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Amaze Me: Guilty as Sin
 Peter Broman – all instruments and Conny Lind – all vocals ARE Amaze Me and Guilty as Sin isn't a reissue from 1985 although it very much sounds like it. It is in fact the first new material from Amaze Me since 1998. Unbelievably despite the usually reassuring presence of Martin Kronlund on the credits (he takes care of mastering on this one rather than sitting in the producer's chair)the major issue with this release is the sound. To put it mildly, it is horrible beyond belief.
Let's begin shall we with the truly awful drum sound shall we? I'll excrete Mars Bars if a human being couldn't have been roped in to actually perform with some semblance of soul. Then there's the variable vocal mix. Sometimes Lind is right on top of everything whilst at others the listener gets the impression that he was on a different continent to the rest of the track. This is quite sad as a number of the songs are rather good especially "Lost in a Dream" which is a slice of classic AOR ruined by the terrible sound. "Can't Stop Loving You" would be another case in point and this is a big shame but glistening sound is so important to the melodic rock genre and when it is absent it is sorely missed.
Track Listing:
01. Everybody
02. Lost In a Dream
03. Can't Stop Loving You
04. Save Me
05. Endless Love
06. With Or Without You
07. The Pain
08. Guilty As Sin
09. On The Run
10. Dying To Be Loved
11. Love Is Blind
12. On Fire
Added: June 1st 2013
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score: 
Related Link: More Information
Hits: 3292
Language: english
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Amaze Me: Guilty as Sin
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2013-06-01 10:40:31
My Score: 
Suitably named, Amaze Me have been amazed by the clamour their return has caused, with Guilty As Sin being their first outing in nearly a decade and a half; the unashamed 80s good time fare being lapped up by fans of the genre - and no wonder. An authentic air giving the impression that this is some cult classic from yesteryear, rather than a new release. Depending on your outlook, that, along with the "dated" production may well be make or break as to whether you can let your inhibitions go with Guilty As Sin and purely enjoy it for what it is - exactly the sort of album that fans of the likes of Survivor would have been proud to add to their collection many moons ago. Will it change the world? I hope not! However it will quench the thirst of those who want their music to be upbeat, optimistic and full of the energy, verve and the excitement everyday life can be all too lacking. Is it perfect? Far from it, with the shoogly production and mix nullifying the effect to a great extent and overly precise drumming screaming drum machine, however think Grand Illusion without the ozone damaging high pitched vocals and what Amaze Me do should become clear. Songs like "Can't Stop Loving You", "With Or Without You" and "Guilty As Sin" having the jaunty outlook that made this music so popular way back when, the ace in the pack being the ultra catchy opening "Everybody" which will undoubtedly reside in your head for days on end. I know it has in mine.
Amaze Me are a duo of Pete Broman, who plays everything in earshot here and Conny Lind who provides vocals. The latter simply revelling in the retro mood his partner creates, even if he has to constantly battle the sound issues to prove it. Broman himself certainly knows where to find a catchy hook and where best to cast it, his guitar and keyboard work being impressive to say the least.
If like me you can still pull out those old slabs of vinyl without cringing at the woolly sonics that CD has polished to within an inch of their lives on countless reissues, then Guilty As Sin will be a guilty pleasure. If you can't, simply put, run a mile....
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