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Reviews for JIM JIDHED "FULL CIRCLE"
AOR DREAMZONES
JIM JIDHED - FULL CIRCLE
We've had some land mark albums over the years which many albums are
based upon or compared to, well Jim Jidhed's (ex Alien vocalist) new
album "Full Circle" is going to be one of those albums. It's
is a monster AOR album and has everything you could ever want to listen
to from the genre.
The album is graced with superb songs that never seem to get boring,
everything leaps out at you from the speakers and after each song you
just think to yourself, yeah man that was well cool, let's listen to
it again, and again, and again and again. The album's production which
has been produced by Tommy Denander is also really powerful, so allot
of work, time and effort has been put into this album to give us the
best possible value and an album that we can safely say is the best
AOR album since The Storm's "Eye Of The Storm" and Hugo's
debut.
The album starts with the excellent AOR goldness of 'I Will Never Leave
You', the song is pure AOR like Survivor, soaring vocals catchy chorus,
keyboard and solid guitars a great start to the new album. 'Full Circle'
is even better and probably the purest melodic AOR song I have heard
in years, it could easily be one of those songs that you would find
on any soundtrack, it's even catchier than 'I Will Never Leave You',
perfectly constructed for radio, you will love the chorus, totally awesome
song.
The Steve Perry-ish 'Silence Of Your Heart' is very melodic with great
catchy lyrics and nice keys, Jim's vocals are really good and during
the chorus we can hear background singers namely the Urban Tale guys
and Chris Demming making 'Silence Of Your Heart' a potential single.
If it's keyboard textured AOR you crave for then check out the lush
'Someday'. This song kinda reminds me of Mitch Malloy's debut, crossed
with Steve Perry solo material, it's laid back but with one hell of
a dreamy chorus to die for, just check out the vocals on this one during
the chorus, especially towards the end of the song where he does that
huge Perry like wail, phew!!!
The quality doesn't end there, check out the completely stunning ballad
'I Can't Go On', surly this will be ballad of the year? I loved the
Latin guitar parts which give the song a Richard Marx quality.
'Anyway You Want It' is the bands first heavier rocker, it's a fast
moving melodic keyboard drenched rocker, again the chorus is amazing,
this is one of my favourite songs, it's just so damn catchy, and the
chorus is massive, a little bit like Stan Bush jamming with Fair Warning.
'Now We Cry' sounds like a male version of Robin Beck, the song is very
similar to Beck's "Save Up All Your Tears", it's another fantastic
song, and when you get to the chorus I find myself being reminded of
Glen Burtnick, Kevin Chalfant and Tim Feehan, another potential radio
single, that even gets a little pompy halfway through.
'Lost Angels' is that Steve Perry/Cliff Magness written number that
appeared on the Raine album and this is another good version.
Another power ballad pops up next with the classy Mark Spiro-ish 'I'll
Be Ready Then' and then we get another of the albums best songs in the
shape of the radio friendly 'Falling In Love'. This song is pure AOR
by numbers, (think Urban Tale), and is just killer, again Jim's vocals
carry the song,lots of keyboards and sharp guitar work, ignore this
song and your deaf.
'Wish You Were Here' is a very melodic ballad, Jim almost hits the vocal
tones of Michael Bolton on this one and the we get another top cut with
the Giant sounding 'Don't Close Your Eyes', this song is superb and
very catchy, and lastly we end the album with 'Marie' a superb Journey
inspired ballad, man imagine if Jim sold these songs to Journey themselves
he he he, another great song.
It's not often I give an album 100/100, but this one deserves the honour,
everything works perfectly and I'm really happy with this record. Well
done Jim and Atenzia Records for delivering a classic AOR melodic rock
album and for keeping the genre alive, "Full Circle" deserves
all the praise and glory it gets, period!! ESSENTIAL
Nicky Baldrian
RATING 100/100
AMAZON
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Jetzt schon ein AOR-Klassiker!, 18. März 2003
Rezensentin/Rezensent: holymarkus (Mehr über mich) aus BORNHEIM
Deutschland Danke, Jim Jidhed! Danke für eine CD, die randvoll
mit AOR-Perlen ist. Es ist wirklich alles drauf, was man als AOR-Fan
benötigt - gute Hooklines, eingängige Melodien und ein Sänger,
der mit einer tollen Stimme ausgestattet ist. Mr. Jidhed klingt zwar
dabei manchmal nach Steve Perry, aber das macht nichts, denn Steve Perry
hat ja eine Superstimme. Aber es geht hier um die CD von Jim Jidhed,
der ja auch schon Sänger von der Band "Alien" aus Schweden
war. Der Opener "I will never leave you now" ist ein guter
Midtempo-Rocker und macht sofort Lust auf mehr. Danach folgt der Titeltrack,
der etwas moderner und poppiger daher kommt - und sofort ins Ohr geht.
Wunderschön ist dabei der Chor im Hintergrund und der paßt
auch noch wie die berühmte Faust aufs Auge. Mit "Someday"
hat Jim dann eine wunderschöne bluesige Halbballade am Start. Danach
kommt "I can't go on" - eine Killerballade aus der Feder von
Tommy Denander. Und es folgen mit "Anyway you want it", "Now
we cry" und "Lost Angels" drei Rock-Songs, die auch perfekt
von Journey zu ihren Glanzzeiten stammen könnten. Vor allem "Now
we cry" ist hier hervorzuheben! Aber dann kommt der absolute Killersong:
"I'll be ready then" - WOW - was für eine Ballade. Da
paßt einfach alles - und das ohne irgendwelchen überflüssigen
Schmalz. Da auch der Rest der Songs hier einen hohen Standard hält,
kann ich diese CD wirklich jedem Fan von eingängigen Melodic Rock
empfehlen. Ein Highlight!
RATING 5/5
ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC IN JAPAN
JIM JIDHED / FULL CIRCLE
Jim Jidhed, ex. Alien's vocalist with greatest voices is coming back
with his first solo album "Full Circle" in 12 years! Alien
was the best swedish AOR band in 90's. The album involves familiar names
including Tommy Denander, Bruce Gaitsch, and many more. In addtion,
Steve Perry and Cliff Magness penned a song called "Lost Angels".
The album "Full Circle" is now available from Atenzia Records,
a new Swedish AOR label.
I should add that Japanese version will come with 1 bonus track "Playing
With My Heart"....
RATING 3,5/5
AORWEBSITE
JIM JIDHED
"Full Circle" (Atenzia Records)
Hey you, we’re in front of a stunning AOR album that will fight
for the first medal in the 2003 Top Ten, an album beautifully written
and recorded and even better sung by the ex singer of Swedish band Alien,
now at his second solo album after "Jim" released back in
1990 (but I read of another solo album called "Snart Kommer Natten"
that also the "Melodic Rock Bible" ignored).
Yes, we’re again in front of some music owing a lot to Journey
and Toto, to the ‘80s, but when we hear songs like these 13 tunes
included in "Full Circle", well, just hats off and let’s
get our ears ready to be slaves to the great voice of Jim, here helped
by Tommy ‘everywhere’ Denander.
The start is very good and "I Will Never Leave You Now" recalls
of Journey circa "Raised On Radio" and Jim’s voice similar
to Steve Perry makes more evident my comparison, while the titletrack
is an introspective and melanchonic song (a little like Boulevard’s
second album) and the support of Sweden Rock Orchestra’s strings
gives one emphasis to this song featuring an irresistible refrain.
These only two tracks would be enough to knock you out, but Jim and
Tommy are ‘sadists’ and go on recovering "Silence Of
The Heart" with very nice sensations in refrain and pre-refrain.
In "Someday" important hints of Toto emerge (Denander’s
‘fault’) with a refined instrumental arrangemets typical of
this band early in the ‘80s and some Chicago flavour in choruses,
then we reach the passionate slow tune "I Can’t Go On"
once again featuring the Sweden Rock Orchestra and Jim shows an emotive
singing for a classic Top Of The Charts single.
Following "Anyway You Want It" hardens the sound led by Denander’s
guitar and by Marcel Jacob (Talisman) driving bass althought it always
hits the AOR and shows a nice refrain, but soon Jidhed softens again
the music with mid tempo "Now We Cry" featuring Bruce Gaitsch
on acoustic guitar and female vocals to exalt the perfect AOR refrain.
"Lost Angels", written by Steve Perry and Cliff Magness, was
already recorded by Raine for their album "Peace" but this
version, with Kimmo Blom and Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) on back vocals,
is much better even if I think it would have been better with a faster
pace, and the singer from Gutenberg does anything to be ‘forgiven’
with "I’ll Be Ready Then", a mega ballad where all is
at very high levels, a song worth of massive airplay and sales.
If compared to such opulence, the Journey like uptempo "Falling
In Love" is ‘simply’ a nice tracks and effectively its
more linear and cheerful structure makes it sound more banal (but lend
your ears to keyboards and Orchestra’s parts) and similar fate
is for the warm mid tempo "Wish You Were Here".
"Don’t Close Your Eyes" is danceable and revisits Toto
in the typical Skandi AOR with a less catchy refrain, but also in this
case Jim places a great song as follower, the acoustic slow "Marie"
guesting the endless great and romantic singing.
A couple of songs just below the high averate won’t be enought
to take "Full Circle" in the lower scale of my next AOR Top
Ten, wishing that Atenzia’s economic and Jidhed/Denander’s
artistic efforts are more than rewarded by huge success and sales, the
only way not to wait thirteen more years before listening excellent
albums like this one.
RATING 95/100
DISCOVER
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Gut, mit einem derartigen Nachnamen ist man einfach geschlagen - auch
wenn ich vielleicht die einzige sein mag, die soetwas in einer Review
schreibt. Das aber nur nebenbei - nun zur Musik:
"Full Circle" ist Musik für Erwachsene. Eher ruhig und
tiefsinnig pendelt es zwischen Pop und Rock und bietet dabei sowohl
musikalisch, als auch songwriterisch einen hohen Anspruch. Die Arrangements
der eingängigen Songs sind sehr komplex strukturiert, dynamisch
aufgebaut und haben immer wieder kleine Widerhaken, die das Material
nicht nur Mainstream-tauglich (im positiven Sinne) machen, sondern auch
peppig und energiereich. Eine tolle Scheibe, für jeden, bei dem's
nicht immer scheppern muss.
Eva-Maria Übelhack
EXTENDED MIX
Jim Jidhed
Full circle
Hallelujah! 2003 har börjat osedvanligt bra med massor av bra plattor
som redan hittat ut på marknaden. Jag har redan hunnit lovorda
svenska Ignition med Jan Johansen på excellent sång, men
nu har jag hört något som slår det mesta och jag slår
vad om att den här skivan kommer att ligga högt på min
lista över 2003 års bästa skivor, ja kanske till och
med överst!
Att JIM JIDHED skulle göra ett bra album har jag förstått
av förhandssnacket, men att det skulle vara så komplett hade
jag bara kunnat drömma om. JIM började sin bana i Alien och
jag måste medge att jag alltid tyckt att JIDHED låtit alltför
mesig och det 13 år gamla soloalbumet ”Jim” står
och samlar damm i min skivhylla. Albumet har inte åldrats med
värdighet om man säger så. Nu återkommer alltså
JIM JIDHED och han gör det med besked.
JIM har idag en röst som har mognat något helt förträffligt
och likheten med Steve Perry är otrolig och nästan lite FÖR
bra ibland. Men förutom JIM’s sång så är
det låtarna som är albumets styrka. Denna samling av egenkomponerade
låtar, delvis tillsammans med Tommy Denander, framstår som
några av de bästa låtar som skrivits av ett svenskt
team i denna genre någonsin. Ja, jag kan faktiskt inte komma på
någon annan artist eller grupp som lyckats pricka in så
många favoriter på en och samma platta. Just nu känns
det som om jag inte kan få ut ”Full circle” ur min CD-spelare,
men för att inte riktigt slita ut den så bör jag nog
sansa mig lite och byta efter det att jag skrivit färdigt den här
recensionen. Och för att det skall bli fler tips för Er läsare
att läsa.
Om jag skall börja med de två negativa sidorna av JIM’s
album så är det just likheten med Steve Perry, som får
sin kulmen i just Steve Perry-skrivna ”Lost angels”. En låt
som skrevs tillsammans med Clif Magness men som aldrig givits ut av
varken Journey eller Steve Perry själv. Det lär finnas en
version av gruppen Raine, men den har jag aldrig hört. ”Lost
angels” är en typisk Perry-låt med hans speciella frasering
och JIM går igenom hela paketet och totalt härmar Perry från
ruta ett rakt igenom hela låten. Ibland får jag en känning
av att man mixtrat i studion för att få det att bli så
likt Steve Perry som möjligt, fråga mig bara inte varför.
Personligen hade jag tyckt bättre om en mer personlig version,
men låten är naturligtvis kanon ändå. Dessutom
tycker jag att produktionen svajar lite. Det kan bero på att albumet
är inspelat i ett antal olika studios och antagligen under en längre
period, men vem skall egentligen klaga över resultatet när
det nu är så bra.
Om vi tar albumet från början så var jag fast redan
efter 42 sekunder in i ”I will never leave you now” när
första refrängen kommer. En klassiker som visar vilken god
sångare och låtskrivare JIM är. Bra gitarr av Tommy
Denander som står som producent för albumet och som gjort
sin bästa prestation hittills. ”Full circle” är
ännu en egen komposition som tillhör de två bästa
spåren på albumet. En midtempolåt med en helt grym
refräng. ”Silence of your heart” är en av tre låtar
som JIM JIDHED inte varit inblandad i låtskrivarmässigt.
En mycket bra refräng med Kimmo Blom och Erkka Korhonen från
Urban Tale i kören. ”Someday” är en låt som
påminner lite mer om Toto i stil, därTommy Denander leker
Lukather med sin gitarr. Glömde jag säga att refrängen
är en killer?
Första balladen kommer med spår fem, ”I can’t go
on” som skrivits av Tommy Denander tillsammans med Ricky Delin.
En vacker och känslig sång av JIM, som mer påminner
om Bob Carlisle (en kristen sångare som är mycket stor i
USA) korsat med Steve Augeri, Journey’s nuvarande sångare.
Dock en av albumets svagare spår. ”Anyway you want it”
rockar loss rejält och bjuder på en klassisk refräng
i moll och ett gästspel av Marcel Jacob på bas. ”Now
we cry” är en midtempolåt som inleder lugnt och vackert.
Låten är en av dessa enormt pampiga och hymn-lika AOR-låtar
som jag är så otroligt svag för och därför
utser jag den till albumets bästa spår. Gästspel av
Bruce Gaitsch på gura. ”Lost angels” har jag redan berört
innan och det är en kraftfull låt, men med en alltför
kraftig Perry-feeling. Nästa ballad heter ”I’ll be ready
then” och där har vi en riktig höjdare och här sjunger
JIM så som JIM ska låta med en kraftfull och klar stämma
som har mycket känsla och inlevelse. Suverän låt!
”Falling in love” är en mer bagatellartad glad låt
som har lite schlager över sig och ”Wish you were here”
är ytterligare en halvtempolåt som har en kanonrefräng.
”Don’t close your eyes” är den låt som har
klart bästa gitarr-riffet och den rockar gott med en bra vers men
kanske en mindre bra refräng. Avslutande ”Marie” är
en vacker sång som återigen påminner en hel del om
någon av alla dessa underbara Journey-ballader. En sång
tillägnad JIM’s fru eller flickvän kan man väl anta.
En sång som alla grabbar med lite känslighet skulle önska
att de skrivit till sin käresta. En värdig avslutning på
ett fantastiskt album.
JIM JIDHED och Tommy Denander har gjort ett album som jag hoppas kommer
att bli en milstolpe och klassiker i den svenska rocken. En platta som
alla vi som älskar AOR och melodisk rock helt sonika kommer att
älska länge och som jag hoppas ska kunna nå ut till
många fler utanför vår lilla men trogna krets. Grattis
JIM JIDHED för ett fantastiskt arbete och låtskrivande! Grattis
Tommy Denander som äntligen fått till det! Grattis till Magnus
Söderkvist på Atenzia Records som fått möjligheten
att släppa detta album. Grattis alla som köper albumet, ni
har många timmars njutande framför Er!
Kolla också in:
"Journey - Raised on radio"
"Radioactive - Cermony of innocence"
Roger
RATING 10/10
GERMAN MAGAZINE
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Was ex-Alien Shouter
Jim Jidhed
auf seinem zweiten Soloalbum abliefert, kann nur als allererste AOR-Sahne
bezeichnet werden.
13 Songs haben es auf den Silberling geschafft, die allesamt zu überzeugen
w issen und etwas an The Storm" und das erste Two Fires"-Album
erinnern. Gemeinsam mit Jidhed werkelte Tommy Denander ( Radioactive",
Prisoner" u.a.) an den Stücken, der auch für einen Großteil
der Gitarren und Keyboards zuständig war. Wer sich damals von den
reichlich hohen Vocals von Jidhedauf den Alien-Alben abschrecken ließ,
sollte alle Vorurteile schnell über Bord werfen, denn auf "Full
Circle" bewegt sich der charismatische Shouter eher in Gewässern,
in denen sich sonst eher Kevin Chalfant (The Storm) oder Steve Augeri
(Journey) bewegen.
Rundum ein gelungenes Album mit einem ordentlichen Sound, der allerdings
noch eine klitzekleine Entwicklungsmöglichkeit nach oben offen
lässt. Dennoch ein unerlässliches Album für AOR-Fans!
HEART OF THE ROCK
Top Ten Playlist
01: Jim Jidhed - Wish You Were Here
02: 40ft Ringo - Anyway
03: Ignition - Should Have Done You Right
04: Urban Tale - Starship Of Giants
05: Jim Jidhed - Lost Angels
06: Departure - Listen To What I Say
07: Urban Tale - Son Of A Gun
08: Coastland Ride - Let Me Let You Go
09: Liesegang - Kings Of The Western World
10: Pagans Mind - The Seven Sacred Promises
HEART OF THE ROCK
JIM JIDHED - FULL CIRCLE
Many of you have voiced concerns about the deluge of releases lately,
and the perceived lack of quality on most of them. Picky lot aren't
you? Well two labels in particular are listening and doing something
about it. Escape Music has cut back its output but the quality is right
up there. And as for new boys Atenzia? - they are doing likewise, and
going about it the right way too. As a Swedish label, the focus is first
and foremost on the local market - just like the good old days.. build
up the buzz in a deliberate fashion, and time everything to perfection.
So it is with this wonderful slab of pure AOR from Jim Jidhed entitled
'Full Circle'. The Gothenburg resident has kept a low profile since
his last recognised release from 1990 'Jim'. Coerced into action by
guitarist/producer Tommy Denander , Jim has dusted the cobwebs off his
Shure microphones and softened the old vocal chords with a good dousing
of liquid honey. For those of you who missed those dulcet tones singing
tracks like 'Heart To Heart', 'These Are The Good Times' and 'Two Cold
Hearts', rest assured, Jim returns melodically enhanced, a sure sign
we're now in the 21st century.
Having lived with this material for a few months now, the final product
for me is the icing on the cake, with many of the songs taking shape
towards the end of 2002. The guest-list of players is incredible, Denander
having called upon many of his musical partners-in-crime to add the
'hundreds and thousands' to this already rich slab. It would come as
no surprise to you that Jim comes close to the Steve Perry side of the
boulevard without actually hitting the curb, and you hear his vocal
interpretation throughout. Even faint reminders of Terry Brock 's 'Back
To Eden' come wafting over the neighborhood like Mom's homebaked cooking
- in this case it's eighties flavored AOR rather than freshly baked
cookies! The songs have mostly been written by Jim, and in a few cases,
co-written with Denander and pal Ricky Delin .
Well then.. what better way to open the album than the smooth pulse
of 'I Will Never Leave You Now'. Fans of 'Raised On Radio' era Journey
- get your wallets out now! Next up, the title track 'Full Circle' is
an introspective look at Jim's music career from past to present. It's
also the next single due for release in Sweden. One of the many highlights
include 'Silence Of Your Heart' - the lead-in bridge and chorus sections
are oh so memorable. 'Someday' balances itself on a Toto -like thread
of AOR and a swaggering bluesy counterpoint. Listening to 'I Can't Go
On' is akin to an aural release, such is its delicate nature - and yes
despite what the songtitle says.. you can go on! 'Now We Cry' on initial
listening has Terry Brock 's indelible feel on it, though some may hear
it differently. The Steve Perry/Clif Magness written 'Lost Angels' is
a pearler, and what better person to do it justice. The Perry-isms are
staggering, though not intentional of course! The song rocks mostly,
though the chorus is very smooth vocally.
The track 'I'll Be Ready Then' was the initial pre-release single, and
you can tell immediately as a ballad, it has 'grandiose' written all
over it - a prime target for radio for sure. Picking up the pace is
the upbeat 'Falling In Love', again Perry era Journey is the key. Two
other highlights are the supremely melodic 'Wish You Were Here' which
has hints of a John Waite/Mark Spiro conspiracy, plus the tender melodic
moments of 'Marie' which rounds out the album. Guys - this is the track
to play to your lady.. even if her name isn't Marie! Two of the rockier
tracks 'Anyway You Want It' and 'Don't close Your Eyes' are good in
their own right, but when compared to the overall flow of the album,
probably feel a little out of place - only my opinion though.
The upshot of it all people - pure AOR for 2003 probably doesn't get
any better than this, and it's only Jan/Feb! I understand that Denander
was given a decent budget to play with, and as with all quality output,
the results show. I probably would have given this a 10 out of 10, but
it's marked down slightly for the reasons listed below. For the AOR
and melodic rock purists out there, you need no second invitation, hopefully
an endorsement from HOTR-ONLINE is enough to get your orders in now!
Pro's: Jidhed has a truly wondrous voice, given licence to sing on his
own accord, smooth production
Con's: Would have preferred a better track-list order, two tracks listed
above just feel slightly out of place
Review by: George Thatcher
RATING 9.8/10
HARDSOUNDS
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Jim Jidhed sul finire degi anni ’80 era il singer degli svedesi
"Alien" con i quali registrò un album e diversi singoli
ottenendo un discreto successo sia in Svezia, sia in Giappone ed entrando
direttamente nei cuori dei fans del rock melodico di tutto il mondo.
Era dai primi anni ’90, nei quali registrò i suoi due dischi
da solista, che non avevamo più notizie di Jim che torna adesso
sul mercato con il suo "Full Circle".
L’album con il suo AOR di grande effetto sicuramente emozionerà
gli amanti delle sonorità più melodiche ed è un
susseguirsi di grandi composizioni; Jim canta 13 songs che si alternano
tra stupendi ritornelli, struggenti ballads e brani che invitano ad
accompagnare Jim nelle sue linee vocali.
Le songs sono la dimostrazione della classe di Jim e pur essendo orecchiabili
e dirette non sono mai scontate ed anzi catturano l’ascoltatore
per tutta la durata del disco.
L’ iniziale "I Will Never Leave You" ci regala subito
emozioni forti, legate al suo ritornello che non potrà lasciarvi
indifferenti, la graziosa "Full Circle" ci intrattiene a meraviglia,
con Jim che traccia stupende melodie in un mid tempo con un bellissimo
accompagnamento, "Silence Of Your Heart" è caratterizzata
da un coro divino e da Jim che nella prima parte utilizza un timido
filtro vocale(di grandissimo effetto), "Someday" è
una perfetta fusione tra le grandi melodie di Jim e parti chitarristiche
gustose e piene di feeling, nella ballad "I Can’t Let Go"
la voce di Jim spicca su un dolce e soffuso accompagnamento e nel soave
ritornello Jim ci porta a toccare il cielo con un dito, su "Anyway
You Want It" i ritmi si fanno più sostenuti e le ritmiche
appaiono graffianti con un piacevole sottofondo di tastiera; Jim ci
dona un ritornello di grande impatto introdotto da ottime linee vocali
con un inciso di una classe disarmante, "Now We Cry" è
una dolcissima ballad basata sulla voce di Jim accompagnata da chitarra
acustica e tastiere, "Lost Angeles" scritta da Steve Perry
e Cliff Magness è un piacevole mid tempo ricco di belle melodie,
"I'll Be Ready Then" è una ballad commovente dove il
lavoro vocale di Jim risalta con un’interpretazione struggente
e ricca di feeling, in "Falling In Love" chitarra elettrica,
tastiere e piacevoli backing vocals fanno da base a Jim che ci intrattiene
con le sue lyrics, "Wish You Where Here" è un altro
grande mid tempo, caratterizzato nel ritornello da voci "celestiali"
che si uniscono a quella di Jim, in "Don’t Close Your
Eyes" le ritmiche di chitarra prendono il sopravvento fino al coro
dove Jim conferma la sua capacità di creare songs di grande impatto,
"Marie" è una ballad bellissima; chitarra acustica,
drum loop e l’orchestra tracciano la base per la voce di Jim che
con una interpretazione sentita e piena di pathos chiude il disco regalandoci
l’ennesima perla.
Una menzione particolare per le parti "strumentali" del disco:
ho trovato davvero di gusto sia le parti ritmiche sia quelle soliste
sempre ricche di feeling e mai invadenti….
A voi scoprire gli "special guests" che hanno partecipato
in "Full Circle" sia in fase compositiva sia sulle esecuzioni
dei brani dove spicca tra l’altro la "Sweden Rock Orchestra".
Se amate i Journey e le sonorità melodiche in generale, se amate
farvi catturare da melodie mai scontate o ripetitive, se adorate sognare
e divertirvi con un album di grande impatto ed effetto, se anche a voi
piace immergervi in dolci composizioni…lasciatevi guidare da Jim
Jidhed alla scoperta di questo bellissimo album che sicuramente vi farà
passare piacevoli momenti.
Insieme agli "On The Rise" un must del genere in questo 2003
ricco di sorprese…
Elessar
RATING 85/100
HM PORTAL
Jim Jidhed - Full Circle
Non lasciatevi ingannare dalle apparenze, anche se Jim Jidhed ha più
la faccia del salumiere all’angolo, piuttosto che quella del rocker
navigato (pur essendolo ed abbigliandosi in maniera adeguata), vi assicuro
che ha classe da vendere e più di un argomento da esibire: innanzitutto
è dotato di una bella voce, calda ed espressiva, ed inoltre,
su questo lavoro, si dimostra un grande songwriter, dato che i pezzi
sono molto belli e tutti caratterizzati da una notevole maturità.
Cercando di ispezionare le liriche, si capisce che sono tutte molto
introspettive (mi pare di intuire parlino dell’abbandono da parte
della moglie) e comunque riguardano sempre la sfera amorosa ed i sentimenti
in generale. Nota positiva è il fatto che Jidhed faccia capire
che le cose con la sua compagna si siano inaspettatamente risistemate,
citandola nei ringraziamenti, comunque tralasciamo le vicende familiari
del nostro e concentriamoci sul disco in sé, disco che può
contare sul notevole apporto dell’axeman Tommy Denander (Prisoner,
Rainmaker), sia in fase di songwriting che d’esecuzione, con risultati
apprezzabili, nelle ritmiche come in fase solista, dove spesso si esibisce
in assoli che rendono maggiormente incisivi i brani di per sé
sempre molto delicati ma mai mosci o privi d’ispirazione.
L’iniziale “I Will Never Leave You Now” è forse
una delle canzoni maggiormente sostenute dell’intero lavoro ed
è caratterizzata da un incedere maestoso e da un refrain memorabile
che vi catturerà sin dal primo ascolto, pur non essendo una party-song
e trattando un tema particolare come un ritorno di fiamma, ma in maniera
tutt’altro che banale, mentre la title-track è un altro
brano armonioso e godibilissimo, dotato di un altro ritornello che farà
subito presa. “Lost Angels”, è firmata da Cliff Magness
e Steve Perry (di cui spesso Jim, sembra un ottimo replicante) ed è
un mid-tempo Aor di pregevole fattura,
Non mi dilungherò a descrivervi tutte le 13 tracce di questo
“Full Circe”, tanto avrete capito che si tratta di Aor, sulla
falsariga dei Journey, ma mi limiterò a consigliarvi di dedicargli
almeno un ascolto, premiando così il lavoro di questo grande
artista e anche di un’etichetta, l’Atenzia, che sta sfornando
ottimi lavori (ed anche artwork e produzione sono perfettamente curati).
Un cenno alla lista di ospiti presenti su questo secondo lavoro solista
(il primo “Jim” è datato 1990): si va dal chitarrista
Bruce Gaitsch , fresco autore di un album a titolo “Nova”,
ai due Urban Tale Kimmo Blom ed Erkka Korhonen, al noto bassista Marcel
Jacob (Malmsteen, Talisman) sino alla Sweden Rock Orchestra.
Aor di classe per l’ex voce degli Alien: potrebbe essere uno dei
dischi dell’anno
Recensore: Maestro
RATINGS 85/100 - Tecnica 4/5 - Songwriting 4,5/5 - Produzione 4/5
- Innovazione 2,5/5
MISIING PIECES
JIM JIDHED
Full Circle
Former Alien vocalist, Jim Jidhead returns with his second solo album,
"Full Circle", the follow-up to his 1991 eponymous debut.
Produced superbly for Atenzia records by all round whiz Tommy Denander,
the listener is treated to thirteen tracks of classic AOR which pay
homage to all that is great about this genre and, at times, display
simply astonishing Journey/Steve Perry trademarks, thanks not just to
Jidhead's amazing vocals but also the arrangements of the songs and
the guitar/keyboard interplay.
As soon as "I Will Never Leave You Now" bursts from the speakers,
you could easily think you are listening to a new Steve Perry album,
with a song reminiscent of "Suzanne" from Journey's "Raised
on Radio." The orchestrated title track benefit's from an instant
chorus and is a more modern slant on the Perry theme. "Silence
of Your Heart" is rousing Journeyesque, stadium rock in the mould
of "Be Good To Yourself", with Jidhead's vocals a dead ringer
for Perry, particularly on the chorus and featuring a Neal Schon style
guitar solo at the outro. The soulful groove of "Someday"
has a slightly Santana/Two Fires feel, although the backing vocals sound
more Journey. The acoustic led ballad, "I Can't Go On", showcases
Jidhead's vocal talent to the full before the tempo shifts up a gear
with "Any Way You Want It", an uptempo rocker featuring a
strong Jonathan Cain style keyboard riff and lots of guitar. "Now
We Cry" is driven on powerful keyboards and comes across like a
Michael Bolton/Mark Mangold track from Bolton's "Everybody's Crazy"
album. The possible standout track is "Lost Angels", a song
written by none other than Steve Perry himself, along with Cliff Magness.
The great man's signature is woven all through this classic track and
could have come straight off his own "For The Love Of Strange Medicine"
opus. "I'll Be Ready Then" is a big, lighters in the air,
atmospheric ballad, not unlike Perry's "I Stand Alone". The
upbeat "Falling In Love" has an optimistic feel and "Wish
You Were Here" has a laid back vibe and an intricate structure,
with acoustic guitars provided by Bruce Gaitsch. "Don't Close Your
Eyes" is the album's heaviest track, driven on a easy guitar riff
and filled out with huge keyboards, with a feel of Giant meets Vital
Signs. The pure Steve Perry sounding ballad, "Marie" brings
the album to an emotion drenched, dreamy ending you wished would never
come. It is rare to find an album these days with no fillers, but every
track on "Full Circle" offers something oozing quality, all
with top-notch production. It will be a surprise to hear a better album
of classic AOR this year. Essential.
Review by John Ferguson
RATING 9/10
MAGAZINET
Jim Jidhed - "Full circle"
Det är bara att kapitulera, rulla ut den röda mattan, ta av
sig hatten och formligen skrika ut sin glädje över det nya
Svenska bolaget Atenzia och deras inledning på det nya året.
Ena höjdarplattan efter den andra och i det här fallet Jim
Jidhed (Välkommen tillbaka!). 13 mästerliga AOR-dängor
levereras rakt i ansiktet med stort hjärta och en oerhört
magisk känsla. Jag tror att fans av Journey och Steve Perry kommer
att få en underbart rolig stund med den här skivan. Tolv
år har gått sedan Jims förra soloframträdande,
men av det märks inget. Hans röst är rysligt stark och
säker. Det ska mycket till om någon ska lyckas bräcka
det här inom den närmsta tiden. Det mesta av materialet har
Jim skrivit själv, men namn som Billy Trudell, Steve Perry, Clif
Magness, Bruce Gaitsch och Tommy Denander har även dommedverkat.
Den sistnämnde står även bakom produktionen som är
oerhört tajt.
JOHNNY FORSLUND
MELODIC.NET
Jim Jidhed
Full circle
Producer: Tommy Denander
I´m pretty sure that this album will be either No:1 or the 2nd
best this year because I felt right away that this Journey smelling
AOR that Jim delivers is a "once in a lifetime" shot! "Full
circle" is his first AOR album since the one titled "Jim"
in 90,and this new one is the closest sounding album to Journey´s
Raised on Radio I have ever heard......and Journey is the greatest band
on earth,so you know what I´m talking about. Hugo,Terry Brock,Kevin
Chalfant, Stephan Kaemmerer(Frontline) and Timothy Lewis(Departure)
does a good job as Perry clones but sorry lads,noone could´ve
done this vocal performance better than Jim on this record. He has his
own sounding voice too but when Jim lays the Perry vocal on the tracks......I
just go speechless. Jidhed has the absolutely best voice in sweden and
his partner in crime Tommy Denander has done a tremendous good work
at the production,guitarplaying as well as the songwriting. The opening
track "I will never leave you" is like a mix of The girl cant
help it and Suzan from Raised on radio without copying any melodies,that
song marks the class of what´s to come for the rest of this fantastic
AOR killer. The title track "Full circle" is one of the faves
with a great uptempo groove and cool lyrics about Jim going back to
this rocknroll life once again. Third out is a song by Billy Trudel
which he did in a slower ballad kinda version but Jim and Tommy speeded
up the tempo a bit and Jim sings it superb. Maybe the most Journey sounding
track is the 4th song called "Someday" with a shuffle beat,
that brings your thoughts to Lovin´ touchin´ squeezin´
or something that could´ve been taken from Perry´s "For
the love of strange medicine",the break in the song by Denander
is pure magic spiced with Toto vibes. First ballad "I cant go on"
take you to heaven with Jim´s wonderful singing that only Perry
himself could match. I could go on and on about all the good things
on this album but I´ll let you find out the paradise on earth,....namely
Jim Jidhed. You´ll be sorry if you´re not.
Reviewed by: kaj
MELODICROCK.COM
JIM JIDHED
Full Circle
This is former Alien vocalist Jim Jidhed's second solo album, behind
his debut release Jim, released several years ago.
Citing this as his comeback release, Jim has hooked up with new Swedish
label Atenzia and guitarist/producer Tommy Denander to record what he
hoped would be one of the best AOR albums of the year.
I'd have to say it is, but read on for the full run down.
The album is filled with plenty of well written, catchy, 80's influenced,
Journey style AOR numbers. It's flows very smoothly and will appeal
to those that live for the 100% pure AOR musical blend. It's a familiar
formula, but it's that it's done so well that is the charm.
Jim's voice is the highlight of the album. His smooth Steve Perry/Hugo/Steve
Augeri style vocals demand attention and help bring the songs to life.
I'm pleased to say that there is only 2 imported tracks - the rest are
written in-house by Jim solo or with Tommy Denander.
This is some catchy AOR for sure. A few of the tracks rank as some of
the best in recent times. There are a couple of minor points that need
to be addressed. First, out of 13 tracks, there's maybe 2 fillers. 11
tracks would have made for a tighter album.
Secondly, the album does have a slightly programmed feel to it in places,
which listeners should be aware of. The extra dollars spent on the production
is clear on most tracks, but on a few, the sound does sound a little
thin.
Saying that, it is Tommy Denander's best work ever, even topping the
excellent Radioactive album.
Track By Track:
Opening the album in unmistakable Tommy Denander style is the uptempo
AOR number I Will Never Leave You Now. Straight off we are head first
into Jidhed's amazing Perry-like vocals. This is a first rate track
with a solid chorus and strong verse.
Full Circle steps the quality up another notch. This moody mid-to-uptempo
song is pure AOR brilliance, with a killer chorus and strong melody
line.
Silence Of The Heart is another track from the past pages of Tommy Denander's
history. This uptempo track features a verse, bridge, chorus arrangement,
with the chorus being of particularly good quality, as is the harmony
vocals.
Someday is a slow to mid-tempo track with a swagger to it. Not a ballad,
nor a rocker, it does feature a strong lead vocal and some good guitar
work, but isn't a favourite from the album.
I Can't Go On is the album's first ballad. Jidhed is in full sultry
Steve Perry mode, also reminding me of Steve Augeri and the Journey
album Arrival on this smooth, soft ballad. It's a pretty laid back track
that builds a little, but remains within itself.
I felt the album needed a list at this point and that's what we get.
Anyway You Want It is a guitar driven uptempo track that gets the blood
racing with a strong verse and memorable chorus. It also features some
strong backing vocals.
Now We Cry is another classic AOR track. Moody and mid-tempo, Jim's
vocals rule this track, which is one of those big anthemic AOR numbers
we all love.
Lost Angels is an old unreleased Steve Perry/Cliff Magnus track, which
has been previously covered by Raine. I have to admit that I'm not into
this version of the song as much as I thought I would be. Compared to
some other tracks on the album, I think it feels a little flat and could
have gained from being played at a faster tempo. The atmosphere of all
the harmonies is cool, but I just feel that it falls short.
Not so the big power ballad of the album I'll Be Ready Then. This is
first rate, A-Grade AOR in any sense of the word. If there is any justice
it would be a worldwide hit. Very commercial, very catchy and very heartfelt.
Some classy guitar work from Denander, massive harmony vocals and a
monster lead vocal from Jim. Much better!
Falling In Love continues the best part of the album. This last few
songs really hit the spot and make the album. This is a classic Def
Leppard/Journey-esque feel good, uptempo pop rocker, with another keyboard
filled, stand out chorus that AOR fans will adore.
Wish You Were Here continues the good vibes, this time with it's soft
mid tempo pop touch.
Don't Lose Your Eyes kicks off with a guitar riff and heads into mid-tempo
territory, featuring a strong guitar sound and verse, but could have
done with a more impactful chorus.
Closing out the album is Marie, a soft, romantic acoustic ballad, filled
with Jim's best softly sung, smooth vocals. A peaceful way of ending
the album and very reminiscent of Steve Perry's work on For The Love
Of Strange Medicine.
The Bottom Line
There's more than enough tracks to pick favorites from, as this is a
high quality AOR release with a big sound in most places and plenty
else for fans of pure AOR and Journey.
Lots of guitars, keyboards and a generally feel good tempo, it proves
good classic era, high-tech AOR is still able to be made. A couple of
minor points don't take away from the fact that it will be one of 2003's
best releases.
Strings added from the Sweden Rock Orchestra add an extra dimension
to the sound and texture of a few tracks. It's something I'd love to
hear more of.
RATING 92/100
Additional Ratings
Songwriting 95
Attitude 92
Production 88
METALCENTRAL
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Äntligen är han tillbaka! Mer än tolv år har gått
sen Aliens orginalvokalist släppte sitt första soloalbum.
Jim Jidheds andra studioalster är en fröjd för allt vad
AOR står för. Tillsammans med gitarristen, låtskrivaren
och producenten Tommy Denander så har han satt ihop ett album
som direkt vandrar i fotspår från Journey och Steve Perry.
Klart, några låtar är starkare än andra, men alla
13 låtar är klara "powerhouses" som de säger
i "amerikat".
Låtarna är genomarbetade med både känsla och precision.
Arrangemangen känns rätt, och de ger en skön känsla
av 80-tal på något sätt, precis som det ska vara!
Jidhed klarar sig också från en av AORens största problem,
att alla spår tenderar att låta likadant. Men med sin röst
hamnar han ibland nära storheter som just Steve Perry, vilket ger
luft och känsla till varje låt.
Lyssna bara till en låt som "I Can't Go On" och "I'll
Be Ready Then" så förstår du direkt vad jag pratar
om.
När nästan hela låtlistan på baksidan visar kanonlåtar
så är detta redan en klar kandidat till "Årets
AOR"! För AOR-lyssnarna, en KLAR rekommendation!
Recensent: Elias Olsson
RATING: 8/10
MELODICROCK.DE
JIM JIDHED - Full circle
All of you melodicrock-fans should know Jim, the first singer of swedish
band Alien. After his short career with Alien, he did his own solo thing
and released the selftitled debut and several later a swedish sung record,
called "Snart Kommer Natten" (that is extremly hard to find
nowadays). Now he's back with a great new albumm, "Full Circle",
that is produced by Tommy Denander. Among the 13 tracks of the album
you can find several corkers and huge melodic-tunes. With "I will
never leave you now" Jim opens up with a monster hit, in the vein
of Journey's "Raised on radio"-era. The following titletrack
is a little more pop-oriented but has a very melodic chorus. On "Silence
of your heart" and my favourit "lost angels" Jim sounds
so Steve Perry-like, that I thought I heard Steve sing himself... Listen
to his accentuation and the feeling inside his voice - this is what
a great singer have to sound like. "Full Circle" is a superb
mixture between nice ballads ('I'll be ready then"), AOR/Pop-songs
(check out the cool "Now we cry") and guitar-driven melodicrock,
as you can hear on the uptempo-track "Anyway you want it".
Beneath all the new releases in melodicrock these days, "Full Circle"
for me is a shining star. This is founded in Jim himself, as a fantastic
vocalist, in really great songs (sorry, but I have no further information
who wrote the songs) and in the crystal clear and modern production
of mastermind Denander. First class!
Review by Dirk Nitschke
RATINGS Songs: 8/10 - Sound: 8,5/10 - All in All: 8,5/10
MELODICROCK.DE
Dirk Nitschke
Playlist
1. Henrik Launbjerg (formerly Toys Of Joy) - Words You Don't Say
2. Kiyotaka Sugiyama - Moonset
3. Stroke 9 - Nasty Little Thoughts
4. Jim Jidhed - Full Circle
5. The Guess Who - Lonely One
METAL RULES
Jim Jidhed - Full Circle
Jim Jidhed replaced singer Hans Gislasson in the Gothenburg based melodic/hard
rock band Alien. The band had a major hit with the Bee-Gees cover “Only
One Women” in 1988 with Jim on vocals. Jim left Alien and was replaced
by Madison singer Pete Sandberg. In the beginning of the 90`s Jim recorded
two solo albums, the first one called JIM and the second one had a swedish
title SNART KOMMER NATTEN. On those two records, Jim made a transfer
to some more pop/rock music. After his two solo albums Jim switched
careers and began to work as a restarurant owner and his musical ambitions
were laid aside for a while.
When Atenzia records contacted Jim and wanted him to record an album
he had already began to work on this one. On this album Jim has co-operated
with producer/songwriter/musician Tommy Denander. Tommy has worked with
such acts as Toto and Richard Marx. Jim recorded FULL CIRCLE in quite
a few studios all around the world.
There are 13 tracks on FULL CIRCLE, all produced by Tommy Denander,
who has made a very good sounding album. Jim has written 7 of the songs
by himself, Tommy has helped out on 1, Tommy and Ricky Delin wrote 2
and there are also 2 covers on the album. Musicwise this is melodic
hard rock, there are some similarites with Jims work in Alien but this
is a bit “nicer”. It is more melodic sounding which is close
to that of Journey. The lyrics are mainly about love, both good and
bad. He has also recorded a love song for his wife Marie on the record
as well.
“I Will Never Leave You Now”, “Full Circle”, “Silence
Of your Heart” and “Someday” are very melodic with Jim
on the top of the sound picture. This could easily fit in on any record
by Steve Perry (ex-Journey singer). “I Can’t Go On” and
“I’ll Be Ready Then”, two very slow ballads. Jim’s
vocals are quite impressive in these songs. “Anyway You Want It”,
“Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “Lost Angels” a
bit faster melodic hard rock with lots of keyboards and guitar, it sounds
incredibly 80´s. “Now We Cry” and “Falling In Love”
are two melodic hard rock tracks. “Wish You Were Here” is
not a ballad but it’s a very slow and melodic song. The record
finishes of with the love song to his wife Marie, simply called “Marie”.
Jim still has a strong voice and an amazing vocal range if you consider
his long absence from the music scene. The record feels a bit shattered
though, it feels like he wants to do too much of everything and he can’t
decide in which music genre he wants to be in. Some of the song feel
too weak as well. But if you like melodic hard rock then you should
check this out.
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall
Rating:
3.9/5
MISSING PIECES
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Former Alien vocalist, Jim Jidhead returns with his second solo album,
"Full Circle", the follow-up to his 1991 eponymous debut.
Produced superbly for Atenzia records by all round whiz Tommy Denander,
the listener is treated to thirteen tracks of classic AOR which pay
homage to all that is great about this genre and, at times, display
simply astonishing Journey/Steve Perry trademarks, thanks not just to
Jidhead's amazing vocals but also the arrangements of the songs and
the guitar/keyboard interplay.
As soon as "I Will Never Leave You Now" bursts from the speakers,
you could easily think you are listening to a new Steve Perry album,
with a song reminiscent of "Suzanne" from Journey's "Raised
on Radio." The orchestrated title track benefit's from an instant
chorus and is a more modern slant on the Perry theme. "Silence
of Your Heart" is rousing Journeyesque, stadium rock in the mould
of "Be Good To Yourself", with Jidhead's vocals a dead ringer
for Perry, particularly on the chorus and featuring a Neal Schon style
guitar solo at the outro. The soulful groove of "Someday"
has a slightly Santana/Two Fires feel, although the backing vocals sound
more Journey. The acoustic led ballad, "I Can't Go On", showcases
Jidhead's vocal talent to the full before the tempo shifts up a gear
with "Any Way You Want It", an uptempo rocker featuring a
strong Jonathan Cain style keyboard riff and lots of guitar. "Now
We Cry" is driven on powerful keyboards and comes across like a
Michael Bolton/Mark Mangold track from Bolton's "Everybody's Crazy"
album. The possible standout track is "Lost Angels", a song
written by none other than Steve Perry himself, along with Cliff Magness.
The great man's signature is woven all through this classic track and
could have come straight off his own "For The Love Of Strange Medicine"
opus. "I'll Be Ready Then" is a big, lighters in the air,
atmospheric ballad, not unlike Perry's "I Stand Alone". The
upbeat "Falling In Love" has an optimistic feel and "Wish
You Were Here" has a laid back vibe and an intricate structure,
with acoustic guitars provided by Bruce Gaitsch. "Don't Close Your
Eyes" is the album's heaviest track, driven on a easy guitar riff
and filled out with huge keyboards, with a feel of Giant meets Vital
Signs. The pure Steve Perry sounding ballad, "Marie" brings
the album to an emotion drenched, dreamy ending you wished would never
come. It is rare to find an album these days with no fillers, but every
track on "Full Circle" offers something oozing quality, all
with top-notch production. It will be a surprise to hear a better album
of classic AOR this year. Essential.
Review by John Ferguson
RATING 9/10
NORRKÖPINGS TIDNING
Jim Jidhed - Full Circle
Man behöver knappast besitta några övernaturliga krafter
för att identifiera Jim Jidheds förebilder. Full circle formligen
skriker Journey och Steve Perry. Sämre influenser kan man ha och
resultatet får anses klart godkänt.
Dessvärre är väl avvikningarna från de n melodiösa
hårdrockens standardramar för få för att jag ska
vara i närheten av extas. Men skulle Journeys Neal Schon ringa
och be om tips på en bra sångare, så lovar jag att
skicka ett exemplar av den här skivan. Jidhed skulle platsa mer
än väl!
MICKE HOLMSTRÖM
RATING 3/5
NEH RECORDS
JIM JIDHED
"Full Circle"
Description: Pop-leaning, post-'80s, Westcoast-ish AOR
Singer Jim Jidhed's "Full Circle" is a sweet-toned set of
mid/late-'80s style, Westcoast-ish pop/AOR, indebted to the breezy,
light-pomp feel of Journey, Survivor, and other mainstays of the era.
It's heavy on '80s-sounding polish, but it also has enough soul to give
it substance, and it's backed by the power-packed performances we'd
expect from producer/super-guitarist Tommy Denander (Prisoner, Radioactive).
Highlights include the hard-riffing AOR of "Anyway You Want It,"
the downbeat, perfectly radio-ready emotion of "I Can't Go On,"
and the
big, sweeping balladry of "I'll Be Ready Then."
Jidhed's voice is consistently rich and expressive on his "Circle,"
with post-Steve Perry elements that echo throughout the record (most
blatantly on the Perry-penned "Lost Angels"), but his is not
obviously better than the many other top-flight AOR voices out there.
And a similar critique applies to "Full Circle" as a whole:
It's not distinctive enough to be a truly outstanding release. It is
a fine, engaging hard pop/AOR album, however, and in its derivative
glory, hardcore fans of the style will find it well worth checking out.
RATING 79/100
ON THE ROCKS
JIM JIDHED
“Full Circle”
Recommended:
“Full Circle”:
The album's title track is a melancholic mid-tempo tune with a hook
laden, instantly likable chorus. The song excels with Jim Jidhed's emotional
vocals, beautiful keyboards and tastefully arranged string accompaniment
by the Sweden Rock Orchestra.
“I Can’t Go On”:
A deeply moving ballad based on the soft instrumentation, but a rousing
vocal performance by Jim Jidhed. His outstanding voice comes to full
shine on this song and sounds very close to Steve Perry. I am sure fans
of classic JOURNEY ballads will love this song.
“Anyway You Want It”:
"Anyway You Want It" is a crisp and up-beat Melodic Rock song
similar to ALIEN and FM at the time of their "Tough It Out"
album. It's probably the album's heaviest track.
“Now We Cry”:
A stylish and keyboard oriented half-ballad that revives the glory days
of ALIEN and BAD ENGLISH. The chorus is pure ear candy and gets its
thrill with the multiple layers of (female) background vocals. Acoustic
guitars on this song were handled by Bruce Gaitsch.
“Lost Angels”:
"Lost Angels" is a beautiful AOR mid-tempo number that was
penned by Cliff Magness and Steve Perry. So it goes without saying that
it sounds like a classic JOURNEY song. Jim Jidhed does a excellent job
on this song and it couldn't sound any stronger with Steve Perry on
vocals! URBAN TALE's Kimmo Blom and Erkka Korhonen handle background
vocals on this song.
“I’ll Be Ready Then”:
In Sweden this song was released as an advance single. It's another
great AOR ballad with pompous arrangements, multiple layers of background
vocals and a strong melody that leaves nothing to be desired for any
JOURNEY fan.
Summary:
Finally, he's back! More than twelve long years after his self-titled
solo debut original ALIEN singer Jim Jidhed returns with a brand new
studio album. With the help of guitarist, songwriter and producer Tommy
Denander he has put together an excellent AOR album that wanders in
the footprints of classic JOURNEY and Steve Perry. Sure, some songs
are stronger than others, but all 13 tracks on "Full Circle"
are strong AOR powerhouses, thanks to the highly matured songwriting,
varied arrangements and a great performance by all participating musicians,
in particular Jim Jidhed. His emotional and expressive voice shows unexpected
similarities with Steve Perry and breathes life and passion into the
songs. Just take a listen to the heartbreaking ballads "I Can't
Go On" and "I'll Be Ready Then" and you will instantly
find out what I'm writing about here. Since the list of highlights covers
almost the complete tracklist, "Full Circle" is the first
serious contender for the "AOR album of the year" award. Highly
recommended!
RATING: 92 %
PRODUCTION: 85 %
PRESENTATION: 86 %
PROG-NOSE
JIM JIDHED - FUll Circle
Neen, Jim is geen familie van Beavis & Butthead en ja, de overeenkomst
qua titel met eerder werk van Saga is louter toevallig. Wie mag Jim
Jidhed dan wel wezen, vraagt u zich misschien af ? Geen idee, eigenlijk,
alleen blijkt de man eind jaren tachtig in thuisland Zweden succes gehad
te hebben met een band die Alien heette.
‘Full circle’ is zijn eerste solo escapade sinds een jaar
of twaalf en muzikaal situeert ’s mans muziek zich duidelijk in
het AOR segment, ook wel eens de ‘fast food’ tak van de rockbiz
genaamd. Waarom ? Omdat het meeste materiaal dat we vanuit die hoek
geserveerd krijgen doorgaans voorgekauwd, panklaar materiaal is dat
er, en dat mag ook gezegd worden, van tijd tot tijd lekker in gaat.
Niet bijster origineel dus, maar af en toe best te pruimen en dat geldt
zeker voor ‘Full Circle’ van Jim Jidhed.
Wie van Journey en van Steve Perry’s stemgeluid houdt, zal met
deze schijf zijn of haar gading vinden. Volgens het gekende recept worden
een resem songs aangeboden, die variëren van stevige up tempo rockers
tot mierzoete ballads, steeds voorzien van fraaie melodielijnen, pakkende
koortjes, gebalde gitaar- en doorleefde zangpartijen. Jim Jidhed slaagt
erin de balans netjes in het midden te houden en nergens ‘over
the top’ te gaan, een euvel waar veel van zijn Amerikaanse soortgenoten
aan lijden. Dat alles maakt dat ‘Full Circle’ voor heel wat
luistergenot zal zorgen en niet enkel voor wie van het genre houdt.
Met de lente in aantocht wil ik de eigenaars van een cabrio alvast deze
tip aan de hand doen : laat ‘I will never leave you now’ uit
je cd-speler knallen en je rit kan niet meer stuk.
Review by Piet "Neal" Michem
Rating 7/10
PRINTZIP
Full Circle
Jim Jidhed
Es ist nicht zu leugnen, dass der Name Jim Jidhed in Vergessenheit geraten
ist. Das war nicht immer so. Mit seiner Band Alias feierte er durchaus
den einen oder anderen Erfolg, wie mit der Single „Only One Woman“,
die in den Charts mehrer europäischer Länder zu finden war.
Doch Solopfade zeichneten daraufhin schnell Jims Weg. Zwei Alben brachte
er dabei hervor, die allerdings „nur“ in Schweden erfolgreich
waren. Im Februar war es denn dann soweit: Sein neues Soloalbum, von
Tommy Denander produziert, erschien. Es gibt Stimmen, die speziell für
das Radio taugliche Musik abtun. Mit „Full Circle“ bedient
Jim Jidhed genau diese Sparte mit seinem Pop-Rock. Dabei wird gerockt,
aber eben ganz abgerundet, darf die Ballade nicht fehlen. Alles in allem
dürften gerade ältere Semester ihre Freunde an „Full
Circle“ haben, da diese Art von Mucke fürs „geübte“
Ohr nicht fremd ist. Die 13 Songs mögen zwar bei manch einem alte
Erinnerungen wach rufen, können aber ebenso neue Erfahrungen begleiten.
ROCK REPORT
JIDHED, JIM
Full Circle
Only three albums were released by the brand-new Atenzia Records label
last year and all of them ended up in the top 20 of our famous poll.
Jim Jidhed’s “Full Circle” is Atenzia’s fourth release
(the first of this year) and once again the quality is so high that
I’m sure it will be a strong contender for album of the year 2003.
But before I tell you more about it, let’s have a closer look at
Mr Jidhed himself.
Jim’s career started at the end of the eighties, 1987 to be precisely,
when he formed the band Alien with guitarist Tony Borg. He can be heard
singing on the band’s eponymous debut album (Virgin, 1988), which
is still considered by many as the band’s best ever. After that
he teamed up with Norwegian songwriter/producer Ole Evenrude and released
his first solo album for Virgin, simply called “Jim”, in 1990.
I still remember how proud I was when I finally got a copy of that album
in my hands. Unfortunately however, “Jim” was the last thing
we heard from the man … until now. Searching for more info on the
Internet, I came across an interview by my German colleague Marco Spaeth,
that learned me that Jim Jidhed did record another solo album for Virgin
in 1991. It seems to be a pop record, which sold well, supposedly because
of a hit single. Changes at Virgin caused the end of the record deal
and since then Jim has been writing and working as a song coach. He
also started a music school in Gothenburg two years ago.
Which brings us to his resurrection and if we have to thank one person
for Jim Jidhed’s, it has to be Tommy Denander. Forced by more than
one label he kept asking Jim about a possible comeback until he finally
got to hear some of Jim’s songs in January 2002. Impressed as he
was, he told Magnus Söderkvist about it and the rest - like they
say - is history.
“Full Circle” contains 11 fantastic AOR songs, of which only
four are dating back to the first half of the 80’s. The rest of
the material was written or co-written (Tommy Denander / Ricky Delin)
during the winter and spring of last year. But whatever song you take,
it’s always a catchy one, showcasing Jidhed’s voice which
has never sounded as impressive as now. I have always known he is great,
but now he’s brilliant and the same can be said about the long
list of guest musicians, including no less than 10 backing vocalists.
Excellently produced by workaholic Denander and delivered with a 12-page
booklet in stylish black & white, this is one of the early highlights
of the year. And although not all releases on Atenzia will fall into
the AOR category, I’m sure many highlights will follow this one.
To be continued! (CL)
RATING 92/100
ROCK UNITED
JIM JIDHED: "Full Circle"
Atenzia, ex-Alien vocalist Jim Jidhead's record company promised that
"Full Circle" would re-introduce Jim as an AOR artist to be
reckoned with, and sure enough, that wasn't your typical record company
hype! This album is going to be hard to beat when it comes to pure AOR
releases, and even though we're only a few weeks' into 2003, I'm pretty
confident that we're talking about a Top 10 album on my list, and most
probably many other AOR fans' one too.
If you're familiar with Jim's back catalogue, you already know that
he has the pipes to rival any melodic rock vocalist out there, and with
a well produced album and a set of remarkable songs, he has come close
to releasing the best album of his career. It's kicked off with a catchy
uptempo AOR track "I Will Never Leave You Now" and closed
with a delicate, sentimental ballad "Marie". In between you'll
find examples of AOR songwriting at its' best, with virtually no fillers
in sight. Tracks to look out for include Toto-esque "Someday",
hard-edged "Anyway You Want It", the awesome ballad "I
Can't Go On" and magnificent AOR numbers "Now We Cry"
and "Falling In Love". Jim has also recorded the Steve Perry/Clif
Magness-written track "Lost Angels", that was released a few
years ago on the Raine album "Peace". The only track that
I would call average is the title track. Despite the lyrics being about
"making a full circle and going back to rock" (if my old ears
are to be believed), it's surprisingly lightweight and pop-oriented.
Thumbs up for Jim and producer/co-writer/guitarist Tommy Denander, a
great job. The only thing that I could possibly complain is the fact
that Jim's accent is a bit stronger than it used to be, maybe it's just
that he may not have been singing in english a lot lately. It's not
a big thing really, just something I noticed - you might think that
it only adds character to his voice.
Apparently Atenzia gave the project a bigger budget than what AOR albums
are getting these days, and it is evident in the final product. I hope
that it pays off, and this album gets the recognition it deserves.
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
RATING 9/10
ROCK AVALANCHE
Jim Jidhed: *Full Circle*
Gut, mit einem derartigen Nachnamen ist man einfach geschlagen –
auch wenn ich vielleicht die einzige bin, die´s in einem Review
schreibt. Ich bin bei dem guten Singesmann nur nicht ganz auf der Höh,
weil nämlich: Jim sang bei Alien. Und meines Wissens nach gibt
es da zwei. Die einen kennt sogar jeder Regensburger aus Qu und Factory
(von wegen *Crash*) – aber wenn ich mir die weniger kratzige und
helle Stimme hier anhöre, waren das wohl doch nicht die Alien.
*Full Circle* ist Musik für Erwachsene. Eher ruhig und tiefsinnig,
pendelt zwischen Pop und Rock und bietet dabei musikalisch/ songwriterisch
einen hohen Anspruch. Die Arrangements der eingängigen Songs sind
sehr komplex strukturiert, dynamisch aufgebaut und bringen immer wieder
kleine Widerhaken, die das Material nicht nur mainstream-tauglich (im
positiven Sinne) machen, sondern auch peppig und energiereich. Eine
tolle Scheibe, für jeden, bei dem´s nicht imemr scheppern
muß. (Atenzia)
EV
SYDSVENSKAN
Jim Jidhed
2003 februari 14
Full circle
ROCK. Först ut är Jim Jidhed och en sliskig, betydligt
sämre, uppföljare till solodebuten för tretton år
sedan. Han nynnar fortfarande romantisk FM-rock; både låter
som och lånar från förebildenSteve Perry utan att göra
det särskilt bra. Only-one-woman-sångaren Jim från
ett sedan länge insomnat Alien har rösten i behåll,
ofta riktigt bra. Hedern kan dock inte återupprättas av de
oförlåtliga bristerna i såväl produktion som låtmaterial.
Joachim Smith
RATING 1,5/5
STRUTTER
JIM JIDHED ‘FULL CIRCLE’
Former ALIEN lead singer Jim Jidhed is back with a new solo-CD, and
let me inform right away that this is a HIGH PRIORITY RELEASE for every
AOR fan out there! This record is filled with some of the best AOR I’ve
heard in a long time, even beating last year’s Atenzia Records’
releases HARLAN CAGE and 101 SOUTH. Jim has a superb voice, maybe one
of the best in the music world! The fact that he comes out of Sweden
is making this release yet another gem from that Scandinavian country.
Jim gets help on his new solo-CD ‘Full circle’ from guitarist
TOMMY DENANDER, who also produced the record, and further we can hear
URBAN TALE members on backing vocals, while there’s also a STEVE
PERRY song on the CD.
From the very first seconds until the last piece of the CD, I have enjoyed
it a lot, and can easily say that this is one of the best AOR records
at the moment. Jim has a golden voice, and makes every song interesting.
The best songs can be found during the first part of the album, with
as true highlights “I will never leave you now” (fantastic
super catchy uptempo AOR with a classy chorus, not unlike JOURNEY circa’83
and STREET TALK at their rocking best), “Silence of your heart”
(AOR DREAM! SUPERB UPTEMPO AOR a la first record of URBAN TALE), “Someday”
(hello 1980s JOURNEY, great semi AOR ballad), “Now we cry”
(great HUGE 1989ish midtempo AOR like BAD ENGLISH and Warren/Child penned
tunes), “Lost angels” (the STEVE PERRY penned tune, awesome
midtempo AOR like JOURNEY at their very best), “I’ll be ready
then” (BIG AOR Ballad of which JOURNEY would have been jealous,
this could easily become a big hitsingle!) and the fun 80s type of uptempo
Summer AOR rockers “Falling in love” and “Anyway you
want it” (1983 sound!). As you can see, this album totally grabbed
me, an awesome record that should be in the collection of every AOR
fan!
RATING 9.0/10
SVD
Jim Jidhed
Full circle
Så här i Melodifestivaltider kan man påminna om att
sångaren Jim Jidhed (med ett förflutet i Alien) var med och
tävlade på Melodifestivalen 1991 och 1997. I dag är
Jidhed en typisk AOR-sångare och ett namn i kretsar där grupper
som Journey, Foreigner och Toto är namn att respektera.
Det var länge sedan han gjorde något på egen hand men
här har han skakat fram ett riktigt bra album i en amerikanskt
svulstig och melodiös rocktradition. Stor hjälp har han haft
av musikern och producenten Tommy Denander, som försett honom med
en stilenlig ljudmiljö och dessutom bidragit med ett gäng
grymma gitarrsolon i Steve Lukather/Jay Graydon-skolan.
Lyssna även på: Planet 3: Music from the planet.
Dan Backman
RATING 4/5
SWEDISH WESTCAOST SITE
Jim Jidhed - Full Circle.
This is a great production by Mr. Jidhed & Mr. Denander. Jim
has wrote many tracks and also together with Tommy, Steve Perry &
Clif Magness has contributed this CD with one track "Lost Angels".
Jim's voice is something special and with 13 great tracks this is a
CD you have to get to your collection. Highly Recommended.
Bengt
RATING 10/10
SFK
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
As someone who was never really a fan of Alien, I never quite got the
fuss over Jim’s vocal stylings. You know what? I still don’t.
He always reminded me of a 3rd rate Steve Perry so I guess there’s
no surprise that this is yet another trip to Journey lane. And once
again, the songs here aren’t all that bad. And at least this time
out, a few actually stand out from the pack, namely the massive “Silence
Of Your Heart” (ironically enough probably the closest track to
Journey!), “Falling In Love” and “Wish You Were Here”.
But, and maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I’ve been down
this road so many times before that I just tend to tune out after a
while. Your mileage may vary…
Kurt Torster
VÄRMLANDS FOLKBLAD
JIM JIDHED
Full Circle (Atenzia)
ROCK Så här i schlagertider passar Jim Jidhed
på att göra comeback. För dryga tio år sedan hade
han en större schlagerhit med Kommer du ihåg mig.
Många kommer säkert ihåg Jim, men då som sångare
i rockbandet Alien. Och det är som rocksångare han nu är
tillbaka. Hade nya cd:n Full Circle släppts för 20 år
sedan hade det mycket väl kunnat bli en världssuccé.
Jim Jidhed modell 2003 låter mycket som Journey och Toto när
de stod på toppen. Gamle Journey-sångaren Steve Perry har
till och med skrivit en av låtarna på plattan.
Söker du melodisk rock av gammalt gott slag är detta ett givet
köp.
KASPER NORLING
RATING 3/5
THE METAL INFORMATIVE
Jim Jidhed
Full Circle
Ojojojojoj det här väcker ju en massa gamla goa minnen. Jim
Jidhed, den gamle Alien sångaren är tebax.. Det var då
inte i går man hörde något från denna killen.
Sist jag hörde något från honom så sjöng
han ”Kommer Du Ihåg Mig” på Eurovision Song Contest.
Jim släppte två plattor efter att han lämnat Alien.
”Jim” och ”Snart Kommer Natten” i början av
90-talet. Dem gick ganska bra och var uppe och dansa på topplistorna
här i Sverige. Men nu är han tillbaks i AOR världen och
släpper en Journey/Toto/Chicago doftande platta. Och som producent
har ingen mindre än Toto freaket själv Tommy Denander. Tommy
har även lagt gitarrerna och arrangerat de mesta. Och de hörs.
Detta kunde nästan lika bra vara ett av Tommys band Radioaktive.
Låtarna riktigt smeker en hela vägen in i öronen och
man lutar sig bara tebax och njuter hela vägen ut. Jims röst
är någonstans mellan Steve Perry (Journey), Bill Kimball
(Toto). Låtarna här är helt utmärkta. Perfekta
låtar för att sitta och gosa med tjejen i soffan en söndag
eftermiddag. De är väl ingen direkt party platta men har ändå
en bra rock attityd i sig. Så för er som gillar ovannämnda
band ska absolut kolla in Jimsan och ge honom en chans. Första
låten på plattan ”I Will Never Leave you”
är en riktig Toto doftande pärla. Näst intill samma arrangemang
som Toto har. Och refrängen är precis så träff
säker som Totos låtar är. En annan låt som jag
fastnat för är ”Silence Of Your Heart”. Lite rockigare
och går mer åt Journey hållet men med lite mer gitarrbaserad.
”Somebody” är en lite blues inspirerad melodi som är
riktigt bra och man sitter lixom och lallar med i refrängen. I
låtarna ”Lost Angels", "Falling In Love” så
kommer de litemer rock. Och här är de en hel del goa å
grymma riff i. Nog helt klart min favoritlåt på plattan
just nu. ”Falling In Love” har en riktigt mäktig refräng.
Överlag får du tretton låtar som smeker en ljuvt och
man luta sig tillbaks och bara njuta av ännu en svensk platta som
kommer leva med länge.
Henke
RATING 4,5/5
SÖDERTÄLJE LÄNSTIDNING
Jim Jidhed
"Full Circle"
Känner du igen namnet Jim Jidhed? Han spelade med gruppen Alien
i slutet av 80-talet och släppte senare några soloplattor.
Senast 1997 såg du honom i Melodifestivalen med låten Charlie,
om du tittade förstås. "Full circle" är Jim
Jidheds nya album, hans första för Atenzia Records och skivan
är producerad av Tommy Denander, som jobbat med Toto och Richard
Marx.
Tja, jag vet inte vem som gillar den här skivan. Hatar att vara
taskig men den är ett tveksamt bidrag till pop/rock-genren. Okej
melodier, men tamt för att vara rock, oorginellt för att vara
pop. Mycket melidifestivalvibbar. Jag hakar snabbt upp mig på
den svengelska sången. Sorry Jidhed.
MS
RATING 2/5
TEMPIDURI
Jim Jidhed
Full circle
Questo lavoro di Jim Jihed rappresenta l’esordio solistico dopo
la sua dipartita dagli Alien, in questa veste il nostro ci propone un
cd veramente godibile sotto tutti i punti di vista, infatti ci troviamo
davanti a della musica fatta per essere ascoltata in macchina avendo
il potere di tranquillizzare non poco chi ascolta.
Musica ariosa di grande respiro a volte vicina a delle cose bonjoviane
Ma la più grossa influenza viene dai mitici Journey, e non a
caso Ji Jidhed scrive a quattro assieme a Steve Perry "Lost Angels",
anche se stiamo parlando di Rock marcatamente Americano stiamo in realtà
scrivendo di musicisti che fanno parte della scena svedese che è
diventata ormai terra di fucina per nuove leve e non!!
Certo chi ascolta questo cd dovrà avere una mentalità
aperta a tutto il panorama sonoro per accettare questo tipo di proposta,
infatti chi è abituato ad ascoltare solo black metal è
chiaro che questo disco non fa per lui.
Quindi Rock melodico a pompa fino a volte a sfiorare il melenso in alcuni
episodi mica è detto che deve per forza far piangere un disoc
per essere considerato A.O.R.
Però la voce di Jim Idhed si fa apprezzare molto ed in alcuni
momenti sembra quasi di ascoltare Steve Perry dietro il microfono,cmunque
a voi la scelta se vi piace la melodia questi sono soldi spesi bene!!
Stefano Bonelli
SPANISH PLAYLIST
LO MEJOR DEL 2003 !!!
1. GOTTHARD: Human Zoo.
Han logrado ir superandose y como los buenos vinos que se dice ganan
con el tiempo, estos suizos abandonados por su productor de toda la
vida se han sacado de la manga un discazo que esta llamado a aparecer
en diciembre en los primeros puestos de todas las listas.
2. THUNDER: Shooting at the sun.
Que buen disco esta vuelta de un grupo tan infravalorado como Thunder
que conserva esa humor en las canciones y ese sonido tan particular.
Inconfundibles.
3. JIM JIDHED: Full circle.
Segunda obra del ex-vocalista de Alien. Produccion de lujo y temas de
puro AOR que calcan por momentos a Steve Perry. ¿Quien dijo que
ya no se podia abanzar dentro del AOR?
4. WITHIN TEMPTATION: Mother earth.
Re-edición del segundo disco de estos holandeses con chica al
frente. Nos han cautivado con su directo y entran en la lista de los
mejores del 2003.
5. HALL & OATES: Do it for love.
Este gran dúo con el nuevo disco recobra el sentimiento de los
grandes discos que nos dejaron durante los 80..
6. STYX: Cyclorama.
El primero de los grupos miticos en publicar este año y que nos
presenta un disco muy equilibrado entre temas de su antigua epoca y
otros que recuerdan a Damn Yankees.
7. URBAN TALE: Signs of times.
Nuestros amigos finlandeses por fin parece que han encontrado la atencion
que merecian con un segundo disco mas maduro y personal lleno de temas
de gran calidad.
8. ON THE RISE: On the Rise.
A medio camino entre el AOR escandinavo y Nelson, este duo noruego presenta
un disco lleno de temas "amigos de las radios". Ideal
para sorprender a tus amigos.
9. DEPARTURE: Corporate wheel.
Dentro de los grupos muy influenciados por Journey tenemos a Departure
que en este su tercer trabajo se acercan a sus maestros mas si cabe
especialmente con el nuevo vocalista.
Soundchecks in -
ROCK HARD
RATING 8/10
HAMMER
RATING 5/7
METAL HEART
RATING 8/10
ROCK IT
RATING 8,5/10
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