Stephen Honestly, the album didn't do much at the first spin, but getting better on the second, although I don't see how it's rated highly because there are about 4-5 pretty weak / average tracks here. Amazing musicianship indeed but the first track, 'I Will Survive', just fell short and can't reach the 8/10 mark. 'Lay In On The Line' is even worst, the chorus is quite dull. Luckily, 'I See You There' fix the situation, a great slow-tempo ballad here. 'It's Just A state of Mind' is worth around 7.5 or 7.75, and the next two are pretty awesome. 'Sea of Dreams' is a nice acoustic/violin stuff, and 'Time and Time Again' is also stunning, the chorus is magical.

Going to the second half, overall still quite patchy. There are weaker moments such as 'Down', but on the contrary, 'The Only One' is spectacular. The energetic melodic riffs combined with a flawless chorus make it a solid 10/10 track and the best song here. 'What Love's Supposed To Be' is also another enchanting ballad and the extra violin touch is also beautiful. The last track didn't do much and sadly, that and several others brought the score down. Production is very big here, at least a 9 or 9.5. Musicianship also deserved at least 9, but too bad the replay value perhaps dragged down around 7.5.

For me, it's still a worth-listening album, but didn't have the strength to compete in the top 20 of this year.

80%