TOM KIMMEL - 5 TO 1 (1987, POLYGRAM/MERCURY)
Tom Kimmel - vocals, guitars
Kenny Greenburg - guitars
Mike Lawler - piano, keyboards
Michael Joyce - bass
Joe Vitale - drums

Background
Another prime contender for all webpages dedicated to AOR and melodic rock. Tom Kimmel, all the way from Nashville is playing a style which is a dead ringer for that other fine talent Van Stephenson. With this album '5 To 1', Kimmel gets to let loose with a variety of self penned songs dating back as far as 1980 and all the way to 1986. '5 To 1' has been a must have album among vinyl collectors for many years. The sound as mentioned previously is like Van Stephenson, but throw Stan Bush and Bryan Adams in there as well for good measure. The production also gets a rave here, with the team of Bill Szymczyk and Bob Clearmountain doing the honours this time around. The guitars zing and the drums are positively crisp!! It's also apparent that Kimmel's a seriously good songwriter.

The Songs
On '5 To 1' for instance his opening track 'That's Freedom' was turned into a Top 40 hit down under by John Farnham. 'Shake' is an AOR anthem of sorts with those stabbing keyboards in the chorus and Dann Huff like guitarwork. Elsewhere the melodic power strikes home on the outrageously good 'True Love' which is so Stan Bush like! 'On The Defensive' cuts up rough with strutting guitar and tight drums. 'A To Z' is a slower moment with lilting verses and a haunting arrangement before the AOR pulse kicks in at chorus time. 'Violet Eyes' is another ballad which is like Chris De Burgh doing melodic rock (if you can imagine it). 'No Tech' is not exactly AOR, but more of an overblown pop workout a la Donnie Iris while the title track '5 To 1' heads off into heartland style AOR with that ambient piano meandering through delicate guitar lines.

In Summary
Any AOR collectors new to pick up on Tom Kimmel, get in now while his CD's are around.

Track Listing:
01 That's Freedom
02 Shake
03 Tryin' To Dance
04 A to Z
05 True Love
06 Heroes
07 On The Defensive
08 Violet Eyes
09 No Tech
10 5 To 1

Related Articles:
N/A

Embedded Videos:
Kimmel, Tom - 1987 Thats Freedom (flash video format FLV)



All written content on this website is copyrighted.
Copying of material without permission is not permitted.

Posted by gdazegod on August 19, 2003 · 2 Comments · 1483 Reads ·