Wasn’t that a song by Renaissance – no wait a minute that was “Northern Lights”. Well who is Northern Light then? I’m sure if I say that this is an AOR record by an unknown Norwegian guitarist featuring various guest vocalists from other Scandinavian AOR bands then you will know exactly what this sounds like.

Tor Talle is the unknown Norwegian concerned who has a background as a session musician and writer of music for television, documentaries etc. He has assembled a who’s who of Scandinavian vocalists such as Kimmo Blom (Urban Tale) and Peter Sundell (Grand Illusion) plus Tony Mills (Shy) and Fergie Frederiksen (Toto).

Nothing really stands out amongst the 12 tracks on offer here apart from the Fergie Frederiksen vocal track “Eye to Eye” which is an excellent Survivor type number. Others are generic AOR numbers varying from the Fahrenheit era Toto “Don’t Turn Away” to the Journey-esque “When I Close My Eyes”. The rockier “While There is Still Time” deserves a mention featuring a sing along chorus and solos but poor verses that stop it being the second excellent track – still good though.

One thing that spoils the album is that the vocals are generally very high in the mix that drowns out the guitar in many places. My other gripe has to be the disjointed feel to the album through the use of so many guest vocalists (7 over 12 tracks).

Overall – a competent AOR album.

****

Review by Phil Berisford

Label website

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly