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Artist: Strangeways |
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So we have a
Strangeways reunion and with it a new CD to back up their appearance at
Firefest VII. Now Terry
Brock's an excellent vocalist and if I was to compile a top ten list
then he’d be way up there, so I was expecting great things from this
release. 'Perfect World' is a fine effort but comes across a bit tame. There are soaring harmonies, beautiful guitar tones, emotional lyrics but it comes across very mellow. Title track 'Perfect World' kicks off the CD and tries to rock out but just falls a little short. 'Borderlines' does an Eagles/Bon Jovi crossover, very countrified. Then it’s 'Movin On’' and the band start to kick into gear with a great staccato guitar and a dirty groove to it. 'Time' is beautifully mellow and this is where Brock shines, emotional and heartfelt. Next up is 'Cracking Up Baby' and the more I listen to this the more I hear a mellow Deacon Blue! A great vocal performance and some spacey guitar work from Ian Stewart. 'Liberty' is a mid tempo groover while 'One More Day' brings back the listener back into the mellow mood. Running at 7 minutes 'Bushfire' is the standout track on the album, with the band flexing their musical muscle. Heading toward album
end and slowing things down are 'Too Far Gone', followed by 'Can’t Let
You Go', which shows the band in a more mature frame of musical
mind. Ending the album is 'Say What You Want', the guitar and
vocals just washing over the listener. This is a fine piece of AOR but I feel the band have let themselves down, 'Perfect World' seems a tad tame and reserved. There are moments on here but I must admit I was expecting more, especially from Terry Brock after his work with The Sign and Mike Slamer. Hopefully this might pave the way for another album where the band can really kick it into gear. Review by: Brassy |
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Tracklisting: 1. Perfect World |
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