NORTHERN LIGHT – Northern Light

This newborn band, Northern Light, is relatively solid with their debut release. The album will be out in the stores the 13th of June, 2005, and the title is not very imaginative – it is called Northern Light.

The Norwegian guitar player and songwriter Tor Talle is the brain behind this band, and he has gathered an impressive team for this CD. People like Fergie Frederiksen (ex TOTO), Tony Mills (SHY), and Kimmo Blom (URBAN TALE) have joined him.

This is a typical AOR album, and after several spins it is no secret that this band has made a very commercial CD. Northern Light has everything that the Melodic Rock style demands –- sharp guitar riffs, generally great vocals, and some mystical sounding keyboards. The first track, “I Will Follow You,” is a solid start. It has all the elements of AOR, and a strong Foreigner-influenced chorus with some solid vocal harmonies (Peter Sundell) … a very memorable tune.

The third track, “While There’s Still Time,” is the song with the highest hit potential. This song is very Pop-ish with and up-tempo melody and a happy chorus that makes it easy to sing along. This is a song that gives twitches to your feet. Tony Mills is singing like a god in this song, and it indeed is a joy for the ears.

When things slow down, the album falters. Ballads like “Don’t Turn Away” and “Still My Hero” drift a little too far into commercial waters. The slower songs suffer from a serious lack of the album’s strongest element –- the guitar work.

What Talle does well on this debut album is tap into the pure Melodic Rock elements of his band, while scaling back on the artsy parts. He leaves just enough of the AOR sound to please fans of this genre, but also open the door for other fans of Traditional Rock/Pop music.

Though not superb, this is a good debut for Northern Light and Talle, who shows that he can form his own band and write good and catchy music. This album also has Fredrik Bergh, Jorn Lande, Terje Eide, Peter Sundell, and Kimmo Blom contributing with the songwriting.

Taking risks in life demands courage … even if this album doesn’t demonstrate the most meaty production … and maybe is lacking a few bass kick-ins, the band has delivered a solid album. Their music creates a strong wall of good melodies, which complements the band’s convoluted tones, and this release can most definitely be recommended.

Lineup

Vocals: Fergie Frederiksen (ex-TOTO, MECCA), Kimmo Blom (URBAN TALE, HEARTPLAY), Tony Mills (SHY), Peter Sundell (GRAND ILLUSION), Rob Moratti (FINAL FRONTIER), Mikael Erlandsson (LAST AUTUMN’S DREAM), Persa (AFTER EIGHT)
Guitars: Tor Talle
Keyboards: Fredrik Bergh (STREET TALK), Egil Orvedal, Tor Talle
Bass: Rune Gandrud, Roger Allan Ivin,Tor Talle
Drums: Jango Nilsen
Backing vocals: Marianne Hagen and Rick Barron