This is an averagely good album, and that's just what it is; nothing more. The brainchild of Danish guitarist Torben Enevoldsen (FATAL FORCE, SECTION A), this is ACACIA AVENUE's first album and I consider it to be more of a project and less than a full permanent band, as countless ones in the melodic Hard Rock circuit nowadays. Still, the participation of none other than Tony Mills is good news for fans of his fantastic voice. And maybe its the only exciting news...
Torben invites four singers to perform in this firs album, with trusted friends taking over the rest of the instruments. The result is a general blend of hardrockin' melodies focusing mostly on AOR vibes but also on traditional British or American formulas. The songs are intriguing, let's be honest, but the sound is so 'studio' put that you cannot even smell a live feeling in the CD, let alone the fact that the drums sound is so compressed you can assume it's all made in just a good PC. I tried to listen to Acacia Avenue for a dozen of times and really did not object to any of the songs included. Still, no single tune - expect from tracks #01 and #07 sung by Mills (SHY, TNT) - had the ability to stick to mind a bit. This is a case mostly seen in today's releases, I'm afraid: the music is good, well-performed by it does not usually have the potential to remain inside the listener for quite a long time.
The band's style varies from JOURNEY and THUNDER to STAGE DOLLS and TNT to GIANT and VAN HALEN (and even TOTO). The solos and general guitar work is interesting, I must confess, and there's a wide feeling Torben has put lots of personal effort in this project album. If only the production was more fat and rich, we'd be start talking over for the songs' value. Nonetheless, musicians may fancy enough of the songwriting here but I do not think average rockers shall be convinced to put their money aside for this purchase. It's not a bad album but I think there are better options for new CDs out in the market.