Album review: ANGELICA – All I Am
Frontiers [Release date 12.11.20]
Murder of My Sweet vocalist, Angelica Rylin goes solo again after seven years. “All I Am”, written and produced by the multi talented Daniel Flores, is only Rylin’s second solo outing since 2013.
It has opened to mixed reviews, perhaps because the sonic foundation created by Flores moves under your feet a couple of times over the course of the album. Frontloading it with rock mixed with electronica and classic dance rhythms might put some MOMS fans off. But when comes to compact and concise choruses, and in-your-face-hooks, Flores is moving confidently into Max Martin/Dr Luke territory.
And quite easily, you can imagine the joyous dancefloor pop of ‘Calling’ and ‘Beat Them All’ blaring from a thousand Balearic mega club sound systems. If Abba had really gone disco it would sound like this.
This 3 track opening section peaks with ‘Addicted To You’. A clubby chorus, full of liquid synths and stomping bass beats pretty well guarantees that it will be yet another sparkling, post Covid dancefloor filler.
The rest of the album moves between the snap and crackle of slick, chart aimed pop (Still Bleeding, Angel); lovelorn ballads – the sweetly romantic ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’ (a duet with Michael Palace) stands out – and even more so, piano ballad, ‘I’m Sorry’. It’s probably Rylin’s best vocal performance here. The song’s lyrical hook, “caught in the middle” is just impossible to pass by, it flags you down every time, climbs in the back and becomes part of your day (and night.)
It’s hard to be original inside the narrow parameters of country rock, but Flores and Rylin just about get there with the balladic, chiming ‘Time And Space’. A whispered prayer of lover’s wisdom, it hints at a melodic country rock future for the pairing.
Then just to confirm they remember their roots, they give us the tightly interlocked ‘A Pounding Heart’. It has the momentum, urgency and sheer joy of all great AOR, and sounds refreshingly new. ***1/2
Review by Brian McGowan
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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024
THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)
Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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