UNFINISHED BUSINESS [92/100]In terms of pure AOR styled recordings, the new SHY ranks as one of the best this year and also ranks highly in the overall scheme of things. This is certainly one of the best records, if not the best, that TONY MILLS has been involved in. This is a classic AOR record in the sense that it is dominated by keyboards Eand several layers of them. Each track has several layers of rich keyboard tones, supplemented by some fine melodic guitar work and soaring high pitch vocals from Mills himself. Tony has a unique style Eup there vocally with the TONY HARNELL'S of this world. His vocals may be delivered in a high pitch, but that doesn't not for a second mean that aren't smooth as a baby's bum. That word comes to mind constantly while listening to Unfinished Business Esmooth. The album is brilliantly produced, with a ton of vocal harmonies laid over several layers of keyboards and guitars, all held together by a solid rhythm section. From the opening tones of Skydiving, the direction of this album is evident. Big bombastic AOR in the style of TNT's classic "AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE". It's tried by plenty, but rarely is it held to this quality over the duration of 10 tracks. What I like about the pace of this album is that while definitely a keyboard driven record, it remains uptempo and fast moving through most of the running time. Things slow down for the big ballad "MARYANNE" and the more complex "COMMUNICATE", but generally it's a fun, uptempo record. Special note must be made of the songs "STORYLINE" and "NO OTHER WAY". Both clock in over 7 minutes Egiving them epic status. Both are great songs. "STORYLINE"is a haunting pop ballad, while "NO OTHER WAY" remains an uptempo rock track, with an almost stadium feel to it. BOTTOM LINE: Top quality AOR in it's purest and traditional 80's form. A must for lovers of melody with high pitch vocals, but well worthy of checking out for anyone into keyboard layered AOR. By MelodicRock 92/100 2002 RELEASE |
