THIERRY CONDOR – Stuff Like That (2013)

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This is a treat for Westcoast AOR fans…
Born in Italy but established in Switzerland long time ago, singer THIERRY CONDOR has been on a tentative musical path for sometime now releasing a couple of albums and through involvement in the studio scene & music circles in Germany / Switzerland.
In 2006 Condor garnered attention when he recorded a limited edition holiday release with Miriam Dee for the Contante & Sonante AOR label titled ‘A Christmas Eve in L.A.’ that covered songs by such noteworthy composers as David Foster, Diane Warren, Kenny Loggins and others.
The gifted producer from that project, Urs Wiesendanger, has once again teamed up with Condor and together they’ve reached a new level of collaboration with a delicious, just released album of ‘pure Westcoast music’ called “Stuff Like That”.

In these days of the image conscious acts who express so much more with their fashion choices than they ever could on a recording, it’s refreshing to hear a collection of great songs assembled by two artists who are deeply passionate about the music.
As solo performer, Urs Wiesendanger released two terrific solo albums during the nineties and since then he has perfected his skills as producer. Here he leads Condor’s clear tenor vocal register tastefully accenting the production with instruments and sounds of the ’80s like the Linn drums, Casio CZ-1 & Yamaha DX7 while also giving the album a contemporary feel.
Apart from competent fine European session musicians, Wiesendanger & Condor are helped by stellar L.A. scene cats like John JR Robinson, Jay Graydon and Russell Ferrante combining their talents to obtain a very classic feel.

The song selection in “Stuff Like That” is impressive, all arranged and performed in rich quality and attention to detail.
The CD starts with “Blue Looks Good On You”, a previously unreleased song from prolific AOR composer Tom Snow (co-written with Eric Lynn.) Wiesendanger creates a wonderful soundscape with a synth bed and lush keys along with nuanced guitar accents from Claudio Cervino.
Condor tackles some very challenging material with a smooth, confident delivery on tracks like “Lite Me Up”, the Donald Fagen penned “Lazy Nina” and the Bill Champlin / Lee Ritenour / Eric Tagg classic “Is It You”.
‘The most recorded drummer in history’ John J.R. Robinson commands the groove on “All I Know”, the wonderful Randy Goodrum / Steve Lukather penned “If I Could Hold On To Love” and “Where Is The Love”, the latter featuring the velvet guest vocals of Mya Audrey, a female German singer.
Legend Jay Graydon lays down some tasty guitar licks on “Memories”, while Russell Ferrante’s (Yellowjackets) exquisite piano accompaniment compliments Condor’s outstanding performance on “We Will Dance” (written by the skilled Steven Curtis Chapman).
Additional highlights include “Lonely Weekend” (Bobby Caldwell, Joe Curale, Russell Ferrante & Rick Lawson), “Lucky Man” (written by Dave Koz, Judi Friedman & Allan Rich) and the exquisite “Malibu” penned by talented Lee Ritenour together with Phil Perry.

Wiesendanger & Condor have crafted an extremely polished and smooth Westcoast AOR album in “Stuff Like That”. Together conveys one heartfelt performance after another from such a cherished period in music: the eighties.
Wiesendanger is impeccable arranging, playing and behind the desk, conducting these excellent session musicians with feeling and class. Thierry Condor’s vocals may be not the strongest around, but his clear tone, elegance and warm delivery fulfills all expectations from any fan of the genre.
If you’re ready to take a musical ride back down the Southern California coastline, make sure to pick up “Stuff Like That” before you put the top down!

01 – Blue Looks Good On You
02 – Lucky Man (feat. Chris Camozzi)
03 – Lazy Nina
04 – Memories (feat. Jay Graydon)
05 – Where Is The Love (feat. Mya Audrey)
06 – Lonely Weekend (feat. G-SAX)
07 – If I Could Hold On To Love
08 – All I Know
09 – Lite Me Up
10 – We Will Dance (feat. Russell Ferrante)
11 – Is It You
12 – Malibu

Thierry Condor – Vocals
Bruno Amatruda – Guitar
Chris Camozzi – Guitar
Claudio Cervino – Guitar
Dominik Rüegg – Guitar
Jay Graydon – Guitar
Russell Ferrante – Keyboards
G-SAX trio – Sax
Bernhard Schoch – Horns
Mya Audrey – Vocals
Sabrina Stokes – Backing Vocals
John Jr. Robinson – Drums
Urs Wiesendanger – Bass, Synths, Fender Rhodes, Percussion, Linn Drums, Backing Vocals

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www.cdbaby.com/cd/thierrycondor/from/viglink