a l b u m r e v i e w s


TALK OF THE TOWN
THE WAYS OF THE WORLD
AOR Heaven / Point Music
Produced by: Tommy Denander
Released: OUT / Website
Closest Relative: Toto, Sayit
GENRE: AOR
OVERALL: 88%

  1. The Rich Get Richer
  2. Mainstream
  3. Night Of Fire
  4. A Life So Frail
  5. The Ways Of The World
  6. Do Nothing
  7. A Matter Of The Heart
  8. With A Little Love
  9. All That You're Good For
  10. Remember
  11. Nothing Lasts Forever
  12. I Believe
  13. Love Is All Gone

Two reviews for you from the lovely people at AOR Heaven. Two reviews for two albums that essentially if you like one, you should be purchasing the other.
Talk Of The Town and Street Talk are both Swedish AOR releases. They are both fine and classy examples of smooth-ass Westcoast music at it's best. Involved are some of the Westcoast scene's most loved characters.
The production on these two releases is also of particular note.
First to Talk Of The Town. This is another Tommy Denander project, the middle one if you will, in a slew of recent activity from the guitarist.
Previously we had the TOTT debut (not featuring Denander) and recently the Sayit debut. Talk Of The Town's second album is better than them both.
As mentioned the guitarist here is Tommy Denander. His style is very much in the Steve Lukather range and the feel of this album is also comparable to Toto's sound. More on the vein of their Fahrenheit or Isolation era.
Vocalist on Talk Of The Town is the great Swedish singer Thomas Vikstrom.
The songs and style of the album is totally Westcoast AOR, but with a more aggressive and uptempo approach than is usually adopted.
Plenty of smooth rhythms, keyboard melodies and harmony vocals, but also some great solo's and a much more in your face sound. Just listen to Night Of Fire for example.
There are of course a healthy dose of romantic ballads - A Life So Frail and Nothing Lasts Forever.
Then there are tracks like With A Little Love and Remember - perfect AOR anthems.
BOTTOM LINE: As far as Westcoast AOR, this is going to almost definitely going to be the best release of the year. The production is multi-layered and in your face and the songs are filled to the brim with harmonies and melody.
Fans of the more polished Westcoast style of melodic rock will lap this up. Recommended also for those keyboard loving fans who might be looking for something that isn't necessarily influenced from the 80's.
PRODUCTION: 94% SONGS: 85% VIBE: 86%ATTITUDE: 88%
ESSENTIAL FOR: All Westcoast AOR fans and Thomas Vikstrom & Tommy Denander followers.
DISCOGRAPHY:Talk Of The Town . Reach For The Sky . Talk Of The Town (Re-Issue) . The Ways Of The World

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