', 'I Can See Your Spirit', and 'Little Secret' are the only bearable track and it's probably only around 6.5/10-7/10 range and the rest are mediocre.

 

Horribly overrated, 55%-60% for me, despite of the big names behind this band, and no way it could go beyond 70% after some spins.

 

 

Wow just wow. I think it's killer and up there in my top albums of the year.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.