Aina's third outing, "Living in a Boy's World" was relegated to the Scandi countries and as a vinyl only release, until now. MTM Classix managed to contact the singer, now living as a photographer in the U.S., and secure the rights to pop this on compact disc for the first time. They even went through the trouble of doing a digital remastering, for the best possible sound quality. It is a treat when any rock album finally gets the CD treatment, and this is no exception. There is a market out there for it, and here's hoping it finds it.
Vocals are solid as a rock throughout,
Aina has a lovely voice and belts it with finesse. She sounds good and that's what really matters. For this type of music, her style fits well and she carries the tunes with ease.
Musically, it's nothing groundbreaking. This is typical stuff for the time, very pop-centric and radio friendly. It has a processed feel, which isn't helped by having programmed drums. The songs are also rather repetitive which doesn't lend alot to replay value. Keyboards are positively everywhere, but guitars are also featured prominently. Just when you think "Living" is brushing too close to the soft side, the guitars will kick in and turn it from 80s adult contemporary pap to melodic rock again.
That being said, it's still alot of fun to listen to. Like cotton candy, it's sweet and sugary but with no substance. Just about as fluffy as that too.
The rockier songs seem to work best such as the guitar heavy
"Shot Down in Flames" which also has a boatload of keys. So much so the song almost sails away on them. This one is like
Heart mixed with Europe's
"Out of This World". The title track is a slick mid tempo rocker that is hypnotically addictive and extremely melodic. The
James Christian penned
"A Love Forever Story" is also a nice nod to Scandi saccharine rock. It's a tight song that has this infecting chorus that spreads to your brain like a candy coated disease. You will end up crooning it for weeks.
The ballad-esque tracks are many and you have
"Believe In Me",
"You Baby You" and
"I Need to Know" to choose from. They are all typical female fronted ballads that are full of pop goodness. If you didn't know better, they could have served the past life as generic pieces made just for an 80s soundtrack. That seems to be most of their charm.
"I Need to Know" is a hit or miss. It reminds me of a Michael Bolton or Richard Marx song, and therefore will either be a delight or a disappointment depending on its audience. It is light and soft in the middle like an undercooked biscuit. The doughy taste is a definite turnoff, that and the fact that the song never goes anywhere. It just wallows in that slow pace with no payoff at the end.
Some of the other material just doesn't connect as well. The opening
"Intro" is of a young
Aina singing and seems so out of place and strange. Contrasting a child against the sexy, voluptuous image her voice and music creates reeks of weirdness.
"Rocks Off" is a typical radio friendly tune and seems more like a Samantha Fox song. "Pleasure and Pain" is heavier but not necessarily better. It has its moments but lacks in the end.
Of special note are the whopping five bonus tracks that this re-release is sporting. They do not have the shimmering commercial shine of the songs that compose the natural order of the original recording, but have a differing vibe altogether. While the main meat of the disc is the intended star of the show, the ones that follow offer even more.
"Save Me Father" is heavier and chunky, the rhythm section is slamming and the backup vocals are weighty. The song is powerhouse and kinda reminds me of
Skid Row smooshed together with Lynch Mob, a splash of halting drama in the rhythm section, which has been placed front and center. The guitars are even standing on the razor's edge. Very nice.
"It's Raining It's Pouring" is even darker and more brooding. She really whips out the vocal attitude here, swaggering like a
Lita Ford or
Doro Pesch and handling it without batting an eyelash. This one is just impressive and a cool slab of rock-solid metal. This has that Middle Eastern influence like Led Zeppelin/Yngwie's "Pyramids of Cheops"/Rainbow's "Stargazer". Love it, now this is awesome and unique, and man can she ever belt it.
The following one is like
Heart from their golden 80s days. That is definitely
"Too Good To Be True". The heaviness is still there in the drums and guitars, but the melodies are classier and softer, elevating it to hard hitting
AOR status.
"If I Can't Have You" conjures Starship/late 80s
Chicago dreams. This is
AOR that is keyboard laden but done tastefully.
Aina's voice here is trembling with vibrato at times, and the chorus stops the listener in its tracks with the nature of its total conviction.
"Shake You Good" is more of a feel-good piece that doesn't have the weighty feel of the others. The chorus is pure anthemic cheese rock in a glammy sense. You can't claim this one isn't catchy but you've heard this done a million times before.
While I don't quite have the gumption to claim that "Living in a Boy's World" is a must-have classic on its own, it does make a nice addition to the collection. Now that the extra five have been added on, it boosts the quality of the release tremendously. The unreleased material is some tasty stuff and a cool contrast to the pop rock music that came before.
Fans of female vocals will especially be pleased since
Aina has a nice voice and the music sits comfortably alongside other efforts by Scandinavian femme fatale singers, Erika and Tone Norum. Thus it is recommended for collectors and fans of singers of the fairer sex.
Written by
Alanna Friday, November 25, 2005
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