Last Woman Standing (Reissue)
Miss Behaviour
•
May 23, 2015

The contemporary AOR bands from the highly respected territories of Sweden are always on the edge of modernity, to substantiate my theory I could name some recommended acts like LAST AUTUMN'S DREAM / H.E.A.T./ DE VAN / DEGREED / ANGELINE / STATE OF SALAZAR and of course MISS BEHAVIOUR among many others !
Their last album, titled "Double Agent" (2014) was impressive, displaying another surprising mix of contemporary recipe with archetypal ingredients such as soaring vocals and over the top chorus with huge Leppardians Mutt Lange gang backing vocals, wrapped in the now classic 80′s mood, with it's typical layers of synthetic strings and even a few Pomp overtones !
This is the review for the reissue of their 2011 album subtly titled "Last Woman Standing", and I had a manic obsession to boost its merits here and elsewhere, as it was to me the perfect exemple of a criminally underrated album...This is the second chance for them and for you too !!!
Their new label, the highly esteemed AOR Heaven had the good idea to publish again this jewel with two bonus tracks taken from older studio sessions, the best way to fix your past errors if you in a shamefully moment of bewilderment, you doesn't purchase it the first time around!!
Obviously the genre itself is a very tagged style, with a many orthodox elements, a few essential rules and some highly controversial points, including the lyrics thematics, not easy to escape the dogmatic borders but when enough modernity or creativity is added to the old recipe, the surprise factor is standing proudly in the menu...That is clearly the case with MISS BEHAVIOUR and its astonishing mix of the sugar melodies of ABBA and TREAT with many 80's radio friendly parameters and some Modernish flavors but updated by a noble protocol... A well balanced method that includes colors from Pop, Prog Rock and of course a massive dose of exemplar Swedish AOR ("Emergency"/ "Cynthia"/"Give Her A Sign"/"Till We Meet Again") unadulterated by the cynical spirit of the modern times, and forgetting about the narrow minded people and the Classic Rock Taste Police but still in coherence with the harsh reality ("11th Hour" dedicated to the king of Pop...RIP).
This album reached my final top pinnacle in 2011... Everything here is in the right line to run my AOR enthusiastic approval...The bombastic orchestrations are utterly integrated in a spark of melodies full of impressive harmonies...MISS BEHAVIOUR are doing the trick with so much talent, with an addictive energy in displaying their very own brand of Scandinavian Melodic Hard Rock ("Perfect War" with Roland Grapow guesting on the solo spot / "Taking Hostage" or "Living The Dream").
The title track is simply beautiful with its rich harmonies and its high profile structure, a slight Epic magic number with an improved atmosphere without any cheesy or bubblegum issue, the song is a duet between the skilled Sebastian Roos and the guest female vocalist Kajsa Berg... Superb!
I think that with this reissue now available again and their latest "Double Agent" also ready to be shipped at the AOR Heaven online shop, the MISS BEHAVIOUR guys are about to convince even the most skeptic and bitter specialists that their musical talent is worth buying in the mighty format of an essential little silver platter!
8 / 10
Excellent

"Last Woman Standing (Reissue)" Track-listing:
1. 1988
2. Cynthia
3. Give Her A Sign
4. Perfect War
5. Average Hero
6. Till We Meet Again
7. Taking Hostage
8. Emergency
9. Living The Dream
10. Last Woman Standing
11. 11th Hour
Miss Behaviour Lineup:
Sebastian Roos - Lead Vocals/Bass
Erik Heikne - Lead Guitar/Vocals
Anders Berlin -Drums/Vocals
Henrik Sproge - Keyboards
Niklas Lindblom - Additional Bass
Magnus Jacobsson - Additional Drums
Kasja Berg - Vocals
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