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Angeline: We Were Raised On Radio
Angeline - We Were Raised On Radio Album Art

Angeline: We Were Raised On Radio

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
4.0/5.0

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Blow Your Fez Off Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.02.2021 | Released: 19.02.2021

The legend of Swedish band Angeline goes back nearly 35 years, but the band plays on. My last experience with the band was the 2013 short Life E.P, Vol. 1, after which I heard nothing about them. But their history has been a rocky one. In 2018, they dropped their first long player in seven years, Shadowlands; again, it never crossed my desk. Now Angeline returns with their fourth full length album, We Were Raised On Radio.

Angeline - Click For Larger Image

Angeline

The album title is a dead giveaway to Angeline's roots and sound. Growing up and living in the Seventies and Eighties, the band members were indeed raised on radio, the medium that reached the most people with what we now call classic rock. (That is, before MTV and Video Killed The Radio Star). So then, Angeline offers listeners their version of classic AOR-driven melodic hard rock. It's 80's deja vu all over again.

We Were Raised On Radio, a ten song album, is packed with classic rock that turns upon fine song melody and harmony (notably in the vocal arrangements), toe-tapping rock rhythm and groove, catchy refrains, and the sine qua non of terrific guitar solos. You'll hear this recipe, perhaps in a heavier wrapper, with Helpless, Halfway To Anywhere, Remission, and Coser To Forever. Alternatively, with Closer and My Heart Won't Let You go, Angeline offers lighter starts and songs which move with AOR arena anthem accessibility, especially in the vocal harmony and up beat groove. That same groove takes a bit of a pop turn with Baby Come Back with its spry, somewhat tough, rhythmic riffs and energetic bouncing bass. Yet, again, the song is tempered by more fine vocal harmony and a memorable chorus. Come What May follows this, an easy-going AOR ballad with a robust combination of acoustic and electric guitar, smooth rhythm and, once again, superb vocal harmony in the arrangement. If radio was still a thing for AOR melodic hard rock, this song, among many other Angeline tunes, would find a spot in the rotation. But alas ...

All in all, if you're looking for a contemporary interpretation of classic AOR melodic hard rock, look to Sweden's Angeline and We Were Raised On Radio. You will not be disappointed. Recommended.




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The Bottom Line

If you're looking for a contemporary interpretation of classic AOR melodic hard rock, look to Sweden's Angeline and We Were Raised On Radio. You will not be disappointed. Recommended.

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