HEAVEN & EARTH - WINDOWS TO THE WORLD

1. DOGS OF WAR
Opening with a crack of thunder and Celtic pipes, 'Dogs Of War' starts off sounding pretty imposing. The band swirls up in the mix before the main riff comes blasting through. This riff is classic Deep Purple [think 'A Gypsy's Kiss'] before hitting power chords for the verse. Kelly Keeling's gravely vocals work well with the lyrics - 'Fields of ruin, fields of despair, a bitter sight in memory's stare. Mountains rising of the slain, Forever twisting the knife of blame...'. The chorus sees the DP-esque riff come back in for a simple but effective sound. The track breaks down for a classical interlude that wouldn't be out of place on a Rainbow track. Schierbaum gets to stretch out first with some great Hammond organ blasts. Again the track breaks down for a classical interlude before the tempo picks up with the main riff entering again - GREAT STUFF. The icing on the cake is completed by an absolutely scorching guitar solo which is the kind of thing I have been wanting Blackmore to do since around 84!! Stuart's tone is superb sounding warmer than it did on 'H&E'. An awesome opener.

2. WORLD'S APART
The album turns into a more classic AOR direction for 'World's Apart'. Take the feel of the 'Heaven & Earth' title track and make it a little more upbeat and you'll get the general feel. Needless to say this has the potential to be a big hit if radio and television music shows weren't so lame! The harmonised solo of Smith and Leese from 'H&E' is again in attendance which puts the cool commercial sound firmly into top gear. A great sing along type track.

3. IF ONLY LOVE
Delicate acoustic guitar and soulful vocals from Keeling open 'If Only Love', the track is again rooted in AOR territory with a superb chorus - 'If only love could save us tonight the earth would shake, and dark would be light. Mortals would fly and angels would walk - dreams would part the heavens tonight'. Stu throws in another stunning solo that is high in emotion with THAT guitar sound sending shivers down your spine again. A stunning ballad with one of Keeling's best vocal performances on the album.

4. JADE
The rock sound comes back in with this classic sounding track. A simple riff sounds powerful and enables Keeling's vocals to ring through. The chorus is again of a very high caliber - 'Jade you're a teaser - a mystical healer. No more moderation its gone away. Dancing in the candle light morning turned to noon tonight. Don't need no invitation - know it's alright'. The solo sees Schierbaum and Smith take turns and the Hammond solo is superb. A simple track that has an enchanting feel and that chorus is what makes it.

5. BROKEN ARROW
A slow blues shows the bands roots nicely. Classic lonesome organ mixes nicely with clean Strat to provide a totally authentic sound. Kelly Keeling's voice is again excellent and has a feel reminiscent of a mix of Joe Lynn Turner and David Coverdale. The chorus sees the sound updated a little with less traditional vocal melody lines, the bridge is a nice lead into the guitar solo which starts off like 'When A Blind Man Cries' before heading into more Jeff Beck waters - Stuart's tone here reminds me of Beck's and he even throws in one of Jeffs trademark tremolo bar flicks - cool! The repeated chorus and awesome extended Hammond solo sees the track out and this classic sounding blues track is done.

6. PRISONER
Well this is the one track that will probably get a lot of attention down to name of one Ritchie Blackmore in the songwriting credits alongside Smith and Keeling. The hard opening riff is very Blackmore-ish before the track turns into classic AOR era Rainbow waters. The verse is good but the chorus is divine - 'Why do you treat me like a prisoner, in this lonely heart I've been sinking Felling like a prisoner'. The bridge sees a darker sound enter before the guitar solo in which Smith shows his class again with a solo totally suited to the track. A good track but one that shows that Smith can write tunes just as good with or without TMIB's help, still its nice to see Blackmore putting his pen to a rock tune again!

7. AWAY FROM HARM
A big epic track that has a mystical wondering quality to it. The mystical riff recalls vintage Dio era Rainbow and the fantasy type lyrics build further on this - 'Fortune teller read me clearly in your future stars, a hundred years have come and gone, I'd like to carry on'. The solo sees a spiraling keyboard part before a haunting guitar solo that is very sparse. The chorus has an Axel Rudi Pell feel to it - 'On the winds we'll ride and see no end is coming, we'll ride tonight on roads of gold...'. The dark feel of the track is distinctly Rainbow-esque and Stuart's outro fills hark back to the 'Stranger In Us All's darker tracks. Another good track.

8. THROUGH YOUR EYES
The tempo drops again for another classy ballad. 'Through Your Eyes' again screams for Radio play showing that Smith and Keeling know who to pen classic hooks. The track has a distinct Joe Lynn Turner feel about it and the name Turner crops up on the songwriting credits so perhaps Joe had an influence here? Stu throws in another delicate solo complete with another Beck whammy bar flick. Another classy ballad that shows the skills of all involved.

9. WINDOWS TO THE WORLD
Starting off with a modem dialing up a connection gives a hint as to what the title suggests. The lyrics are quite bizarre and feature all kinds of computer lingo. The lyrics actually refer to who the net has taken over peoples lives and I guess as your reading this means that you and I are also sucked in! Musically the track is one of my least favourites and its the weakest track on the album but its still a solid enough slice of hard rock.

10. POLITICIAN
Not a cover of the Cream classic, instead this is a driving rocker that is reminds me of the material on Iain Ashley Hersey's album 'Fallen Angel'. Hammond and Guitar intertwine in timeless fashion again. The lyrics tell of how corrupt politicians are and how they make out they have the votes interests in mind but really they are out for personal fame and glory. The track slows down for a organ solo before picking up again for Stu's guitar solo which see some nice licks come into play. The chorus is catchy - 'Tell me tell me politician, tell me where's your honesty. Politician tell me where's your sanity' and this combined with another guitar solo sees the track fade out.

11. YEARS GONE BY
The first instrumental on the album which starts out how the album began. The feel would not put it out of place on the soundtrack to a film like 'Braveheart'. The delicate pipe melody is doubled by Stuart, a good atmospheric piece of music.

12. GONE BY MOURNING
An uncredited track that is an upbeat acoustic folk tune with lyrics similar to those on the track 'Shadow Of The Tyburn Tree'. This time telling the story of the beheading of Sir Walter Raleigh. A nice bonus at the end of this fine album.