Band:
Hampus "Hank" Erix
Freddie Allen
Discography:
Debut
Guests:
Tommy Denander (guitars)
Mats Olausson (keyboards)
Thomas Vikström (backing vocals).
Info
Ricky B Delin (prod.)
Released 3/9-2010
Reviewed2/9-2010
Links:
myspace
rocketsongs
AOR is what we hear and a pretty good such, I must say. It sounds really much eighties over this, like Foreigner or Supertramp, and the lads clearly have read up on their AOR-history because they use all the classic tricks - the synth that pumps on, the electric guitar that steps in and does stretched solos wheterher it fits or not and that "dirty-clean" voice on the vocalist, kind of like a Van Halen, joined by big choirs and strong choruses. The first half of the album is superb, and best of all I would say that the songs Truth Slips, Hold On and I'm Alive are - which funny enough follows eachother as track 2-4.
The fifth song is also a good one, by the sixt it starts to get repetative and the following four only feels like a repeat of the previous ones. I'm thinking "Houston, YOU got a problem". It shouldn't be able to make something as boring as the last part when the start is so fantastic. It's not only that it's repetative, it's also looses tempo and starts to become very similar to the sources of inspiration (the masters of the eighties that made the genre what it is and has been). I think I can hear some Queen in it and some riff I think is directly taken from the classics.
Still, I'm very impressed by Houstons debut. The first half is, as I've said, really good and to do songs like the duet Truth Slips, the catchy Hold On and the up-tempo piece I'm Alive is not something you do just like that. The potential is clearly there. The chorus of One Chance with it's choirs feels like a real collectors song - like We Are the World, only more interesting. One big reason for getting it together so well might be the guests that have joined in to help them. Like the producer Ricky Delin, the from Yngwie Malmsteen known Mats Olausson and Tommy Denander, well known in the AOR-community. To menthion a few.
I only hope that we will see more albums from this duo. Unfortunately it's often the case with projects like these that they disappear an album or two into the carreer. However, Houston have so much hit-feeling and potential that these two guys can fill an entire stage by them selves, any day, any where. If they only picked out the A-material the next time and throw away the B-sides, as well as stop copying from their influences, because it doesn't matter how good Journeym Survivor and all the already menthioned bands are, we that listen doesn't want their songs, we want new songs from this band. So, hopefully Houston doesn't have a problem next time, because an album that promises this much must have a next time!
HHHHHHH
