Album Review: ISSA – Crossfire

Frontiers Records [release date 20.02.15]

Issa Oversveen returns with “Crossfire”…an album of original material following on from her 2012 obscure AOR covers album “Can’t Stop”.

The promotional literature mentions Issa in the same breath as both Heart and Roxette and that is a lot to live up to. How does “Crossfire” fair…well it makes all of the right noises but it is definitely not in the same league as the aforementioned bands.

Featuring on the album are husband James Martin (of Vega fame) on keyboards, his twin Tom Martin on bass and guitars plus Michael Cruise on drums.

My main gripe with “Crossfire” is that apart from Raintown, a duet featuring the wonderful Steve Overland from FM, and Electric Lights nothing really jumps out and grabs my attention…it all just passes by in an AOR blur.

Heartbeat sound extremely familiar but maybe that’s due to the chorus similarity to Def Leppard’s Miss You In A Heartbeat…”ooh’s” have changed to “aah’s”!

It is all very well produced and pleasant enough but dare I say harmless…but to me that is the problem…it is just too safe!

Sorry…maybe it’s me but I’m still not convinced…she’s got the looks and the voice but the songs are still lacking that magic touch.

***

Review by Phil Berisford


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