JIMI JAMISON - review added 1st December 2008
Album Review: Crossroads Moment (2008)
For fans of: hard rock... and Survivor
A reunion of Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik makes Crossroads Moment a tantalising prospect.
Arguably the most accomplished songwriter in rock, Peterik could make a track about a hippo's butt exciting. With one of the best voices you could ever hope to hear, Jamison could impersonate a donkey and sound as sweet as nectar.
The result is, unsurprisingly, close to brilliance. Much of the sound echoes Jimi Jamison-era Survivor. There are hints of Pride Of Lions and other Peterik staples in the mix. In fact the whole shebang is so Jim Peterik it hurts.
Crossroads Moment takes a giant armful of up-tempo rhythms as its basis. This is unreservedly feel good rock with a spunky vibe and a theatrical spring in its step. The tunes dance and flit like playful lambs skipping around a field.
As good as the upbeat rock tracks may be, ultimately this album is all about the ballads. 'Bittersweet' is a proper Survivor epic that sounds like it escaped from the recording sessions of Vital Signs. 'Lost' has a sublime modern vibe that, all things in this world being right, would see serious radio action. The best ballad of all, and indeed the best track on the album, is 'As Is'. This is a monumental slow track that simply gets better every time you hear it. This song seriously needs to be picked up by a film studio and given a starring role in a blockbuster
There really isn't a duffer on this album. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy, and some of the songs are a trifle shallow in their themes, but none of that matters. There are numerous sing along moments and the overall feel is tremendously upbeat. Jim Peterik's mastery of songwriting has once again struck that proverbial gold. The real star of this release however is Jimi Jamison. He has never sounded better. It's almost 10 years since his last solo release. Let's hope the wait isn't that long again.
Check out... 'As Is'. One of those epic ballads that only comes along once in a blue moon. Wow.
Track List:
1. Battersea
2. Can't Look Away
3. Make Me A Believer
4. Crossroads Moment
5. Bittersweet
6. Behind The Music
7. Lost
8. Love The World Away
9. She's Nothing To Me
10. As Is
11. Till The Morning Comes
12. That's Why I Sing
13. Friends We Never Met
14. When Rock Was King
15. Alive
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's websites: Jimi Jamison
