Find Me can very well be the worst band-name ever. Or maybe it has some artful, subtle meaning that I’m clueless of. Be that as it may, this band – or maybe project is a better word – is a duo collaboration between Swedish song-writer/producer/drummer/keyboardist Daniel Flores (The Murder of My Sweet), who also holds guitar and bass duties here and lead singer Robbie Leblanc. Guests includes Michael Palace (guitar), Johnny Trobro (bass), Rolf Pilotti and Vince DiCola (keybaords) and Flores’ wife Angelica Rylén (backing vocals). What’s interesting here is that Flores, a song writer himself, hasn’t been involved in the song writing himself and neither has Leblanc.
Since this is a Frontiers project, the usual song-writing suspects are of course involved – Alessandro Del Vecchio and Pete Alpenborg to name two. This is Find Me’s fourth release and beforehand we know that we can expect big AOR music – slick, smooth and clean, everything else will be a huge surprise. Quality wise, Find Me’s albums has been a bit up and down. Dark Angel (2015) is easily their best, a really good record, but the debut Wings Of Love (2013) was an uneven product and the last effort, Angels In Blue (2019) was underwhelming compared to its predecessor. Good but not great.
Opener and single “Survive” sounds exactly as expected – poppy, glossy and very slick on an upbeat note. It’s total AOR where the keyboard rules the sound but a plus for a somewhat crunchy guitar beneath. It’s a faultless tune that throws out smooth melodies and some fine singing by Leblanc and a chorus that’s hooky enough for mainstream radio. It’s not original by any means but the melody-line sure do stick. Good tune. “Far From Over”, a Vince DiCola cover from the Staying Alive soundtrack – also covered earlier by At The Movies – is of course the song where DiCola guests. It’s a bumpy, uptempo pop-tune, quite straight ahead with pompy keyboards and a direct refrain. A good cover but At The Movies does it better.
“Sail Away”, an upbeat AOR pop-rocker has verses that brings Foreigner to mind whereas the big chorus screams Toto a long way. It’s slick the way modern AOR usually is but it also has a driving rhythm and a chunky Rock vibe over a rhythmic groove. Said chorus is also quite infectious and takes us back to the mid 80’s – this is really good. Latest single “Back To You” is a big power ballad – overblown and bombastic inside a large, colorful soundscape. It’s big on syrup and comes across as bit too cheesy and it goes in the same style as that big Alias hit of 1990, whatever that one was called. I really can’t remember and even though this song isn’t bad per se, the same fate will apply to this song. Ok yet forgettable.
The uptempo AOR number “Diana” takes Find Me on the path of modern Scandinavian AOR, you know the thirteen-a-dozen kind of tunes. The fact that it brings on some more Melodic Rock touches gives it a bit of a rockier twist, a good thing indeed. It might not be original at all but it does comes with some infectious melodies and a chorus that’s really hard to dismiss. In the end, a pretty good tune. “Distant Echoes” is a driven, uptempo number that combines slick arrangements with raunchier guitars and a fatter rhythm section. I really like that they try to rock things up a bit but on that note, the chorus could have been stronger.
Second single “Remember (It’s Me)” follows the same path as the previous track – upbeat, poppy AOR with some rockier elements involved. Catchy guitar riffs, smooth keys but with a refrain that’s slightly stronger than on the previous track. Another Scandi-AOR sounding track is the mid-paced ballad “You And I”. It’s silky, held-back and a bit pompous with a big 80’s touch. It’s a bit sugary, clean and obsequious and the chorus really don’t go all the way and miss pay-dirt. It’s ok, though. “Under A Bad Sign” holds a groovy rhythm, quite chunky and it blends AOR, West-Coast and Melodic Rock complete with an 80’s sounding blipp-blipp synth. It’s a damn catchy tune with good guitar-work, a direct hook and a chorus that really holds water. Very good.
“Give My Heart” is a time-machine back to 1986 both style and sound wise. It’s a straight forward rocker that has been clothed in glossy arrangements, clean melodies and a slick outlook. It’s a big American Arena Rock number that sports a good, juicy stomp and a Bon Jovi borrowed chorus with catchiness enough to sell. Very good. Closer “On The Run” is an uptempo pop-rocker with lots of AOR-laden pink fluffiness inserted. It’s quite distinct with every melody throwing out hooks, especially the chorus with its massive Pop vibes. A good way to say goodbye for this time.
So. While the record holds a whole lot of really good tunes it also fails to go beyond standard as far as originality goes. Like many AOR projects of today it lacks identity, it’s very predictable and it feels like every song has been done time and time again before. Which is probably the case. Again, it’s most likely down to Frontiers’ song-writing stable, the writers are involved in so many other projects it’s really hard to separate one from the other. No shadow over the players here, there all flawless but the music’s too middle-of-the-road. Also, the production is so glossy and slick, it’s too compressed and the music really doesn’t breathe. The studio vibe is too much. A song here and there works but as a whole, it becomes forgettable and bland.
5/10
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Tracklist:
1. Survive
2. Far From Over
3. Sail Away
4. Back To You
5. Diana
6. Distant Echoes
7. Remember (It’s Me)
8. You And I
9. Under A Bad Sign
10. Give My Heart
11. On The Run
CD & Festival reviews 