The initial press release for the Terrarosa album, released by record company Z Records indicated that the album was  "a fusion of Giant , The Storm and It Bites". Having had this album now for a couple of weeks and played through it on a regular basis, then this reviewer fails to see these comparisons (although not being particularly knowledgeable in the sphere of It Bites, I will defer to better judgment from anyone more familiar with that bands' work). However that is not to say that multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ed Terry has not produced a very interesting and eclectic mix of songs.

It is probably the mix in the nature of tracks on offer here that, whilst showcasing the talent and versatility of Ed Terry, makes for a slightly disconcerting running order. Album opener 'Real World' builds around a big fat bass riff and is a groove orientated number. The guitar sound employed is certainly not the typical hard rock or AOR fare, instead relies on an almost psychedelic fuzzy tone.  It is in the vocal track however that the song really shines, with Terry showcasing what a very fine set of pipes he has. The melody drags slightly but overall the song is a very promising opening to the album.

Next up is 'Something In The Air', a song which moves in a totally opposite direction to the previous track. Mixing in a brass section and some subtle piano lines, the song evokes memories of Geffen era Aerosmith or later day FM. The melody swings through and once again Terry's vocal prowess shines. This is then followed by the acoustic driven power ballad 'Yesterday's Sun' . Although the track doesn't particularly float my boat, Terry's  soulful vocal is very reminiscent of Michael Bolton, and a decade ago this track would have been lapped up by easy listening radio and potentially have been chart material.

Much more like it is next track, 'Gonna Get To You'. Once more this is a very groove orientated track a la 'Real World' with a slightly restrained verse leading to a huge chorus. 'Empty Promises' is stadium AOR par excellence, acoustic driven, coupled with some Hammond organ flourishes and sweet lead breaks. the track employs by far the biggest chorus on the album. Actually, both in vocal and musical arrangement, the most obvious influence that I can think of for 'Empty Rooms' is Richie Sambora, especially on his 'Undiscovered Soul' opus.

From the upbeat lightness of the previous number, 'Scared' proves to be  a huge step change in direction.  With lyrics depicting  how 'ugly this world can be' and that 'its 'painful to be alive' ,coupled with a modern down tuned guitar sound the song is by far the darkest number on the album and as such is perhaps slightly out of kilter with the rest of the record. In listening to next track 'Ashes & Dust' , what sprang most to mind was the film The Commitments, with its musical soundtrack of R&B standards. This is by no means a bad thing and by once again making use of a brass section to enliven the musical arrangement, the song with its very understated, laid back chorus is certainly one of the best numbers here.

Of the next three songs offered up 'Lust' and 'Crazy' are both pure Aerosmith , whilst 'Look Ahead' switches back to an acoustic led style ,  Of the three it is the 'Look Ahead' that is the best track with a greater vocal melody and some neat harmonies in the chorus. Rounding out the CD is 'Freaky which appears to my limited knowledge to have major jazz influences and opens with a verse that would fit into the images of those dark and smoky clubs so favoured in certain film noire efforts. Actually the song is pretty damn good switching, as it does, mid track to a very contemporary rock sound complete with studio tricky on the vocal track.

All in all Terrarosa is a good debut album, which at times due to the disparate nature of the songs is difficult to listen to. A word of caution however, don't believe the hype with the Giant comparisons, the album has enough good tracks to stands on its own, although it may not be a record that you will 'get' on first listen, but over repeated plays it grows on you. Terry certainly has an excellent voice and with a little more quality control in the songwriting department the ability and talent is certainly there for succesful future outings.

Let us know your views on 'Terrarosa'

Track List

Real World
Something In The Air
Yesterday's Sun
Gonna Get To You
Empty Promises
Scared
Ashes And Dust
Lust
Look Ahead
Crazy
Freaky