SANTA ANA WINDS – Final Rendezvous [AOR BLVD Records] (2024)
Today we’re featuring in exclusive at the new, third installment from awesome AOR project SANTA ANA WINDS, entitled “Final Rendezvous“. It’s a shame this is limited to 500 copies, as only a few days after released it’s already sold out.
SANTA ANA WINDS main idea is to take a handful of little-known AOR songs from big names inside and outside of the melodic rock field, and breathe new life into them through a careful cast of top-level musicians. All this through a purely AOR filter and made with the greatest care and taste.
For this new CD, the crew / personnel is completely different, and should be the most amazing since SANTA ANA WINDS started: the whole thing is produced by talented Steve Newman (who also play many instruments and sing one song) and mastered in Canada by Harry Hess, and the lead vocalists include Steve Overland, Peter Sundell (GRAND ILLUSION), Dennis Churchill-Dries, Bryan Dallas, David Forbes (BOULEVARD), and more.
The song selection is to die for – this is AOR in its purest form! As example, the terrific “The Thunder” is an unreleased track by FAKE ID, written by the female songwriting team Barlow / Minto, who wrote almost all the songs on ALIEN’s first album. The vocalist on this song is Dennis Churchill-Dries, ex member of AOR Gods White Sister.
Besides Churchill-Dries (performs on 3 songs), the lead vocals are provided by Bryan Dallas (DALLAS), Peter Sundell (GRAND ILLUSION), Steve Overland (FM) on 2 songs, David Forbes (BOULEVARD), Steve Newman (NEWMAN), and Ben Green (COMPASS / TOKYO STORM) on 2 songs.
Other highlights include “Home at Last,” an unreleased track from Steve Perry’s solo album “For the Love of Strange Medicine,” the wonderful “Tonight Is the Night” written by Michael Bolton & Martin Briley, “What Do I Do to My Life?” by Norwegian AOR duo BROTHER TO BROTHER, and “What About Love?” by incredible UK melodic hard rock band WALK ON FIRE.
“Another Heartache” is a song co-written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and originally provided to Rod Stewart, here sung with class by Dennis Churchill-Dries over excellent arrangements.
“Always There” is penned by the main vocalist for the first SANTA ANA WINDS album, the late David A. Saylor, while “When I Look In Your Eyes” was written by Steve Newman for his last album but given to this project, superbly sung by David Forbes.
Steve Overland shines on “Tonight Is the Night” and “E.S.P”, the latter in a duet with Peter Sundell who, by the way, provide backing vocals on all songs.
All songs / performances are stellar, but if we have to mention a highlight among highlights it should be “Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight”, a song written in the late ’80s by JOHNNY HATES JAZZ leader Phil Thornalley, and here turned ‘midtempo AOR Magic’ by Newman, and fantastically vocalized by Ben Green.
SANTA ANA WINDS is, pure and simple, the most pure (again) AOR project you’ll find out there.
The previous 2 albums are excellent, but “Final Rendezvous” is superlative – from song selection and the quality of the lead singers to the impressive Steve Newman production / instrumentation.
As happened with the previous SANTA ANA WINDS, “Final Rendezvous” pressing was limited to 500 CD’s, and as said, after a few days released, it’s already sold out.
A MUST HAVE GEM
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox
01 – E.S.P. (feat. Steve Overland and Peter Sundell)
02 – The Thunder (feat. Dennis Churchill-Dries)
03 – Home at Last (feat. Bryan Dallas)
04 – Tonight Is the Night (feat. Steve Overland)
05 – Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight (feat. Ben Green)
06 – What Do I Do to My Life? (feat. Steve Newman)
07 – Another Heartache (feat. Dennis Churchill-Dries)
08 – When I Look in Your Eyes (feat. David Forbes)
09 – Always There (feat. Ben Green)
10 – What About Love? (feat. Dennis Churchill-Dries)
Steve Newman – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
Rob McEwen (NEWMAN) – drums, percussion
Peter Sundell, Ben Green – backing vocals
SANTA ANA WINDS – Final Rendezvous [AOR BLVD Records] (2024)
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