TANNA – Storm In Paradise (2020)
TANNA feat. singer Tapani Tikkanen (ex- PRAYER) were active and quite successful at their home country Finland back in the golden Eighties. The band are now in their third incarnation and ready to release their new album ”Storm In Paradise” via AOR Heaven Records.
Each and every single song here breathes the Eighties and takes you right back into the good old days of Melodic Rock and AOR via a classy songwriting, Tanna’s charismatic voice and a distinctive production sound.
Taking its name from Tapani “Tanna” Tikkanen childhood nickname, since 1985 TANNA played over 700 gigs including the ‘Coca Cola Tour’. Then Tikkanen has written four albums of music for a football club and fronted two other bands including melodic rockers Prayer, but in 2019 he decided that the time was right for TANNA to return.
The new line up is Tikkanen on lead vocals and guitar, fellow guitarist Jukka Ihme, Jaakko Konttila on bass, Ville Hanhisuanto on drums and keyboardist Mika Pohjola. Also featured on ‘Storm in Paradise‘ are saxophonist Jimi Ahlroos and female vocalist Inga Soder.
The title track is a great start to the album which has a mix of Scandi & American melodic rock feel all over that makes the song soar and sets the standard by which the rest of the album will be judged.
Second track ‘Silhouettes‘ is one of my favorites, which is more of a traditional AOR tune with a mellower vocal that works very well.
‘Run Like Hell Tonight‘ adds some acoustic guitars to the sound for a sweet melodious midtempo, then if there was a title of a track I never thought I would ever see, ‘Like Kim Kardashian‘ would definitely be at the top of that list! This song seems to be about making people sit up and take notice while having very little underneath the surface rather like the subject of the title.
‘Hispaniola‘ channels 70s rock nicely and tells the story of the ill-fated ship from Treasure Island with a suitably stormy vocal.
‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough‘ is a song that builds upon the drums of Hanhisuanto and the guitars of Tikkanen and Ihme. When the female voice of Soder enters the song, her vocals together with Tikkannen’s brings to mind classic Meatloaf to great effect.
‘Mysterious‘ is a Europe-style melodic rocking tune that builds nicely and turns into a really good workout for all the members of the band with each one being featured to deliver their skills. ‘On the Backstreets‘ starts with a sax solo by Ahlroos that is really classy and the song itself is a Scorpions style ballad that I really enjoyed.
‘Sharks in the Water‘ is another song that shows the tight playing of the band in support of Tikkanen’s vocals It rocks, but in a truly melodic delivery. ‘Lonely Day‘ is definitely another of my favorite tracks on the album, a tough nugget of melodic rock that reflects the ’80s heyday of the original line up.
‘Old and Grey‘ has a classic rock feeling however I find it sounding a little like Deep Purple in places. ‘The Last Mile‘ is a return to the heavier style of opener ‘Storm in Paradise‘ and works as well as the title track did by matching the quality of the vocals with a fantastic tune.
The final track, ‘Nights on the Road‘ is a great finish to the album, a slow and bluesy tune as the reflection on touring life rings true and has an emotional undercurrent that really works. It is a tribute to Markku Kiminki, Tanna’s former roadie and lighting engineer and one which really shows the affection Tikkanen had for him.
This album showcases why Tikkanen has remained popular for over three decades – at least in Scandinavia – as his voice is just terrific. The songs themselves are good shop windows for the qualities of the group and as long as they steer clear of vapid reality stars on their next album there is no reason why this late career success won’t continue.
Highly Recommended
01 – Storm In Paradise
02 – Silhouettes
03 – Run Like Hell Tonight
04 – Like Kim Kardashian
05 – Hispaniola
06 – This Town Ain’t Big Enough
07 – Mysterious Fire
08 – On The Backstreets
09 – Sharks In The Water
10 – Lonely Day
11 – Old And Grey
12 – The Last Mile
13 – Nights On The Road
Tapani “Tanna” Tikkanen – vocals, guitar
Jukka Ihme – guitar
Ville Hanhisuanto – drums
Mika Pohjola – keyboards
Jaakko Konttila – bass
guests:
Jimi Ahlroos – saxophone
Inga Soder – backing vocals
Pre Order:
www.aorheaven.com/index.php/englisch_b/unsere-cd-s/tanna-storm-in-paradise.html
