L.R.S. quite simply stands for Tommy LaVerdi, Josh Ramos and Michael Shotton. The three members collectively have been involved in such great AOR acts as 21 GUNS (Scott Gorham), THE STORM, HARDLINE and VON GROOVE over the years. They have now joined forces accompanied by producer/songwriter Alessandro DelVecchio to bring us a brand new collection of songs in the fine AOR tradition.

If you are familiar with any of these musician’s past works then you probably have an idea of the direction of the sound on hand, if not, then read on to discover what is on offer from L.R.S.

The record opens with “Our Love To Say” and immediate comparisons can be drawn to the legendary JOURNEY. The soaring guitars and stabbing keyboards are first to be heard and then Tommy LaVerdi steps in with a smooth vocal delivery. His voice sounds ever so slightly different from what I remember on the 21 GUNS debut but they are no letdown by any stretch. The chorus of this opening song is pure AOR bliss that will JOURNEY (or even W.E.T. for that matter) fans proud!

“I Can Take You There” is a mid-paced tune with a memorable hook/chorus and superb harmony vocals that tie it all together while a song like “Never Surrender” could have you mistaken that you are listening to JOURNEY’s “Be Good To Yourself” if you weren’t paying attention!

“Almost Over You” is the first of few ballads on the record and it’s a gentle acoustic number where you finally hear the LaVerdi tone of old and it brings me back to his 21 GUNS days. LaVerdi at times like these also conjures up a slight Ted Poley (DANGER DANGER) semblance with his vocal tone. The song itself is a classic AOR ballad with killer chorus and a smooth yet simple guitar solo from Ramos.

“Shadow Of A Man” has a slightly “tougher” guitar sound but still retains that smooth AOR feel and “Universal Cry” has an atmospheric sound akin to something that may have come from the “Trial By Fire” record by JOURNEY.

Another ballad in the form of “To Be Your Man” brings a BEATLES influence in the beginning with its simple piano sound but develops into lush AOR piece with soaring guitar sounds to accompany the piano. If you ever wanted to know what an AOR ballad sounded like this would be a great example.

The title track turns up the guitars and if the previous song was a shining example of an AOR ballad then “Down To The Core” is just as good an example of an AOR rocker. It’s slight restrained in its nature but still solid and the guitar solo is still pretty smoking. “Waiting For Love” is another urgent AOR rocker with LaVerdi’s vocals being a standout and the tasteful soloing from Ramos is another highlight.

Ending the album is “Not One Way To Give” and it’s a poignant sounding piece with piano but at almost five and a half minutes it has an epic feel to it.

I have to say I sometimes find these “record label projects” too generic sounding and even though they may be done with the best of intentions, they can leave me indifferent feeling but the songs on “Down To The Core” seem to have that little extra something to make them stand out. Fans of JOURNEY and THE STORM will surely eat this up and it’s great to hear the voice of Tommy LaVerdi back on the scene.

The band will be playing at the MRF4 show in Chicago, IL this October so fans will be able to experience this group on the live front too!