I confess to having preconceived ideas about this release from Brit Rockband, Tara's Secret.
The band name and the album title conspired to paint (in my head at least) a very
AOR picture.
The reality is something different.
'
Vertigo' is feisty, swaggering, melodic hard rock, taking its lead from disparate sources, combining the awesome melodic rock reach of
Survivor to the much misunderstood bluesy variant of the UK's very own Thunder.
Opener,
'Rock'n'Roll Beauty Queen' sets out the band's stall with a flamboyant flourish, the song quickly spiralling down from an anticipatory rhythmic opening into a hulking, melodic hard rock bruiser.
The tuneful, up tempo tracks that follow, like
'She's My Baby' and '
Natural High' reinforce the comparisons, with '
Promise's brilliantly grandiose chorus being a particular highlight.
The energy expended is almost palpable and while Richie Beardsley's and Craig Chapman's surging, spiking lead guitarwork doesn't exactly bite or sting, it just ripples with punchy melodies, punctuating each song, providing the perfect counterweight to Johnny Trowbridge's angular, driving vocals.
Talking of which, on the album's obligatory (but very welcome) ballads,
'The Last To Know' and '
One More Chance', Trowbridge's cultured tone and full throated vocal attack vividly recall Dennis (Styx) DeYoung circa 'Edge Of The Century'.
Guest vocalist Sue (Dante Fox) Willetts helps out on the former, contributing significantly to the arrangement's melancholy harmonies behind soughing strings and climactic piano keys.
'
Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya' could quite easily have been suspended in eighties' aspic, now released from its temporary prison, celebrating freedom in a declamatory, stadium filling style.
Magnificently apposite,
'Wildest Dreams' closes the album in a Foreigner-esque blast of hot blooded hard rock, drawing the recording to a satisfyingly breathless conclusion.
If commitment and conviction and a clear affection for the genre ensured success, then these guys would be huge.
Written by
Brian Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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