MelodicRock.com Reviews


BOWES & MORLEY
MOVING SWIFTLY ALONG
Eagle Records EAGCD226
Produced by: Luke Morley
Released: OUT NOW / Website
Relatives: Luke Morley, Thunder
GENRE: Soft/Soul Pop Rock
OVERALL: 78%

  1. Freakshow
  2. Hypnotized
  3. Something About My Baby
  4. Powertripping
  5. Don't Take Your Love Away
  6. Dancing The Night Away
  7. You're Drifting Away
  8. Hesitate
  9. Change
  10. The River Of Life
  11. Better Times
  12. Sick And Tired
  13. I'd Take The Stars Out Of The Sky

Boy I am sure glad I gave this a second chance. In fact, it was more like a 4th or 5th chance. I really didn't like what I heard first time around and even now there are still a few places when I can't skip forward fast enough.
But this record does have some endearing qualities.
Thunder vocalist Danny Bowes and guitarist Luke Morley haven't worked together since the final Thunder album a few years ago.
This is not a re-union, rather than a new collaborative project. So take note - being a fan of Thunder does not make this an automatically required purchase.
There isn't much on here that would fit the classic Thunder mould and there will be a range of fans of the band that will not want to hear this blend of soulful, bluesy, jazzy pop rock.
This album continues the journey down a more soulful path that the Luke Morley solo album forged.
Tracks like Hypnotized and I'd Take The Stars Out Of The Sky take it too far. So does the cover of Powertripping - the worst song from the last Power Station album.
I hate the jazz pop of these tracks and Take The Stars is just plain tedious.
However, Freakshow is a strong pop song, Dancing The Night Away is pure classic Thunder (even if it is softer) and Change is a strong soulful ballad co-written with Joey Tempest!
The soul/pop ballads Something About My Baby and Don't Take Your Love Away are further high points of the album, proving that although this album is generally as soft as a wet tissue, the best pasts are those soft soulful moments.
BOTTOM LINE: Yes, there are some great songs and some fine vocal and musical arrangements, with Bowes in great soulful form.
I still have to question how many Thunder fans will want to hear this, but fans of soft R&B/soul/blues/jazz moments will find a lot of redemption in this CD. This is for the fans that have grown up and matured as Luke and Danny have. No matter what you take on this CD is, there's no denying that these two have a unique chemistry and I hope they continue recording.
I really enjoyed more than half of the album, so for me it will be a CD of skipping, or editing, rather than giving it a full run through each time.
Avoid of you are looking for any hard edged moments, buy if you are looking for something a with a little more thought put into it - check this out.
PRODUCTION: 90% SONGS: 70% VIBE: 75%ATTITUDE: 70%
ESSENTIAL FOR: Fans of laid back, mature, soulful pop rock. Fans of Danny Bowes and Luke Morley and some Thunder fans.
DISCOGRAPHY:Thunder; Luke Morley- el Gringo Retro; Bowes & Morley



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