Frontiers Records [Release Date 22.05.20]
It’s now a whole decade since FM returned to stay with their comeback album ‘Metropolis’. Though from time to time they look back, rerecording ‘Indiscreet’ and most recently celebrating ‘Tough It Out’s anniversary on the ‘Big 3-0’ tour, their work rate in keeping up a steady stream of new releases is impressive.
The title track opens with some gloriously eighties keyboards from Jem Davis and is a lively up-tempo slice of melodic rock with a bit of a swing to it. ‘Superstar’ is catchy and breezy with its ‘just think about you’ secondary chorus and perhaps the latest of their singles that night attract attention from Radio 2. The solo from Jim Kirkpatrick is superb, fluent yet concise in a trademark style that recurs throughout the album.
However this is a more diverse album than its immediate predecessors ‘Heroes and Villains’ and ‘Atomic Generation’. It is never less than melodic, but draws inspiration from a broader palette of musical styles than pure AOR.
The looser, more rootsy vibe ‘ Best of Times’, boasting a wonderful Hammond organ intro, ballad ‘Ghosts Of You And I’ and ‘Broken’ and ‘Pray’, which verge on the eighties white soul of Hall and Oates and Go West, all make the most of Steve Overland’s peerless vocals, which I don’t think have ever sounded better.
‘End Of Days’ and ’Walk Through The Fire’ – the latter with some similarities to contemporaries Dare – are two of the more ambitious soundscapes FM have attempted and less instant than their usual work, but executed superbly.
‘Change For The Better’ is in safer fluffy AOR territory while ‘Hell Or High Water’ is a bit of filler. However the band take another chance and excel themselves with the six minute plus blues of ‘Angels Cried’, with some great slow slide guitar playing from Jim and Steve pouring heart and soul into his singing.
‘Ready For Me’ ends the album on a more conventional note, reflecting the band’s love of Bad Company, albeit with more modern production values, and a live anthem in the making.
Nevertheless the most impressive thing about this album is the way FM have avoided becoming stale by stirring a few fresh ingredients into the musical pot without losing their trademark sound, continuing a remarkably consistent decade’s run of quality albums. ****
Review by Andy Nathan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 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)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
