With Swedish AOR:sters Last Autumn’s Dream on hiatus, singer Mikael Erlandsson took matters in his own hands after releasing a great solo album, Capricorn Six (2019), and decided it was time to start a new band, a Last Autumn’s Dream spin-off if you will, hence the name Autumn’s Child. He brought with him talented song writer and keyboard player Jona Tee of H.E.A.T, Mustasch drummer Robban Bäck, guitarists Claes Andreasson and Pontus Åkesson (Moon Safari) with both Joel Starander and Peter Samuelsson chipping in on bass and the 2020 self-titled debut they had made was a brilliant blending of AOR and Melodic Rock. Now with album # 2, Jona Tee is only involved in two songs leaving the rest of the keyboard work to Erlandsson, a new bass player in Johan Strömberg and Åkesson as the sole guitarist with Andreasson taking the role as a producer and giving some piano to one track.
A short piano intro takes opener “Where Angels Cry” into a laid-back yet rhythmically upbeat verse, very much the kind of AOR we recognize from Last Autumn’s Dream. After the first chorus the song gets more riffy and straight-forward with a delicious solo and said chorus is enormous and highly catchy with a slight 80’s Europe touch over the LAD vocal-melodies. Brilliant stuff. “Aquarius Sky” is a guitar-driven AOR-rocker with Hard Rock riffing and a punchy rhythm. The melodies here are both slick and glossy and especially the vocal-melodies bring on a slight Eurovision Song Contest vibe. The chorus takes us back to 1987 with an intense catchiness and a whole bunch of backing vocal harmonies to die for. This is on the verge of going too saccharine for me but it’s still a great number.
Mixing pure Pop with 80’s AOR, the uptempo “Don’t Say It’s Love” throws hooks around like there’s no tomorrow. Yes, it’s both glossy, silky and slick and big on keyboards but the guys’ upbringing on Hard Rock also shines through ever so often and the chorus is a real monster with shitloads of hit-potential. Make this a single and bomb every mainstream radio station with it, is my suggestion. Great one. Soft yet bombastic, the big atmospheric ballad “A Tear From The Sky” comes on strong both orchestral and symphonic, mixing West Coast AOR with musical theatre which takes the tune on a dramatic route. It’s quite a mellow tune, both down-beat and soothing and the slight Queen influence builds up some dynamics as well. Good one indeed.
“Love Is Not An Enemy” stomps away with a beefy groove and some Hard Rock laden guitar riffing. Still very much in the AOR vein, the tune holds a punchy rhythm contrasts brilliantly with smoother vocal-melodies and the infectious chorus hooks, making this one another catchy as hell Pop-Rock-AOR beast. It also shows that this kind of AOR fueled Hard Rock can be energetic and crunchy. I dig. “The Dream Of America” is a slow-burner with a big touch of early 80’s AOR like City Boy or even Styx but there are traces of both ELO and Supertramp in here. It’s smooth and pop-flavoured with a floating rhythm and a levitating soundscape. A good song without being spectacular – an enjoyable listen.
Like the title might suggest, “Straight Between The Eyes” takes on a Hard Rock driven and punchy rhythm with crunchy and edgy guitars. It’s a powerful rocker somewhere between Europe’s rougher moments and Scorpions mid 80’s with a slicker keyboard sound and some smoother AOR melodies on top. The chorus is fantastic, very in-your-face effective and an instant catchiness. Great stuff. “Don’t Ever Leave Me” is a down-beat, saddening ballad with a wall of orchestrated synth-strings and a musical-theatre vibe all over. The main-melody is very memorable and the chorus is sticky-sweet catchy – a bit on the syrupy side, actually but the magnificent, emotional and bluesy guitar solo is definitely band-aid on the sugar wounds here so I’ll let the cheesiness slip.
“A Piece Of Work” is a real, well, piece of work, actually. What we’re given here is a cute pop-song that brings on a slight 50’s pop-twist, some ABBA, more ELO and good chunk of Cheap Trick’s most Pop moments. Do I even have to point out that this little pearl is melodic as damn? Is it slick? You bet? Any sugar? Sure. But it’s also a great and uplifting sunshine song – it makes me smile, it has hooks and it’s enormously catchy. Another single, boys! “Only Love Can Save The World” is a pink n’ fluffy and silky semi-ballad that mixes 80’s AOR with a 60’s pop-vibe. There are held-back acoustic guitars, a bit 90’s boy-band laden, it’s on the cheesy side with melodies that sticks and a massively catchy, totally unescapable refrain with lots of hit-potential. I should’t like this but I can’t help but to do just that.
The album closes on a somber note with “Your Words”, a short, emotional and down-beat ballad. It’s a slow number, both a bit saddening and melancholic with a fragile expression. It’s a real tear-jerker with Erlandsson’s passionate and sensitive vocals plus some dramatic synth-strings making this pop-ballad slightly buttery but it also gives a very honest impression. It’s a good tune but I miss an effective refrain. I do love the guitar solo and the slide-work, though.
Style-wise, this album is quite similar to the debut even though said debut was a bit edgier and rougher – the production here brings a bit more gloss and slickness to the table. Where the debut pulled more towards Melodic Rock than AOR, this one takes the opposite road. That said, this isn’t a sugar-cheese album for the most and at many times, it do rock. Erlandsson does a terrific job at the mike, as always and the rest of the band musical abilities are nothing but professional class. The song-quality might not exactly as high as the debut but it’s still very high – and lots better than many AOR albums right now. If you’re into AOR and Melodic Rock I see no reason at all why you shouldn’t purchase this.
7/10
More Autumn’s Child reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Where Angels Cry
2. Aquarius Sky
3. Don’t Say It’s Love
4. A Tear From The Sky
5. Love Is Not An Enemy
6. The Dream Of America
7. Straight Between The Eyes
8. Don’t Ever Leave Me
9. A Piece Of Work
10. Only Love Can Save The World
11. Your Words
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