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Artist: Places Of Power |
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It’s hard to believe it's
only February and there's already been more than a dozen fine releases
to date, well here's another one to add to your 'to buy' list, Places Of
Powers new album 'Now Is The Hour'. The album once again sees the
talents of Bruce
Turgon and Philip Bardowell united in what can only be described as the
album Foreigner fans would wish the band would make. The
pair have built on a sound that the fore mentioned Foreigner delivered
in their heyday and given it a new fresh and crisp sound that would
appeal to all fans of good honest Hard Rock. The
album itself started life back in 2006 and because of Bardowell and
Turgon’s work ethic the pair finally sent the tracks to none other
than Denis Ward in the summer of last year who again has worked his
magic and produced a great album. The
album opens up with ‘In Your Wildest Dreams’ and the similarity to
Kelly Hansen and Lou Gramm’s vocals in mind blowing as Bardowell
delivers a real punch along with the lead guitar of Scott McKinstry
adding that extra spark; this is just what the doctor ordered for the
genre. The
album continues with ‘Make Me Believe’ and ‘Desire Of Our
Hearts’, two great Melodic Rock tracks that any band in the genre
would be proud to have on their album, with Bardowell showing what a
truly talented vocalist he is and McKinstry adding that extra bit of
wizardry guitar when needed to give the tracks an extra edge. There
are numerous good tracks on this album and some quite superb ones and
one of the latter has to be ‘One Day’, a great mid tempo rocker that
really stands out from the rest as Turgon gives his all and this
combination with Bardowell’s tremendous vocals, makes this a song I
can see going down well at the rock clubs. The
album boasts some fine ballads and one that really gets the heart
fluttering is ‘I Live For You’ and another outstanding track
straight out of the Foreigner stable is ‘Secrets’ and that’s not a
bad thing is it. It's
hard to listen to this album without returning to the Foreigner
similarities but that's the sound Turgon was going for that and Shadow
King, and he has far surpassed it all with this album, with the likes of
‘The Passage’ and ‘Always’ keeping that flame going.
Although one of the best slices of Melodic Hard Rock you’ll hear this
year is the fantastic ‘Hard To Love You’. This is gritty while
at the same time sticks to Turgon’s formula for the band and with the
production of Ward making the sound so modern and not dated, this is far
and away my favourite track off the album (but it was a close thing with
so many great tracks to choose from). With
so many great tracks your left wondering where are the fillers and
believe me there aren’t any this album is a pure bred and an Arabian
stallion pedigree through and through. As
the album closes with the majestic mood ridden ‘Light Of My World’
and the almost funk blues of ‘Path Of Last Resistance’ and
completing this superb release the rocking ‘Places Of Power’. This
is a must have album for all fans of great Melodic Hard Rock and those
who believe the music is out there if only the rest of the world could
hear what we hear. |
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Tracklisting:
1. In Your Wildest
Dreams |
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All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |
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