Artist: Tara's Secret  
   Title: Vertigo
   Label: Black Cat Music

Although the world of Melodic Hard Rock maybe not be as trendy as it once was in the eighties, it has still remained in the hearts of many and bands have never ceased playing and recording this type of music.  This year a bumper crop of fine titles have come my way and I have enjoyed more than my fair share so I’m thankful for that.

But one thing that has been missing this year has been a great British Melodic Rock bands album yes there has been a few good albums and a few mediocre one but never an album that makes me say yes British Rock is back, that was until Craig from Tara’s Secret sent me the band latest release ‘Vertigo’.

I’ve always been a little critical of the British quarter in the Melodic and Hard Rock scene, because they never seem to have that punch that some of the Scandinavian and German bands in the same genre have, but I must say this new album by Tara’s Secret has meat on them there bones.

From the opener ‘Rock ‘N Roll Beauty Queen’ I was hooked on this album.  The band have certainly picked up  their game big style with a more full on guitar sound and a great sounding rhythm section.  Another thing I must say is that Johnny has a much more predominant vocal on this album.

The album continues to rock big style with ‘She’s My Baby’, which is actually  one of my favourites off the album, again featuring a big guitar sound from Craig and Richie and a monster rhythm section courtesy of JT and Dave.  Things just continue to get better as the great rocking keeps on coming with ‘Natural High (Rain Of Love)' and the elegant ‘The Last 2 Know’, which features Sue Willetts of Dante Fox fame duetting with Johnny on this one.

The hard rock soon picks up pace once again with the riff spewn ‘Promises’.  If I had to pick one outstanding track from the album then this would be my choice, this is modern Hard Rock with just a touch of 80’s rhythm to keep the diehard’s happy, and I without a doubt Johnny finest vocal performance on the whole album.

The title track ‘Vertigo’ is up next, again keeping the high tempo rock going and with some great guitar work from Craig and Richie.  Then it's time to bring things down a touch with the ballad ‘One More Chance’, a song to pull at the heart strings for sure.  Coming in a close second to track of the album is the hard rockin' ‘My Reward’, then it’s a track that is old school all the way ‘Shake What Your Mamma Gave Ya!’, an all out rocker to shake your booty to. 

The album closes properly in fine style with ‘Homeland’, a gentle rocker that rounds off what is without a doubt the bands best album to date.  The band give a little more with a couple of bonus rockers, first up is ‘GTBR’, a real barnstormer of a track before keeping it going with the second ‘Wildest Dreams’, both great tracks that should have been on the album as tracks 11 and 12 and not bonus tracks as they are just two monsters.

They round off an album that shows that actually there are still a few British bands out there able to keep that Red, White and Blue flying in the genre.

Tracklisting:

01. Rock 'n Roll Beauty Queen
02. She's My Baby
03. Natural High (Rain Of Love)
04. The Last 2 Know (ft Sue Willetts)
05. Promises
06. Vertigo
07. One More Chance
08. My Reward
09. Shake What Your Mamma Gave Ya! (ft Adrian Marx)
10.Homeland
11. GTBR (Bonus)
12. Wildest Dreams (Bonus)

                   

 

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