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Jim Peterik's career goes way back, having set the tone
for AOR since melodic rock's beginnings in the late 70's to
helping lead survivor through their heyday in the 80's as
songwriter/multi-instrumentalist to his recent collaborations
as producer for Phillip Bardowell, not to mention his solo
album Above the Storm, he is a man who has had a career that
has signified the whole songwriting approach to pop/rock with
the hard rock edge. ***
Now Celebrating that career, Peterik along with his band
Pride of Lions, featuring co-lead vocalist Toby Hitchcock
(who sounds a lot like Toto's Bobby Kimball) have released
a double CD set and DVD (each sold separately) of a live show
that features performances of POL tracks such as "Sound of
Home," "The Courage to Love Somebody," and "It's Criminal"
showcasing all the sides of the material. Of course, this
live performance can't escape many Survivor classics such
as classics like "Eye of the Tiger," "I Can't Hold Back,"
and the ballad "The Search is Over." A lot of classic pop
oriented melodic rock is performed in tight fashion here.
***
The DVD features the performance in tight fashion, with
multi cameras, which is shot in digital, for which the sound
is also available in 5.1. Bonus features include the music
video for "Sound of Home" (Studio Version), TV appearances
with acoustic performances, and a photo gallery slide show.
***
The CD set includes the concert on the first disc and
7 studio tracks on the second; mostly ballads ("Feels Like
Another Planet" and "Surrender in the Night" to name a couple)
as well as rockers with "Reckless Love" and "So Deadly," which
showcases the band's mantra for not only emotional material,
but also harder edged pop tinged AOR. ***
Live in Belgium is the release that showcases Pride of
Lions at their fullest, not only as creators of catchy and
emotional music, but as a flawless live act.
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