Broke[N]Blue is retro-cool. This is breezy pop-
AOR all the way that will instantly garner comparisons to
Heart due to the usage of a female vocalist, one Eva Eggaesjo Abrahamsson, who does lead on multiple songs. Their other singer is Peter Gustavsson, who also doubletimes in a cover band that no one has heard of outside of Sweden most likely (Sixpack, if you must know).
This is Broke's second album, and they have progressed quite a bit since "Northern Lights", the whole album sounds much sharper. Band leader, guitarist, head songwriter, and Eva's husband, Lars Abrahamsson has written a nice assortment of songs, and with the double singer angle, Broke[N]Blue has a good shot at standing out from the crowd, which this particular niche is pretty crowded right now.
The press writeup hits the nail on the head for the most part, this is a cross of
Heart,
Van Halen of the Hagar era (the fluffier stuff, you hear it in the guitar melodies sometimes), Richard Marx, and there's some
Journey here too but they don't beat you over the head with it. There's enough bands doing
Journey-ish stuff right now anyway. But this is such a melting pot of late 80s era music that you will hear so many more bands cropping up in the mix from all over the globe. Bad English, Starship, Vixen, Skagarack, Joe Lynn Turner...the list could be potentially limitless considering their obvious influences here.
As singer's of the fairer sex go, this one is like
Candice Night meets Ann Wilson with a hint of Ann's sister, Nancy tossed in. Eva has Candice's purity, a kind of innocence that fits the equally saccharine music nicely, but possesses a little more range.
Keyboards are running absolutely wild and lend a helping hand to create that vintage, mid-to-late 80s fluff sound.
We got piano, we got hammond, we got synth. No keys were spared in the making of this disc!
Some songs work better than others, but Broke[N]Blue's best material is when the two vocalists team up on the same track. It creates a yin/yang effect with the feminine touches and the high pitched masculinity edging its way in too. The double dipping vocal blend is a fragrant one, whether they are singing in unison or bouncing verses off one another.
"Keep Me Waiting" is the standout showcase for this example, which puts all of those elements together and chucks in some free flying guitar and a boatload of keyboards.
The opener
"How Does It Feel" is classic styled
AOR, meaning huge harmonies, a fat chorus and a catchy upper mid tempo-ish range that jams in a key heavy rock sort of way. Kind of like Starship. Peter's vocals have that Swedish accent, making him distinctively Scandi but he also sounds like a million others, yet powers out that passion with a vengeance. This is a superb piece of
AOR rock that will please almost anyone that is into the genre. Very classy and well done.
"Perfect Match" is a little cheesy. It should have been on an 80s movie soundtrack for the closing credits. Pure pop and kinda unremarkable.
"Endlessly" is another Peter oriented highlight, and features a guitar solo that pops right out. Uptempo
Westcoast and a love letter to Toto.
"The Waiting (For A Life)" could be Skagarack from "Hungry For A Game" but with Torben traded for a chick, seriously, check out the chorus on this one. Skagarack was one helluvah of a band so it's always a pleasure to hear a rip of their sound. I love how this one just keeps increasing in intensity, every aspect keeps upping it a notch til the end. Sweet.
"Rivers Are Calling" thumps after the sticky sweetness of
"This Time". It also brings back the dual approach for the vocal duties, which is nice after the last couple of songs being helmed by Eva alone on lead. This one rocks out and does remind one of
Journey. Ulf Vestlund is loud and proud on the rhythm section with some thundering drums that just takeover at times and Lars Abrahamsson's guitars are also given plenty of time in the sun with a couple of blazing solos.
The wistful Bad English-like opening of
"Midnite Show" are definitely a guilty pleasure, Peter crooning about standing on a corner. Soon Eva joins him there and things start to come together for a bombastic and super catchy chorus. This recalls portions of Joe Lynn Turner's "Rescue You" solo outing and the second Bad English disc. Scandi-
AOR in one of its finest forms, without a shadow of a doubt. Oh and that Ann Wilson comparison I threw out into the open earlier in this review? Check out Eva's soaring cry of the word
"show" right near the song's end. Now it wasn't that off base was it?
"Found It Now" is straight up
Journey but let's throw some Vixen in there too, since Eva is fronting. Some lovely plushy melodies are added to back her up. The chorus is so lovely it's hard not to smile. It won't blow off your socks but it's solid stuff.
Almost all the songs hit that comfortable 4 minute running time, and if there's a complaint against the album its the fact that it runs maybe a song or two too long. This is some pretty darn catchy
AOR and with the two singers, makes it kind of unique. If there was just one vocalist handling all the songs all by their lonesome, they would blend into each other too much and the album would turn into a same-sounding bore, so this double team is something to be embraced with arms wide open. If you have a hunger for 80s
AOR on the pop side, or feel the need to flashback to the glory days of Skagarack for a one-off, then look no further. This will please you but like a fluffy cloud, won't stay in your sky for long.
Written by
Alanna Monday, July 25, 2005
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