Kev Rowland Stala & So have been around for more than fifteen years now, but this is only their second album, following up on ‘It Is So’. When it comes to their image there is no doubt that 70’s and 80’s glam rock bands, such as Sweet, T-Rex and Ziggy Stardust -era David Bowie, have had a strong influence but musically these guys are not what you might expect. They state that their main aim is to create music but always to have fun doing so, and the image just doesn’t connect with the sound that is coming through the speakers. Here we have melodic rock of the very highest order, as the guys mix Talisman and Toto with elements of Journey to create a sound that is both timeless and wonderful.

It is no surprise that famed producer Beau Hill (Ratt, Europe, Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Warrant and many more) approached the band to see if he could get involved in some way. This has all that a melodic rock lover could ever want from a band with hooks aplenty, harmonies and lead vocals that are always spot on, but never forgetting that they are first and foremost a rock band and provide the edginess that comes with that. But, as I said, these guys are all about having fun, which has to be why they approached the final song in the way that they did. This is a gentle acoustic number, with just vocals and delicate picking to start it off. It is fragile, it is fractured, with a simple beauty that is almost breathtaking in it’s audacity. Audacity? Well, this is a cover of Ozzy’s “Shot In The Dark”! You’ve never heard it played like this, and on many levels this has elevated that song to something else altogether. They may not look like a melodic rock band, but they don’t sound like many of them either – that’s because they are so much better. This is a stunning melodic album.

Stephen STALA & SO, a name that might have been more fitted in a train company or gold stores, but despite that weird pick, this Finnish poppish glam outfit unleashed a set of enjoyable and uplifting songs in 'It Is So'. One thing that bothers me is the singer. His singing style and timbre isn't my fave but I'm not saying he's bad here, it's just that probably one of the troubling part of this album is him.

'Got To Believe' is a nice opener. An energetic melodic rock with a catchy chorus but shamefully was followed by two average songs. '(Won't Let You) Down Again' is back on track but 'Pamela' stood out as the champion. What an astonishing song! 'Bye Bye' is a great acoustical power ballad tune, 'Happy Day' is more of an easy listening tune and perhaps the last strong track of the album.

The band derived influences from 70s glam rock and combined it with modern power pop. The unusual mix reminds me of ENUFF ZNUFF where late 60s style can be put together with 80s glam. Pretty good album, and fun. 70% isn't too much I guess

Time Signature Bye bye...

Genre: glam metal / melodic hard rock

Stala & So. may style themselves an over the top sleazy glam band - and their image would certainly indicate that - but this release, I would say, has more to offer than your average image-centred glam band. The tunes in this album, while paying homage to glam metal in its various stages in the history of rock, have just as many hard rock, AOR, pop rock, and alternative rock elements in them, as well as a couple of more hard-hitting metal riffs every now and then. Stala & So. really know how to write catchy vocal melodies, that's for sure, and then the vocalist's voice has a quite appealing quality to it and is not marred by the sleazy cheekiness associated with a lot of glamsters. If you're looking for some uplifting glammy hard rock with broad appeal, then Stala & So.'s "This Is So" is definitely a good option.