Care Of Night: Connected

Well here we are late in January and already it's time to be considering whether we might already have the AOR album of 2015. Connected thoroughly lives up to the promise a four track EP suggested two years back, those four tracks included here and embellished with another six smooth, silky, energetic bursts of keyboard led good times. Consisting Jonathan Carlemar (Demonslave/Atlantica) on guitar, Kristofer Von Wachenfeldt (Platitude) on keys, Jonas Rosengren on bass, Linus Svensson on drums and the mighty vocal talent of Carl-Johan Schonberg, Care Of Night make no bones about where their sounds comes from. For Connected superbly follows the same blueprint the likes of Toto, Alias or Work Of Art use/used so well. However where CoN stand out is the sheer exuberance with which their efforts romp from the speakers. This may be the AORist of AOR, but the energy and vigour smashing through "Those Words" and the utterly irresistible "Cassandra" is an adrenalin rush you simply can't ignore. Schonberg has that classic Scandie voice, rich and soaring, high notes not a problem, a full low end strongly in evidence; think Peter Sundell (Grand Illusion) meets early Michael Bolton and put simply, he's outstanding on this album. However his efforts don't stand alone, the keyboards from Wachenfeldt uplifting, atmospheric and pretty much faultless and while guitarist Carlemar is often happy to take a back seat, his darting licks and flicks raise the efforts of his band mates to great heights.

"Dividing Lines" walks a more considered path, a classy sax solo adding poignancy to an already heartfelt track, while "Say A Prayer" proves this outfit are just as comfortable in mid-paced territory as they are at full pelt. Add in the anthemic "Contact" and "Please Remember", the latter of which offers up the deepest groove on the whole album and the cohesive diversity on show is impressive indeed. As with the band's debut EP, the skills of the Wigelius brothers Erik and Anders (both, unsurprisingly of the band Wigelius) are utilised to handle production and mixing duties and boy have they hit the jackpot. Every song has room to breathe, yet hits with a tight intensity and unlike so many albums in the current AOR scene, the separation between the instruments makes it possible to hear every single thing that's going on; guitars and keyboards complimenting each other, bass and drums superbly holding it all together.

Yes, it may be fair to point out that Care Of Night aren't offering up anything new here but seriously, when a set of songs is this convincing, who cares? AOR enthusiasts really need take note, for Care Of Night would appear to be the real deal and on Connected they've hit the ground not just running, but absolutely setting it on fire.

Track Listing
1. Cassandra
2. Heart Belongs
3. Those Words
4. Dividing Lines
5. Say A Prayer
6. Contact
7. Please Remember
8. Unify
9. Give Me Strength
10. Say You Will

Added: January 27th 2015
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Care of Night on facebook
Hits: 2506
Language: english

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