Ever since Swedish Melodic Rock/AOR outfit Perfect Plan released their highly acclaimed debut album All Rise back in 2018 the world of singer Kent Hilli has been a busy one. Two additional albums with his mothership has been released, one album as the new singer in Giant, a cameo in the Restless Spirits project and a solo album has gone into the singer’s account. And touring of course. So why sit idle? You really can’t, plus it just might be a good idea to strike while the iron’s still hot, right? There’s been talk of a new Giant album is in the making but while that’s going on, here comes yet another solo effort from Hilli. Production duties this time was held by One Desire’s Jimmy Westerlund which adds to the expectations.
The album opens with the last single “Too Young”, a song that tells us that everything is as usual in Hilli’s camp – and I mean that in a good way. It’s an 80’s smelling pop-rocker with AOR undertones and a big Arena Rock vibe, a song made for big arenas where the crowd can sing along to the infectious melodies. It’s a slick number with a Survivor meets Journey vibe with a massive refrain that screams 1987 a long way. What’s not to love about that? The albums titular track follows – and it’s also the leading single. Which is understandable. It’s an uptempo and direct Melodic Rock stomper with a quite crunchy, George Lynch flirting riff but with smooth melodies and distinct hooks but there’s also a darker touch here and there. Again, this is catchy as damn with lots of hit-potential. I dig.
On a way slicker mode, “Could This Be Love” is a full-on AOR stomper with just enough gloss to not become sugary. Big on keyboards and clean guitars the song is also driving on a straight ahead rhythm with a captivating main melody, sing-along inviting hooks and a huge refrain reminiscent of the Jimi Jamison fronted Survivor. AOR heaven this is. “A Fool To Believe”continues the AOR festivities, uptempo and quite groovy with juicy guitar and keyboard riffs where the guitar comes on crunchy with a nice chug. This is Arena Rock AOR, slick but also driven and stage-friendly where Journey, Foreigner and Crazy Nights era Kiss meets up. Oh yes, the chorus is right on the money too – very good.
On a slower note we have the upbeat yet mid-paced AOR-number “Every Time We Say Goodbye”, a smooth tune that rests on the threshold of a semi-ballad. The guitars are clean and shining and the keyboards lies far upfront in the mix and the whole sound has me thinking of Michael Bolton’s phenomenal AOR days in the mid 80’s. The vocal-melodies are gorgeous and inviting and the picking guitars brings on a slight Def Leppard touch. The chorus really could be from the 1986 vaults, slick but not whimpy and the hook is impossible to resist. Back in the day this song would’ve made Hilli a star. It’s a great tune with lots of hit-potential so why isn’t it a single?
The opening riff to “Stronger” reminds me of Robert Tepper’s “No Easy Way Out” and it takes the song further into a rhythmic and upbeat rock-groover with an infectious, pumping bass-line. Keyboards and raunchy guitars takes up equal space and shares a distinct riff with a soundscape that can be found on At The Movies’ albums and the chorus is a real killer with a slight passing to Journey’s “Separate Ways”. Great stuff. “Does He Love Like Me” is pure 1987 AOR fluff complete with a pensive saxophone involved that help bring along a melancholic atmosphere. It’s clean-cut, slick and holds an 80’s movie soundtrack vibe and it could be looked at as somewhat generic but at the same time the song is so affable and the chorus is so majestic I have to surrender completely. Brilliant.
“Start It All Over” is 80’s AOR all the way and the Survivor influence here is massive almost to point of sounding like an unreleased Survivor track. Even though this is both slick and glossy it also contains crunch – think Survivor’s Too Hot To Sleep album – which gives it a more powerful foundation. It’s a hooky feelgood tune, very easily embraced with a chorus that sounds like a million bucks. Awesome. Hard Rock asks AOR out for a date in the crunchy “Heard It All Before”, a tune carried by a beefy and quite heavy rhythm section where the edgy guitars and the smooth melodies creates a dynamic contrast. There’s a bluesy vibe to it as well which brings Hilli’s mothership Perfect Plan to mind and again we get a striking and distinct chorus. Very good.
The chunky riffed “Saving Us” is a pure time-machine back to 1987. It’s an upbeat and driving Arena Rock stomper with a pumping bassline and a beefy beat where the meaty keyboards build a foundation for the guitar to lean on. It’s a quite bouncy and live-friendly tune with a rocking outlook but also with some smoother melodies, lots of harmonies and a huge refrain with lots of layered voices on top. Splendid. The album closes with the slow-burning semi power ballad “Only Dreaming”, a mellow and melancholic heart-warmer that is held up by a crunchy guitar. Quite dramatic with a call-and-response pre-chorus that paves the way to the bombastic and grandiose chorus that has traces of 80’s Heart. A good number and a worthy closure.
If you’ve read this far you also know that this is not a musically revolutionary record. Yes, everything here have been done before and the influences are clear but on the other hand the record never comes to plagiarism by any means. Also, Kent Hilli is a magnificent singer with both range and feel – and he sounds like no one else. With a solid debut solo album – The Rumble (2021) – and three delicate albums with Perfect Plan it’s of course pretty easy to set expectations high especially when you’re working with high-class names as said Westerlund and Mike Palace but Hilli really rises to the occasion because this is a terrific record, a step better than the debut, with no weak songs in sight. It might be another AOR record but the quality is sky-high.
8/10
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Tracklist:
1. Too Young
2. Nothing Left To Lose
3. Could This Be Love
4. A Fool To Believe
5. Every Time We Say Goodbye
6. Stronger
7. Does He Love Like Me
8. Start It All Over
9. Heard It All Before
10. Saving Us
11. Only Dreaming
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