Must-Have Melodic Rock
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 05/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're not already familiar with the majestic melodic rock of Ten, you've picked the perfect place to start! This excellent 2-CD package features Ten's self-titled debut album and the follow-up album the Name of the Rose. A few live bonus tracks are added for good measure.
Ten is one of the finest AOR/melodic rock bands on the planet. Led by singer/songwriter extraordinaire Gary Hughes, Ten combines the classic Journey/Foreigner/Bad English AOR sound with more majestic and dramatic hard rock elements. The result is some truly powerful melodic rock. Hughes has a real gift for writing AOR songs, and his rich voice is perfect for this kind of music. Guitarist Vinny Burns and a few other ex-Dare members make up the rest of the band, so you know the musicianship is first-rate as well. The albums are a bit ballad heavy, and the subject matter is, as one song title demonstrates, all about love. If you can get past that, chances are you're going to love these albums.
This 2-disc collection of Ten's first two albums gets my highest recommendation. Both are must-have albums for any AOR/melodic rock fan.
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