BOSTON – Life, Love & Hope (2013)

* the real one

Iconic American Classic Rock giants BOSTON are back with the first studio album in over a decade; “Life, Love & Hope”, to be released in USA on Frontiers Records next December 3rd (Dec. 6 in Europe and Dec. 9 in the UK).
We all know that Boston leader Tom Scholz is a perfectionist and therefore far from prolific. Much has changed for Boston since 2002’s Corporate America, with the tragic death of the band’s much loved singer Brad Delp obviously being the most noted.
However, Delp posthumously takes lead on three tracks here. But we have 6 more vocalists, including the really good Tommy DeCarlo, David Victor, as well as Scholz’s first lead on a Boston album on “Love Got Away”.

“Life, Love & Hope” is not your father’s Boston, particularly their seminal self-titled debut that astonished the Classic Rock world. No, this is the older, wiser and more mellow Tom Scholz evolving Boston into a more AOR / Melodic Rock beast according to modern times.
Is that a bad thing? Certainly not. Still, the trademark Boston sound is there; you can hear the classic guitar riffs and solos, that touch of piano and organ and the meticulous and lush Scholz production.
You’ll catch it from the start with opener and one of the highlights “Heaven On Earth”, and latter with the bit harder “Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love”, the solid title track “Life, Love & Hope”, and the memorable “Sail Away”, with its slow repeated chorus line sticking in the memory immediately.

The rest is more modern-day oriented Melodic Rock, but no less Boston.
As example, the tone briefly shifts with the sixth song “If You Were In Love”. Suddenly, the voice of Kimberley Dahme offers a melody sounding very much like a track lifted from a Broadway show. No, it’s not the Boston you remember. But fear not, it’s quite good.
With an updated vibe but with the layered guitars and harmonies typical of everything Boston has ever done we find songs like “Someday”, “The Way You Look Tonight” (featuring special guest Jude Nejmanowski on lead vocals) and “Love Got Away”, well sung by Scholz itself.
The album also includes new versions called ‘2.0’ of two songs from Corporate America: “You Gave Up on Love” and “Someone”, the latter featuring the vocal tracks previously recorded by Delp, but the music was completely re-done resulting in refreshed, solid AOR / Melodic Rock numbers.

I know many reviewers will kill “Life, Love & Hope”… grow up boys! This is a good record from Boston / Tom Scholz. I understand that their musical hearts wants Boston to sound like on their first album… but more than 35 years have passed away!
“Life, Love & Hope” is a solid AOR / Melodic Rock record with all Boston’s trademarks intact, and with a breath of a modern touch in songwriting, production and sound. Tom Scholz is cutting his own path, still creating and evolving Boston.
There’s enough quality on offer to buy with a degree of confidence and I think it’s as good as can be expected from the Boston brand in 2013.
Very Recommended.

01 – Heaven On Earth
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: David Victor with special guest: Louis St. August
Harmony & Backing Vox: Tom Scholz

02 – Didn’t Mean To Fall In Love
Written by Tom Scholz, Curly Smith, Janet Minto
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: Brad Delp
Harmony & Backing Vox: Tom Scholz

03 – Last Day Of School
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz

04 – Sail Away
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: Brad Delp, Kimberley Dahme
Harmony Vox: Brad Delp, Kimberley Dahme, Tom Scholz

05 – Life, Love & Hope
Written by Tom Scholz
Drums, Bass, Organ, Rhythm Guitars: Tom Scholz
Lead guitars: Tom Scholz, Gary Phil
Lead Vocals: Tommy Decarlo
Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, Jeff Neal

06 – If You Were In Love
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
All Vocals: Kimberley Dahme

07 – Someday
Written by Tom Scholz
All Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Drums: Tom Scholz
Harmonica: Curly Smith
Vocals: Decarlo, Scholz & special guest Jude Nejmanowski
Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz

08 – Love Got Away
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: Tom Scholz
Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, Gary Pihl

09 – Someone (2.0)
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: Brad Delp
Harmony Vox: Brad Delp, Tom Scholz

10 – You Gave Up On Love (2.0)
Written by Tom Scholz
All Guitars, keys, bass, and drums: Tom Scholz
Flute: Kimberley Dahme
Lead Vocals: Kimberley Dahme, Tommy Decarlo, Tom Scholz
Harmony Vox: Kimberley Dahme, Tom Scholz, Beth Cohen

11 – The Way You Look Tonight
Written by Tom Scholz
All Instruments: Tom Scholz
Lead Vocals: Tommy Decarlo
Harmony Vox: Tom Scholz, David Victor

Produced, Arranged & Engineered by Tom Scholz

Pre-Order:
www.amazon.com/Life-Love-Hope-Boston/dp/B00FR0GT9Y
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