Work of Art ‘Exhibits’

A work of art is generally something that is considered beautiful, intriguing, interesting, creative or extremely well done. With that in mind, you have to admire the confidence in anyone who names their band Work of Art!! Such a name is a critic’s dream, opening doors for potentially cruel and derisive reviews of their music.

Sweden’s Work of Art needn’t worry about such harsh reviews. With a sound inspired by AOR/melodic rock heavyweights such as Toto, Journey and Giant, the band has released 3 highly rated albums; ‘Artwork (2008), In Progress (2011) and ‘Framework’ (2014) with the consistent line-up of Lars Safsund on vocals/keyboards, Robert Sall on guitar/keyboards and Herman Furin on drums. On 8th November 2019, their 4th album, ‘Exhibits’ will be released through Frontiers Records, with Sall explaining in a press release that he “wanted it to be an AOR album, not a melodic rock album, not a West Coast album, just a classic AOR sounding album, start to finish”. With guest musicians such as current Toto bassist Shem von Schroeck and composer/keyboard player Vince DiCola (composer of the famous Rocky IV training montage music) making an appearance on some tracks, the bar was set high for ‘Exhibits’. But can it really stand shoulder to shoulder with the band’s previous, well-received albums or will this one provide the nastier music critics with a long awaited opportunity to create sarcastic reviews based on the band’s name?

The album starts strongly with Herman Furin’s short but powerful drum-fill signalling the intro to opening track and second single ‘Misguided Love’. The drummer keeps the pace fairly high from the outset, the song having a pop-rock feel to it with an infectious three-note descending scale guitar refrain throughout. As expected, Lars Safsund’s vocals are faultless… even if some of the lyrics he sings, such as “reaching for the stars and never reaching Mars” could be better! This leads nicely on to the next track, ‘Be the Believer’ which features Toto’s Shem von Schroeck as guest on bass and was released as the first single last month with an accompanying music video. It’s a positive, uplifting track with a sound similar to that found on 2011’s ‘In Progress’ album and a galloping bass by von Schroeck. A keyboard solo breaking into a guitar solo in a brilliant Toto-esque moment clearly shows that legendary band’s influence on Work of Art’s musical sensibilities to me. Indeed, if I didn’t know otherwise, I’d possibly have guessed that Steve Lukather played the early part of the guitar solo, such are the similarities!

After such an energetic start with the first two singles from the album, the pace is slowed to more of a mid-tempo ballad with ‘Another Night’. A driving rhythm guitar over a layer of keyboards with lyrics about lost love, this would’ve been huge on US rock radio if it had been released in the late 80s! Is it different from any other AOR/melodic rock ballad? No, not at all… but that’s why it’s so good! Why mess with a formula that has brought success to many bands over the past 30 years? As Safsund sings “Another night when you’re not here beside me. Another night driving me insane”, he actually sounds as if he’s speaking from personal experience. Perhaps he is and maybe that’s why the song sounds so genuine.
Going by the title, I expected fourth track ‘This isn’t Love’ to be another ballad but it’s far from it. A keyboard intro that could’ve featured in any number of movies from the 1980s makes sense when it becomes apparent that composer/keyboard player Vince DiCola is guesting on this track. As mentioned earlier in this review, DiCola composed the famous training montage music featured in Rocky IV. If you’ve seen the 1985 movie, think back to Sylvester Stallone running through the Russian snow, lifting heavy logs whilst being pursued by KGB-type men driving Ladas and you’ll probably remember the music! So, it’s only right that this song has a very synth-driven 80s feel to it in order to comfortably lead DiCola into his excellent guest keyboard solo in the last quarter of the song. Don’t get me wrong, this is still very much a rock song. The rock guitars and heavy drums are still prominent and von Schroeck once again guests on bass, but this is definitely where the keyboards get a chance to shine.

As it approaches the mid-way point, this is where many an album can experience a lull. After a fast paced start, tempered by a ballad and a synth-led track, ‘Gotta Get Out’ strikes the required balance to keep ‘Exhibits’ on course. Picking the tempo up again, the chorus has the essence of old-school AOR that Robert Sall wanted on this album whilst he also gets the chance to show his own talent with a short but blistering guitar solo. Next track ‘Come Home’ would’ve been a good fit on Journey’s 2011 album ‘Eclipse’ with its moody feel and hard hitting marching-style drumming midway through leading to a scale busting synth-solo. ‘If I Could Fly’ starts with an infectious keyboard intro that continues in the background throughout the song’s chorus. Sall’s rhythm guitars and Furin’s drums leading to the chorus once again have a sound similar to early Toto whilst Safsund reaches every note with ease, even at what must be the highest point in his impressive vocal register.

I have absolutely no idea why but the intro to the next track ‘Destined to Survive’ reminds me of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes or another progressive rock band I can’t quite place. Perhaps it’s the bass driving along with the keyboards on top. I have no idea! But that’s where any prog-rock similarities end, as the guitar kicks in in a very hair-metal manner. It’s actually quite Loverboy-like, from the ‘Working for the Weekend’ era… but of course, that’s just to my ear. ‘Scars to Prove It’ is next up, with a funky riff that leads into something that wouldn’t have been out of place on an album by fellow Swedes Europe back in their heyday. It’s a clever track of two very different sounds merged together; funk and a melodic chorus… and it works!

Penultimate track ‘What You Want from Me’ starts with an intricate little guitar riff that Mr Big’s Paul Gilbert would be proud of (but that also has echoes of Van Halen’s classic ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’) before bursting into an all-out AOR track. In all honesty, if Robert Sall doesn’t feel that he’s achieved that classic AOR style with this song, then I don’t what will do it for him. Even the lyrics are perfect for the AOR genre; “Tell what you want from me. I’m sending out a message to your soul. Tell me what you need from me. I’m not letting go”. Had it been written 35 years ago, Christopher Cross would’ve had it on his early albums, albeit much softer with guitars not quite as heavy or obvious. But that’s why this song is so catchy. AOR is timeless and a true AOR song should sound just as good in a 2019 album with modern production as it would’ve sounded on vinyl in the early 80s. Final track ‘Let Me Dream’ is in the same vein and to me is one of the strongest tracks on the album. More Foreigner than Toto or Journey, Lars Safsund’s vocals are effortless and he sounds very much like Lou Gramm in the verse whilst the keyboards have a strong resemblance to those used in ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’ from the much-lauded Foreigner 4. Robert Sall keeps the guitar solo low key and classy. It would’ve been easy to overdo it but his restraint makes way for some real emotion in his playing. As the track fades out, you’ll be ready to hear more but alas, there is no more from ‘Exhibit’.

Work of Art spent around 18 months working on ‘Exhibit’ and this becomes more obvious with every listen. Robert Sall wanted a particular sound from the album. He wanted to find that old-school, classic AOR sound but to me, Work of Art have crafted something even better. They’ve taken the classic elements of AOR that we all know and love; catchy choruses, guitar solos, layers of keyboards, clear vocals… but they’ve added another vital element that takes this album up a notch; they actually care about the genre and it’s legacy! Yes, there’s elements of Toto, Journey and other giants of the genre in the album but there’s also a signature sound that is uniquely Work of Art. So, the critics looking for a quick pun on the band’s name will have to wait a bit longer because this is a genuinely excellent, classic AOR album with a modern edge. It is, indeed, a work of art in the museum of music! Now, go and check out the ‘Exhibits’!

GG