I first became familiar with
Honeymoon Suite back in the eighties, when Super Channel was airing their Heavy Rock show
"Power Hour". I remember watching the
Honeymoon Suite video regularly on the show.
Since, I lost touch with the band and was very surprised, when "Dreamland" was released. I did not know what to expect but must admit I was completely surprised by
Honeymoon Suite in the year 2002. Listening to the first track I was blown away by their up-dated sound, which reminds more of the Goo Goo Dolls and Gin Blossoms than a couple of middle aged men playing rock.
Some of the tracks featured on "Dreamland" were also included on their Canadian only release "Lemon Tongue" among them some of the best tracks like the fresh sounding tunes
"What I know" and
"So Hard".
"So Hard" is an album highlight with a moody guitar during the verses and a fantastic melodic chorus.
The song structure is normally a mellow verse and for the chorus they speed up the tempo a bit. This has the effect that the choruses stand out and the songs are build-up around the choruses. Listen to
"Still Lovin´ You" and you know what I am talking about.
"Dreamland" is the kind of album that really grows on you. So in order to get the full reward you will have to be patient and be open minded to the new approach these guys are taking. In spite of the many great songs the overall opinion is that the album is a bit too mellow. The title track is a great ballad but songs like
"Too little, Too late" and
"Lagavulin" sound a bit uninspired and are lacking the "lethal" touch. I wish that
Honeymoon Suite would let loose more often like on my favorite track
"Radiant", which is also a modern kick ass Rocker in the same modern vein as
"What I Know" and
"So Hard".
The whole album sounds really fresh with a stimulation production that really suits
Honeymoon Suite. Especially singer Johnnie Dee shines with an amazing vocal performance and he is sounding like he's on top of his career. The other remaining original member of
Honeymoon Suite is guitarist Derry Grehan. I really like his style of playing because he is not a total show-off. Derry Grehan plays very melodic but he also shreds pretty well.
This is not a masterpiece, but a very welcomed return of
Honeymoon Suite to the European market.
Written by
Michael Thursday, August 29, 2002
Show all reviews by MichaelRatingsMichael: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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