Album
THE FORMERlead guitarist for Europe, John Norum’s career had blossomed since his departure in 1986. With two well received solo albums under his belt, including ‘Face The Truth’ featuring Glenn Hughes on lead vocals, he set about recording his next album in Los Angeles using a template very much cast by a solid commitment to heavy, yet melodic hard rock embellished with soaring lead guitar and worldclass vocals. For John Norum, the emergence of grunge in the early ‘90s was an aberration that had virtually no impact on his personal musical vision.
‘Another Destination’, originally issued in 1995, was recorded in his adopted home of Los Angeles, and benefits hugely by the presence of vocalist Kelly Keeling, a classic gravel-throated blues based frontman who was previously a member of Baton Rouge. Norum also enlisted drummer Gary Fergusson who had played with Gary Moore and Hughes/Thrall. Again, like the previous albums, it was a dream team of talent that crafted a record of immense firepower, allowing John to unleash a tirade of hard riffs and blistering solos.
Amongst the melee of full-throttle melodic rock are two choice covers; ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’, originally penned by Cream, and Humble Pie’s ‘Strange Days’, both tracks indicating his devotion to blues-based rock. Elsewhere the material is impressive and fully-formed, indicating that John’s original decision to leave Europe was well-founded and it also paved the way for him to rejoin his former compatriots in 2003, when their sound was re-engineered, reflecting their original harder rock ambition.
SPECIAL DELUXE COLLECTOR’S EDITION. Fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology, features ‘Whose Side Are You On’, ‘Inside’ and ‘Strange Days’, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay and enhanced artwork
TRACK LISTING: 1. INSIDE 2. RESURRECTION TIME 3. STRANGE DAYS 4. SPIRIT WORLD 5. SHIMMERING HIGHS 6. WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? 7. SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE 8. CATALINA SUNSET 9. HALF WAY HOME 10. HEALING RAYS 11. JILLANNA
(Price £12.99)
