"Eternity" is a re-release of a greatest hits CD that was popped out shortly after the third and final
Takara outing with
Jeff Scott Soto on board in 1998. Afterwards the band jumped the shark by recruiting Michael Flatters for 2001's "Perception of Reality", it was a wild change from the versatile pipes of Soto to this fairly soulless sounding vocalist that has recently been recording with James Byrd with mixed results. Luckily there's nothing here from Flatters to mess up the beauty of what was a great
AOR band, and since this is the second go 'round for "Eternity", originally released before
Takara split apart and many core members were blown to the four winds. This 2004 edition includes nothing new as far as music goes. Those that pick up the disc will be treated to some band photos and a "letter to the fans" from founding member (and I believe the only original
Takara musician left), guitarist Neal Grusky. For those new to the band, this is the perfect introduction, in fact, it may be the only CD you need from these guys because the best is certainly represented and in force. A staggering eight songs have been lifted from my personal favorite of the bunch, "Taste of Heaven", every key track showing up in their full glory. You also get a sampling from the debut and "Blind in Paradise" but I'll take it one album at a time.
The band had been kicking around since the late 80s but it was not until 1993 that they managed to finally push a disc out the door. Sounding very much like a Christian band with the title "Eternal Faith" they dazzled and impressed with such songs like the lush feathery ballad
"Colors Fade" and the pounding love anthem
"Restless Heart", which opens with lapping acoustic in a delicate setting and then ramps it up to eleven with soaring vocals and pounding drums for a climatic chorus. The guitar solo absolutely sizzles with passion and emotion and the song slides back into stripped down mode right after for a nice contrast. There's also the upfront rocker
"Spotlight" which reminds me of early 80s Rainbow, but sadly is a little on the repetitive side and the slightly generic uptempo burner but still worth noting,
"Two Hearts Together". The songs are all decent, but having heard so many albums in this hard rock-bordering-on-
AOR genre that are better, the songs from "Eternal Faith" sound dated and sometimes unremarkable. When its good though its great, and thankfully some of the best have been handpicked.
"Taste of Heaven" from 1995 yielded many more memorable songs and was
Takara's magnum opus without a doubt. Lyrically it was all about love, but musically the band gelled better, and the song structures were tighter and ventured to allow for more variety. The middle child is often the one with the most problems, but not in this case, since every song screamed "1987 radio play!" and the best are definitely harvested here for "Eternity". The powerful European hard rock flavored,
"When Darkness Falls" opened the CD then, and here it is the first track from that album, and so it goes, with the first five songs from "Taste" slapped on here in order, then skipping down to the heartbreaking ode to a love one passed away ballad,
"Lonely Shade of Blue". But everyone has their choice tracks, and mine would be
"Days of Dawn". That one flaunts a powerful performance by Soto. The chorus just soars, the guitars squeal and guest all-star Bob Daisley's bass contributions are also notable. Verses are smooth as silk highlighted by keys and explode into hard rock glory with the bridge that leads back into that catchy as sin chorus. Killer stuff.
"December" opens with a capella singing then quickly transcends into another upbeat rocker with a gigantic hook.
"Blind in Paradise" is like a mixture of the two previous albums, the
AOR stylings of "Taste" and the more upfront rock n roll approach of "Eternal Faith". A couple of anthems are tacked on here, the full frontal rock of
"Take U Down", complete with the obligatory wild man axe solo and cheesy synthesizer in the spotlight, gotta love that, and the fidgety
"Your Love 2 Night" which leaves me wondering what they could have really done if more effort had been exerted.
"Don't Wanna Be Alone" is a long-winded ballad that does some things right but the hooks just stumble into boredom in the end.
"Say U'll Stay" is a vast improvement that actually is blessed with a bit of passion, utilizing a lot of lapping acoustic and of course the pipes of
Jeff Scott Soto.
The final two songs are acoustic tracks recorded for and debuting on "Taste of Heaven".
"Restless Heart" just isn't the same with the bombastic sections stripped down.
"Your Love" works better, since the original is a melody packed killer (also included here, so dare to compare for yourself!) and doesn't rely on the tempo changing gimmick to ensure interest is held like
"Restless" does. Both showcase
Jeff Scott Soto's pipes in their finest shape.
Seeing
Takara through the years like this you can definitely see where they made improvements in songwriting and just straightened and tightened things up as the years passed away and the recordings where shuffled out the door.
Jeff Scott Soto has definitely earned his wings as a legendary vocalist by singing everything from disco (The Boogie Knights) to balls-to-the-wall guitar driven heavy metal (Axel Rudi Pell, Yngwie Malmsteen). Having thought he always sounded his best doing
AOR-esque material, I can't recommend this journey in time called "Eternity" enough for those looking for another glimpse into Soto's past. Unfortunately he spread himself a little thin in the late 90s, doing too much for too many and that can be heard in the songs from "Blind in Paradise" where he comes off a bit raspy at times - something you would never hear in the pristine deliveries in the previous tunes. At any rate, this is a nice compilation that truly is the "Best of"
Takara, and any fan of Jeff or
AOR in general should enjoy it. If you didn't pick it up in 1998, here's your chance now.
Written by
Alanna Friday, March 19, 2004
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