NUBIAN ROSE – Mountain (2012)
In short, NUBIAN ROSE should be the next Swedish sensation.
This awesome new Scandi band has released their debut “Mountain” and surely it will turn heads everywhere. Actually, Nubian Rose revolves around singer Sofia Lilja as a vehicle for his stardom, but it’s fair to say the music in this CD sounds played by a real band, and a damn fine one.
Lilja is a renowned vocal coach in North Europe, mosty recently recognized for training Swedish TV4-show Idol artists. But this girl is more than a teacher, owner of an incredible register and an overwhelming personality.
And which genre Sofia has chosen for her self-place in the spotlight?
Pure, meaty, awe-inspiring ’80s Female Fronted Melodic Hard Rock. I mean pure in all aspects; songwriting, attitude and sonics.
This girl has the pipes and the technique of a young Jackie Bodimead, Kristina Nichols, Gudrun Laos or Lee Aaron, and the fire of a wild rocker.”Mountain” is the dream come true for thousands of real Female Fronted Hard Rock fans eager for a band and album like this since the early nineties.
One of the most remarkable attributes of this band is the bite, the attack on every song without losing the melodic sense. This is true polished and melodious Hard Rock with a girl at the mic. Songs full of energy, catchiness, foot-tapping choruses… the twin guitar work is always varied and scintillating, plenty of staccato slashing, all over a smashing rhythm section and clever keyboards when needed.
But the star are Sofia Lilja’s vocals. Seriously, this woman is the most brilliant female singer I heard in years. Her vocal range, articulation and general permormance blows out of the water already good singers recently appeared such as Issa, Amanda Sommerville or Elizabeth Lzzy Hale.
A track-by-track is needless this time my fellow readers, all have their own charm evoking late eighties / early nineties magic.
Just to mention the guest stars, the excellent cover of Lita Ford / Ozzy classic “Close My Eyes Forever” is performed in duet with Mats Levén, one of the finest vocals in the hard rock world and former singer of Yngwie Malmsteen’s band, Therion and Swedish Erotica.
And we have former Europe guitarist Kee Marcello who can be heard on the killer hard rocker “Living For Tomorrow”.
Nubian Rose’s “Mountain” is A Must Have for every Female Fronted Melodic Hard Rock fan, an album with the smell of a future classic.”Mountain” only was released in Sweden on a digipak CD, not available as digital download. Trust me, worth every penny ordering it as import.
HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
You’ve seen it first here, at 0dayrox
01 – Ever See Your Face
02 – Mountain
03 – Living For Tomorrow
04 – How Am I
05 – Get Ready
06 – Your Love
07 – Once Bitten
08 – Reckless
09 – Close My Eyes Forever (Lita & Ozzy cover)
10 – Sisters
Sofia Lilja – Vocals
Christer Akerlund – Guitar
Thomas Lindgren – Guitar
Henric Uhrbom – Bass
David Algesten – Drums
Fredrik Akerlund – Keyboards
Kee Marcello – Guitar on 3
Mats Levén – Vocals on 9
BUY IT !
cdon.eu/music/nubian_rose/mountain-20657400
