Now is indeed the hour as Bruce Turgon and Phillip Bardowell come together under the name Places of Power to release an excellent debut album that fans of classic hard rock and AOR have been yearning for.  Not familiar with these two names?  Their resumes include the likes of Foreigner, Shadow King, Unruly Child and Peter Criss (Kiss) just to name a few. 

Places of Power had my interest from the moment the opening track “In Your Wildest Dream” kicked in at the 20 second mark with an infectious guitar groove followed by Bardowell’s great voice.   I felt a small bit of a Def Leppard “Hysteria” vibe during the pre-chorus leading into the chorus (think “Gods of War” with the gang vocals) which was very cool.  Guitar solo is just smoking here.  By the time this song ended I felt refreshed like I had just jumped into an ice cold swimming pool as modern hard rock bands like Seether and Breaking Benjamin that I constantly hear on the radio just don’t do it for me.  Someone needs to wake up and start playing great stuff like this.

“Desires of our Hearts” started off much lighter than the first two tracks reminding me a bit of Winger’s “Rainbow in the Rose” and while I was hoping the rest of the album would have rocked a little harder I was not disappointed that it didn’t because the musicianship and arrangements are just that good.  A lot of passion can be heard through these songs as the band discuss real life situations involving love that in many cases the listener can put themselves in.  “Places of Power” closes the album which is a much more direct track with heavier guitars and soaring vocals.  Definitely a song that leaves you wanting more and builds anticipation for what will (‘fingers crossed’) be another album.

This is the type of music that I envision listening to on a hot summer night with my Camaro’s top down cruising the Jersey shore with my girl by my side.  This album will be in constant play for me especially with warmer weather drawing near.  If you are into bands like Foreigner, Kiss, Whitesnake, and Europe this is without a doubt for you.  The best part is it does not sound dated but very much part of today.  Blistering Records is on a roll this year and they have truly released something special with Places of Power.