It has been 11 years since Boston, has put out a new record. Their last record was a bit of a disappointment, so I had high hopes for their latest release Life, Love and Hope. Part of the reason I was put off by their last release, was the inclusion of additional vocalists. I always thought that Brad Delph's (RIP) vocals helped drive the band. Delph could handle the vocals by himself with ease, so I always wondered why others were brought in. He and guitarist Tom Scholz are the signature sound of Boston, so I wasn't sure why they were tinkering with the formula, on the last release. Unfortunately Delph passed away, so for the new release, they had no choice.
Life Love and Hope is a fair album. Criticism one, is that the production is off, which I can't believe I'm saying, because this is a Boston album. Scholz is a genius as a producer, but for some reason, many of the tracks on this CD sound like demos. It sounds like a drum machine was used on more than half of the tracks. This CD is fair, at best. The songs are okay, but seem a bit tired. There is no real energy or fire in the songs to make you want to turn your stereo up to 11, which is unfortunate, considering this is a Boston release.
As stated previously, it is a bit off-putting with all of the vocalists involved in this project. Scholz needs to pick a guy and stick with him. It doesn't need to be a variety show on each release. With all of the different vocalitst, it seems like a solo effort rather than a group effort. Even though the late Brad Delph is included on a few tracks, that wasn't enough to save this one. Don't get me wrong there are some strong tracks, but they suffer due to the poor production. Their are elements of the glory days, but they lack the spark, that ignited their sound back in the day. All in all, not a bad release, but not a great one either.
Bottom Line: Hopefully this isn't Boston's swan song, because it comes off a bit subpar. Good ideas that fall a little flat due to poor production.
Standout Tracks: Heaven on Earth, Someday, Someone 2.0
-Ragman is thinking he would like to see a vintage Boston show.