21.05.2008.
3 - To The Power of Three (1988) (@256)
(Review from progreviews.com, progarchives.com, amazon)
When Carl Palmer missed out on an ELP album, the other two simply replaced the name Palmer with Powell, creating Emerson, Lake and Powell. When Greg Lake however had his sabbatical and Robert Berry was brought in, they didn’t become Emerson, Berry and Palmer, they simply became “3”.
In "To the Power of Three" the music is mostly album-oriented pop rock, along the lines of Journey or Styx. The album features upbeat, driving rhythms and simple, hook-laden melodies. It appears the trio were perhaps trying to "pull an Asia", and break into the commercial market with a hit single or two.
Unfortunately the songs aren't that memorable to stand out in an already over saturated AOR market. Tracks such as “Lover to lover”, “You do or you don’t”, and “Runaway” are pop rock drivel, which could have been recorded by any of thousands of Hairspray Heaven bands. There’s also a cover of the Byrds classic, “Eight miles high”, which manages to sanitise the song into a basic pop number. However the album ventures into progressive territory at times, such as the three-part "Desde La Vida" and closing track "On My Way Home" sounds a lot like ELP.
Robert Berry gives a string vocal performance, with a warm and steady voice that is perfectly suited for this kind of music. While he is clearly an accomplished singer, the general weakness of the material render his performance nondescript.
Those who think Asia was the worst thing to ever happen to progressive should probably stay away from this album. The slick, digital-sounding 80s production may also put off some people.
Line-up :
- Keith Emerson / keyboards
- Robert Berry / guitars, vocals, bass
- Carl Palmer / drums
with
- Suzie O'List / vocal
- Kim Liatt J. Edwards / vocal
- Lana Williams / vocal
Track List :
01. Talkin' Bout - 4:03
02. Lover To Lover - 4:13
03. Chains - 3:43
04. Desde La Vida - 7:08
05. Eight Miles High - 4:12
06. Runaway - 4:44
07. You Do or You Don't - 5:07
08. On My Way Home - 4:46
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