Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Damaris Joy were a German band working in the late '80s but recording in English. Rather surprisingly, considering their lack of UK touring, Damaris Joy got a UK release when Kingsway Music were seeking to establish their Edge label as a home for edgier, youth-orientated music. Comparisons were made with the AOR sound of Toto at the time of the release of 'Open Door' and certainly there is a certain amount of well crafted soft smooth rock going on here. The album is very much of its time with a funky keyboard-led sound on tracks like "Tell Them", "Learners" and "Friends". The ballad "You're So Good To Me" was popular at the time and "Right Or Wrong" is reminiscent of Mr Mister. Ultimately though, the vocals sound a little Eurovision and there's always an issue with bands writing in English as a second language as often the lyrics sound a tad simplistic. I don't know whether the band made any other albums for the German market but 'Open Door' proves they were a very capable unit without being particularly exciting.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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