After a decade of the release of their second album the magical Swedish duo STATE COWS delights us with a 2024 re-mix / re-mastering of the album re-titled “The Second One Redux [re-mixed, re-mastered +4]“, including four additional tracks and new artwork.
The new remix provides more clarity to the overall smooth AOR Westcoast classic sound, especially the guitars and crispness to the vocals.
And this is a delicious albums indeed. Stephan Olofsson (keyboards) & Daniel Andersson (vocals, guitars) assembled a wonderful band for this collection of classy, velvety early ’80s style Westcoast AOR tunes. We find some of the very best Swedish / Norwegian musicians all contributing to the recording with outstanding performances.
And if you need extra quality, there’s impressive contribution from the likes of Bill Champlin, Michael Landau, Jay Graydon, Peter Friestedt, Sven Larsson and many more!
For the sessions of “The Second One”, Daniel and Stefan invited again most of the musicians who already conduced to the success of the first album.
Legend Jay Graydon (Airplay) provides a resplandescent guitar solo on the upbeat “In The City”, but he is not the only from the former L.A. Session cats who makes an appearance. Michael Landau plays the guitar solo on “This Time”, and you can listen to Bill Champlin’s vocals on “Finally Fair and Balanced” with the typical arrangement you expect when you hear Bill’s voice.
Ian Bairnson of Alan Parsons Project / Keats fame played a guitar solo on “I Got Myself Together”, while local Swedish talent Sven Larsson paid a courtesy visit for a guitar solo on “Hard Goodbye”.
All these are great, but my absolute favorite is Peter Friestedt’s inspired six-tring work on “Mr. White” with a flow of closely spaced tones bent and distorted to perfection, making clear why he is, from the new generation, the best guitar player in this style .
State Cows’ “The Second One Redux [re-mixed, re-mastered +4]” is a jewel from STATE COWS, one of very few modern AOR bands that creates new original music.
An album brimming of smooth guitar lines, half-time shuffles, funky bass lines, slick harmonies, real Fender Rhodes, tight horn sections and some California sunshine… a pure Westcoast AOR delight.
Highly Recommended
You’ve seen it first at anywhere
01 – This Time
02 – In the City
03 – Mister White
04 – Hard Goodbye
05 – Scofflaws
06 – I Got Myself Together
07 – Finally Fair and Balanced
08 – Center of the Sun
09 – California Gold
10 – Nineteen Eighty-One
Bonus Tracks:
11 – Careful with the Chainsaw, Dear
12 – Into Something Good
13 – Tinseltown
14 – Calf Stoutness Two
Bill Champlin: vocals on “Finally Fair and Balanced”
Michael Landau: guitar solo on “This Time”
Jay Graydon: guitar solo on “In The City”
Peter Friestedt: guitar solo on “Mister White”
Sven Larsson: guitar solo on “Hard Goodbye”
Ian Bairnson: guitar solo on “I Got Myself Together”
Peter Holmqvist: guitar solo on “Scofflaws”
Göran Turborn: guitar solo on “California Gold”
Samuel Muntlin: EWI solo on “Nineteen Eighty-One”
Pär Wretling, Per Bejstam: horns
Lars-Erik Dahle: bass
Peter Olofsson: drums
Mikael Emsing: percussion
Marcuz Granberg, Christian Thomsen: backing vocals