Band:
Fergie Frederiksen - Vocals
Dennis Ward - Bass Guitar, Guitars, Keyboards and Background Vocals
Dirk Bruinenberg - Drums
Nathan Eshman - Guitars
Eric Ragno - Keyboards
Discography:
Trillion – s/t (1978)
David London – s/t (1981)
Leroux – so fired up (1983)
Toto – isolation (1984)
Frederiksen/Phillips – s/t (1994)
Fergie Frederiksen – Equilibrium (1999)
The World Classic Rockers – Live (2000) (two versions)
Leroux – AOR Live (2000 – recorded in the eighties)
Mecca – s/t (2002)
The World Classic Rockers – Live (2003)
Frederiksen/Denander – Baptism by Fire (2007)
Info
Produced by Dennis Ward
Released 14/10-2011
Reviewed 15/10-2011
Musically it is what you probably already have expected considering how the artwork looks and the names involved with it, it is of course melodic rock music or as it is also known, AOR. With its catchy choruses and crystal clear production it falls into the frame of regular AOR, one can say that it is classic AOR with faultless production. A production signed by renowned producer Dennis Ward who has the production of many known bands on his CV. Musically it is not breaking any new ground and if you have heard a band like Toto you will know more or less how this album sounds. This album has twelve tracks which will last for 54 minutes if you don’t skip any tracks from it.
Twelve high quality tracks is what we have on this album, well all but the ballad on track four called Follow Your Heart which is quite dull and boring, kind of like watching paint dry. I think that track would have been a good one to skip, the eleven other tracks are good though. The opening track called Angel (Mirror to Your Soul) is a great track and a brilliant way to open this album, it really builds expectations for the rest of the album. Expectations that are largely being met especially in track three First to Cry and Track nine Writing on the Wall and being exceeded in the wonderful title track which is especially impressive I would say.
And all of this considering the facts that surrounded the album with Fergie being diagnosed with incurable cancer and then being cured from incurable cancer, wasn’t that the case with some other prominent musician recently? Well it was and that was also an american so what does that say of american doctors and their diagnostic skills? not very good I would say but fortunate for Fergie of course and the album is a great tribute to him and his skill to overcome hardships.
I think though there is a slight problem with this album in the fact that it feels a bit too long, not the fact that the songs are dull because they aren’t but it still feels as the album is dragging on too long and it slightly lessens my enjoyment of it as I feel as though I want something new a few tracks before the end. Still, I find this to be a really good album with great songs and a wonderful album to listen to in the car while driving which I do a lot and this album is a great car album, “happines for the road” would be a good ending so that is what I’ll end with.
HHHHHHH
