Stephen 'The Art of Balance' continues the consistency of NEWMAN's output, being one of the most underrated British hero of melodic rock, this album has some great songs that I like such as the uptempo opener 'Hero To Zero' and 'Edge of The World'; the heavy rock of 'The Miracle'; or the mid-paced AOR gem, 'Stay With Me', which should have been among his best written songs ever.

What slightly lack of this album is there are only three really stand-out tracks that's worthy of 9/10 rating or above. Aside from 'Stay With Me', the other two are 'Wish You Well', wrapped up with great riffs and blasted with great chorus, and the last song, 'Stronger', I'm impressed with how well he wrote this tune and smartly pick this song to end the album.

'Endless' and 'Your Surrender' are the weaker songs but some other recommended tracks are 'Tumble Down', 'Find My Heart', and the tender ballad, 'Forever'. As always, NEWMAN provided a tremendous production and it's really an enjoyable album by him. 85%

Stephen Steve Newman, an underappreciated artist but very consistent in bringing out his 'A' game to the scene, is active again in 2011. After finishing a five years project of BIG LIFE which was eventually out early this year, the eight release of his own band, NEWMAN, finally sees the light of day in the second half, under AOR Heaven label management. Some call 'The Art of Balance' a better album, but in my opinion, 'Under Southern Skies' beats last year's album by a tiny gap.

'Killing Me' is a brilliant uptempo opener, the chorus is simply stunning. 'If He Loves You' is even better, this is pure AOR but kinda heavier, possibly the best track here. 'Strength To Carry On' is an acoustical ballad gem; 'Ghost In The Night' is a superb melodic rock tune; 'Fire With Fire' is a tremendous AOR ballad; and 'Save No Prisoners' builds up slow and erupted into a spectacular show. Those are the thick side of this album, but the rest are also good anyway.

'Under Southern Skies' and 'Without Warning' has a risky verse, not all folks can appreciate them, but Newman is always capable of providing great choruses. 'Wish You Were Here' might be a warm and predictable pop-rock ballad, but it's perfectly executed and a great one. 'Monsterrat' is a classy ballad take with a beautiful piano touch, a good closing track.

The production is unbelievably awesome, this is the highlight of Newman's expertise, creating such a splendid job of unleashing a crystal clear sound off the speaker. His vocal is also great as always, this is a very classy band and album, and if only a five-stars hotel allow a melodic rock band to perform, NEWMAN should be the best pick. Sitting tight in my top 10, it's a loud message to fans of AOR that 'Under Southern Skies' is also a must buy of the year. 90%

Stephen In my opinion, Newman can be considered one of the most talented British musician and criminally underrated. Not only he's a multi-instrumentalist, he can also write great hooks and superb ballads, and this second release is a proof that Newman deserved a better appreciation and recognition. The first track, 'One step Closer', is a brilliant opening piece, the chorus is pure gold and hummable, and I'm convinced, this along with the midtempo AOR-ish ballad, 'Should've Been Me', are the true winners of this album.

'Desperate Hours' and 'The Call' are another midtempo melodic rock gems; 'Don't Walk Away' and 'Fire of Love' are also lovable. There are two passable tracks here, 'Taboo' which is a hard rock filler and 'Strongest Heart', even though not too bad, this acoustic ballad is too flat and quite boring at some places.

This album also stretched nicely with variety, you can find faster paced songs and also a slower moment with the first half of the album is practically stronger than the second, but with only couple of duds, 'One step Closer' is surely one of the most exciting melodic rock release of 1999. Recommended!