Two Of A Kind: Rise (Frontiers)

I thought I had heard all of the various projects the Frontiers label had thrown together over the past decade or so, but apparently Dutch “band” Two Of A Kind slipped by me when they released their debut back in 2007. The band is more or less Terra Nova with a pair of female vocalists – Esther Brouns and Anita Craenmehr, and they’re back after a long absence with a second album, titled Rise.

The basic approach here is Terra Nova’s brand of textbook melodic rock with a major nod to Heart (the ’80s Heart, that is). Most Terra Nova albums were forgettable but had a moment or two of if not greatness then at least “better than averageness.” That’s true of Rise as well. The musicianship is solid, the vocals are solid in a modern Robin Beck kind of way, and the production is just fine. It’s the songwriting that pulls the album down, unfortunately. The ballad “Naked” (also reminiscent of the last Robin Beck album) is a really good song, and “Rise” is really hard to resist. The rest of the album ranges from tolerable if forgettable to downright embarrassing (see “Rock Your World”, but only if you hate yourself). Even the cover artwork is bland and forgettable.

If you loved the previous Two Of A Kind album or are a big Terra Nova fan, chances are you’ll get a lot more out of Rise than I did. If you’re looking for a melodic rock album on par with the average Heart, Robin Beck or even Headpins release, this just doesn’t measure up.