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Artist: Heartland |
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Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to what is the perfect example of Melodic Rock and how it should be done. Better still, the band involved are British! Heartland were formed by ex-Virginia Wolf vocalist Chris Ousey and Gary Sharpe, ex-guitarist with Monroe, soon releasing their self titled album in 1991 to critical acclaim. Fast Forward to 2011, 10 studio albums and one "best of" down the line, the band are still on the go, albeit with a different line-up, Chris Ousey stays the frontman, and with a voice like his, it's all the better for us. He can easily be put in the ranks of Eric Martin and Steve Perry when it comes to his vocal quality, going from feather light smoothness to a raspy, soaring yell when called for, as you find out on the album. There's everything you could wish for here, the sultry power balled that defines this genre of rock music, and to balance the mood, some punchy numbers to get the feet and head nodding and tapping in unison. These ballads couldn't get any better than those like the gorgeous keyboard led 'Don't Cast Your Shadow', Ousey singing from the heart, putting everything he has into each word, 'Paper Heart' has that big yet tender production where all that's left to add to those harmonies and soaring guitar solos is your tears! And who could forget that classic single 'Fight Fire with Fire'? Just dim those lights, hold onto your partner and drift away to the lush sound that fills the room. Spine tingling. To balance the mood, the punchy numbers are just as appealing, and get the head and feet tapping or nodding in unison. 'That Thing' has a bassy intro quite similar to Survivor's 'American Heartbeat', where it's keyboards and drums are the main ingredient throughout. Gary Sharpe's splendid guitar-work lights up 'walking On Ice', where I defy anyone that they won't be able to sing along with the chorus! With the jump-along, dance-any-way-you-can feel that is 'Promises', it's energy doesn't feel out of place on a film-soundtrack such as 'Footloose'. 'Real World' is that type of song that should be played at least once a day, as the up-tempo chorus sits neatly in the back of your head once you've heard it then suddenly pops up from nowhere wherever you are or whatever you are doing! The same could be said of 'Carrie Ann', similar in its hum-along chorus and just as catchy. Really, there aren't any disappointing tracks on the album, not even one you could say is just an album filler as most would plum for just to please their label. No, Heartland have struck gold here with classy songs all the way. 'Teach You To Dream' has a very atmospheric intro that begs you to visualize a dry-ice image for a video, whilst 'Paradise' with the soaring guitar solo and harmonies literally puts the icing on the cake. Yes folks, 'Heartland' is as silky-smooth as they come and deserves the recognition it truly deserves to have another chance to get all the recognition it truly deserves after all the years of being "lost". It also shows that it's not only "our friends across the pond" who can come up with something as exceptional as this album. Review
by: Bob Baldwin |
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Tracklisting: 1. Teach You To Dream |
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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