Label: AOR Heaven
Release date: March 27, 2020
Production: Steve Newman
Album length: 54.44 min
Genre: AOR / Melodic Rock
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Steve Newman is a British multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, vocalist and arranger with a ton of musical mileage behind him. It started as a modestly conceived project, born at a time when the guy had totally given up on interest in classic rock ever coming back, and later grew into Newman. Over the years it’s become a highly regarded and respected name among the inner circle of AOR and melodic rock die-hards. Today, Newman have been a proper band for quite a while, one that can hit the stage whenever they please. Musically, Newman are a kind of embodiment of the lively AOR pulse of the eighties, and they still play and write by that same old-school recipe from the days when everyone was hunting for the perfect formula for blending rock with pop, which was hugely popular in the eighties. In that sense, Newman’s music is a ride through the legacy of the bands that made up the British flowering of the AOR genre, including Outside Edge, Aviator, Freefall, Heartland, Outfield, Kick, Strangeways, and of course the still-active (and excellent) FM, who plan to release a new album in the middle of this year.
In 2015, Newman tried out a heavier sound, as you’d expect, with the album »The Elegance Machine«. Two years later they put out »Aerial«, which added even more superior, ultra-melodic catchiness to that picture and got the sonic forces balanced out again. The new album »Ignition« follows its predecessor and once again boasts consistently high quality. That means the songs on it are all “at least good, if not even better”. Someone as experienced as Steve Newman, with all the ups and downs he’s lived through, just can’t make a composing mistake. He doesn’t stray from the established musical course, and the band’s fans will be thrilled once again, even if the new album doesn’t surprise anymore.
The first thing your “ear” snags on when you pop »Ignition« into the player is the sound. The production. By Newman standards, the opener End Of the Road is sonically “pouty”, surprising with a guitar riff shoved right up front and a piercing bass line, but from there the album goes on a very balanced “stroll” toward a sound generously layered with keyboards that keep the guitar phrases company (already on the second track, Chasing Midnight). And that’s not all. The title track surprises with a pop aura, where the guitars are completely tucked away and the tune rides waves of pastel synth curtains, while a funky bass beat gives it a counterweight. That move isn’t surprising. Long before he started Newman, Steve Newman tried his hand at pop music with the band Cloud 10. At a time when everyone gave up on that style ages ago, this is the type of song that counts as the edge of acceptable for any AOR freak, and Steve Newman takes the listener right up to that line, in many ways inspired by the likes of Outfield. A great twist in the atmosphere and dynamics of the album. It’s followed by the superbly pompous Worth Dying For, where the guitar phrasing dominates again.
So, welcome to the eighties. As a rule, all the songs are also cunningly decked out with theatrical multi-harmony vocal lines, a required AOR standard that Newman once again handle masterfully. The peak of the “playing around” with multi-harmony pastels is showcased this time in the brilliantly theatrical To Go On Loving You. And the result? The emotional highs are all bombastically woven into choruses that hook you on the first listen and get under your skin very quickly. There are two more songs worth singling out, which stand out even among all the good stuff on the album: Moving Target and Life In the Underground (the title of the latter hints at exactly what the AOR genre has become today).
So the mission has succeeded again on »Ignition«. Steve Newman did a very good job on the vocals once more. He’s never been all that brilliant in that department, but this time the vocals sound even better than expected. Over the years, he’s developed into a very good singer too, one who keeps that signature punch, even in the higher registers.
The album maintains an outstanding consistency of quality and, as such, will once again knock very effectively on the hearts of all AOR eighties nostalgics. Let’s wait for the new FM first, but I can already say with a straight face that »Ignition«, Newman’s twelfth album in a row and, by the way, one of the best of their career, ranks among the top releases of the year in this archaic genre. It’s an album of hugely successful recycling of a well-tested AOR package, which, with Steve especially inspired this time, turned out downright brilliant. An album you listen to with pleasure from start to finish, and then of course, with no trouble or hesitation, do it all over again. And again. Warning! You do have to be a true-believer AOR freak, otherwise you won’t escape the “sugar” attack.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. End Of The Road (4:14)
2. Chasing Midnight (4:44)
3. Ignition (3:55)
4. Worth Dying For (4:30)
5. To Go On Loving You (5:15)
6. Moving Target (4:21)
7. Last Chance (4:29)
8. Life In The Underground (5:07)
9. Wild Child (4:40)
10. Promise Me (4:34)
11. The Island (5:07)
12. Welcome To The Rush (3:47)
Line-up:
Steve Newman – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Rob McEwen – drums, percussion
Dave Bartlett – backing vocals
Mark Thompson-Smith – backing vocals
