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NEWMAN
DANCE IN THE FIRE
ESCAPE MUSIC ESM 058
Produced by: Morris & Ousey
Released: OUT NOW / Website
Closest Relative: Stranded
GENRE: AOR
OVERALL: 90%

  1. Every Moment
  2. Jealousy
  3. Dangerous
  4. Anything At All
  5. Pray
  6. Dance In Your Fire
  7. Love Is The Drug
  8. Angel
  9. Not Your Lover
  10. Do You Remember
  11. Call My Name
  12. Follow Your Heart

Steve Numan is back with album number 2 for Escape Music and definitely his best and most consistent album to date.
This is not the easiest album to get into, which isn't a criticism or a fault. It just means that you need to spend a little more time getting to know it, so to better appreciate how good it is.
The songs have melodies that don't instantly present themselves to the listener.
On subsequent listens though, the layers peal back to revel a well produced and written record.
Newman's voice is not your average rock sound, it's a dark and heavy toned vocal, with comparisons in places to Troy Reid of Stranded. In the same style as the Stranded record, some of the songs here are tougher rockers, mixed with a few heartfelt AOR songs, which stand out even more due to the contrast between styles. It's a cool effect.
Newman is basically very catchy and well produced 80's influenced AOR, with some outstanding harmony vocals
and a few touches of The Distance and Heartland care of Steve Morris & Chris Ousey's involvement and production.
Opening track Every Moment is one of the catchiest tracks of the album and a good place to start if you haven't heard Newman before.
Highlights of the album are the wonderfully moody Dangerous, the huge ballad Anything At All and the best track of all, Burned, which is quite simply a pure feel good AOR gem.
The rocking Love Is The Drug & Follow Your Heart and the anthem Remember The Night are also great.
The album was mixed by Loverboy's Paul Dean, so it's easy to see why the sound is big.
BOTTOM LINE: The best album yet from Steve Newman and one of the best releases for the year from Escape Music. Fans of the debut should be well pleased and others wanting to investigate one of the UK's best AOR vocalists should check this record out. I think the more melodic AOR parts fare better than a couple of the tougher tracks, but that could come down to personal taste and preference. Whatever you do, give it some extended listening time.
PRODUCTION: 85% SONGS: 92% VIBE: 93%ATTITUDE: 90%
ESSENTIAL FOR: Classic 80's pop hard rock and European AOR and fans of Heartland & Change of Heart.
DISCOGRAPHY:Newman . One Step Closer . Dance In The Fire



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