Tony O'Hora's 2001 Horakane project may have bordered on "hora-ble," but the first album recorded under the former Praying Mantis singer's own name redeems the man. Rather than abusing his still strong mid-range voice by either singing from deep inside his throat or at the top of his falsetto (as he did in Horakane), O'Hora gives a clean performance on Escape Into the Sun — save for the gritty "Black Wings," which whirls into Horakane territory. This isn't as gutsy or aggressive as his work on Praying Mantis' 1999 masterpiece Forever in Time, but then again, the material here isn't as good, either. That said, Escape Into the Sun is a hybrid hard-rock/AOR album that's notable for O'Hora's collaboration with Magnus Karlsson, who handles all instruments — O'Hora takes care of all vocal tracks — and who has recently made a name for himself with his involvement in the Allen/Lande project and TNT singer Tony Harnell's Starbreaker. One look at the song titles on Escape Into the Sun ("Dreamless Nights," "Start All Over," "Never Alone," "Close to Me") will be enough to help listeners determine whether they want to spend time with this record of pleasant ballads and clean-cut rockers. Those who do will be rewarded with a feast of arrangements and performances not unlike those by Eighties-era Foreigner, Journey and Toto.
(It's still worth seeking out Forever in Time, which showcases the peak of O'Hora's vocal prowess.)
Track Listing:
1) Broken Soul
2) Escape Into the Sun
3) No More Innocence
4) High Enough
5) My Final Prayer
6) Dreamless Night
7) More Than We Know
8) Close to Me
9) Evil Love
10) Black Wings
11) Start All Over
12) Never Alone
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