Lec Zorn, the man who is the driving force behind It Began In The Underground, has come up with what is, in essence, a tribute to all of the very best bits of 80’s AOR. In fact I’ve got to be honest, this is perhaps one of the most environmental friendly albums I’ve heard for a long time (recycled ideas), but it’s done with so much style and obvious respect and admiration for the genre that Lec and co manage to pull the whole thing off without it sounding like a cheap copy of the original.

The album opens with the instrumental Lecoverture, which is very much the style of Steve Morse era Kansas and is followed by the autobiographical Long Time Coming. Autobiographical in the sense that Zorn has been working on the project for a decade. Thanks to vocals of Tracy White the song comes across as a mixture of Survivor and Shotgun symphony. The first of two versions of the song Second Chance comes next. Featuring Pierre Wensberg on vocals alongside Tommy Denander, the track has a very Scandinavian feel. The second version on the other hand, which rounds off the album and features Phil Vincent on vocals, sounds much more like an American AOR track, the same song but different, strange but true.

Moving on, the fourth track Play the Game Tonight is a simply stunning version of the Kansas classic which features vocalist Lars Säfsund,  a new name to me but he pulls off this track effortlessly and it runs the original close in terms of quality. Returning to the microphone for Eternal Flame is Tracy White. The song itself is a typical mid 80's power ballad and then there is Fighting Chance, a track that bears more than a passing resemblance in places to Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger.

Luckily You Keep Me In The Dark, which is up next, is one of the outstanding tracks here. Great up tempo hi-tech AOR with superlative guitar work courtesy of Mike Walsh. The upward curve continues thanks to Starting All Over, and more especially The Rush Of Passion's Fire, which is simply stunning. It's almost Rick Springfield goes all progressive, and check out the intro. Perseverance on the other hand is the one track I have real problem with, not that it’s bad, it’s a very good instrumental but good could have been brilliant with some lyrics added.

As we've already mentioned the last song on the album earlier, the penultimate number once again sees Tracy White on vocals for Going The Distance. Musically it tips it's hat to Asia, and then again White takes the track in a Shotgun Symphony direction vocally.

All in all it Began In The Underground is an album that, whilst unoriginal in just about every way possible, wears its’ influences proudly, and without shame, on its sleeve. It's almost as if the past two decades have never existed and, whilst taking from one place might be considered plagiarism, taking from many places is considered inspiration and the love, admiration and inspiration for, and from, the sound of the 80's herein is obvious for all to hear.  Certainly a good effort from all concerned and, quite possibly, the best pure AOR release of the year

Let us know your views on The Lec Zorn Project

Track Listing

Lecoverture
Long Time Coming
Second Chance
Play the Game Tonight
Eternal Flame
Fighting Chance
You Keep Me In The Dark
Starting All Over Again
The Rush of Passion's Fire
Perseverance
Going The Distance
Second Chance [Alternate Version]