Best AOR album 2017, #5 : LIONVILLE – A World Of Fools [Japan Edition] (2017)

Near the end of the year, it’s time to recap about the best 2017 releases, by category.
For 0dayrox, slot #5 of best AOR albums of the year goes to LIONVILLE ‘A World Of Fools’. While more melodic hard oriented than the previous AOR efforts, there’s a couple of killer tunes in this vein here, among the best cuts of the year.

This is the Japanese Edition of “A World Of Fools“, the new album from melodic favorites LIONVILLE, as usual, with an exclusive Asian bonus track.
Born as a high profile project dedicated to pure AOR with a touch of Westcoast, Lionville draw inspiration from acts like Toto, Giant, Bad English, Survivor, and now on this 3rd effort the band mix their classy AOR sound with Melodic Rock waves like never before.

Lionville are back after an extended break (their second album came out in 2012) always conducted by main man guitarist / songwriter Stefano Lionetti, plus Work Of Art’s vocalist Lars Säfsund whose singing style suits the AOR sound on this album down to the ground.
This band really nail that classic ’80s Toto sound on ‘Our Good Goodbye’, from the keys through to the percussion and backing vocals (if you didn’t know better you’d swear it was David Paich on backing vocals).

A highlight for me is ‘One More Night’, that allows the band to add in a little more elaborated keyboards than the usual, which are swiftly followed by a soaring guitar solo while the vocal harmonies are near perfect.
Lionville really have upped their game on this one paying attention to each little musical detail.

The album delivers more quality AOR wig outs like ‘Show Me The Love’ and slow building ballads such as ‘Heaven Is Right Here’. If you need arena-ready catchiness, ‘Bring Me Back Our Love’, is your sure fire single.
The band provide variation with the bit heavier rocker ‘Paradise’ and the brisk paced hard rocker ‘I Will Wait’, one of the most energetic songs Lionville ever recorded.
The title track is the one chosen to be done in a quite different way with acoustic arrangements to be featured as bonus track in this Japanese Edition.

For ’80s styled Melodic Rock / AOR delivered here in the modern age, it just doesn’t get much better than the music that Lionville are cranking out on “A World Of Fools”.
Instantly memorable melodies, big fat production values, strong vocals, and stellar musicianship brings all of this together, resulting in another winner from the folks at Frontiers Records.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01 – I Will Wait
02 – Show Me The Love
03 – Bring Me Back Our Love
04 – Heaven Is Right Here
05 – A World Of Fools
06 – One More Night
07 – All I Want
08 – Living On The Edge
09 – Our Good Goodbye
10 – Paradise
11 – Image Of Our Soul
JAPAN BONUS TRACK;
12 – Heaven Is Right Here (acoustic)

Lars Säfsund: Lead & Backing vocals
Stefano Lionetti: Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
Michele Cusato: Guitars
Giulio Dagnino: Bass
Martino Malacrida: Drums

BUY IT
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICP-1833
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