Joe Lynn Turner's interpretations of Holberg's tunes make for a very rewarding partnership.

In all honesty, Norwegian bass player Jan Holberg is unlikely to have hit my radar had it not being for his recruitment of one of my favourite singers, Joe Lynn Turner. For that reason alone I chose to investigate 'Sense Of Time' and I have to say I'm rather glad I did.

'Sense Of Time' is a bit different for something you'd normally find associated with Joe Lynn Turner. The title track isn't a million miles from his brand of melodic rock, but some of the other material on here, like the funky 'Mesmerized' and the moving 'Sorry', offer a new dimension. Joe referred to the sessions as something which allowed him to "stretch out", but that isn't exactly the case - that brought to mind thoughts that he'd be pushing his vocals to the limit, when in fact he sings lower than normal and keeps his rock rasp mostly under lock and key. But that's by no means a bad thing - the more pop and melodic nature of the material and Joe's style of singing are a perfect fit, making for a very enjoyable record.

It's only a short album with the ten songs not even hitting forty minutes, but songwriter Holberg stated he wanted quality over quantity and he's achieved that without a doubt. The mixture of styles makes for a varied and entertaining record, mixing in some excellent instrumentals in with the tracks featuring Turner - the groovy saxophone led 'The Meadow' being a prime example.

I bought the album because I'm a die-hard JLT fan, but it's resulted in being a record I return to again and again - it never overstays it's welcome, being short. If anything, you wish there were a couple more songs on there - but it's got a real charm that means, while not typical of Joe, his interpretations of Holberg's tunes make for a very rewarding partnership. If you like Joe's more mellow side, then this is well worth a try.

James Gaden