REAL LIFE (E)

After a five-years break since the album The Best Of  (1998), Al Fritsch (vocals, guitars, bass) and Mark Mangold (keyboards, background vocals) teamed up again for Drive She Said to record their fourth studio album Real Life. Assisted by Jonathan Mover (Marillion, GTR, Joe Satriani) they produced a total of thirteen new songs, all in the melodic AOR genre. Although the close harmony choruses sound great Fritsch’s voice doesn't quite convince in every way. Time probably also has taken it's toll here, considering the duo's first eponymous album from 1989. The compositions are all right, but they hardly differ from the ones on the previous albums. You'll hear nice love songs and ballads like We Live For Love, Silver White and How Can I Be Sure?, the powerful tracks What It's Gonna Take and When Will It Be Love and Overdrive inspired by Led Zeppelin. All and all Real Life is a fairly good album and a nice comeback by Drive She Said. As can be expected from professional musicians like these men the instruments are being played well above mediocrity and also the production is okay, but again, nothing new.