StrongHeart
Scream Out Loud

Scream out loud, so say StrongHeart on their debut album that they have sent to us in the hope that we should review it, and so we do. It has taken some time to do so due to the lack of time during the last days of last year but now I am done having played this album in the car for a very long time before finally getting the chance to write down my thoughts about it. First of all I would say that it has a fairly typical rock album cover art with the members of the band making faces towards the potential buyer, not very interesting if I am honest but at the same time it is a fairly telling cover art considering that it reveals what we are to expect musically.

We are treated to straightforward hardrock with good energy, good drive and a relatively charismatic female vocalist. I like the vocals as they are very good, solid and energetic, very fitting for the music we are treated to with the album. The production is strong; the sound is modern yet raw and simple enough to take in quickly. They do what you can expect from a band in this particular genre, simple and to the point varied enough to keep the interest from the listener during the playing time that is fairly short compared with what many bands put us through these days. But doing what is to be expected does also mean that they don’t really do anything that makes the jaded music reviewer take notice and really listen, music that plays on the strength of nostalgia can have a tendency to drown in the never ending stream of albums that are being released in the genre.

It is a very good and solid hard rock album, good energy and all that I just mentioned. It is an album that is enjoyable to listen to time and again, I like it quite a bit. The songs are all very good, none of the ten can be described as weak, maybe a bit bland but not weak and as a music fan I think this album plays to anyone with its strengths. The nostalgia card they play is an easy way to attract many listeners. The jaded reviewer can however find it a bit lacking in that thing that makes you stop and take notice, something that makes it stand out from the crowd. I think this album plays to the common fan rather than trying to impress any reviewer, but who knows? There are many easily impressed reviewers out there on the web.

All ten songs are good as I stated earlier but there are some that stand out, particularly the third track Lady Lynn that to me is the highlight of the album. The opener Friday Night isn’t too shabby either, especially if you are playing it on a Friday. Then I also think that the penultimate track Withered White Rose is another one that is worthy of a honourable mention. And I think that we can conclude towards the end here that it is a strong hardrock album, maybe not something that will appeal to the most jaded reviewers but one that most certainly will appeal to the fans.

HHHHHHH