Blog Post
Angelica - 'All I Am'
Iain McArthur • 1 December 2020
Album Review
There’s a hidden gem of an AOR album buried in here but first you’ve got to get past the opening 3 songs, which are atypical of the rest of it. The lead single “Calling” seems to have one eye on a potential pop-crossover with a synthesized electro feel and the video may give you the wrong impression. It’s not that they’re bad songs, particularly “Addicted To You” which is a bit like Amaranthe but without the male vocal and the grunter, but it’s just a bit too modern for an old fart like me, but then maybe I’m not the target demographic here.
The direction changes for the better with a delicate piano ballad “I’m Sorry” and then there’s a countrified twist on the enjoyable “Time and Space”. Daniel Flores (Find Me) is Angelica’s band-mate in ‘The Murder Of My Sweet’ and he is the producer behind the music here. There’s also a guest appearance from Michael Palace on (restrained) guitar and backing vocals. Palace steps up to feature in a charming duet on “Don’t Say Goodbye” and his own album is due next month.
The AOR really kicks in with “Still Bleeding” which may appeal to supporters of Romeo’s Daughter and there’s a hint of Robin Beck in Angelica’s vocal on this one – always a good thing in my view. The pace picks up with “Living On High Hopes” which rocks out with a ‘Gina works the diner all day’ vibe and then we really hit a groove with “A Pounding Heart” which is the rockiest track on offer. Angelica’s voice suits the ballads and she provides a suitably angelic vocal on the penultimate song “Angel” before the album closes with a majestic symphonic-lite song entitled “Time To Go Home”.
Putting aside the dancey stuff, this could be one of my guilty pleasures of the year. You might want to check out individual tracks rather than dive in and buy the record outright but it would be wrong to discount the whole album based on the experimental stuff at the start. Why not give it a try?
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