Welcome to the Review of Tony Mill's new solo album Freeway to the Afterlife at AOROCK.co.uk

Tony Mills lead singer of Shy released Cruiser on Z Records, and was his 1st solo album.

Freeway to the Afterlife is his second solo album , and a more Soul music based release rather than a rock album.

FREEWAY TO THE AFTERLIFE

Tony Mills (Shy vocalist) 2nd solo release has arrived and I wonder if I am going to like it. After all this is not going to be a rock/aor album.

My musical tastes range from  Squeeze to Motorhead, so I put the cd on with an open mind. I know that Freeway to the Afterlife is a soul/gospel based affair, but this will be interesting as this is not the type of music I would normally listen to. So here goes. I really like the cover.. good start.

The opening track Salvation in the City opens up with a neat piano into from Joe Baskettes (Keyboards on Sunset & Vine by Shy). Tony Mills vocals open smooth and clear, very different to the high octane delivery you get with Shy. Tony tells us a story of Salvation in the city in a cool, laid back style, The voice sounds great and the sax playing is excellent and dominates this song, along with the piano and really classy backing vocals. The opening cut sets the mood for the album and is a good opening track. Remember this is not my type of music, but I like it. Onto track two.

Somebody Up There opens with a lengthy sax into and echoes with backing vocals. It takes a little while to get into it's stride and continues the soul mood. It's  a little too laid back a song for me. Production is good, and the backing vocals shine through. But I preferred the opening track. It's moody and meanders along with no hurry to get anywhere. Well sung and sax dominated. Very Gospel. I could see this track live in a club. A little repetitive for me, but classy nonetheless.

The Healer opens with a really great  sax/piano introduction and I know immediately that this is going to be a stand out track for me.Tony Mills is at his passionate best, and the track builds nicely. The backing vocals sound great and are quite dominate, but it is that sax/piano combination that carries this tune to be excellent. I really like how Tony's voice sounds and the way his vocals intercut and overlap with the backing vocals works really well. The Healer is a very good song and just feels good. It has a good chorus. Great Sax ..Excellent.

Don't Hurt me Any More continues to set in the vein of the previous tracks, It stars slowly and builds nicely. This track has Tony sounding really finding a great sound. His voice is authorative and would have thought this was a style of singing he was used to. The voice soars, relaxes the listener and shows what a great singer Tony is. Not to mention versatile. The piano is once again superb, backed abley by the sax playing.This song isn't in any hurry to get anywhere, and is well arranged , with some nice unobtrusive guitar work. The Ssx solo is inspiring and takes the song to it's conclusion.

Sensationsal is a much more snappier number, opening with backing vocals. Tony takes over and this song moves along well. Midway through Tony's vocals soar and the song gets the full sax treatment. This is a very sax dominated track and album. I'm not used to this. However the song has a strong feel and very well delivered. A little overlong but it fits the album well.

Revelation is a much faster paced album opening up with another great sax intro.

" I could be living for tomorrow, Sitting waiting for the Sunrise,Will it bring me love or bring me sorrow, Won't be no surprise.....".

The song moves along at pace with pace with more classy backing vocals and sax solos.

Airwaves opens with some neat guitar work, echoing as the piano cuts in. As soon as I heard the opening vocals I knew this was another stand out track. This song has Tony sounding at his best on this album for me. It moves well as a story is played out . Tony Mills really sounds great here and the mood of the song just sounds right.

"Once a river crossed my way, Gave me words I thought to say, A grand design, a game to play.."

This song is the best song so far in terms of the lyrics and has a satisfying feel. Great guitar work and music. Guitar orientated, and that's a good thing as although the sax playing is excellent it can get too dominant sometimes. Great  Stand out track.

Gemini is a very laid back track and really reminds me of George Michael's sound on his album Older. This is no bad thing . The arrangements are good and the sax returns in this short but cool track. In fact this song is very short. But that's fine.

Lastly but not least the title track Freeway To The Afterlife. This is a track which sums up the classy soul based album . It doesn't really go anywhere in particular. The music reminds me of what you would find on a Sade album. Tony sounds fantastic on this song. There's just something so spot on with this track. It builds slowly and carries on at mid pace. The sax is well done and it's just a really moody relaxed song.

"A one way trip , A one way drive, I guess I'm feeling fine, On The Freeway To The Afterlife"

Nice backing vocals , cool song, and ends the album on a high.

FREEWAY TO THE AFTERLIFE - Overall Verdict

Tony Mills has produced a classy album . A soul/gospel album and while not really in my normal musical taste, it's still a very good album.

Stand out tracks : The Healer, Airwaves & Freeway to the Afterlife.

Personally I much prefer Shy and aor music, but having said that this is a well done album . A relaxed album which really shows off Tony Mills to be one of the UK's top vocalists. It also shows versatility. A little too dominated by the Sax in parts and possibly a little the same in sound across the tracks, but I think that's the style of the music., although very well arranged. The backing vocals are great the vocalists  Jacqui Williams & Sue Clarke shine through. Joe Baskettes once again turns in another great performance. All the musicians are great on this album. So overall a very good album , and classy production . However I'd like to see Tony do a more pop./rock based solo album next time. .But that's just personal taste. I'm surprised how much I liked Freeway to the Afterlife album....get a copy and see for yourself.

AOROCK  RATING: 7.5/10 : Songs : 7/10   Production : 8/10

Who will like this album: Tony Mills fans, Soul/Gospel fans & anyone who like great vocals.