Notable mostly for the fact that Joe Lynn Turner handles the vocals here, 'Sense Of Time' is a long time ambition realised for highly regarded Norwegian session guitarist Jan Holberg, little known outside his native land.
 
Holberg clearly is a songwriter of talent. His sinuous tunes snake through this debut release, elegantly embracing AOR, Westcoast, Pop and Funk lite.
But while Holberg's songs are tastefully melodic, they are often slight, unassuming and occasionally modest to a fault. To the extent it takes Turner's distinctive, energised vocals, full of warmth and depth, to raise their profile to a suitably satisfactory level.
 
The title track is the pick, with just enough of an upward gearshift on the bridge to carry the song into a satisfyingly catchy chorus.
Not far behind : The Westcoast strum and latin rhythms of 'Mesmerised'; The simple, sixties' pop sensibilities of 'Sorry', despite the clunky lyrics; 'The Meadow's sexy sax and punchy brass, and 'Invincible's Magnum like progressive poprock.
 
Elsewhere and just a bit too often, even with Turner at the mic, well crafted songs like 'Heart Of Summer', and 'Vision Of Lust' fail to launch simply because Holberg hasn't put enough in the tank.
 
Nothing an experienced producer couldn't fix.

Style: AOR/Westcoast

Rating: 6/10

Posted by Brian - Thursday, May 5, 2011



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