First published by Midlands Rocks, www.themr.co.uk November 2011
The significance of Birmingham, and its environs, in the development of heavy metal is, of course, both well known and longstanding. Metal Gods, Rob Halford and Tony Iommi, have often spoken of the region’s grim satanic mills, foundries and factories and the role they played in the birth of the music we love.
However, whatever merits the city has, the good-time vibe, sunshine and bodies beautiful of the American West Coast that is more usually associated with AOR, are not among their number. And yet, bizarrely, the region has spawned a disproportionate amount of classy and successful AOR acts and bands from the lighter end of the musical spectrum. Magnum and Shy are obvious examples but even the effete art-school musings of new romantic dandies, Duran Duran, owe a debt to ‘brum’ as the birthplace of their career.
All of which leads neatly to another group of Black Country minstrels, Daylight Robbery, and their debut platter, Cross Your Heart…And Hope To Die. Ten nuggets of stylishly executed AOR hewn from the cradle of metal.
Vocalist, Tony Nicholl, will be no stranger to many and with an already chequered and notable career behind him is a dude that has paid more than his fair share of dues. Joined by Mark Carleton (guitars), Col Murdoch (bass), Ben Dixon (drums) and Duncan Cook (keyboards), Daylight Robbery stamp their boots all over the same length of street as magnificent monsters of pomp, House of Lords. The highly impressive Nicholl even has a touch of the great James Christian about his pipes.
These guys are their own men, though, and for all the disc’s polished US aspirations, there’s an appealingly honest grit and an unmistakeably British vibe to their material. It’s an irresistible combination, frankly, and makes for satisfying listening.
For soaring gang-choruses see ‘While You Were Sleeping’. For the sort of radio-friendly romp that’d make ’84 era-Bon Jovi spit feathers, see ‘Reunite’ and if a more proletarian attack is your thing, check out ‘1000 Points of Light’, a power metal-tinged fusillade of riffola that comes on like Aldo Nova covering Motorhead.
‘Real Love Is The Answer’ is a danceable slice of groove-rock that bounces in on the sort of mid-tempo bass shuffle last seen propelling Autograph’s, ‘Turn Up The Radio’ to the top of charts everywhere, while its chorus evokes Tobruk’s ‘Love Is In Motion’ and will see hip-swivelling rock chicks heading for dance-floors everywhere.
If Daylight Robbery can stay together and put out another couple of albums that build on the quality displayed here, who knows how high they could fly? Certainly, they’ve got the chops and the songs to go all the way.