Dare
Out Of the Silence II

Darren Wharton and his Dare returns to celebrate 30 years with a rerecording of their debut album, it is called Out of the Silence II. And for a new version of their celebrated debut it has been given an incredibly dull artwork, it should have had something cooler I think. But having heard much of Dare’s discography it is quite easy to conclude that they rarely do something cool, their works have often been good but also a bit slow and lacking energy and emotion, quite sterile albums I would say. It is claimed that the debut was well regarded and a classic and perhaps it is, I didn’t really hear it until researching this album. And what I came to realise is that the debut album is the album this band kind of keeps releasing in slightly altered versions and this is something that feels very much targeted at their fans and probably not so many others.

AOR perhaps, melodic rock, soft rock, slow rock, those are ways I could use to describe how this album sounds. The production is really good, but it is hard to shake the feeling that it is an old album in a slightly revised suit; it doesn’t feel very exciting to me. Darren sings really well though and they have given something of a new life to the songs of the album, they remain true to their original form but with a more modern sound I think. Not too much variation, not too much excitement and with a playing time of 52 minutes it is hard not to think that the album is somewhat long and monotonous towards the end.

Respectable album I would say, I think it is quite good, the songs work and nothing feels terribly poor or anything like that. It is an album that is quite easy to like and it is a strong showing of musical craftsmanship, not so much a showcase of artistry or creativity though. And when listening I soon find myself waiting for a song or some songs with a bit more energy and speed, all the songs feel slow, almost lethargic when you have listened to it for a while. Perhaps a good way to describe the sense of this album is as one that will not disappoint their fans but probably won’t add too many new fans to the existing ones.

Easy listening from Darren and his Dare, a good album I think and I doubt that anyone who gets the album will be disappointed with their purchase, although they might not be fantastically thrilled either. They have blown some life into a thirty-year-old album, but it is still a thirty-year-old album and therefore it can never be as exciting as a newly created one – it is an album without surprises. So in the end I think that Out of the Silence II is a really good album, but I doubt it will make much of a mark in the history of music.

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