MTM Music - Ballads | ||
| Tracks:
Bad Habit - Forever |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 77:35 mins:secs Review date: 5 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.mtm.pi.se/mtm
Email: | ||
| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: If you're thinking of spending the night in and want a CD to create a romantic atmosphere, then MTM can help you out. | ||
| Record company samplers are a good method of 'try before you buy the album'. The potential pitfall for such projects is that the variety of styles across a record label portfolio leads to a disjointed sounding album where you find yourself skipping out the bands that you don't like. With this sampler, MTM have picked a theme - ballads, a common thread to hold the album together. Soft rock and power ballad albums have long been popular with the record buying public and, in fact, appear to be one area of rock that still attracts mainstream interest. Bad Habit start off the album with a duet - "Forever", which is the track that finishes their "Adult Orientation" album. This is an excellent start, albeit a rather gentle one. Harlan Cage, Dare & Steelhouse Lane follow and are all good, althought I keep expecting to hear Phil Lynott's vocals on "Still In Love With You". D2 offer a Beatle-esque acoustic offering, which, in keeping with my general dislike of all things Beatles, I'm not that keen on. Think Out Loud's lazy relaxed "The Invisible Man" steers the album back on course. CITA offer us a typical power ballad. Axe do a cover of Kevin Chalfant's "Love Changes Everything" which I find difficult to judge because I'm so familiar with Kevin's own version. It is strange, but the big power ballads, are the tracks that I'm not that convinced by. Such is the fate of Ransom's "Let The Night Be The Night...", which probably works well in the context of their album. Every rule has at least one exception and Velocity's power ballad - Janine - works very well, one of the songs that you'll remember after the first play. I'm a big Harem Scarem fan, so it won't surprise any of the regular Mood Swings visitors that I love the Fiore track - excellent track from a great album. Von Groove is one of those bands I've wanted to check out for ages and this is the first time I've heard any of their material. Yeah, I still want to check out one of their albums. The good patch continues with Sunshine Jive, who give us a big Journey-esque production. RTZ follow with one of the best tracks from their new album. The album's flow is interrupted somewhat by the Public Domain track, which doesn't work as well for me as some of the others. Still, Heaven's Edge finish off proceedings with one of my favourite tracks from their album. For me, an album of ballads only works if the material is top notch. The vast majority of the songs here work well. Since the list of disappointing tracks is shorter, I'll give you those - Steelhouse Lane, Danger Danger, Axe, Ransom & Public Domain. The standout tracks are by Bad Habit, Think Out Loud, Velocity, Fiore & RTZ. If you're thinking of spending the night in and want a CD to create a romantic atmosphere, then MTM can help you out. | ||
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