With a line up that boasts Chris Childs & Harry James from Thunder on bass & drums respectively, Steve Morris from Heartland on guitar and then on vocals one time FM frontman Steve Overland it may very well be hard to produce an album that is other than excellent. The band however have out done themselves and produced not just an excellent album, but very possibly the best British AOR record since the eponymous FM release way back when in 1986.

Opener 'Those Days Are Gone'  starts off with a simple harmony vocal/guitar intro before the whole band kicks in to produce perhaps one of the most rocking song on the album. Overland in particular is in fine form and the chorus is instantly memorable, whilst the guitar solo mixes melody with a little bit of shred. Second song in is 'Medicine To Me' which brings the tempo down a little. The harmony vocals bring the chorus to life behind a simple guitar riff, the whole song been driven by a rumbling bass line and understated drum pattern.

'Touched By An Angel' is a slow ballad with a beautiful opening guitar line . Emotion flows through the verse vocals. The chorus seems very familiar on first listen with maybe a little bit of Rod Stewart peeking through, but is still very effective. 'Gypsy Heart' features as the fourth offering on the album and the song sits atop an acoustic guitar base to rock along, once more Morris' guitar playing is to the benefit of the song as a whole and not just to prove his ability.

Title track 'Land Of The Living' features horns accompanying the main instruments and brings a touch of soul and swing into the proceedings.

'Shelter Me' is another slow tempo song, the guitar line reminiscent of something Brian May might have played once upon a time. The chorus however is all FM with multi harmonies behind Overland's lead melody.

'Count Me Out' is a slow tempo funky number with Chris Childs driving the song with his bass playing, whilst 'How Does It Feel' is again slightly slow of pace but some excellent guitar work brings the song to life.

'Waiting For The Good Times' picks the pace up  and is simply stunning. The main guitar riff gets your feet tapping and overlaid with a fine melody produces perhaps the best song on offer here.

Wild Water is another ballad and has an almost Celtic feel in the melody and harmony employed. 'Silver Lining' is an acoustic led pop song before the whole band joins in the fun.   The chorus is memorable with subtle keyboard lines offsetting the guitar/drum/bass lines.

The album closers with 'If I had Wings' which begins with a drum/keyboard/guitar intro that reminds me of Bon Jovi in latter years. In fact the whole song has a New Jersey, Summertime  feel in tempo and arrangement, which on the whole isn't  a bad thing.

Overall 'Land Of The Living' is one fine album. If, like me, you are a huge FM fan then this album is a must buy simply to here that voice. If you don't know or like FM then this album is still one that you should invest in as the quality of the song writing, production and playing make this potentially one of the albums of the year.

Steve Cummings