NELSON – Lightning Strikes Twice

Anybody out there remember Nelson? A.k.a the Timotei Twins? For you who don’t, they had a huge hit in the early nineties with their song ”(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection”. That song was all over radio and MTV all the time for a while and their debut album After The Rain (1990) sold millions and millions and spawned two more really big hits. The sound was hard rock on the AOR side and the boys pretty sugar sweet looks and their very melodic sound made them a bit of a laughing-stock for the hardrockers out there and the up and coming Grunge movement certainly didn’t help that matter. The name “Timotei Twins” is, of course, the result of the brothers’ long blond manes and the fact that Timotei was a rather big shampoo brand back then. The twins more or less disappeared from the scene after that album, but the fact is, they kept on going and released several albums in obscurity. They even released a country album as The Nelsons, but that didn’t sell squat either. Me, I loved and still love their debut and I really like its follow up Because They Can (1995) as well. The actual follow up to After The Rain was supposed to hit the record stores in 1993 and was named Imaginator and was a way heavier effort than the debut, but it was shelved because of that and didn’t see the light of day until 1996 and by then nobody gave a rat’s ass anymore.

But in 2010, when the word was out that the guys had a new album on its way with a sound similar to the debut, it was received with a smirk to some, but I really looked forward to see if that was the case or if that was all talk. But after one spin I can happily note that they have in fact gone back to the sound of the debut, only a little bit heavier on the guitars, but for all of you who liked that album, you will sure as hell like this one as well. First single ”Call Me” is a monster, a total AOR hit to be, ”How Can I Miss You” is a fantastic pop / AOR song that has the sound of early 80’s AOR mixed with some 50’s vibes and ”You’re All I Need Tonight” sounds like it could have been off their debut album – in fact, it’s the cousin of that album’s titletrack. ”When You’re Gone” is another AOR smash that, had it been released in 1990, it would be all over the charts and ”To Get Back To You” is marvellous ballad. And where ”Take Me There” is a bit too cheesy even for those guys, ”Come” is, for this kind of music, a heavy track, maybe the heaviest Nelson’s gone and with the dirty tongue-in-cheek line “Next time you come, bring a friend…” they show that they’re not so sweet and innocent one might think, and ”Kickin’ My Heart Around” is a groovy rocker with a killer chorus. The production, however, leaves a bit to be desired. It feels rushed and a bit messy at times, but with songs as great as these, it really doesn’t matter much. It’s not bad, but could be better. The twins have made a great album here and if your mind is open and you don’t care about trivial stuff like their looks and name, you have a fine hour ahead of you, listening to this album. This is the natural follow up to their great debut.

Jon Wilmenius (8/10)

Tracklist:

01. Call Me.
02. Day By Day.
03. Ready, Willing and Able.
04. How Can I Miss You.
05. You’re All I Need Tonight.
06. To Get Back To You.
07. When You’re Gone.
08. Take Me There.
09. Come.
10. In It For The Money.
11. Change A Thing.
12. Kickin’ My Heart Around.