Melodies is an important thing in music. And...AOR melodies is a misunderstood thing in music. Often misunderstood as 'pop artists with long hair and lame clothing', AOR musicians could easily be too powerful for Pop fans but too light for Hard 'n' Heavy followers. Labeled as 'Melodic Rock' nowadays, this certain kinda music/sound will always walk on the high wire. But - fits to Stan Bush's 'approach', too - things turn upside down due to certain circumstances. Glad to see In This Life adding credit to the above.
You find yourself 'stuck' to the AOR/Melodic Rock style. You purchase half of the Frontiers catalogue and then start diggin' in the past. You know the 'Bush' name floats in your mind...someone said something 'bout him, an album's back cover credit list thanks him as an influence, a 'retro' video clip of him airs on some 'classic' music channel's 80s tribute rerun and you decide to take the time and see what's all about. You see Stan Bush releasing albums from 1983 onwards; you see him winning an Emmy award in the 'Best Original Song' category. You see him contributing two songs to 1986's The Transformers movie (a song of his for Sylvester Stallone's Cobra film was not - eventually - selected). You see his name next to mammoth artists like Lou Gramm, HOUSE OF LORDS, QUIET RIOT, SURVIVOR, Jim Vallance, Jonathan Cain, FOREIGNER, ALICE COOPER, JEFFERSON STARSHIP, DESMOND CHILD by cooperating or writing or singing or playing with 'em (leave aside O.S.T. tunes or music for TV ads, OK?). What's more to establish such fame well-done, anyway?
In This Life - the 10th studio album of this talented multi-musicman - would see no vast difference; Stan Bush as you know (or imagine) him. It is worth the notice the fact that the volume/production of this album is up-to-date; the date of Melodic Rock music as presented in the 21st century. Thus, you'll see some stiff drumming and bass lines while the guitars/keys sound is 'fat' and not computerized at all. As for the melodies/hooks: some things cannot change that easily...Good AOR sounds meeting good 'weastcoast' music; so simple.