Asia
Aria
Review by Greg Olma
In 1994, Asia released Aria which was commercially a bit of a failure. The previous studio record Aqua did much better, but by this time it really was the Geoff Downes/John Payne show. While much of the music world was engulfed in a love affair with grunge, my friends and I still enjoyed good quality melodic rock with a proggy twist. John Payne was the voice (and bass) of Asia for 15 years and you would be missing out on some great music if you just stuck to the “classic” line-up. While Aria didn’t do as well as its predecessors, there is a lot to like about this sister record to Aqua. There are some great tunes on offer with their catchy choruses and majestic melodies. I haven’t listened to this disc in a while, and I’m glad I pulled it out for this review. It’s a great overlooked album with many memorable moments and well worth revisiting.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.
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