Review: Sunstorm “Emotional Fire”

Melodic rock/AOR
Joe Lynn Turner is back with the third album from his Sunstorm project, entitled “Emotional Fire”. Joe Lynn Turner, who has a voice like Jimi Jamison (Survivor), is no stranger to both fans of classic rock as well as AOR - his career began in the legendary bands Fandango and Rainbow, and then he worked with the likes of Deep Purple and Yngwie Malmsteen. Interspersed in all of this work, he has built a solid fan base around his solo career (his first solo album was 1985’s “Rescue You”).

Sunstorm released their self-titled debut in 2006 and followed this up with “House of Dreams” 3 years later. Each became instant favorites in melodic rock circles. “Emotional Fire” is poised to add another favorite to the catalogue. The third album draws inspiration from various sessions Turner did in the 80’s as background vocalist for other artists. Consequently, Turner has redone Michael Bolton’s AOR gems such as “Gina” (originally included on “The Hunger” album, where Turner contributed with background vocals), and the title track, which Bolton penned for Cher’s “Heart of Stone” album (Turner performed background vocals on that record too). “Emotional Fire” also contains some great songs written by Soren Kronkvist (Crash the System, Issa), Tom and James Martin (Vega, Sunstorm, Khymera) and Daniel Palmqvist (Xorigin, The Murder of My Sweet).

The album blasts into action with the energetic anthem of encouragement, “Never Give Up”, which quickly reminds us of Turner’s startling vocal prowess. The part-ballad, part-arena rocker “Lay Down Your Arms” is quite captivating, exuding a darker edge without compromising on melody. “You Wouldn’t Know Love” and “Wish You Were Here” are spot on throwbacks to the golden age of 80s AOR. Additional highlights include “Follow Your Heart” and “Torn In Half”.

As expected, Turner turns in another AOR winner the likes of Journey, Survivor, and Night Ranger and I give it a strong recommendation for fans of the melodic rock genre.

Joe Lynn Turner - Official site.

Review: Sunstorm "House of Dreams"

Where would AOR be if it weren't for the Frontiers label? They released a real winner this year with "House of Dreams", the latest from the Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple, TNT, etc) outfit called Sunstorm. After all these years, JLT still never ceases to please and is sounding incredible. Backed by some of the heaviest hitters in the genre, "House of Dreams" is an AOR fan's dream. Included in this ensemble is legendary Jim Peterik, who probably even takes his remarkably prolific songwriting pen into the john with him. He contributes on "Say You Will", "Gutters Of Gold", and "Tears On The Pages". Another songwriting master with strong melodic hard rock roots, Desmond Child, co-wrote the closing track "Walk On". The CD boasts outstanding musicianship (including members of Pink Cream 69), top of the line production, and a bold attitude to stick to a classic AOR sound rather than cater to today's trends (in other words, plenty of harmonic guitars, big drums, and keyboards). Helping the record to sound even more anachronistic: many of these songs are revamped versions from ones written years ago.

I like the fact that there are a decent number of uptempo rockers here, but it would not be AOR without your power ballads, so there are a few of these too. The CD is consistently good and plays well from start to finish. Standout tracks include "Divided", "I Found Love", "Forever Now" and the title track.

Sunstorm is highly recommended for fans of Jimi Jamison, Journey, Europe, or Hardline. Undoubtedly one of the best melodic rock releases of 2009, one that makes you think it is 1990 all over again.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10

Joe Lynn Turner on MySpace. Official site.