STYLE: Rock RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 1066-2684 LABEL: Independent FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Dave Harris
Let me tell you about Jim Vilandre. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a lyricist, a producer and an arranger, He sings about the joy and the pain of living, about the hope of the Christian faith, about the loss of his father, and even about baseball, And you'll find evidence of all this and more in 'A Greater Love'. It opens with the extremely catchy "Heaven Is My Home", sounding very reminiscent of Rick Springfield - anyone remember him? There are some nice acoustic moments in "A Greater Love" and "A New Life", and Jim really rocks out with "I've Got to Move On." The album also has its more mellow moments with "Memories" and "Live In Christ" - both of which feature some deft piano work. Jim Vilandre has crafted some good songs and given them a decent backing but, to this reviewer's ears at least, he simply doesn't have the voice do them justice. In fact at times he detracts from them. With a bigger budget and some session vocalists, you can imagine this album being transformed. As it stands it is an uneasy and inconsistent listen, woven with a strand of promise.
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