Back in 2010 when Houston released their self-titled debut, they became the talk of the town in AOR circles. The album got some raving reviews and Houston was more or less looked upon as the great new hope for AOR. Formed by vocalist Hank Erix and drummer Freddie Allen, the band was actually a duo from the beginning. However, when Houston turned into a real band it didn’t take all that long before the split between Erix and Allen took place and since then, it felt like Houston lost their mojo. The band also split with their, at the time, keyboard player, producer and song-writer Ricky Delin. With three albums under their belt and two cover-albums added to that list, Houston is now back with Erix and Delin reunited and with that some high hopes from AOR-fans that they will repeat the success of the debut.
Yours truly, however, was never all that impressed with the band. I never thought they were crap, I just didn’t think that the quality of the music was in par with the hype. Pretty good AOR records, no more no less. That said, I still felt it was interesting to see what Erix and Allen – with guitarist Carl Hammar, bassist Soufian Ma’Aoui, drummer Oscar Lundström and keyboarder Richard Hamilton – had come up with on their first album in many a year. Opener “She Is The Night” tells us that not much has changed in the Houston camp – and why should it? It’s a keyboard-oriented pop-song with big 80’s AOR melodies in a mid-paced tempo. It’s a bit laid-back and brittle but also grandiose. It’s slick as hell and it’s pretty good but the chorus never really takes off.
Leading single “You’re Still The Woman” is upbeat rhythmically but very smooth, pink n’ fluffy, total AOR with massive pop-vibes. The verses are laid-back and even calming but the big chorus is bigger and uplifting with hooks that makes it catch on pretty much right from go. Some crunchy guitar-riffs has found their way into “Hero”, an upbeat AOR-pop-rocker. It’s very polished and the guitars sounds compressed with keyboards all over the place. However, the main-melody is very potent and memorable and the chorus is a real beast impossible to not surrender to. Very good.
The first real uptempo rocker is “A Lifetime In A Moment”. Even though it sports some crunchy guitars and a chunky groove, the tune is very slick and glossy in a plethora of huge 80’s keyboard sounds. The chorus might be more sugary than a candy cane but it’s also filled with hooks and an instant catchiness. It really touches my cheese-vein and I really like it. Released as an “official audio”, “Heartbreaker” keeps the uptempo pace going and holds a nice, live-friendly groove and a beefy riff. It’s a straight-forward, slick pop-rocker with a direct and in-your-face refrain that sticks quickly. Pretty good.
Something about “Storyteller”, an uptempo AOR number, reminds me of early Aldo Nova with that early to mid 80’s vibe. There’s a slight nod towards Hard Rock inserted too. It’s smooth, uplifting and colorful with a really strong chorus. It was released as a preview, a taster but it holds some big hit-potential and should have been released as a real single. My favorite on the album. “Heart Of A Warrior” is a real AOR-rocker, the kind that you could find on an 80’s action-movie soundtrack back in the day. It holds a nice riff and some sweetening keyboards in the vein of Survivor. Fact is, the big chorus could more or less have been written by a guy like Jim Peterik or Frankie Sullivan. Great.
“Until The Morning Comes” is a smooth and clean Pop number with a full on 80’s AOR outlook, very sugary and sweet. Keyboards everywhere, cosy vocal melodies and a radio-flirtatious chorus makes for a pretty good song but way to syrupy for my taste. “I Will Not Give In To Despair” is more straight-forward, uptempo pop-rock with mid 80’s AOR all over the melodies. The song’s chorus throws a nod towards a band like Journey – or maybe Steve Perry’s solo-stuff. A good song but a bit too mainstream.
On a faster tempo and a steady beat, “Such Is love” brings on some crispy guitar riffing and a clean Hard Rock vibe. The song do rock but is also very slick and harmless. There is a decent hook in the verse but come the chorus, the song never really takes off. It’s not bad but falls kinda flat. The album closes with “Into Thin Air”, a poppy number with a crunchy guitar-riff and some major Survivor influences. It’s upbeat yet slick and holds some irresistible melodies and a catchy as hell chorus that sounds like 1987 never went away. I have a soft spot for this kind of song so I quite like it.
While I can’t find anything actually bad on this album it suffers from the exact same things the rest of their discography suffers from – the songs just aren’t memorable enough. Yes, there are a few damn good numbers but the rest of the songs – and the whole production – is way too middle-of-the-road, clean and bland and it’s hard find all that much that actually stands out. I can appreciate most of the album while listening but everything fades fast from my memory which in return makes it forgettable and the urge to pick the album up once more never really comes. These guys are very competent as musicians but as song-writers something is lacking, in my opinion and the album never really lifts. Ok but not that much more.
5/10
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Tracklist:
1. She Is The Night
2. You’re Still The Woman
3. Hero
4. A Lifetime In A Moment
5. Heartbreaker
6. Storyteller
7. Heart Of A Warrior
8. Until The Morning Comes
9. I Will Not Give In To Despair
10. Such Is Love
11. Into Thin Air
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