N.O.W. - review added 22nd February 2010
Album Review: Force Of Nature (2010)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and a softened version of Places Of Power
The man behind this N.O.W. release, Alec Mendonça, was born in New York and raised in Rio de Janeiro. He says his first musical memories were picking up some Beatles records and the Boston debut album back when he was only just old enough to go to school. He was soon playing the bass and, by 1996, he had recorded an album and gained some air play.
Almost 14 years on, Alec teamed up with Brazilian keyboardist Jean Barros and laid down the basis of the songs for this album. The search was then on for a vocalist. Fortunately, a demo ended up with Philip Bardowell (Beach Boys, Places Of Power) who loved the songs. Guitarist Carlos Ivan then joined the project, as did drummer Eric Leal.
I must confess I didn't like Forces Of Nature after the first few listens. I'm not sure why; maybe it was a tad predictable, maybe a bit wet. Fortunately it was grown on me with familiarity and, whilst I wouldn't list it as a firm favourite - and it isn't as good as Philip's Places Of Power album - it does have numerous cool moments.
The sound is somewhere between hard rock and AOR. It's all very melodious, hooky and keyboard driven, if perhaps a tad subdued and understated. Philip Bardowell sounds as good as ever. The musicianship is apt; not superbly memorable or mind blowing, simply perfect for this style of album.
Song-wise, the excellent fast paced opener 'Can't Make It (How Can I)' has an emotive up tempo sound. 'Listen To Your Heart' is spunky and fun at the chorus, but average elsewhere. 'Lonely Soul' starts in slow thoughtful fashion, before speeding and heavying up. It's a pleasant enough entry, but too 'nice' to be truly great. 'Once That Feeling Comes Again' is a bounding track with a great lyrical style and memorable keyboard hook. The chorus is actually less exciting than the main body of the song. Go figure. 'You' is another entry with a slow brooding start and a faster-paced body. Shame it doesn't stay slow all the way, as the ballad-stylings of the opening have a wonderful emotive quality.
'Idol's Grace' is an adrenaline-rich song that manages to not do a lot to excite. 'Peace Of Mind' is a mid-tempo melodic track that ticks most of the right boxes. 'Long Hard Way' does too. 'Hail Mary' is another notch or two better. Some of the key changes, and the way the passages of the song merge into one-another are breathtaking. The synthesized start of 'I'm Free (But Not Ready To Go)' sounds like the beginning of 'What A Feeling' by Irene Cara. It does develop into more of a rocker as it goes along, although strangely it never manages to get quite as good as the Irene Cara track. 'Midnight Call' is nice but average. Final track 'No Time 4 Goodbyes' closes the album on a solid note.
Forces Of Nature is a perfectly reasonable release and worth a listen if you like the softer side of hard rock. The performances are fine and so is the songwriting. In the end, N.O.W. haven't done a lot wrong. They also haven't done enough right either, and that's the reason this album misses out on being exceptional; too much of it is merely a friendly take on average.
Check out... The first track. The best one for me.
Track List:
01. Can't Make It (How Can I)
02. Listen To Your Heart
03. Lonely Soul
04. Once That Feeling Comes Again
05. You
06. Idol's Grace
07. Peace Of Mind
08. Long Hard Way
09. Hail Mary
10. I'm Free (But Not Ready To Go)
11. Midnight Call
12. No Time 4 Goodbyes
Label: Escape Music
Artist's website(s): MySpace
