It's a curse on British
AOR / melodic rock bands that they are only rated if they can be easily compared to one or more US giants of the past.
Such as been the fate of
Newman.
But with
'The Art Of Balance', after 7 studio albums, you can clearly hear an artist who's found his groove, his niche, writing and delivering convincing
AOR rock songs with conviction, skill and no little style.
Where some melodic rock bands have embraced complexity as they sought to locate new musical territories, Steve
Newman has stayed tight and true to his own vision.
Though you wouldn't really think so from swashbuckling openers,
'Hero To Zero' and
'Edge Of The World', both try to pull off old tricks and end up being more theatrical than emotionally expressive.
Then
'Endless' and
'The Miracle' put a stranglehold around our attention and pull us to the edge of our seats. Both tracks mine a lucrative seam of
AOR, with vaulting keyboards and spare, spiky guitars underpinned by a solid bass thump.
They are a clever mix of the traditional, occasionally recalling Toto, and a right-here-right-now directness.
'Stay With Me' and
'Tumble Down' are pure eighties in style and content. Unadorned sentiment married to arena rock melodies, bright, breezy harmonies building to neat hooks.
There's no sign of the more minimalist approach that he explored on the second disc of 2008's
'Decade' release, yet it's easy to luxuriate in his drifting keyboard textures, big guitars and urgent rhythms.
He plays with time changes and textures on album standouts
'Your Surrender' and
'Break It Again'. These two high calibre tracks climb above the others, grasping for an
AOR summit that seems out of reach to many nowadays.
'Forever' is more than the album's obligatory ballad. it carries the weight - and
Newman's voice has the style if not the gravitas - to place an orchestral accompaniment onto its shoulders.
At best, thanks to several standout tracks, this album will elevate
Newman into the A List of today's Melodic Rock practitioners. At worst, his legion of fans have new material to sink their teeth into.
Written by
Brian Friday, April 30, 2010
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