Sounding much like a band out of time but never out of fashion, the
Stage Dolls come back yet again with a clutch of finely wrought melodic rock songs.
That they are carefully crafted and exquisitely assembled is never enough of course. Thankfully, mainman Torsten Flakne hasn't run out of magic dust just yet, and he's given this new album a liberal sprinkling.
No unfurling of dark emotions or slanted structures here. No stomping riffs or heroic guitars here. No startling change of direction or feel. Thank god.
Just blazing melodic rock, sublime tunes and moments of sheer
AOR beauty.
The album's outstanding track, though the margin is thin,
'Highways Open' has a distinct country feel. It's a bittersweet distillation of everything that is the
Stage Dolls, a brittle lyric, a flowing tune and Flakne's honeyed croon. A marriage made in er,
AOR heaven.
That yearning tone, that ache, that sense of drive and urgency that permeates all great
AOR comes wrapped up in ribbons and bows with the magnificent
'Tail Lights'.
And then
'Rollin' takes us back to '
Stripped' and Flakne's US influenced rock'n'rolla. A thick cut riff and a beefed up production, with swaggering rock chick bgvs driving the song along in a macho groove.
'Rainin On A Sunny Day' (featuring Darryl Tookes) gives us a tantalising touch of soul, a galvanising glimpse of gospel. Flakne could've, should've taken this a huge step further. Less is more is all very well, but you could argue that this was a missed opportunity. The track could have been Flakne's 'I Want To Know What Love is'. As it is, it is just one step, one risk away from greatness.
Still, you don't really have to hear any more. That's fine, I'll take it. How much?
But there's much much more.
The balladic
'Eye Of My Heart's sorrowful swell has background chorales swooping over stately guitar strumming on a track created in accord with Flakne's winning formula, emulated by many, equalled by few. Except maybe Bryan Adams when he was great.
And elsewhere, highlights are many -
'Better Off Pretty''s pulsing hook, the title track's swagger, the acoustic
'My Strangest Friend's haunting singer / songwriter imagery (a duet with Mari Myrholt)). And much much more, including sonically brilliant engineering and a crystal clear mix.from Ronnie Wikstrom and some amazing bgvs from Mark Spiro.
It's a stunning testament to Flakne's motivation and songwriting ability that for the melodic rock fan, he brings nothing new to the table, yet everything that you could ever want is here.
Written by
Brian Monday, March 29, 2010
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