Another recommended album from O'Regan.

O'Regan are back! It's unlikely you could have cooled off after last year's 'Temptation', yet the time has come for another fine Melodic Rock release to make it onto your CD shelf. Vince O'Regan has once again returned, this time with 'Tunnel Vision', backed up by the half of the Legion line-up (bassist Gavin Cooper and drummer Andy Pierce) as well as Eric Ragno (Takara, Michael Bormann, Wicked Sensation and dozen more) on keyboards. But as is often the case with the star-studded formula of this and other similar projects, it's the names of the singers that usually electrifies the audience. So what does '...Vision' contain musically and who is the amazing ensemble behind it?

All the guest singers who performed on this release should be quite known within Melodic Rock circles; however, the biggest name on the bill this time around is once again Paul Sabu, who also appeared in a couple of tracks on the previous O'Regan outing. Here his contributions are 'Let's Give A Cheer' and 'We Will Survive' – melodic, feisty Rockers with handfuls of 1980's tints, contagious choruses and bombastic keyboards. Stevie K (of Escape fame) also appears – his contributions include the big chorus, dynamic opener 'Fallen Angel', the classic AOR sounding 'If You Could See Me Now' and (ironically) the finale 'Escape'.

An obligatory ballad arrives with 'Never Look Back' – the semi-acoustic piece featuring Danny Veras on vocals with a bit of Tyketto or perhaps even Warrant-esque flavour to it (the latter's classic 'Heaven' being the very first association). 'Price Of Loving You' and 'Nothing I Can Do About It' are melodic mid-tempos in the vein of Bad English – a comparison furthered but the fact that they both feature Simon Abbotts (Pulse) whose vocal expression is somewhat similar to that of John Waite. The last of the singers queuing in the recording studio is Paul Vincent of Legion who features on 'Caught In The Act' and 'Calm Before The Storm' which are both tastefully catchy and melodic.

The line between predictability and the repetitiveness of the formula is something all projects like this one dread to cross, but that is not the case with O'Regan's new album. Its patchwork structure shows different tints and dimensions to the Melodic Hard Rock genre, with each contributor adding a bit of different shade and colour to the entire picture. Add to this the fact that it is all embroidered with a solid instrumental background (a throwback to the 1980s all along the way) and you end up with another recommended album from O'Regan.

Alexandra Mrozowska