stage dolls always

Released: 22 March 2010 Label: AOR Heaven

Norwegian trio the Stage Dolls have been playing for twenty seven years now, and the slick grooves on their seventh full length release Always are pretty much indistinguishable from the American 80s bands who clearly influence their polished pop-rock sound. From country road movie music with an acoustic twang, to raunchier sounding LA sleaze, the Stage Dolls latest opus is an impressive effort; the production is crystal clear and there’s an equal mix of rocking and smooth numbers.

The title song and Rollin’ could have been lifted straight from a Bon Jovi album, with pumping bass lines and bluesy string bend riffs. Torstein Flakne has a great voice for this kind of music and his guitar work is exemplary throughout.

Saturday Night is the closest they get to really rocking out, with its cool Chuck Berry-style walking riff which gets augmented with a stirring brass section, while the catchiest chorus of the album belongs to the groovy Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque Where the Blacktop Ends.

I had to remind myself that these guys weren’t actually from LA on a number of occasions; such was the strength of the American vibe on the album. For my money though, the better tracks are the more laid back numbers such as Raining on a Sunny Day with its infectious melody, great backing vocals and lush acoustic chords.

Highway's Open and My Strangest Friend showcase some neat acoustic guitar playing, with sliding chords and some neat examples of finger picking.

Female guest vocals add a splash of colour, especially on the lilting album closer which is more a country song, with its melancholic verses and distinctive duet verses. It’s a superb intimate little tune, just guitar and vocals, but very atmospheric.

I usually avoid like the plague any band that consists of middle aged men with thinning hair, in women’s make-up and cowboy boots, but I have to say that the song writing on show here is as slick and professional as they come, and the diversity of the tunes makes for a rewarding listening experience, a million miles from what I expected from looking at the cover!

The Stage Dolls are not a glam band!

by Steven Hargraves