Interesting album this. Another duel-vocalist project from Escape, much like Ozone. This debut project puts vocalists Nigel Bailey (Three Lions, Bailey) together with fellow Brit vocalist Lee Small (Shy, Phenomena).
The band is rounded out by guitarist/producer Paul Hume (Demon, Lawless), drummer Steve Clarkson and keyboards from Andy Bailey (Three Lions, Bailey).
I’m not sure it works to be honest. There’s nothing wrong with the performances, both vocalists are great on their own and mix together here pretty well. The production is solid too.
But I’ve struggled with this from day one. I think the songs just aren’t strong enough. The classic rock vibe is also fairly common and done better on both Nigel Bailey’s other two bands.
The album struggles in that it’s not really hard rock, not really melodic rock, not really classic rock and not really AOR. It’s just an undefined mixture of all.
That’s not to say there aren’t some sweet spots. The groovy opener Fear No More rocks; the mid-album melodic gem Feels Like Love is probably the best of all and No His Angel’s Gone is a solid moody ballad.
Not too bad, but not enough spark for me personally. The names involved don’t match the quality of the songwriting or overall output. But fans of Bailey and Small in particular will feel a lot more positive about this.
