Band:
Joseph Williams - vocals
Peter Friestedt - guitars
Discography:
Debut
Guests:
Bill Champlin - background vocals
Lars Säfsund - background vocals
Tommy Denander - guitars
John "JR" Robinson - drums
Randy Goodrum - keyboards
Bill Cantos - keyboards
Info
Produced by Peter Friestedt
Co-produced by Joseph Williams
Mixed by Ronni Lahti
Mastered by Björn Engelmann
Released 27/5-2011
Reviewed 1/5-2011
Links:
peterfriestedt.com
josephwilliams.totoweb.org
myspace
aorheaven
Joseph Williams is probably most known for his affiliation with somewhat known band Toto for whom he recorded some albums like the great Seventh one and also Fahrenheit, his voice known from great songs like Pamela, Stop Lovin’ You and Home of the Brave. He has a characteristic voice that is also known from the movie The Lion King, he has also been making movie music and some solo things as well. His partner in crime on this album has also done some stuff like the well received LA Project and also been touring with Said Williams as well as some other folks.
Then after these two rather dull and mandatory presentational paragraphs it is time to move to another things that is mandatory in a musical review which of course is how it sounds and I can politely state that it sounds in a way a bit like Toto when Williams was singing there and with that I mean that it is very melodic rock music with Williams’ high pitched clean vocals carrying these melodic verses and distinct choruses. The production is hoovered and dusted and polished in order to be perfectly clean. This all creates a sound that can be labeled as AOR, quite typical of the genre actually with all the elements needed, it has a clean sound and choruses that attaches themselves inside the memory cells of your brain.
It is an album that has nine tracks and 33 minutes of music which just looking at the time it takes to play is quite ideal as an album of that times becomes more intense and allows you to more easily focus on the songs.
The album starts with a track called Swear Your Love which is a great opener where Williams’ voice lifts the music into levels that it would not reach without that kind of vocal skills. It is also a track that sets up the tone for the rest of the album which walks along the same path was set up by this opening track. I think that all tracks can be mentioned by name in case I should count the songs that I enjoy on this album but that would take way too much time to write down and don’t have too much time on my hands.
I think that if you are a fan of Toto or just melodic rock in general then you will really enjoy this album as it is a real treat, the songs are great, vocals are fantastic and the musicianship is impeccable, there is really nothing you can complain about unless you are an ass that needs to complain about something always. The one thing you can have some reservations towards is that it is not really something that reinvents the genre or something that is particularly unique as it follows the rules of the genre and does not really go out to experiments on its own but in the hands of skilled musicians such a thing also adds up to a great album.
It may not be a milestone, or a fantastic album in that regard but it is about 33 minutes of wonderful songs that makes you already, even before it is released, wish for their next album.
Listen to this album and you will not feel as though you have wasted about 33 minutes of your life, this album is recommended by an expert.
HHHHHHH
