Shock horror. Norwegian engineering Manager records quality
AOR/melodic rock album.
Recorded with.wait for this lineup:
Morty (TNT) Black on bass; Steinar (
Stage Dolls) Krokstad on drums; Trond Hustad, sometime additional player with The
Stage Dolls on Keyboards and Blonde On Blonde's Bente Smaavik on backing vocals.
Kjetil By makes end meet through a proper job in the electronics industry, but his first love always was and still remains, rock'n'roll.
Now on his third solo album, he's teamed up with Norway's finest to deliver a hand knitted but deliciously warm recording of neatly crafted
AOR songs, very much in the
Stage Dolls' image.
In many ways it's a very frustrating album.
Kjetilby doesn't have the most distinctive of voices, nor is it a particularly strong one. There are times when the song demands a more dramatic or at least emphatic delivery, but you don't get it.
Often an anticipatory verse or an expectant bridge will build to a climactic moment, and you're looking for a big hook or at least a satisfying payoff. But the song drifts on at the same pace, almost oblivious to its audience's wants and needs.
Yes, as I've already said, very frustrating.
But then again, maybe that's the music's charm. There's no pretence, no veneer of grandeur. It takes a long time going nowhere in particular, enjoying the scenery, never veering off on tangential plotlines. It's thoughtful, intelligent and focuses on relationships.
Thankfully,
Kjetilby does write sinuous tunes that eventually worm their way in and under even the thickest skin.
The ballads probably win it by a whisker, with
'Big Heart's gentle delivery and elegant lyric giving it an edge.
Elsewhere,
'Summerwind' is blessed with a vague sense of pop infused urgency and there's a definite emotional undercurrent to
'Loved And Lost' that raises it above the crowd.
Of the remaining tracks there are no duds, no fillers and they all have that ability to reveal a little more with each listen.
As a whole, the album does ramble a bit at times, and is occasionally patchy, but it never fails to entertain. And how many albums can say that.
Written by
Brian Friday, July 18, 2008
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