Heir apparent to Heart's throne
Troy | the Netherlands | 07/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those whose life has been empty and devoid of purpose since Canadian sister act Heart have retired from the rock arena there now is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. This light goes by the name of Venus & Mars, which is not as one might surmise a mixed double, but a female duo comprised of singer Diana DeWitt and keyboard player/songwriter Robin Randall. When it comes to claiming the legacy of being the world's foremost female fronted AOR outfit, they are the most likely candidate. Not only do they cater to the same target audience, but what is most striking is Diana DeWitt's extraordinary voice, which is a dead ringer for Ann Wilson's. Whereas on "Grand trine" (their excellent 1994 debut album) her vocals sounded decidedly less polished, the likeness some four years later is downright uncanny !Venus & Mars are in no way inferior to their illustrious rolemodels. Clocking in at nearly an hour, the 14 tracks on "New moon rising" rival the best of Heart's all-time classics. Apart from the top notch songwriting (prime contributors were Robin's mother Judithe Randall and one William Hanna), the impeccable musicianship and crystal clear production (for which a total of eight additional producers were responsible) make for one hell of an album. The booklet lists a seemingly endless lineup of guest musicians, who provide a solid rhythm section and tasty guitarwork to supplement and enhance Robin Randall's delectable keyboards and Diana DeWitt's intense vocals, which range from soothing to powerful. In sublime tracks such as "Dancing on the highwire", "Leave well enough alone" and "Making out like a bandit" Diana and Robin prove that they can rock with the best of them. But just as easily this terrific tandem can turn on the style and go for subtle and refined in gems like "Bless a brand new angel" and "Accident'ly on purpose". The CD also features a cover version of "The last time", a track off Mark Free's fantastic 1993 "Long way from love" album, for which at the time all songs were composed by Robin & Judithe Randall. (Like the familiar anthem "Someday you'll come running", which was included on the "Grand trine" album.) But to single out these songs would be selling the others short. Once again i'm glad to say that there are no tracks that fail to deliver.In these Heartless times Venus & Mars have picked up the gauntlet in a most resolute and competent manner. This is melodic rock with a capital M ! Although you may be hesitant to risk the plunge considering the price of Japanese import CDs, you may be assured that this one is a great investment and worth every cent. It is one of the highlights in my collection, as it undoubtedly will be in yours."
MISSIN' YOU
LUIZ B. OLIVEIRA | BRAZIL | 01/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"GOSTARIA DE RECEBER INFORMAÇAO SOBRE A MUSICA "MY DARLING I'M MISSIN' YOU" DE VENUS & MARS QUE NAO ESTÁ NESTE CD.COMO E ONDE CONSEGUIR UM CD COM ESTA MUSICA?"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1