I get the idea…in itself it’s not a bad proposition – three of the scene’s leading male vocalists all appearing intertwined through a dozen new melodic rock tunes. But there are issues from the outset here. Bland songs, sterile production, no real plan to work their voices together and an unfortunate lack of emotional urgency that music of this style should carry.
Fronting up for this latest Frontiers ‘project’ is Kent Hilli – one of the most melodic and popular vocalists around right now, who is in real danger of spreading himself way too thin (Perfect Plan, Giant, Solo Album and TBA fourth project pending); Robbie LaBlanc – the powerhouse singer left powerless with a bland mix of songs; and Toby Hitchcock, the star of Pride Of Lions, who is yet to find consistency outside of that vehicle.
The concept has worked brilliantly when a two pronged approach is used such as with Russell Allen and Jorn Lande, but those albums had the bonus of Magnus Karlsson at the helm, providing some killer songs and intuitive mixing of the vocalists.
With Tenors, it is Alessandro Del Vecchio, the Frontiers songwriter/producer/mixer/multi-instrument playing machine, responsible here for writing, production, mixing, mastering, bass, additional keyboards, guitars, and backing vocals.
On top of some completely twee lyrics, none of the voices are given any room to breathe. There’s no comradery or sense of a unified mission between the singers. There’s no natural chemistry – just three voices recorded in different studios, singing songs they didn’t write, mixed together at ADV central.
The mid-album Silent Cries is the only song that stands out as anywhere near memorable.
The idea of three singing together as “tenors” should be to create a wall of vocals, rich harmonies, not just three guys singing one line each at a time. It’s way too disjointed. And to be frank, its just plain dull. Lifeless and repetitive and all too familiar to those following along with the endless Frontiers projects.
MelodicRock Records is honoured to be in the presence of such company and proudly releases the album ‘8Ballz2Many’ worldwide officially May 10.
There is however, an exclusive offer available right now for direct pre-orders. A Limitd Edition (500 only) ‘8Ballz2many’ Special Edition offers the following:
- Exclusive Slip Case
- Exclusive Digital Bonus Track - ‘When I Think Of You’ (Extended) 6.54
- Exclusive Early CD Delivery
- Digital Delivery of the album - IMMEDIATELY!
- Digital Delivery of two tracks right now
This SE release is only available via MRR and you can purchase right now.
Drums & Percussion - Jonathan Mover (Marillion, The Tubes, GTR, Joe Satriani)
So what are this band of musicial icons doing together?
Only making one of the best AOR/rock/midwestern/pop records you’ll ever hear, that’s what!
There’s not one note out of place on this monster album - an eclectic mix of classic rock influences, with a level of musicianship completely off the scale.
MRR A&R Andrew McNeice:"I'm so proud and thrilled to have these guys and this amazing album on MRR. The crisp, sharp production allows all the many layers to breathe and showcase the extraordinary talents these guys have. This is one of the finest albums for musicianship that I have heard in years!"
After recording a few records with various well-known musicians, guitarist/songwriter Alan Friedman wanted to form a band with his favorite drummer, bassist, keyboardist and vocalist. His choices were easy, as he enlisted drummer Jonathan Mover (Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, Joe Satriani), bassist Doug Wimbish (Living Colour, Jeff Beck, TackHead), keyboardist Vince DiCola (film score composer of ‘Rocky IV’ & ‘The Transformers: The Movie’), and killer AOR vocalist Robbie LaBlanc (Find Me, Fury).
Together, they spent three days in L.A. studio “The Steakhouse” and wrote this entire record from scratch, including a complete rearrangement of the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows.” One of Jonathan’s many girlfriends (and there have been many) always called Alan “Kannenballs” because the name of Alan’s CPA firm is “Friedman, Kannenberg & Company.” And as they say, the rest is history.
MelodicRock Records is honoured to be in the presence of such company and proudly releases the album ‘8Ballz2Many’ worldwide officially May 10.
There is however, an exclusive offer available right now for direct pre-orders. A Limitd Edition (500 only) ‘8Ballz2many’ Special Edition offers the following:
- Exclusive Slip Case
- Exclusive Digital Bonus Track - ‘When I Think Of You’ (Extended) 6.54
- Exclusive Early Release Date - April 26
- Digital Delivery of the album - April 5
- Digital Delivery of two tracks right now
This SE release is only available via MRR and you can purchase right now.
FIND ME have announced that their third album, "Angels In Blue" will be released on February 22, 2019. The band has also released the first single and video from the album, "No Tears In Paradise”.
Vocalist Robbie LaBlanc on the new album: "I really like our first album, but I like "Dark Angel" better than the first one. I have to say that I love our new one the best of all three so far. I hope everyone else agrees, haha. There are some really amazing songs on this record and Daniel stripped the production down a bit on this one, which I really like. I had a lot of fun on this album vocally and I think you’ll hear that in the tracks. They were a joy to sing and there wasn’t one key change on any demo that was presented. It was like the songs were written right for me to sing them. Really, really cool!"
Songwriter, drummer, and producer Daniel Flores adds, "Like always, everything is built around Robbie's voice and range. Carefully structuring all arrangements around the melodies, crafting a powerhouse for every song. I think we have nailed down what that means for Find Me's melodic rock approach. Third time's the charm!"
Of tracks from the album they are particularly fond of, Flores says, "As a producer I tend to fall in love with all songs on the records we do, but the songs 'Desperate Dreams' and 'No Tears In Paradise' are two favorites." With LaBlanc adding, that "'Waiting For A Lifetime' and 'Show Me What You’d Die For' are two that quickly stand out in my mind as favorites. 'No Tears in Paradise' as well. I love our cover of 'Desperate Dreams' by Survivor, I thought it came out really nice and hopefully a great tribute to Jimi Jamison."
FIND ME is an ongoing collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet) and singer Robbie LaBlanc from Blanc Faces. The partnership was put together by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino with a vision to unleash yet another AOR behemoth from the label. Mission accomplished! FIND ME’s debut album, “Wings of Love” and the follow-up release “Dark Angel” were greeted with rave fan and critical reviews, with fans left begging for more music from the duo. No demand could have been easier to fulfill as Daniel and Robbie simply love working together. The result of their latest collaboration is “Angels In Blue”. Once again, a delightful and massive melodic rock album full of mighty, anthemic AOR songs with Robbie’s soaring lead vocals and amazing performances from Daniel Flores and guitarist Philip Lindstrand. Sonically, this powerhouse album sits in between the classic sound of Journey and Giant and newcomers like W.E.T and Eclipse. Yet another unmissable album for the Melodic Rock/AOR crowd from Frontiers.
"Robbie and I really hope you can hear the sweat and tears we have endured during the making of this record. Every finished record is a miracle in the making and this one in particular was hard to make. Thank God it all came through in the end. This is for you guys, the fans who make my work feel like a walk in the park everyday," says Flores.
"I’m really excited Find Me's third album is coming out. I hope the fans love it and I want to express my great respect to all the guys in the band: Phil, Michael, Daniel, Johnny, Rolf, Soren, and all the great writers like Alessandro Del Vecchio and Michael Palace. What a great bunch of musicians and talented, talented people. I am very lucky to be involved with such beautiful and talented people. God bless you all," concludes LaBlanc.
Tracklisting:
1. No Tears In Paradise
2. Chain Of Love
3. True Believer
4. Straight For Eternity
5. Can’t Let Go
6. One Last Kiss
7. Living A Lie
8. Angels In Blue
9. Show Me What You'd Die For
10. Waiting For A Lifetime
11. You Are The Only One
12. Desperate Dreams
13. Only The Lonely
Lineup:
Robert LaBlanc - Lead vocals and backing vocals
Daniel Flores - Drums, percussion and additional keyboards
Sören Kronquist - Keyboards
Philip Lindstrand - Rhythm guitars
Johnny Trobro - Bass
Michael Palace - Lead guitars and rhythm guitars on “Can't Let Go” and “Only The Lonely”
Robbie LaBlanc just has one of those voices. He would have been a star had he been part of the era of 80s vocal royalty such as Mike Reno, Lou Gramm, Eric Martin and James Christian.
Robbie has a really likeable voice that hovers between Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew and Mike Reno.
Thankfully we get him all to ourselves now though. With 2 great Blanc Faces albums and now a second Find Me release – the project arranged, mixed, mastered and recorded by the band’s drummer/keyboardist Daniel Flores.
Philip Lindstrand provides some world class guitar parts and Soren Kronqvist provides more keyboards.
And yes, there’s keyboards everywhere on this album, but at the same time, it’s a pretty tough batch of AOR tunes thanks to the guitar’s equally important role.
And Flores’ production gives the whole package a really thumping sound.
Songs come courtesy of Alessandro Del Vecchio (of course!), Niclas Olsson (of Alyson Avenue fame), plus Tom & James Martin.
The intro leaves no doubt that keyboards will play a prominent role on the album. The punch that follows says guitars won’t be left behind!
Nowhere To Hide is an uptempo melodic rocker that has the required urgency that an opener requires and a purposeful chorus that mixed guitars and keyboards perfectly.
Let Love Rule is even better. It’s a beautifully sung AOR anthem with a sentimental twist. Moving fast with a thumping beat and strong guitars, but also layered in keyboards, the chorus is particularly catchy.
Forever is a big piano ballad with a soulful vocal. A big 80s ballad that Loverboy or Glass Tiger could have easily released in their prime and scored a hit from it.
Another Day gets the tempo back to rollicking and turns the keyboards up to 11. I love the verse – the melody is pure ear candy. The chorus of course is just as good.
Dark Angel might sound moody, but it’s anything but. It’s one of the album most upbeat and pompous tracks – a glorious slice of classic AOR with big keyboards and a monster chorus.
Bleed In The Rain is 80s keyboard and guitar heaven without sounding dated thanks to Daniel’s excellent production and mix. A nice moody mid-tempo track with a great chorus.
Face To Face follows suit. More 80s FM radio friendly melodic rock with Robbie’s brilliant vocals and an easy going chorus.
Where Do I Go is the kind of moody track I love. It builds from a slow start to a big 80s chorus. Definitely some more Glass Tiger comparisons here.
Midnight Memories is a relatively restrained track until the chorus comes and Robbie goes into full power and blows up the speakers.
Don't Slip Away From Me could have been straight off the debut Glass Tiger album, both in sound and commercial appeal. The catchy chorus is pure Euro-AOR.
Did You Feel Any Love is another 80s gem – something like Signal could have included on their debut album. It’s a cool free flowing, fast moving AOR anthem with keyboards everywhere.
I'm Free is a terrific faithful rendition of the Kenny Loggins soundtrack classic. Robbie sounds fabulous and the fact this sits very comfortably amongst the rest of the material should give fans an indication of the style used throughout.
It’s gold for AOR/melodic rock fans. Well produced, solid choice of songs that sounds very consistent despite the different writers and brilliant, brilliant vocals from Robbie LaBlanc.
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the release of FIND ME's new album, entitled “Dark Angel”, on December 4th in Europe and North America.
FIND ME is a collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet, Seventh Wonder) and singer Robbie LaBlanc from Blanc Faces. The partnership was put together by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino with a vision to unleash another AOR behemoth. FIND ME’s debut album, “Wings of Love” received excellent reviews and left fans begging for more music from the duo! No demands could have been easier to fulfill as the two guys just love working together and finding the right songs for the group from contributors the likes of Alessandro Del Vecchio, Mark Mangold, brothers Tom and James Martin (Vega, Issa), Soren Kronqvist (Sunstorm), Niclas Olsson (Alyson Avenue) or Philip Lindstrand (Strong) is never a problem.
The second FIND ME album will be released December 5 via Frontiers. The much anticipated paring of Daniel Flores with vocalist Robbie LaBlanc.
They’ve hit another home run here folks. Perfect 80s meets today production and a tasty mix of guitars and keyboards to accompany that voice!
Full review to follow – but for now here is an exclusive track by track commentary to preview the album with.
The intro leaves no doubt that keyboards will play a prominent role on the album. The punch that follows says guitars won’t be left behind!
Nowhere To Hide is an uptempo melodic rocker that has the required urgency that an opener requires and a purposeful chorus that mixed guitars and keyboards perfectly.
Let Love Rule is even better. It’s a beautifully sung AOR anthem with a sentimental twist. Moving fast with a thumping beat and strong guitars, but also layered in keyboards, the chorus is particularly catchy.
Forever is a big piano ballad with a soulful vocal. A big 80s ballad that Loverboy or Glass Tiger could have easily released in their prime and scored a hit from it.
Another Day gets the tempo back to rollicking and turns the keyboards up to 11. I love the verse – the melody is pure ear candy. The chorus of course is just as good.
Dark Angel might sound moody, but it’s anything but. It’s one of the album most upbeat and pompous tracks – a glorious slice of classic AOR with big keyboards and a monster chorus.
Bleed In The Rain is 80s keyboard and guitar heaven without sounding dated thanks to Daniel’s excellent production and mix. A nice moody mid-tempo track with a great chorus.
Face To Face follows suit. More 80s FM radio friendly melodic rock with Robbie’s brilliant vocals and an easy going chorus.
Where Do I Go is the kind of moody track I love. It builds from a slow start to a big 80s chorus. Definitely some more Glass Tiger comparisons here.
Midnight Memories is a relatively restrained track until the chorus comes and Robbie goes into full power and blows up the speakers.
Don't Slip Away From Me could have been straight off the debut Glass Tiger album, both in sound and commercial appeal. The catchy chorus is pure Euro-AOR.
Did You Feel Any Love is another 80s gem – something like Signal could have included on their debut album. It’s a cool free flowing, fast moving AOR anthem with keyboards everywhere.
I'm Free is a terrific faithful rendition of the Kenny Loggins soundtrack classic. Robbie sounds fabulous and the fact this sits very comfortably amongst the rest of the material should give fans an indication of the style used throughout.
FIND ME 'Dark Angel' - the sophomore album from the Trans-Atlantic duo featuring Robbie LaBlanc and Daniel Flores
Out in December on Frontiers
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the release of FIND ME's new album, entitled “Dark Angel”, on December 4th in Europe and North America.
FIND ME is a collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet, Seventh Wonder) and singer Robbie LaBlanc from Blanc Faces. The partnership was put together by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino with a vision to unleash another AOR behemoth. FIND ME’s debut album, “Wings of Love” received excellent reviews and left fans begging for more music from the duo! No demands could have been easier to fulfill as the two guys just love working together and finding the right songs for the group from contributors the likes of Alessandro Del Vecchio, Mark Mangold, brothers Tom and James Martin (Vega, Issa), Soren Kronqvist (Sunstorm), Niclas Olsson (Alyson Avenue) or Philip Lindstrand (Strong) is never a problem.
“Serafino of Frontiers and I searched for new songs and fresh ideas from writers from all over the world” tells drummer and producer Daniel Flores. “I personally was searching for a musical challenge and Serafino with his golden ears is always looking for the next big song. It’s the combination of the two mentalities, with Robbie’s ability to sing and work on melodies that made this album what it is.” According to Robbie LaBlanc: “Daniel really understands how to create an awesome AOR record. He allows me some flexibility in the melodies and is a pleasure to work with and a true pro.”
The result is once again a delightful and massive melodic rock record, chock full of mighty anthemic AOR songs with Robbie’s soaring lead vocals and amazing performances from Daniel Flores and guitarist Philip Lindstrand! Sonically, this powerhouse album sits in between the classic sound of Journey and Giant and newcomers like W.E.T and Eclipse. “To be honest, in the first album, all involved tried to find the right combination of all the elements we love in AOR music” adds Daniel. “Now we feel more confident on what people will like. Productionwise everything just came naturally in place in this recording. Also Robbie sings even better than on last record and that's no small accomplishment really.”
“I feel I connected with these songs really nicely” adds Robbie. “It's funny of all the demos I received from Daniel I think we only changed one key. It's like they were written right for me!”
“I hope we get to give the AOR fans the same feelings they got when they discovered this music for the first time,” concludes Daniel, “We try to remind people of how the old records where done in this style, with the same mentality and complete devotion but with the cutting edge sound and quality engineering that technology has brought to date. Also, we hope to have chances to play for the fans live next year.”
“Dark Angel” is just another unmissable album for the AOR crowd from Frontiers. Enjoy the album trailer here:
“Dark Angel” tracklisting includes: Nowhere To Hide; Let Love Rule; Forever; Another Day; Dark Angel; Bleed In The Rain; Face To Face; Where Do I Go; Midnight Memories; Don't Slip Away From Me; Did You Feel Any Love; I'm Free.
FIND ME is:
Robbie Lablanc - Lead and background vocals
Philip Lindstrand - Rhythm and lead Guitars, Bass
Sören Kronqvist - Keyboards
Daniel Flores - Drums and Keyboards
Additional musicians:
Angelica Rylin - Vocals on "Another day"
Christopher Vetter - Lead guitars and Clean Guitars
Backing vocals: Robert Lablanc, Philip Lidstrand, Thomas Vikström, Angelica Rylin, Redas Jefisovas and Daniel Flores