AMAZE ME – Guilty As Sin (2013)

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A cult Melodic Rock / AOR band during the nineties when their albums were really hard to find, Swedes AMAZE ME consisting of lead vocalist Conny Lind (ex-Great King Rat, Talk of the Town and Vision) and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Peter Broman put out three lovable CD’s in the pure vein of the genre.
After the compilation Ultimate Collection two years ago the duo is band with a brand new recording entitled “Guilty As Sin” through the German label AOR Heaven.

“Guilty As Sin” is totally ’80s Melodic Rock / AOR: pure and simple.
Some people (especially Rock critics) accuse Amaze Me of being too generic, writing AOR songs by numbers. Honestly, although some tracks aren’t ground breaking, I don’t care a damn because this is not the duo’s purpose; they just want to walk in the footsteps of the good old, traditional Melodic Rock / AOR based on harmonies, tons of keyboards and catchy choruses… and that’s what fans (like me) are looking for!

The album starts with a foot stomper of a song called “Everybody” with its REO Speedwagon meets Survivor vibe nicely setting the pace for the rest of the recording. Then “Lost In A Dream” is a terrific slice of classic AOR with swirling vintage keys and a classy refrain. I like this stuff, and I like it a lot.
Conny Lind sings with an occasionally Swedish accent which doesn’t results annoying at all, on the contrary, it adds an even more special charm to these melodies with a wonderful Scandi touch.
Following this is “Can’t Stop Loving You”, a mid paced number that got me throwing shapes all over the place (this is always a good sign), and the British sounding “Save Me” featuring punctuating keyboards, layered harmonies and a sharp guitar work.

Ballads are kind of expected on AOR releases and Amaze Me doesn’t disappoint with the lush “Endless Love” and the more bluesy “Dying To Be Loved”. On both the guys have come up trumps.
“With Or Without You” with its ’80s robotic (think Styx) intro is a highlight, one of the most elaborated tracks of the entire disc. It is quite simply a staggering midtempo Melodic Rock song filled with a great guitar work and cleverly arranged vocals. This is how Swedish MR/AOR should sound!
There’s other soaring cuts like title track “Guilty As Sin”, “The Pain” or “On Fire”, the latter electric based but adorned with acoustics and pianos.

Amaze Me have recorded two exclusive tracks for press promotion (not for sale) and of course you have ’em here at 0dayrox.
One is an acoustic guitar version of title track “Guilty As Sin” which takes the song to a whole new dimension, whipping your mind off into the world of dark, smokey Swedish nightclubs.
The other is a short – acoustic as well – of their classic “You Say You Never Cry” (I love this track) originally included on the album ‘Wonderland’ released in 1998.

As expected, “Guilty As Sin” is an album brimming with great harmonies and wonderful Melodic Rock tunes tempered with some quality classy AOR songs. It’s a real pleasure listen to it.
Fans of genre, don’t miss this! Highly Recommended.

01 – Everybody
02 – Lost In a Dream
03 – Can’t Stop Loving You
04 – Save Me
05 – Endless Love
06 – With Or Without You
07 – The Pain
08 – Guilty As Sin
09 – On The Run
10 – Dying To Be Loved
11 – Love Is Blind
12 – On Fire
Exclusive Bonus Tracks:
13 – Guilty As Sin [Acoustic]
14 – You Say You Never Cry [Acoustic]

Peter Broman – all instruments
Conny Lind – all vocals

BUY IT !
www.aorheaven.com/pages/ooze/ooze_sounds.php?1631