{"id":48769,"date":"2015-03-22T18:16:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-22T23:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=48769"},"modified":"2015-03-22T18:16:24","modified_gmt":"2015-03-22T23:16:24","slug":"talon-fourplay-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/talon-fourplay-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Talon | Fourplay<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"talon-fourplay\"Talon\u2019s new single \u201cHolly Would\u201d is illustrated with a sexually charged music video that shows a couple of ladies gyrating suggestively in various stages of undress. While watching it, you can\u2019t escape the impression that what\u2019s been learned from Tawny Kitaen back in the day, hasn\u2019t been lost throughout the decades \u2013 it\u2019s the same eye candy factor that is utilized here (sans two Jaguars and feather-haired incarnation of David Coverdale). But more important is the fact that the single foreruns Talon\u2019s comeback with what is their fourth album and a follow-up to critically acclaimed III<\/em>. Released via Escape Music, it\u2019s entitled Fourplay<\/em> and features guest appearances by guitarists Tim Pierce (Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Elton John etc.) and Pete Fry (FarCry, Rockarma). <\/p>\n

Much unlike their younger peers Reckless Love, H.E.A.T or Brother Firetribe attempting to recreate the \u201880s Melodic Hard Rock sound in the 2010s, the musicians united under the moniker of Talon have pretty much experienced it themselves. Michael O\u2019Mara has been around since VFX\u2019s debut in 1988, while the band\u2019s actual roots reach back to the Hard Rock outfit Voxen active in the mid-\u201890s. Perhaps that\u2019s what differentiates them from the diligent youngsters emulating the genre. That\u2019s also a good reason why Fourplay<\/em> sounds as if it was a shelved-and-forgotten \u201880s rock release, now unearthed by some nostalgia-driven, big-haired archeologist. <\/p>\n

Mentioned O\u2019Mara is brought here on board a series of changes behind the mic, his high-pitched, vibrant vocals still fitting the band\u2019s trademark Melodic Hard Rock style like a proverbial glove. However, as it was said before, the band\u2019s sound is hardly susceptible to evolution on their fourth album. Instead, it ticks all the boxes for what\u2019s been infamously dubbed hair metal \u2026 literally all of them! The upbeat, hook-centric song structures \u2026? There\u2019s hardly a song on Fourplay<\/em> that is not about the hook. Big choruses laden with vocal harmony\u2026? \u201cIt\u2019s A Fine Line Between Love And Lust,\u201d for example. If keyboard-driven Pomp Rock\/AOR is what you\u2019re looking for, you\u2019ll be satisfied with \u201cEvil.\u201d But if it\u2019s rather about a little bit of gritty Sleaze Metal licks and the heavier side of things, go for \u201cHolly Would\u201d or \u201cHole In My Head.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cSet Me Free\u201d is that powerful group chant opening that was simply obligatory here, but don\u2019t forget about \u201cTonight\u201d \u2013 part ballad, part powerful synth-laden mid-tempo. And as far as lyrical clich\u00e9s are concerned, there had to be at least one ditty centered around the figure of the ultimate femme fatale (\u201cSin City Sister\u201d). And of course, an anthem-like rocker with a bit of self-empowerment vibe to it \u2013 \u201cThere Ain\u2019t Nothin\u2019 In The World Like The Rockin\u2019 Band.\u201d Nothing like one indeed, one feels almost obliged to conclude as Fourplay<\/em> slowly fades \u2013 certainly a guilty pleasure for the \u201880s Melodic Rock aficionado.<\/p>\n

After many a line-up change, Talon is back with an album that is simply up to their standards. A bit too formulaic, and a bit too predictable, one may say \u2013 but there\u2019s hardly a novelty within a genre that\u2019s been already thoroughly explored over three decades ago. Fourplay<\/em> is obviously no novelty too, but a solid \u201880s-infused record that would have been a smash twenty five years ago. And also, the one you\u2019re going to blast in your car and even sing along to it\u2026 inevitably! Perhaps some of you are going to keep it hidden from view of your sublime Prog Rock-oriented colleagues, but the others will feel proud of their \u201880s Pomp Rock fan finally coming out. And no, it\u2019s not about nostalgia factor; it\u2019s about big choruses, slick guitar work, strong vocal harmonies and almost infectious melodies. It\u2019s about all things we seemingly can\u2019t still get enough of \u2013 what Talon and their counterparts kindly remind us of, one album after another.<\/p>\n

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMichael O’Mara – lead and backing vocals
\nKory Voxen – rhythm and lead guitar, acoustic guitar
\nJim Kee – lead and rhythm guitar
\nPhil Keller – bass guitar
\nJohn Parker – drums<\/p>\n

Additional musicians:
\nTim Pierce – lead and harmony guitars in [1] and [5]
\nPete Fry lead guitar in [9]<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tSpun
\n2.\tSin City Sister
\n3.\tHolly Would
\n4.\tSet Me Free
\n5.\tTonight
\n6.\tIt’s A Fine Line Between Love And Lust
\n7.\tEvil
\n8.\tI Don’t Wanna Cry
\n9.\tLove Is Like A Drug To Me
\n10.\tRaise ‘Em High
\n11.\tHole In My Head
\n12.\tThere Ain’t Nothin’ In The World Like A Rockin’ Band<\/p>\n

Label: Escape Music<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Talon-Official\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — Talon\u2019s new single \u201cHolly Would\u201d is illustrated with a sexually charged music video that shows a couple of ladies gyrating suggestively in various stages of undress. While watching […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":48770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[2317,1016,10978,2847,10979,382,10980],"class_list":{"0":"post-48769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-escape-music","10":"tag-fourplay","11":"tag-melodic-hard-rock","12":"tag-pete-fry","13":"tag-talon","14":"tag-voxen"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}