Back in 2002, when most folks probably assumed that legendary hard rock/glam/pop act Sweet were long since retired, the band were anything but, releasing this very strong album Sweetlife that sadly, probably not enough people actually heard. Well, Angel Air Records is trying to rectify that by reissuing this underrated late entry in the Sweet discography for all those who might have missed it the first time.
The band in 2002 consisted of founder Andy Scott (guitars, vocals), Steve Grant (keyboards, vocals), Jeff Brown (bass, lead vocals), and Bruce Bisland (drums). Much of the old Sweet swagger & sheen are heard throughout these 11 very strong songs, with those trademark vocal hooks front & center (I detect a little classic ELO stamp here as well in spots). Tunes such as "Sweetlife", "Everything", the unforgettable "Do It All Over Again" (a popular single in Germany), "Leap of Faith", the heavy metal riffing of "Everybody Wants to Be Someone", and the memorable hard rock & pop of "So Far So Good" just stick in your head from the first listen, and after a few spins you have to wonder just why this album didn't catch on to a larger audience back in 2002. Brown's vocals are excellent throughout, with Scott & Grant providing layers of harmony backing vocals to great effect. Scott's meaty riffs and blazing solos can be heard on many of these tracks, proving just what an underrated guitarist he has always been. His heavy metal riffs and whammy bar excursions on the crunchy "Neon Psychedelia" works so well against the soaring vocals...hard hitting, but really 'sweet' stuff!
If you've long thought that the career of Sweet went into the abyss in the early 1980's, you really are missing out on a few really strong releases, and Sweetlife is certainly near the top of that list. Kudos to Angel Air for putting this one out there once again.
Track Listing
1) Sweetlife
2) Do It All Over Again
3) Everything
4) Leap of Faith
5) You're Crazy
6) Never Say Forever
7) Airheads!
8) So Far So Good
9) Everybody Wants to be Someone
10) Neon Psychedelia
11) Sweetlife Overunderture
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