Harlan Cage - Harlan Cage
First the history lesson. The guys from Harlan Cage used to be in a band called Fortune. I'm not familiar with their work, but if you are then I'm informed that this is the guys continuing on from where Fortune left off.
The album has received favorable reviews from Frontiers, AOR Basement and SFK . They mostly talked out glorious mid-80's AOR being born again. It was therefore hard to ignore.
The sound is mid-80's keyboard driven AOR. Influences such as Balance, Touch and Survivor can all be detected. Highlights include Pay The Devil His Due (Aria period Asia), 98 In The Shade (a reworking of a Fortune song, complete with Final Countdown style keyboards), One Naked Kiss (shades of Mark Manigold) , Destiny (shades of Balance) and Run Rebel Run.
OK, I can see what people are getting excited about. It's like taking a step back in time to days of the mid-80's when AOR was in it's prime. No-one else seems to doing this style of music anymore. I had expected to like this album more than I actually do. Harlan Cage prefer their songs in the 3 to 4 min category. I prefer them in the 5 min variety. The best songs are when they make it, only just, over the 4 min mark. For example, Run Rebel Run is spoilt by an early fade on the playout.
Rating : 7
