City of Lights - 'Before The Sun Sets'

Northampton-born musician, Neil Austin, describes himself as a “chubby, little music nerd” and he’s been quietly crafting this collection of songs over many years. Unfortunately, illness and a lack of funding had prevented him from taking things further until now. Over the years, he has met good people, like Robin and Mats Eriksson from Degreed, who have helped him bring the demos to life, and he’s latterly been able to add a collection of excellent guest guitar and keyboard players to really add a touch of class to the finished product.

Getting the right singer was more of a challenge but, like some digital age Shirley Valentine, he finally found his man on Facebook in the shape of Greek, Manos Fatsis. Like me, Neil had been impressed by Manos’ work on the Odyssey Desperado album ‘Don't Miss the Sunset’ (note the similar title). It may have taken some time, but there can be no doubt that Manos is an impeccable choice for the role, hell; him and Neil actually look like long-lost twins from the promo shots and this could be the finest Anglo-Greco collaboration since Jon & Vangelis (or The Queen and Prince Philip).

Sadly, it was the death of Neil’s beloved and supportive father which was the final catalyst in bringing the project to fruition. His influence is felt all through the album, permeating many of the songs and reflected in the title and covert art. As well as the love and support he provided in his lifetime, the financial provision he made for his son to realise his dream once he was gone is a fantastic legacy to leave.

Musically, it’s excellent. The album fairly accelerates off the blocks with ‘Racing on the Redline’ which is Highway Star-like driving porn of the highest quality. If bikes are more your thing, then there’s also the equally rip-roaring ‘Midnight Club’ with its shimmering keys and full-throttle melodies.

Neil clearly knows the rules of the melodic rock genre well, as he has no less than three songs with the word ‘heart’ in the title and they’re all crackers. ‘Hearts on Fire’ might be the pick of the bunch. It features all the classic early Bon Jovi characteristics with great guitar work, prominent keyboards, power chords, a muscular bass line, a cute chorus and even a splash of ‘woah-ohs’ and electric drums. ‘Give Me Back My Heart’ is an aerobic AOR workout and then there is a massive wall of backing vocals on the pulsating ‘Put Your Heart on The Line’.

Obviously, the other essential for any respectable AOR album is a love song with a girl’s name in the title. Neil gets it – he’s got two (let’s hope the two ladies never meet). Firstly, he’s longing-for ‘Emily’, albeit in a faintly stalkery kind of way, and then ardently pleading for ‘Joanna’ to come back to him - actually, that might also need a restraining order but I’m sure his heart is in the right place! The latter also features a breakdown section that would be absolutely ripe for an audience clap-along, but apparently live shows are not on the cards and that’s a shame.

Manos is fantastic throughout, bringing power, passion and emotion to his vocals – he really is an under-rated find and should be huge. He might be at his best when raising the temperature on the steamy ‘Heat of The Night’ or expressing lovelorn feelings over a warm bass line on the piano ballad ‘How to Love’. Top marks also to the Degreed rhythm section who bring the thunder when required and who also have their own hugely impressive album released on the same day as this (reviewed separately on Rockfiend).

The absolute pinnacle of this album comes at the end, with the title track; ‘Before the Sun Sets’. It is a massive, heart-bursting anthem where Neil emotionally articulates his love for his dad through lyrics about letting your feelings show before it’s too late and not leaving anything unspoken. It’s a great song with exceptional guitar work and is genuinely moving - you can just imagine a festival audience with lighters in the air and tears in their eyes during the big reprise at the end.

I am sure diehard melodic rock fans will enjoy this and embrace Neil as one of their own made good. It’s taken a long time and a lot of effort to get these songs out but the end result is a wonderful album. Well done Neil - you’ve done yourself and your songs justice and, most importantly of all, you’ve done your dad proud. Take a bow fella.