Album Review — Ten
Ten — Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ten is a band that hasn’t gained a lot of traction in the US. They are out of the UK and have been releasing albums since 1996. “Something Wicked This Way Comes” (via Frontiers Music) is the band’s 16th studio record.
The album starts with a short intro from what sounds like a movie or reading of a book and introduces the album title. It may be a quote from the 1962 Ray Bradbury novel of the same name? It’s not something I’m familiar with. If you haven’t heard the band before they are very melodic and very smooth. The first band I thought of was Asia.
“Look For The Rose” is the opener and a good example of what the band sounds like. It’s a well constructed upbeat track. Gary Hughes is the vocalist and main songwriter. His voice is smooth and solid but limited in its range, at least based on what I’m hearing on this record. He stays right in his sweet spot and doesn’t venture too far.
“The Tidal Wave” is a strong track. It’s a driving song with a catchy chorus. It’s also the shortest track on the record at just under four and a half minutes.
My overall take on this album is that it’s solid but lacks that certain something that makes me want to keep listening. The songs are long and the musicianship is high quality. But they just aren’t landing for me. They remind me quite a bit of FM, another UK melodic band that has some good elements but just lacking that certain quality that makes me want to come back.
I don’t have anything bad to say about the record. The elements are solid. If a song came on the radio (remember those days?) I wouldn’t turn it off. But it just doesn’t hold me for a full album.
If you are a fan of Ten or other UK melodic rock bands like FM then I think you’ll like this record. It’s a solid effort but just doesn’t land for me.
85 out of 100
Track Listing
1 Look For The Rose *
2 Brave New Lie
3 The Tidal Wave *
4 Parabellum
5 Something Wicked This Way Comes
6 The Fire And The Rain
7 New Found Hope
8 The Only Way Out
9 When The Darkness Comes
10 The Greatest Show On Earth
*Best Songs