ROX DIAMOND – Let The Music Do The Talkin (2018)
American melodic rockers ROX DIAMOND are back with a brand new album “Let The Music Do The Talkin“, which is set for release on May 28th 2018.
Rox Diamond originally began in 1985 with their brand of classic melodic hard rock / AOR and released their debut album in 1991, now a cult CD.
“Let The Music Do The Talkin” is their comeback album after many years, a delicious slice of classy songs purely ’80s sounding.
Rox Diamond debut album was released in Europe and Japan in 1991, and in early 1992 traveled to Tokyo to tour and support it. A live DVD of the band was recorded; ‘Live in Japan’. The excitement was short lived unfortunately due to the death of their manager shortly after returning from Japan.
The music business was also about to be completely changed and shaken up with the influx of the ‘grunge’ period. The band, as well as countless other bands from this era lost their deal literally overnight due to incredibly bad luck and bad timing.
Rox Diamond broke up and went their separate ways although always remaining friends and staying in touch through the years.
Several years later singer Paul Daniels was approached to record a new album. The 2nd release from the band was called Powerdrive, released in 2005. The project from the beginning was a ‘labor of love’ and a chance to reunite old friends and band-mates to record together again.
In 2007 Paul was contacted by Kieran Dargan about performing at Firefest 2008, the annual 3 day music festival held in Nottingham, England.
All four original guys once again reunited to rehearse and travel abroad to participate in this incredibly enjoyable experience.
The performance was recorded live for another DVD release called ‘Rox Diamond / In the Rough / Live at Firefest’ which was released in 2010.
Over the years Paul had continued to write new songs, and along with some older unreleased material, this Rox Diamond third effort “Let The Music Do The Talkin'” will be released via Lions Pride Music.
The material here is truly awesome AOR fused Melodic Hard Rock with all that 1988-1991 period of the genre sound & style.
Title track “Let The Music Do The Talkin’ sounds like a lost Giant song, midtempo little gem “You Can Never Love Somebody Too Hard” like a song taken from The Storm debut, and the AOR pulse “Angeline” from any After Hours (British band) disc.
The keyboard driven “Just Wanting You” brings to mind Drive She Said, while “Yesterday Is Gone” recreates that 1989 atmosphere so hard to reproduce nowadays. Yesterday may be gone, but Rox Diamond knows how to play classy AOR like in 1989 but here and now 2018.
“The Way I Feel” is another winner, in a disc that doesn’t stop to deliver quality material track after track. Love this tune, early Night Ranger would be proud of it.
And there’s more, the ballad “Two Hearts” is just superb, “Lonely Without You” is a pulsating rocker with a certain Loverboy feel, and the keyboards / choruses on “Never Say Goodbye” takes you to another enjoyable place.
I’m sold. “Let The Music Do The Talkin” is one of the most lovely pure AOR / Melodic Hard Rock albums appeared in recent times.
It has ‘that’ feel so hard to recreate nowadays, and while production could be better, oh man, the melodies, the soaring vocals, the keys makes this release, easily, among my favorites this year.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
01. Savannah Blue
02. Let The Music Do The Talkin’
03. You Can Never Love Somebody Too Hard
04. Angeline
05. Just Wanting You
06. Yesterday Is Gone
07. The Way I Feel
08. Two Hearts
09. Lonely Without You
10. Midnight Girl
11. Hold Our Heads Up High
12. Never Say Goodbye
Paul Daniels – Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Kevin Achenbach – Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Elliot Mayhew – Bass
Mike Hansen – Drums
PRE ORDER:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B6W4RNX
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