The band is back now after 4 years of silence…having released not 1 but 2 albums simultaneously! Well… that’s a very brave move… in truth to be told. Bruno is still cooperating with the vocalist Benjamin Venet (Jayhawkers) that also participated in the previous album “Open Road”. Benjamin has a very good & rich voice and sometimes he reminds me (especially his slightly raspy tone) of the renowned Michael Voss (Casanova, Mad Max, etc.). Honestly, he fits Bruno’s music like a glove and it’s great to hear him again. Moreover, he has co-written most the songs here… so he’s more or less a vital part of Bruno’s band.

 

“City” (Nights) contains the more rockin’ tunes… but that doesn’t’ mean you won’t find any mellower moments here. This album delivers the band’s rockin’ side of AOR… but with a popish ala 7th Heaven background… with melodic up-tempo wonderful tunes such as: “Drifting Away”, “Ghosts” (amazing hit), “Memory of Your Blue Eyes”, “Someday”, Just One Kiss” (also included in the latest AOR album “The color of L.A.) & “Out of the Dream”. The mid-tempo “Taste of the Past”, “Promised Land” & the ballad “(Goodbye To) The Good Old Days” are also very enjoyable. The unlucky moment here is “Insomnia” which could have been a better tune if it hadn’t stolen the basic riff from Andy Taylor’s “I Might Lie”… they should have been more careful on that part. The guest musicians here (as you have already read on the “Days” review) are: Tommy Denander (Radioactive, Mecca, etc) and Frederic Slama (AOR).

 

I think that “City” (Nights) is slightly better than “City” (Days)… for it has some more great songs in general… but that’s just my point of view. Some of you that prefer the lighter side of AOR may find “City” (Days) more of your taste. No matter what, both albums will totally satisfy you… I can’t help but think what it could have been like… if they had released one album including the best songs from both of them… it would surely have been a killer one…