Dare - Blood from stone

Dare goes heavy! Released in 1991, Dare took a step from the much softer debut "Out of the silence" to a tougher sound. It's easily recognized as Dare, though, as the melodies are there as of course the voice of brilliant singer Darren Wharton. To be honest I was at first disappointed with this release, as I expected a follow-up in the style of the debut album. It soon grew on me though, and I started appreciate almost every song. The first track, "Wings of fire", is a great start to it all with its memorable chorus. The middle section of the song, just before the solo, reminds of Gary Moore with its Celtic influences. "We don't need a reason" follows, an up-tempo rocker with another strong hook. I believe this was released as a single. "Surrender" is another melodic, memorable song - great! "Chains" is a track with a bluesy vibe to it and leads to the ballad "Lies". I remember hearing this live on their "Calm before the storm"-tour, and think it's a great song. "Live to fight another day" is another straight-forward rocker. "Cry wolf" starts off as a ballad but is soon transformed into another rocking track with a stadium rock chorus. "Breakout" is more of the same and in my opinion a bit boring, which does change a bit with the track that follows; "Wild heart". The ballad "Real love" finishes the album in a good manner, not being the best Dare ballad ever but still "good". So, that's that then. I believe some versions of the this CD, the Japanese release maybe, contains the bonus track "Walk on the water" (yes, the same song as on "Calm before the storm") - definately a good bonus! On the whole I think this CD contains a great deal of good tracks, but is not as good as their debut. I also think that this could have deserved a better production, as it sounds way to distorted a times.

Steve Perry - For the love of strange medicine

Steve Perry is well-known for having one of the best voices in the world of rock. He's done tons of fantastic tracks with Journey, and is not only a singer but a great songwriter. Joining Journey in late 70:s, together they recorded 8 albums (the japanese soundtrack "Dream, after dream" included) before calling it quits after "Raised on radio" in 1986. They got back together in 1996 for "Trial by fire", after which Steve Perry said goodbye (due to a climbing injury). This solo album is from 1994, and is his second one (the first being Street Talk from 1984). His first solo effort was quite poppy, with radio friendly tracks like the hit single "Oh Sherrie". This release shows the AOR side of Steve Perry, and a very good side that is. Following the ballad-like beginning of "You better wait" is a great melodic rocker with bite - a strong start to this album. The next track "Young hearts forever" is an upbeat track with a good chorus, encouraging the embrace of young love. The first two tracks are (to my ears at least) actually the only "happy" tracks on this release, as the rest of the songs are a bit more dark and moody. The soft ballad "I am" is the third song, and a good one in the true spirit of Perry. This release doesn't come short of ballads, in fact, every other song on this album is a ballad. But, contrary to some Journey releases of late, it works perfectly and never gets boring. I like every single one of the remaining tracks, but if I was to pick any favourites I'd say "Tuesday heartache" and the ballad "Somewhere there's hope" (a song perfect for late night listening). Each one of these songs are written with passion, that's for sure.

Heart - Desire walks on

Released in 1993, 3 years after their previous release "Brigade", this somewhat combines the 70s and 80s sound of Heart. The album starts with the ghostlike whispering intro of "Desire", and then rocks off with the track "Black on black II". This is a track in the style of "Barracuda" from the "Little Queen" album (1977), with its guitar rhythm. Not a bad start at all, as it shows the rocking side of the band. "Back to avalon" also goes in the vein of older Heart albums, with an acoustic verse and a catchy chorus. Following is a synth-bas(s)ed soft ballad (almost Roxy Music-like), "The woman in me". Very pleasant  and not bad, though no favourite track of mine. "Rage" is heavier sounding and ok. "In walks the night" is another one of those feel-good ballads of the Heart that I truly like, and could easily have been found on one of their late 80s albums. The following track "My crazy head" is one of my favourites. Classic, very melodic 80s Heart. "Ring them bells" is an all-acoustic track by Bob Dylan. Not bad. "Will you be there" follows the hit tradition of "All I wanna do" ("Brigade"), very commercial and a good track. "Voodoo doll" is a track I easily could have been without, which certainly doesn't apply to the next track "Anything is possible". A great ballad and also one of my favourites, resembles Brigade's "Stranded". "Avalon (reprise)" is like a short intermission. Next up is "Desire walks on", not very memorable but ok. The last two tracks are the songs "The woman in me" and "Will you be there" sung is Spanish. So, is this their best release ever? No. I rate this number four after "Bad animals" (1987), "Brigade" (1990) and "Heart" (1985). Still, a good album with some really strong tracks. The sound and production is also very good.

Dokken - Tooth and nail

I've always found the guitar playing by Geroge Lynch a bit magical. The harmonies in his playing are phenomenal, dark and almost mystical sounding. This album features some of his best riffing and soloing ever, and the whole band seems hungry in their approach. The first song, the instrumental "Without warning", slowly builds up the anticipations and explodes in track number 2: Tooth and nail. This is a fast Dokken rocker, with some of Lynch's best (and best known) guitar solos. The songs on this album are generally very strong, with several released singles. One track that is a favourite of mine is "When heaven comes down", a dark rocker with a memorable riff. Other highlights are the beautiful ballad "Alone again", the more commercial "Just got lucky" and "Into the fire". "Don't close your eyes" is also very good, with lots of heavy riffing. The album ends with the fast rocking "Turn on the action". The production of this release could be better, but it still sounds ok. The drums for example sound like they were recorded in an oil tank. You have to remember that this album was recorded in 1984, though.

Sahara - Sahara

Other than die-hard AOR collectors, I guess not many have heard of this album or the band for that matter. This was a Swedish AOR act (featuring singer Ulrick Lönnquist and guitarist Peter Lidström), and it was their only release. The music is in the vein of another great Swedish AOR act; Street Talk (maybe with a little Richard Marx thrown in), though the production on this one's not as good. Such a shame we haven't heard more from these guys, as I think this album is a very good collection of tasteful AOR/Westcoast music. I keep coming back for another listen once in a while, and never seem to tire of it. I particulary like the guitar work, which I find very tasteful throughout the album. It's now very rare, so if you see a copy buy it! Released in 2001.

Dare - Out of the silence

This is the debut album from the UK band Dare, and also in my opinion their best effort. It's very melodic, the song writing is strong and the production is good considering this album isn't that fresh anymore (released in 1988). Keyboards play a strong role here, and they are the elements that make this album sound very atmospheric. Singer Darren Wharton has a hauntingly brilliant voice perfectly suited for the material. The rest of the band doesn't shine too much, but they all make excellent contributions as a team to the whole package. Vinny Burns (later in the band Ten) is the lead guitarist here, and his solos fit the tracks quite well. I remember trying to get hold of the singles for this album, as the B-sides contained excellent tracks not included on the LP/CD (for example songs called "Valentino" and "Love is the price"). When this CD was re-released not long ago, I took it for granted that these B-sides would appear on it. But, no. Almost criminal not to include them and I really can't understand why! It's hard to pick some favourite tracks off this album, as I think they are all good. By the way, Brian Cox (the keyboard player, who was with the band until the split in 1992) is nowadays Dr Brian and currently works at the CERN laboratory in Geneva. He has received many awards for his work in publishing science. Quite a change of direction, eh?

Atlantic - Power

1994 was not an easy time for any band in the AOR genre, and I think that's the main explanation that this album didn't get the success it deserved.  Batteling with increasing Grunge popularity, anything melodic did have a hard time. It's truly a forgotten slice of AOR perfection.  For me, this is the genre at its best. This was the band's only release, though I've heard somewhere that they've plans to release a new album in the near future (let's hope for it!). All elements that make a great melodic rock album are here; upbeat rockers with pumping bass lines like the opening track "Can't hold on" and "Power over me" to great ballads such as "It's only love". This album was out of print for some time, but was finally reissued in 2008 by Escape. Featuring a digitally remastered sound as well as a never before released bonus track ("Hearts on fire"), I consider this a must buy for ANYONE into AOR.