Reviews from May/99
Quite good.
First I had to cope with the first impression - because I remembered
Frederiksen/Phillips AOR/Hard-rock album, and this is very different. Mr.
Frederiksen signed to MTM along with buddy Phillips foremost hired as bassplayer
and producer.
The result is good clean Westcoast music with a little touch of
AOR - almost like Chicago in the mid and late 80's. I wonder if this collection
of fine songs has been released then the major lbels would have gone bananas.
But this is the late 90's and I the genre is not that hot anymore - but
to all dedicated fans this is a must have.
On the album Fergie Frederiksen has called almost every notability
of AOR - Bruce Gowdy, Ron Wikso, Tim Pierce, Neal Scon, Jeff Scott Soto,
Jason Scheff and and and.....
The album takes off with a cover-version of Starship's Blaze
of Love, it's much smoother than the original - but you just have to
believe Fergie when he goes "I'm over the edge".
But after that fine intro I must admit that I almost fell asleep
- Fergie looses that fine identity he had on Frederiksen/Phillips and sounds
like Peter Cetera solo. Nothing wrong with that but it is not very independent.
He later on manages to catch my interest again though - by doing
what he does so well - powerfull AOR with good guitars, big background
vocals and a nice melodic tune that includes stints of both Chicago, Toto
and Journey.
Equilibrium leaves me with both good an bad vibrations - overall
the positive sides is bigger than the bad ones. It is a powerfull, mature
westcoast album showing that Fergie Frederiksen is an important, strong
and diverse voice of the genre - but I do miss a bit more identity of his
own.
For about a year ago I first heard of the swedish band Promotion with their
album Not for Sale. At that time I thought that this was the best
thing that had happened in Sweden in years - until now!!
Yeah Yeah is simply an magnificent album. In a certain sense
it has it all: Wonderful songs, fine production, marvellous choirs and
an outstanding hornsection - all very tasteful.
The album start out with Trampoline and it is a very good
beginning with woderful chorus and excellent drumming. My favorite is The
Hunter and the Fox it's absolutely superb - driving guitars and again
a fabulous chorus - combined with a thing that sticks through the whole
album - good good songs, that you can hum along to for a long time. The
ballads is a bit more relaxes this time Conscience Calling is a
great one but the album is in my eyes most of all a rock album - don't
you doubt that.
Obviously Promotion has found themselves in a typical scandinavian
vein of AOR - that combines the very fine guitarbased rockier sides with
smooth and clean Westcoast - and all with great songs and nice production.
It's all very mature, elegant and smart - and if you liked Not for sale
you will love this one.
