Frontiers Records
www.myspace.com/116446489
www.stanbush.com
By Kees-Jan Stel, 09.27.2010
Stan Bush is one of those rock artists that has been around for ages, yet somehow has managed to hide from my radar until 2007 when I got to listen to his (by then) tenth studio album called 'In This Life'. I remember it was a pleasant introduction and it made me check on his back catalogue as well. Now Bush comes up with his eleventh record in the range called Dream The Dream.
If you are looking for the next revolution in the melodic rock department you better look somewhere else, because not much has changed since 2007. Or should I say since 1983, when his first solo record saw the light of day. But that is rather good news because Stan Bush has produced well crafted melodic rock albums from day one and Dream The Dream is no exception. Like my grandfather used to say, when you are good at something, stick to it. Well, Stan must have known the great old man because he does exactly that.
On Dream The Dream Stan has worked with Holger Fath once more (he was also present on 'In This Life') who took care of the guitar work, the keyboards and the production. Matt Laug and Matt Bissonette complete the line up on bass and drums. This line up in combination with the strong voice of Stan and the on par production makes the album a very professional and pleasant listening experience.
About the album itself, personally I am not so fond of the poppy 'Never Hold Back' and 'More Than A Miracle', but the remaining 10 tracks are as good melodic rock as it gets. This is a perfect blend of slow, mid-paced and heavy tracks, with mature song writing and outstanding guitar work, throughout the whole disc. Highlights for me are the powerful 'All That I Am', the catchy and guitar driven 'I Am Still Here', the pure AOR of 'Two Hearts' and the beautiful semi ballads 'In My Life' and 'Dream The Dream'.
The only thing the discs falls a bit short on is originality, sometimes that 'heard it all before' feeling sticks up. But that is nothing new though, I get the same feeling with AC/DC and Axel Rudi Pell, but I still love them. What it eventually comes down to is quality and that is spot on.
However, if asked whether Dream The Dream is an essential buy I have to answer no. But if you read these reviews to make sure your money is well spent don't worry about it, it's worth every penny.
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
If asked whether Dream The Dream is an essential buy I have to answer no. But if you read these reviews to make sure your money is well spent don't worry about it, it's worth every penny.
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