Somebody at MTM must have been reading my review of The Last Autumn dream’s new album in which I commented on the fact that there have been very few if any pure AOR release’s so far this year. It just so happens that over the last couple of months the label have put out two very good release’s in the genre, the first being this, the second album from Deacon Street. 

Deacon Street is yet another project to feature busiest man in AOR, one Tommy Denander and is a follow up to the first Deacon Street album released by AOR Heaven a couple or years or so ago and  is an out let for  Denander and song writing partner Chris Denning to release some un-used material. The album consist of ten original songs and two instrumentals, the second of which 'Jason' sounds rather like different guitarist interpretations  of the Eddie Van Halen solo from Michael Jackson’s Beat It. The remaining two tracks are covers, those being 'Easy As It Seems', an old Kiss number apparently and the Sweet classic Action done in AOR style and comes a close second to Def Leppard's version of few years . 

The ten originals are all good AOR songs that straddle the middle ground between being  too lightweight for taste sounding like Radioactive project. Very much in the mid 80-s Toto/Giant mold. The only real complaint however with Deacon Street's second offering is in the use of so many vocalists. The change of singer from song to song spoils the flow of the album. That being said however all the performances are top notch and the guitar solos are equally as impressive. it would have been nice however, vocalists aside, to know who played what musically. Hopefully that omission will be corrected with the retail release of the album as opposed to the promo copy I have. Definitely an album for the true AOR fans out there.

 Let us know your views on 'II'

Track List

Beautiful Chardaine
LeAnn
When love is on the line
Save Me
I Give This Promise
Now We Cry For You
Second Comings
(Kill us) On Another Day
The Promise Of Forever
Misery
Action
Easy As It Seems
Them Changes
Jason