STAGE DOLLS - review added 25th February 2010
Album Review: Always (2010)
For fans of: Soft Rock... and Marxism
Always is the 7th studio album from Norway's finest, the Stage Dolls. It also marks the 25th anniversary of their debut LP, Soldier's Gun. Always had an early January release in Norway and has since made it to the top of their national charts. Now, with a full label release, we take a better-late-than-never look.
The band was founded in the mid 1980's by guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Torstein Flakne, who was soon joined by bass player Terje Storli and drummer Erlend Antonsen. Since then, they've worked their way through a couple of drummers, untold tours, and even had songs bothering the US Billboard charts.
Now, with Torstein and Terje still in place and new boy (well, since 1993) Morten Skogstad on the skins, Stage Dolls have returned to long-favourite haunt Nidaros Studio to record their new opus. Torstein co-produced Always with Ronny Wikmark, who also mixed it with the band's former producer, Bjørn Nessjø.
The sound is that sublime mixture of pop, rock, soul and country best demonstrated by Richard Marx in his heyday, or Dare, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard in their more measured moments. This band do not sound like they come from Norway. They sound like an English/North American cross, helped in no small way by the Sheffield-style harmonies and the backing singers (who really are from the U.S.). This is a vast, immensely professional record that could have torn the global charts up 20+ years ago. Whether it has that potential now will come down to radio airplay and publicity. If the songs from Always get heard, there's no reason why this record shouldn't make it big.
Torstein Flakne has a stunning voice with a tone to die for. He isn't a rock singer in the normal sense of the word, although there's a definite edge to his voice. He's a refined everyman vocalist who could lend his dulcet tones to any genre. It's hard to hear him without thinking "wow". The remainder of the production is just as impressive. It isn't a big, overindulgent look-at-me recording. Everything on the album is there for a reason, and everything on the album sounds basically perfect. In fact, the only potential weak points are the style of the songwriting and personal taste. The songs we'll examine in due course. Whether this is your thing or not you'll already know.
Always kicks off with the surprisingly vivacious title track. It's one of the more rocking entries on the album and has a cool summery feel. 'Raining On A Sunny Day' is a depressing title, and so the lyrics follow. It's a stunning track however, just a little negative on the emotional front. 'Rollin`' boasts a big rattling bass and a vast upbeat vibe. There's a definite Richard Marx-esque feel to the song. 'Highway's Open' is a gentle rocker with mild Celtic influences. It's bordering on being too nice for its own good, but it's still enjoyable. The medically impossible 'Eye Of My Heart' is another overly sweet song with a gentle rhythm structure.
'Better Off Pretty' is a more rocking entry, if still soft in the general scheme of things. The chorus is especially memorable. 'Taillights' is a fantastical, almost filmscore-styled song. The backing singers give an achingly professional Hollywood feel. Special note should go to the guitar solo with its moody persona. 'Saturday Night' is a bounding rocker with oodles of personality. 'Where The Blacktop Ends' is just as much fun too. Imagine Dann Huff and Richard Marx recording a country driving song and you'll have the idea. 'My Strangest Friend' has, of all things, a Ralph McTell acoustic-rambling folk-feel. It's a delightful song, but definitely not rock.
Always is a seriously nice album. Large chunks of it are very chilled and, if that's not your bag, you'll find the whole thing forgettable. However, the songs have an air of class that's missing from the majority of other releases in recent months, and there really is no faulting the performances. I haven't heard any other Stage Dolls releases so cannot directly compare this to they. Regardless, this has to be a very decent addition to the back catalogue.
Check out... All of it, if you like your music on the lighter side of soft rock.
Track List:
01. Always
02. Raining On A Sunny Day
03. Rollin'
04. Highway's Open
05. Eye Of My Heart
06. Better Off Pretty
07. Taillights
08. Saturday Night
09. Where The Blacktop Ends
10. My Strangest Friend
Label: AOR Heaven
Artist's website(s): Stage Dolls , MySpace
