| The
Review |
Here is a band that knows what pop music is all about.
And they know how to bring the hard rock factor into play.
Like Harem Scarem, Jagged Edge UK, and Deacon Street; not
to mention forefathers Journey & Boston, Last Autumn's Dream
has built themselves upon a solid basis of strong songwriting
skills and edgy riffs, and with 'Winter in Paradise' they
have taken a more meticulous effort into making it happen
in a stronger sense. Featuring renown Euro-based pop singer/songwriter
Mikael Erlandsson (who sings like Dennis DeYoung) at the helm,
the latest effort is shows growth, emphasis on 'effort,' whereas,
their self-titled record seemed kind of rushed, where you
could tell that there was this excellent song wanting to burst
out of the seam; almost like production was too much domineering
in that case. However, they did create some songs that were
executed perfectly, only to leave the listener asking for
more. ***
'Winter in Paradise' does just that, whether you want
to say that they finished what they started or just profoundly
set out to make another high example for AOR, they pulled
it off. With their sound being aligned with the pop oriented
melodic rock vein, filled with striking crunch laded guitars
for the metallic element and keyboard textures for the technical
edge, Last Autumn's Dream puts rocks with anthem choruses,
guitar solos, and emotional atmospheres to create their own
stance in the world of melodic rock. ***
'Rock out' tunes like "My Heart Keep Stalling," Don't
Let Our Live Go Down," and "All I Want is Rock and Roll" are
some great 'good time' songs while ballads such as the piano
laden "Echoes From the Past" and "The Way You Smile" are ditties
for a 'private party' if you know what I mean. There is also
some hard grinding material such as "Love is the Answer" and
the dark, moody title track that offer more than just the
anthems and love songs; so the album goes all over the place.
***
Nevertheless, Last Autumn's Dream offers an excellent
heaping of AOR; 'Winter in Paradise' has all the right musical
elements in place, they don't sacrifice the musicianship;
nor do they provide any 'cheese' factor, and that is often
hard to come by.
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