Fortune – II

9/10

I listen to very different types of music, or rather different types of hard rock. My house gods are Iron Maiden but the music I listen to most is probably AOR. It is the music that is 80’s for me. It was released a huge amount of good hard rock in the 80s so I find new groups every week in those days. It also was released records that are today cult-declared for various reasons and one of these is Fortune, a band that released their debut album in 1985. This record is considered by many as one of, if not the best record in AOR. It’s good, really good but in my opinion not the best. There are others who are better. The record company that released their first self-titled album, Camel / rca records, went bankrupt pretty soon after the release.

The band did not get to keep the mastertapes , which meant that the record was only released in a very limited number and could not be released again. In fact, it was not until recently released again and can be find on Spotify. The band quit their business and ended up in various constellations such as Harlan Cage who released music during the 90s and early 00s. In 2006, the brothers Fortune, Mick Fortune (drums) and Richard Fortune (guitar) started the band again, but it was not until 2016 that the original members made a gig at the Rockingham Music Festival and decided it was time for a new record.

Now second album titled “II” is here and following up a record that is so written and cult-explained is not easy. The first thing that strikes me is that the songs have got more weight through more guitar. Saxophones are gone now and the synths are not as redundant but everything is neat and well-produced. Fortune’s strong side, according to me, is the catchy chorus, they get stuck quickly and I find myself sing to myself on several choruses. First off is “Don’t Say You Love Me” which is a really good song. I think they would have released this as a single but they didn’t, they released “Freedom road” which is good but there are better songs on the record.  If I want to find something negative, singer Larry Greene, who has a more mature voice now and sometimes sounds like the singer from old Mammoth, Nicky Moore, can get his voice a bit monotonous in the long run. He sings in his “Comfort zone” all the time and makes no big changes. But otherwise, this is a full-fledged sequel that will be played extensively by everyone who likes AOR, maybe somebody else too. It is a strength to be able to write such songs according to me. The guitar solos is also of high quality, it is nothing you have put in for it to be a solo but they are well thought out and well played. It is high quality on everything on this record.

Band: Fortune
Title: II
Label: Frontiers
Date of release: 26/4-19
Rate: 9/10
Stand out tracks: Don´t say you love me