Since Boston's mega-selling debut arrived in 1976, Tom Scholz’s search for perfection has taken over and, unfortunately, the band's music has gradually worsened with each release. With 'Life, Love & Hope' he has hit rock bottom, serving up one of the biggest turkeys of the year just in time for Christmas.
Boston's stunning debut forged the AOR template. Its sunshine-soaked rock ‘n' roll radiated luminous hooks courtesy of Brad Delp's angelic voice and the searing guitar harmonies of multi-instrumentalist Scholz, who slaved over the songs for years in his basement studio to create the perfect sound. That trend was to continue, bolstered by unprecedented success, eventually rendering Boston a band in name only.
‘Life, Love & Hope’ is the first Boston record to be released since the suicide of the iconic Delp, who does posthumously feature on several tracks here, and is their first in 11 years, following their previous nadir, ‘Corporate America’. In 37 years, Scholz has only released six records, including this new one.
The production on 'Life, Love & Hope' is a million miles removed from the debut's game-changing sonic magnificence. The digital cymbals and tinny beats that pollute every song are thin and lacking genuine feeling, while the mixing is equally inept.
The vocals are often inaudible, buried beneath overbearing instrumentation until choruses leap out so loudly that it appears their weaknesses are being masked with increased decibels. Song-wise, there are good ideas in most tracks, but their lack of refinement - given the gestation period - makes them sound like rushed demos.
The inclusion of Someone, You Gave Up On Love and Didn't Mean To Fall In Love, from 'Corporate America', is perplexing. While the first two are reworked – with minor differences that hardly justify their resurrection – the latter is a carbon copy. It's obvious that their inclusion is to boost Delp's presence, but they come off as lazy. Sail Away is the only new tune to feature his vocals, but he is on subdued form and the track is undone by an abrupt halt.
In Delp’s absence, four different singers contribute, adding a further lack of cohesion to proceedings. David Victor does a good job on stand out cut Heaven And Earth, while Tommy De Carlo is more prominent, bringing a Blue Oyster Cult vibe to the title track. Kimberly Dahme also returns in a larger role. Many fans were outraged by her country song on 'Corporate America' and here she sings on most tracks, taking lead on the better than expected If You Were In Love.
The final vocalist is unsurprisingly Scholzhismelf. After nearly four decades he's now singing lead, and while his dusty croon on Love Got Away might work for Leonard Cohen, its inclusion here typifies an overriding lack of quality control. If 'Corporate America' was the first nail in the coffin of Boston's reputation, 'Life, Loss & Hope' welds it shut. The question is whether Scholz can reverse the decline before the burial. Expect the answer to arrive in 2030.
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