"Thump" was the last release by this Texan guy. This was 8 years ago but the magic showed in that released hasn´t fade away as proven by this excellent new album. I am really glad that MTM signed this guy because he is one of my favourite AOR songwriters ever... and this album has just increased my devotion for his well-crafted, ultra-catchy AOR tunes. "That´s the Way" is a record mixing hints of Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, Rick Springfield but everything with a personal Morales AOR approach. Many great AOR songs here: "Change the World", "Where does Live?", "Let You in" or the wonderful "Maria". This is cd that you don´t get tired of listening to and though some tracks need some extra time then they became also highlights, and for me that´s a rare virtue in the AOR world. There are many great albums released in a whole year and Michael Morales third release is definetly one of them. Buy now!

Mixing elements of Alien, Bad Habit etc, Bam Bam boys is a pleasant surprise for the lovers of this kind of delightful AOR made in Sweden. Though these don´t reach the excellence levels of the aforementioned bands, this record (originally recorded in 1988) has many enjoyable moments like the single "Let me touch your skin" which is a poppy ballad. The best tune is without hesitation "Susanne" which sounds a lot like the mighty Bad Habit. Also good is "Angel" and the catchy "Stay alive". The line up includes people like Matti Alfonzetti who was in Jagged Edge (and actually recording a new record for MTM with another yet unnamed project) or Goran Elmquist who produced the great Talk of the Town debut album. The album lacks of cohesivity due to many boring tracks but I would still recommend it for Scando AOR fans... actually, I was wondering that the Swedish AOR scene seems to be slowing down a little bit and we get less great releases from there like we used to.

This last name sounds familiar to me....yes! This is Tony Sciuto´s brother but this is not Westcoast. In fact it could be described as hi-tech AOR, and inmediatly names like Rick Springfield, Phil Christian or Haywire comes to mind. Layers of keyboards and bass guitar are the foundations of this record that sometimes it becomes a little bit too unidirectional. Michael recorded this record a few years ago and guess what happened... well, this is not a new story for AORsters... diverse problems left the record lying on the shelf until Michel himself decided to release it through his own label. Songs like "Edge", "Heart of Love" or "Broken Heart in Paradise" are pretty interesting but others are completely forgettable like the ultra-wimpy "Perfect Weather" or the Westcoasty "Livin´in the 60's". Despite the good songs, this is one of those albums that will lose the flavour within the first weeks. Good for hi-tech/wimp lovers but definetly not a must for AOR fans. Listen before buying. Michael's own site: www.michaelsciuto.com

Jacquie is one of those artists that combines modern pop sounds with nice AOR melodies.... though this attemp became the musical grave for many 80s bands, this girl clearly succeeds and, with all my respect towards BlueWorld rec. (her label), this would have become a hit album if released by a major like Sony et al. Basically this is something like Lisa Loeb, Suzanne Vega, Sarah McLahan and the lot but with the spotlight on catchy choruses. The AOR touches come as no surprise if we take into account that the duo Rokbox (responsible for one of the best AOR album last year) is involved in the production and songwritting. Needless to say, if you like your AOR with the usual amount of classic seasoning, you don´t need to worry about this one but readers with an open mind will find in "Curiosity" a cd with some good melodic moments. A fresh good album filled with sunny melodies. Good, good...

Viny Burns is Ten´s lead guitar player ... I don´t really think I needed to write this because Ten is arguably the most popular band in the Melodic rock of the nineties. Anyway, what we have here is a more AOR cd than the ones he does with Ten. In fact some of the tunes remind me a lot to the Ten´s debut...for me their best album. Sam Blue (ex-Ya Ya) is the vocalist though Gary takes the lead in a couple of tracks. "Superstar" is a wonderful opener and a song that I hope we can hear live at the Gods'99 a very good, uptempo track. Then there´s a less memorable bluesy number a la Deep Purple. "Freedom" is an AOR anthem with a good chorus and "This World" is a great ballad featuring Gary Hughes. The second tune featuring the golden boy is "Already Gone" which is also pretty good. The groovy "Where you gonna Run" and some fillers here and there complete the rest of the cd.
I don´t know what to write as bottom line. This cd is good filled with a few interesting tunes but some others leave me a little bit cold. Probably an average rating would be the best. This is miles away from Ten´s debut but still if you love that record you will enjoy listening to this one.

No, no, No! what is this??!!... probably my mind´s not open enough for records like this one. I like when melodic artists tastefully mix their music with modern elements but this is definetly not my cup of tea and I´m afraid it´s not many people´s cup of tea... The first two tracks: the funky, melodic/alternative "Reckless" and "I want it again" have nothing to do with what Frontiers has been releasing so far. "Walk" and "Love Gone Wrong" seemed to be the light at the end of the tunner, mostly becuase Jim Peterik is co-writting them...pretty good AOR. "In another Life" is the highlight of the album but then it falls again to the pseudo-alternative, sleazy sound in songs like "Blind", "Alive and Well" or "Neverland". The wonderful Desmond Child-penned "Rebel Heart" comes too late to save the listener. If you have a large budget buy this one for the AOR tracks, but if you are like the majority of us try to avoid this disapointing release.

Laree Gibson is an American female vocalist that builds her music in the same fundations as Marilyn Scott. That is very laid-back westcoast with a lot of jazz and soul going on. Probably this is a release for lovers of westcoast only and the average AORster will find nothing appealing here. The piano-driven tunes are clearly predominant in "Wakin´up to my Dreams" though I would not highlight any of the tracks due to the regularity of the final result. I guess it´s a hate it or love it thing, but I must say that I couldn´t get into this stuff before but, probably because I am getting older, I find it more and more appealing everyday specially for late-night situations. If you like this kind of westcoast like Bobby Caldwell or Burt Bacharach, and even Jonathan Cain instrumental cds, this is definetly a release to take into account. You can visit Laree´s page at lareegibson.iuma.com

Coming from New York, Atello play guitar-driven hard rock that certainly belongs to the past decade. This record is certainly well-played specially the guitars courtesy of Rick Giarmo. This has also a better sound than the average indie cds. The good tunes here are the opener "Love Me Down" and the true highlight of the cd the power ballad "Grip on my Heart" which reminds me a lot to those wonderful heavy ballads that Skid Row use to write, actually Atello´s music has a lot to do with Skid Row dropping the Punk elements but also with bands like Dokken, Racer X, Sven Gali, Ratt... "Hold On" is also a very good tune showing the most melodic side of the band. The record is filled with some weaker cuts and, to be honest, there´s nothing here specially original or innovative but the overall result is very convincing and it even grows on you after repeated listens. I think that these guys should be given a chance. Personally I consider that their sound fits Z records hardrocking roster. Give them a chance if you are into melodic hard rock. If you want to purchase the cd or get further info on the band, you can do it at: www.atello.com

I must admit that Joe Lynn Turner has always been one of my favourite vocalists ever. His voice is soulful yet hard and melodic. His classic "Rescue You" is a must for all the AORsters and the following "Nothing's Changed" saw the man maturing and exploring the mellow blues-AOR territory. After the covers album he's back again and this album is a bit of dissapointment to me. Of course, the soaring vocals are here but the majority of the tunes are hard rock/blues in a Rainbow, Deep Purple with some Black Crowes in it. It's great to listen for a while but loses the spark after several spins. Just a pity. "No Room for Love" features JLT fantastic vocals and the European Bonus Track "Shine On" is the most AOR track in the whole recording. But certainly I can't get on tunes like "Blueprint for Love", "Sex and Money·" or "Game of Rock n'Roll". If I had to give a short definition for this labum I would say it's like "Nothing's Changed" but with a harder approach. So, on the whole, If you enjoy the bluesy hardrock sounds or lately have been digging the Stuart Smith album, buy this one still I will keep on listening to "Rescue You".

Big time AOR comes back with Johnny Lima. The Bon Jovi/Def Leppard hints already shown in his debut album are present in his sophomore release. The songwriting has improved and songs like "Shout it Out" or "Memory Lane" are an absolute peach for the lovers of arena, big-chorus kind of Melodic Rock. this records is totally 80's ladden in the LA style so if you are looking for innovative AOR just avoid "Shine On". The record can become a bit unidirectional after some listens but still you find good and uplifting moments. Appart form the fillers "Living in the Morning" and the Warrant-esque "Wild Young Crazy in Love", which do sound quite ordinary, the rest of the album deserves a good mark. Once again, don't expect Johnny's music to lead you to an introspective and meaningful journey, "Shine On" is a simple but effective catchy AOR party.

Whilst the Shy live album was an interesting pick for general public, I guess "Regeneration" will be just a record for the band fans. This release features unreleased tracks and some re-recorded classics. The mixing sounds very bad and raw which takes out several point out from the final mark. Still the tunes are just below-average. The re-recording of "When You need Someone" and the new version of the b-side "Only you" are good tunes. Also "Someday" and "Blind Rage, Blind Fury" are also worth listening cuts in the classic Shy style but 4 tracks out of 15 is not enough. The rest are boring rockers which do sound like second-rate leftovers. Bad sound, and many fillers... if you are not a die-hard fan you should approach with caution.

Without a doubt the british band Shy reached their musical zenith with the release of their most succesful record to date: the excellent "Excess all Areas" (1987). Their fantastic Melodic Rock allowed them to do extensive tours opening for Bon Jovi , Gary Moore and Meat Loaf. But then a couple of bad records ("Misspent Youth" and "Welcome to the Madhouse") led the band to its farewell. This live recording compiles the best times of the Birmingham-based act and contains great tracks like "Telephone", "Can't Fight the Nights", "When love is Over" and many more. The record do sounds live even with some mistakes but some tunes are poorly and roughly sounding (e.g. "Chained by Desire"). As always Tony Mills shouts too much but we all know he liked high pitched screams, right? The incursion of tracks like the rocker "Make my Day" or "Money" lets the side down at time but still this is a very interesting document for all the people who loved this band best years. By the way, as published in the news update Shy have reunited to paly at the Wacken festival in Germany and a completely new recording should follow. Great news.

After the succesful solo album by Bob Catley, the ex-Magnum boys Tony Clarking and Mr.Catley have reunited again to record the second cd under the Hard Rain moniker. The promo sheet says "Hard Rain have seen the band broaden their musical horizons" and I this is a pretty exact definition on what can we expect to find inside. The funky/70's touches of "Eat it Up" are really far away of everything thes guys have done before. Bob Catley does a great job and sometimes he doesn't seem the same person who has sing all those epic tunes in the Magnum cds or in his solo album a year ago. "Rock me in ya Cradle" has a furious guitar-driven chorus and is one of the best moments for Melodic rock lovers along with "Who you gonna trust" and "Step Back". "An ordinary Day" is an mid-tempo sang by Sue McCloskey and "When the good times come" is also a cut smeling seventies. I think this album need several listens before you get to apreciate it and it's a much more varied affair than the Hard Rain debut. Not that AOR but quite good anyway.