Sunshine bleached sandy white beaches, palm trees stirring from the bay breeze, love drifting in on each aquamarine tide spray... yes this is the winding roads, carefree feel and romance of Westcoast. A dying breed of music which was delicately concocted by lush relaxed harmonies floating in on the ocean waves of the coastlines of California has been resurrected once again. The leading voice of the genre for the past decade has been Swede Goran Edman, fronting for Street Talk, Crossfade, and AOR. Now he has joined with fellow Swedish musician Claes Corin for the
Corin & Edman project, and the fantastic imagery of the cleverly titled "Roc De Light".
The feel of Westcoast has been expertly recreated by these two. Fans of the 80s Westcoast sound are going to be in a seventh heaven here, especially if bands like Airplay,
Chicago and Toto has tickled your fancy before. Goran's sweet and delicious voice bubbles pure, undiluted emotion over every track. The composed music is the perfect ship for his range. The resulting album is one that lifts the heart, calms the soul and sends you dreaming for a quiet seashell hidden cove off of Los Angeles. The spirit of the music is something that Corin has captured with a deft ease, making every song rich, satisfying and a musical voyage of relaxation and quiet reflection. From the luscious opener, "Damage is Done", with its pop candy chorus to the love sick "Keeping You On My Mind", and all throughout, there is not one slip up of the ten songs awaiting here.
Corin's keyboards provide a lovely tapestry for the rest of the music to play upon. There's also a nice saxophone solo on the wonderful ballad "Here Today - Gone Tomorrow" that is awash in pianos and delicate vocals. "Falling From Grace" has a melodic groove that is absolutely addictive and yet calming. The harmony vocals add just the perfect touch. "Black Widow" is sleek, upbeat, poppy and just as outstanding in its own right. So is "Good Luck Charm", another midtempo piece that still shines in its laidback whitewashed feel, warmed by the synth and the caress of Goran's voice.
Corin & Edman's "Roc De Light" is a delightfully charming treat indeed. For those questing for another seaswept walk through lapping tides ashore and relaxing "lite" rock music that yearns and happily drowns in a moody flood of romance, "Roc De Light" is a must-have on your album list for this year. Polished but not overdone, the production allows the disc to breathe and soak up the beauty of the atmosphere like the setting sun blazing colors across the windblown sea. The album sparkles like the light playing on the waves, soft, reflective and gorgeous all around. A fantastic entry in the Westcoast genre, and it's my personal hope that it will not be the last collaboration we'll see between these two gifted musicians. Magic is made here, and hopefully there will be a followup in the future.
Written by
Alanna Thursday, July 12, 2007
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