Stephen
Tony Niva used to be a backup singer for the short-lived Scandinavian sleaze sensation, SWEDISH EROTICA, and he recently released a project called OXYGEN last year which I think is a solid melodic rock release too. 'Magnitude' isn't too far off from that one, only I think is better in terms of songwriting.
What you'll get here is a nostalgic trip to the time where bands like TREAT, MASQUERADE, GLORY, or ALIEN ruled the airwaves with their magnificent AOR gems. 'Never Too Late' is stunning but I wasn't blown away until 'Perfect Life'. This cheerful melodic gem is almost flawless, perhaps the second best track here after the uptempo 'Never Say Goodbye' near the end of this album. There's a good mix of ballads and midtempo tunes. I like 'In A Misty Light', at some point, it reminds me of BON JOVI's old ballad. 'I Feel So Alone' is a nice power ballad too.
'My First And Only One' and 'Always Somewhere' are two bigger uptempo tracks here and 'Spanish Lullaby' perhaps the weakest track. Production is very good and replay value is very high although I'm afraid it'll be quite samey after 4-5 spins. The whole album is enjoyable if you dig easy-listening stuffs and classic Scandi-AOR.
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