We already featured the remastered reissues of Tommy Denander bands Rainmaker and Deacon Street Project. Now it’s time another band / project masterminded by the talented Swede; PRISONER. Originally released in 2001, the second PRISONER album was simply titled ‘II’, remastered by Denander himself for this reissue.
PRISONER is perhaps Denander’s finest moment, the project where the songwriting is top notch, the sweet AOR waves are excellent, the catchy melodies, the smooth vocals. There’s keyboard/guitar driven tracks resembling the ’80s, a couple of harder cuts, and of course a TOTOish feeling.
As happened with the band’s debut, future HOUSTON founder Ricky Delin was heavily involved in this album not only playing some magic keyboards / synths, but also co-writing with Denander. This give you a pretty good idea of the AOR bells present on “Prisoner II“.
For “Prisoner II” Denander & Delin refined the songwriting with a more varied sound, alongside the classic AOR style we find some Westcoast breeze with the Scandinavian flavor. Songs like ‘One Way’, ‘Jasmine’, ‘Hold On’, ‘Standing on the Outside’ are highlights, while midtempo ‘One Step Closer’ is pure early ’80s TOTO / Airplay.
“Prisoner II” has everything a fan of this genre would want, but especially amazing songs throughout and that amazing playing / arrangements. Class.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
1. Deadend
2. Jasmine
3. Hold On
4. One Way
5. Return To My Heart
6. Prisoners
7. One Step Closer
8. I’m Right Here
9. Standing On the Outside
10. You Drive Me Crazy
11. Just To Think
12. Wake Up Dead Again
13. Susan