Thanks to the meticulous approach Tom Scholz takes when recording Boston albums, every album since their second one, 1978's Don't Look Back, has taken nearly a decade to see the light of day. It's no different with 2013's Life Love & Hope, which follows cold on the heels of 2002's Corporate America. Using a crew of vocalists including longtime collaborator Brad Delp (who tragically committed suicide in 2007) and cleanly processed layers of guitars, keys, and drums much the same way he always has, a majority of the album plays like vintage Boston especially the tracks that feature Delp, like the aching love song "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love," which borrows heavily from "More Than a Feeling," and a new version of Corporate America's "Someone." Another male vocalist on the album, David Victor, sounds a lot like Delp and does a fine job filling his shoes on the album's best song, "Heaven on Earth." When these songs click, it's almost like a time machine trip back to the late '70s.
Sometimes they don't click, though, and that brings the record down quite a few notches. Some of the songwriting is clichéd and a little trite lyrically, the vocals a little overwrought, and most damningly the overall sound isn't as full and rich as a '70s Boston album, with the drums sounding curiously tinny and the mix oddly unbalanced. The guitars mostly sound amazing and exactly like one would expect Boston guitars to sound, but quite often the vocals are too far out front, the drums are buried, and the mix feels slapped together.
The album sounds more like a GarageBand demo than it does a studio album that someone spent ten years slaving over. Even though it fell short of being a good Boston album, at least Corporate America sounded like a finished product. Life Love & Hope doesn't, and hearing it might lead a devoted Boston follower to believe that, despite the few moments when things come together nicely, maybe Scholz has finally lost his touch. Check back in another decade for further developments.
Track listing
01. "Heaven on Earth" (David Victor with Louis St. August) - 3:37
(All instruments, harmony & backing vocals: Tom Scholz)
02. "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love" (Scholz, Curly Smith, Janet Minto Brad Delp) - 5:13
(Remastered version from Corporate America)
03. "Last Day of School" (Instrumental performed by Tom Scholz - 2:02
04. "Sail Away" (Delp, Kimberley Dahme) - 3:42
05. "Life Love and Hope" (Tommy DeCarlo) - 3:57
06. "If You Were in Love" (Dahme) - 4:10
07. "Someday" (DeCarlo and Scholz with Jude Nejmanowski) - 3:44
08. "Love Got Away" (Tom Scholz) - 4:28
(All Instruments: Tom Scholz; Harmony Vocals: Tom Scholz, Gary Phil)
09. "Someone (2.0)" (Delp) - 4:00
(Rearranged and re-recorded)
10. "You Gave Up on Love (2.0)" (Dahme, DeCarlo, Scholz) - 4:05
(Rearranged and re-recorded / Flute: Dahme / Harmony Vocals: Beth Cohen)
11. "Te Quiero Mia" (Delp) - 3:38
Best Buy & LP bonus track)
12. "The Way You Look Tonight" (DeCarlo) - 3:52
13. "O Canada" - 1:28
(LP bonus track)
All songs written and composed by Tom Scholz, except as noted.
Credits
Tom Scholz - guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, vocals
Brad Delp - vocals
Gary Pihl - vocals, guitar
Kimberley Dahme - vocals, flute
Tommy DeCarlo - vocals
Curly Smith - harmonica
David Victor - vocals
Louis St. August - vocals
Jeff Neal - vocals
Jude Nejmanowski - vocals
Beth Cohen - vocals
Notes
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Recorded: 1998–2013
Genre: Hard Rock
Length: 42:52
© 2013
Label - Frontiers Records
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