Maybe the main driving force behind music is the need for an escape from the hard daily reality with its deceptions and vicissitudes. Sometimes, people need to hear something out of Metal and its aggressiveness to enjoy life. And without caring about the "heaviest", the "most brutal" or the "fastest" music one can hear and/or play. For these moments, bands as STRANDED would fit perfectly, because the music that "New Dawn" shows is for moments in life that no one wants to remember the world's problems.

Here, no one will find a trace to link the band's work to Metal. No, on "New Dawn" pulses a form of AOR/Pop Rock that was popular in the end of the 70's and on the first half of the 80's. The melodies, the instrumental and vocals are presented in a solid and compact form, but in a way that will hook the listeners in the place they are. It's a form of music for eclectic fans but is truly near to Classic Rock from the 70's. On the sound quality of the album, the words to describe it are "near perfection". Due the fact that Lewis is a known and fine producer himself, everything on "New Dawn" sounds and works in the best way possible, to be heard and to fill the songs with simple (but always good) musical arrangements.

The best ones: the charming weaving melodies created by the keyboards and guitars shown on "Not Enough Sorry", the groove and excellent work from bass guitar heard on "I'll Be the One" (a typical AOR song from the middle of the 80's) and on "Get Over This", the bluesy and "noir" essence of "More Than Words Can Say" (great singing and pianos parts), the amazing and tender ballad "Power of Love" (focused on pianos, vocals and keyboards), and the amazing 80's AOR approach shown on "Give Me Love". But the entire album is very good and will heard time and time again endlessly. STRANDED is really a very good name, and "New Dawn" must be in many fans collections, because it's the right music for those moments when seeing the end of the day peacefully is all that anyone wants.