Boston-Corporate America (2002)

It took eight long years for Tom Scholz to resurrect the legendary Boston with a new album, following their previous release, "Walk On". Behind them lay their spectacular first four albums, two of which, "Boston" (1976) and "Don't Look Back" (1978), are considered masterpieces of melodic rock. For this fifth album, original vocalist Brad Delp returned after his absence on "Walk On". Also featured was Fran Cosmo, vocalist on that album, who remained an official member of the band, contributing backing vocals and lead vocals on some tracks. Scholz had also added guitarist Kimberly Dahme and guitarist Anthony Cosmo, while Gary Phil (guitar and keyboards), David Sikes (bass), and Curly Smith (drums) completed the core Boston lineup. This new album, titled “Corporate America,” largely showcases Boston's unmistakable classic style, but with a sound geared towards commercial hard rock, where melodic guitars and addictive, irresistible vocals are the common denominator of the repertoire. The album opens with “I Had A Good Time”, the song that undoubtedly sounds most like classic Boston, with a style similar to “I Think I Like It” from “Third Stage”, featuring amazing guitar work that became one of their most frequently performed live tracks from then on. With the following track, “Stare Out Your Window”, the band slows things down, with an acoustic style somewhere between country rock and southern sounds. Meanwhile, “Corporate America” is the darkest and most sinister track on the album, with excellent guitar harmonies reminiscent of the magnificent “Higher Power” from years past. “With You”, on the other hand, is the counterpoint to this last track, a velvety ballad where Kimberly shows her skills as a good country-rock singer. The rest follows a similar line to the first tracks of the album, starting with the old-fashioned “Someone”, a clear nod to the past, or the spectacular “Turn It Off,” to end with the mid-tempo “Cryin’ ”, “Didn’t Mean To Fall In Love”, and “Livin’ For You”. These tracks, although maintaining a very acceptable level, detract somewhat from the final cohesion of an album that, despite this, keeps the Boston feeling very much alive, many years after their enormous and anthological debut.