Right in the middle of “Falling Through Stars”—in old money, it would probably start side 2—comes “FTS.”
It stands for what you think it does, and it feels like a real fists-in-the-air statement. It also provides something of a contrast to what had gone on before.
Mostly, this had been one of the most “Frontiers” releases you could imagine up to that point. By that, I mean Laurenne/Louhimo is one of those records the Italian label excels in.
A collaboration between Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast) and Netta Laurenne, this is their second record, and it’s as wonderfully classy as you’d expect when this type of thing happens.
Power metal tinges abound on the title track, and the pair are stunning. It feels like both are exploring here, but the choruses still soar and the musicianship is incredible.
That sense of exploration extends to the songs too. “Damned” bristles with a Rainbow-like energy, and there’s much more of a classic rock feel to this than you might think.
Where it really scores, though, is on songs like the magnificent “To The Dark,” which almost gives the classic sound a new sheen.
The acoustic “All For Sale” takes things down a different road, and the harmonies are genuinely lovely. That’s the case throughout, as you might expect, but it helps elevate “The Cradle” to heights it wouldn’t otherwise reach.
Laurenne’s husband, Nino, helps with the songwriting and guitars, and the guitar swagger on “Rotten Gold”—along with the keys—adds a Deep Purple feel.
Things get a touch Maiden on “Let The Light Be Free”—certainly in the verses—and it pulls off the very neat trick of sounding epic in just over four minutes.
But the gentle moments are just as important. The power ballad “Loud and Clear” would have graced many an ’80s record, and when they add the grandiosity of “Wait,” it really works.
And as if to prove the epithet “it really works” applies to all of this, “…..Stars” ends with a beautiful acoustic piece, “David Bowie and Clyde.” There’s a call-and-response that sums it up: “You were born for singing,” says one. “Well, I guess we both can bring it,” comes the follow-up before the payoff: “Yes I believe we are quite the same.”
They aren’t—beyond the fact they are outliers—but yet “Falling Through Stars” is somehow more than the sum of its parts.
It is everything—and more—than it was planned to be.
Rating: 8.5/10
