Released By: AOR Heaven
Release Date: September 2nd, 2013
Genre: AOR/Melodic Rock
Links: https://www.facebook.com/nivasweden
Line Up:
Tony Niva (Lead Vocals)
Roger Ljunggren (All Guitars)
Marcus Persson (Keys & Vocals)
Jan Stål (Bass Guitar)
Tomas Persic (Drums)
Tracklist:
1. Never Too Late
2. Perfect Life
3. My First And Only One
4. Just Another Heartache
5. In A Misty Light
6. Always Somewhere
7. Let It Shine
8. Spanish Lullaby
9. Do It Again
10. Never Say Goodbye
11. Feel So Alone
Going into this album, I can’t say I had ever heard of Swedish rocker TONY NIVA before except in passing: there are so many big players in the AOR world these days, especially in Sweden, that it’s easy to overlook or completely miss even the most promising and talented people. But I must say, after spending some quality time with ‘Magnitude’, his third release under the NIVA band banner since 1994, I gotta say…this really kicks some ass in more ways than one, lots of it!
Fans of ECLIPSE, MR. BIG and HAREM SCAREM, you’ll be catapulted into heaven immediately when opening track ‘Never Too Late’ blasts off. Tony roars in above those delicious keys with a swooping hook worthy of any of the 80’s greats. Put a big smile on my face at least! The guy is really at his best on the uptempo numbers here: the more energetic the song, the more his voice gets to work with, and all of them are highlights: ‘Always Somewhere’ has a nifty little bridge-into-chorus straight out of the ROBERT SALL songwriting manual whilst ‘Spanish Lullaby’ serves as the album’s mid-tempo pleasure.
In short, this is a fun, very straightforward AOR record: solid as a rock with no curveballs. Catchy, but nothing that will knock bands like WORK OF ART or H.E.A.T off their thrones either. Don’t get me wrong though: Tony has a helluva voice, and there are some really excellent songs here that’ll satisfy that 80’s FM rock fix in a jiffy.
Therefore, big thumbs up from me. Looking forward to what this fella will do next!
Written by Derek