Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2023 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
March 2023
- Excalion: Once Upon A Time
- RPWL: Crime Scene
- Transworld Identity: Seven Worlds
- Stormwarning: Stormwarning
- Phantom Elite: Blue Blood
- Narnia: Ghost Town
- Redemption: I Am The Storm
- Cross Country Driver: The New Truth
- The Banishment: Machine And Bone
- Seventh Crystal: Wonderland
- Demons Down: I Stand
February 2023
- Air Raid: Fatal Encounter
- Robin McAuley: Alive
- Creye: III - Weightless
- All My Shadows: Eerie Monsters
- First Signal: Face Your Fears
- Gabrielle de Val: Kiss In A Dragon Night
- We Came From Space: Overlords
- T3nors: Naked Soul
- Wig Wam: Out Of The Dark
- Khymera: Hold Your Ground
- Infinite & Divine: Ascendancy
- eMolecule: The Architect
January 2023
- Girish & The Chronicles: Back On Earth (Reissue)
- Arctic Rain: Unity
- Electric Mob: 2 Make U Cry & Dance
- Crowne: Operation Phoenix
- Ronnie Romero: Raised On Heavy Radio
- Ten: Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Riverside: ID.Entity
- Issa: Lights Of Japan
- Heroes And Monsters: Heroes And Monsters
- Big City: Sunwind Sails
December 2022
- NY Fury: I Want It All
- Tommy DeCarlo: Dancing In The Moonlight
- Tarmat: Out Of The Blue
- Scream Maker: Bloodking
- Sabu: Banshee
- Rob Moratti: Epical
- Nevena: Nevena
- Landfall: Elevate
- After Lapse: Face The Storm
Houston: II
Houston: II
AOR/Melodic Rock
4.0/5.0
Facebook
Livewire Records / Cargo Records
by Craig Hartranft, 08.22.2013
How does Houston follow up one of the most popular and well-received AOR melodic rock albums of 2010? Serve up more of the same. Their debut raised eyebrows and tickled ears three years ago. Their second effort, simply II, will likely do the same.
Houston: not in Texas.
Once more it's Eighties AOR melodic rock deja vu. The emphasis is upon strong melody and harmony, from vocal arrangements to sparkling keyboards to stirring guitar lines and leads. It's a formula that Hank Erix (v), Freddie Allen (d) and new member Ricky Delin (k) along with talents like guitarist Tommy Denander know well and so craft good songs. Actually, if he's providing all the leads here, Denander's presence is perhaps the strongest feature here. But that's not saying much considering there's hardly a weak link anywhere between musicianship and composition. The real question may be this: how does doing the same still stay fresh rather than redundant? With something like Glory and Return My Heart, which are saved by the guitar work, it slips more towards the latter. But they are still very good songs within a collection of strong songs. Alternatively, I'm Coming Home (listen below), Talk to Me, 24 Hours, Losing, and the closer Believe leap from your speakers with unexpected liveliness saying the final chapter hasn't been written on classic AOR melodic rock. But, as said before, that's what Houston does best, and with agility and creativity. If you liked the debut, you'll certain dig debut part two. Recommended.
Houston - I'm Coming Home
Tweet
In Short
If you liked Houston's debut, then you'll dig the debut part II. Solid and classic AOR melodic rock.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
Arriving from Finland, the origins of Transworld Identity come from Mila Bosa, a singer in a cover band. But it wasn't enough. She aspired to write and perform original songs, forming Transworld Identity ... [ Read More ]