Atom Stone (KRYR, Voyager, Metallic Green) hails from New York and on this album he provides lead vocals and then has brought in a slew of well-known guests whose background sounds almost like a who’s who of the music industry: Dan Tracey (Alan Parsons, Steve Nevers, Save The World) guitar, bass, keyboards drums and backing vocals, Nick Sturms (Jared Ashly, Adam Brand) guitar, bass, keyboards, auxiliary percussion, background vocals, Jeffery Sturms (Eddie Money, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffet) piano, keyboards, Jimi Bell (House of Lords, Autograph, Lost Symphony) guitar, Adam Shoenfeld (Big & Rich, Jason Aldean) guitar, Phil Potor (Savannah Jack Band) drums, Paul Taylor ( Alice Cooper, Winger, Steve Perry) guitar, keyboards, Tyler Sorrell (Save The World) guitar, Christopher Williams (Accept, Andrew W.K., Derek St Holmes) drums, percussion, Luis Espaillat (Eve to Adam, Jay Alan, Chris Sutherland) bass, and Dave Fowler (Toby Keith, Lorrie Morgan, Bill Szymczyk) bass. That this never sounds like a project, but a top rate full-on cranking melodic rock band heavily influenced by the likes of John Waite. Bryan Adams, Jaded Heart, Treat, Hardline, Fair Warning, Unruly Child, Journey and Harem Scarem is a credit to all those involved.
It was not until I read the press release that I realised this was in many ways a solo album, as I was convinced it was a band called Atom Stone, not a person. It takes us back to the early Nineties when bands like Hardline were making their presence felt with that slightly heavier element which removed them from the more sanitised AOR which had come to the fore in the Eighties. True, Atom decided he had to pay homage to that period with the obligatory power ballad in “The Real Thing”, but the only reason it does not work as well as it could is because of the quality of the rockers that surround it. This is an album which never pretends to be anything than it is, a commercial rocker with loads of hooks, great vocals, and guitars with just the right amount of edge. It certainly never comes across as a release by a lesser known performer as this is packed full of class from beginning to end and a special mention should also be made of Dan Tracey and Nick Sturm for their arrangements and production. They have provided the perfect backdrop for a world class singer to strut his stuff and display his wares – that he sometimes moves more into the pop rock style of The Loveless is only a good thing in my book. Here we have an album for today which brings together some great qualities from the past and if you enjoy melodic rock then this is simply essential.
Rating: 9/10
