Artist: China Blue
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2008
Running time: 55:41
Rating: 3/5
What’s this now? China Blue. Sad China, huh? Hello? It’s a project of a keyboardist named Eric Ragno, known for working on albums with a whole bunch of acts in the AOR and melodic hard rock field, like Takara, Ted Poley (vocals, Danger Danger), Steve Grimmett, American Angel, Danny Vaughn (vocals, Tyketto), the Hugo/Ramos project and many others. The idea for this band is actually an old one, born back in the late eighties. Eric wrote the music, while his buddy Tom Gasbarro took care of the lyrics. Soon after, though, Eric moved on to bands like Vox Tempus, so there was no way to get China Blue off the ground. When he recently played some of that old China Blue material to Michael Risenebeck, Michael talked him into polishing the songs up and turning them into a proper album.
Eric didn’t sit around twiddling his thumbs. He gathered a crew of seasoned musicians who know how to do real melodic hard rock. First among them is current TNT singer Tony Mills (ex-Shy). For help with the polishing and writing of extra material, Eric found a solid partner in guitarist Josh Ramos (The Storm, Hardline). The lineup is rounded out by Zane Petersen (Malicious, Conditioned Response) on drums and bassist Doug Odell. Appearing as special guests on the record are guitarist Ronny Smith, drummer Pete Newdeck and bassist Fabrizio Grossi.
Tony Mills is the key link in China Blue, the one who gives “Twilight Of Destiny” its special spark. It’s an expressive, rich voice, a colorful collage of revived emotions, standing out with its delicate subtlety in the calmer passages as always, but really triumphing in the high, soaring, melodic choruses, where excellent layered vocal harmonies (e.g. Movin’ On) add an atmospheric stamp and keep him company. The guy does a top-notch job, just like in his Shy days, so this album will definitely be a magnet for all fans of Shy. The last two albums this singer did with TNT are irrelevant next to it. If you don’t know them, you’re better off, because they can’t compete with the Harnell era in any way. The first half of the album belongs to Mills in particular, where he once again shines fascinatingly in his trademark style through the melodic polish of opener What Do You Need But Love, or right after it with I Feel Like Dying, and above all Changing Ways, which comes closest of all the “Twilight Of Destiny” tracks to the perfection of the eighties AOR legacy and works like a lost Shy song with Mills on vocals. A song with huge hit potential (in the eighties, of course, which were kind to this stuff) and great interplay between chorus and pre-chorus, with an effective build-up of melancholic dramatic effect. The high dramatic mood captured at this point of the album is carried on and effectively kept going by So Wrong.
You can feel the band’s leader is a keyboardist, since the arrangements are structured so that the keys are completely equal partners to the guitars throughout the album. There’s also an interesting feel that this isn’t a fully typical AOR product demanding nothing but easy catchiness that lodges in your ear on the first listen. Especially after Crimes (of Passion), the album settles down completely through the less interesting half-ballad Don’t Be A Stranger, then Passions and Movin’ On. A touch of the experimental side stands out in the link between the short title instrumental and the ballad Lost, where the album picks up noticeably more elements of progressive exploration. There are quite a few crossfires between keyboard and guitar solos on this record (Passions, Don’t Be A Stranger, Crimes). The album even gets a slight prog accent from it. It’s also surprising that the last track, A Last Goodbye, is basically a sort of reprise of the title instrumental, so the album loses some much-needed drama at the close. So the second half of the album lacks a fair chunk of the AOR punch it needs.
The keyboards deliver that typical eighties sound and bring most of the nostalgic feel in the production, from the days when songs like the ones on this album were played on the radio all the time. “Twilight of Destiny” leaves tons of room for guitar acrobatics, which the seasoned Josh Ramos of course exploits to the fullest. Many times he takes so much room that he “pushes” his solos right into the choruses, which can be a bit too “pricking” for ears looking for something compact and ultra melodic (e.g. Take Me As I Am).
If you’re looking for a real AOR rock album, you may well be disappointed, because this one doesn’t settle into your ears on the first spin and needs several listens. It has a bit of the experimental in it. The whole album still holds a lot in reserve. The question is, if China Blue plan to stick around and keep releasing albums, which way will they turn? Toward the complete compactness AOR demands? That would be very welcome, because the musicians picked for “Twilight of Destiny” are at their strongest right there when it comes to expression. So cutting the overlong solo detours and instrumentals would be a welcome move in the future. Otherwise, this is a very good album that will reward you, especially once you give it more attention. It’s saved above all by the excellent Tony Mills.
Line-up
Tony Mills – vocals
Eric Ragno – keyboards
Josh Ramos – guitar
Doug Odell – bass
Zane Petersen – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Ronny Smith – guitar
Fabrizio Grossi – bass
Pete Newdeck – drums
Production
Eric Ragno
Track list
1. What Do You Need But Love
2. I Feel Like Dying
3. Changing Ways
4. So Wrong
5. Don’t Be A Stranger
5. Crimes (of Passion)
6. Passions
7. Movin’ On
8. Twilight of Destiny
9. Lost
10. Take Me As I Am
11. A Last Goodbye
