To quote Cornerstone..........

Once upon a time Jack Kerouac asked William Burroughs if he could read a story he wrote and say something about it. Burroughs agreed and after he finished the text, he said that he liked it, but Kerouc was not satisfied with this conclusion.What was it exactly that Burroughs liked about the story? Burroughs responded that he could not say it precisely, he just liked what he read; point - 'Somewhere In America', the second album from Cornerstone, gives reason to such unspecific commendation too...

And the guitar chugs it in on opening tune 'Stay' and immediately, alongside the decent production, the vocal prowess of Patricia Hillinger stands out a mile. Leaning inwardly into a late '80s American orientated slant, this continues on 'Rise And Shine'; an ever so slightly outdated approach but certainly with large elements of likeability factor all the same and will certainly appeal to the AOR aficionados scattered throughout Planet Uber.

'Breathing For You' has a delicious vocal presence but, as is the case throughout the entire opus, could do, as far as my ears are concerned, with a little bit more bite to the guitar licks. The obvious appearance of the  piano crops up nicely on 'Right Or Wrong', a hooky, catchy type of ballad that is neatly delivered and musically presented very well indeed, a track any commercially viable artist wouldn't think twice about including on their own releases without doubt - definitely hit potential, but if it's in the right hands is another debate entirely. 'Like A Stranger' takes the pace back to norm complete with some tidy vocal harmonies and a little bit of fretwork from Steve Wachelhofer ably assisted by bassist (and, I humbly assume, bro) Michael Wachelhofer and drummer Mike Pawlowitsch.

'Follow You, Follow Me' desires some more venom, hooks and progression to lift it out of the album filler section of the album. 'Being Unaware' is introduced by some jangly indie sorta flangy guitar that of course was so popular back in the day but unfortunately doesn't grasp the possible potential to make this particular tune a little more presentable and acceptable. 'Oblivious' is sent out in a different fashion and style with elements of, dare I utter, No Doubt but unfortunately lacking the important selling point. 'High And Low' rocks it up, as far as this release goes anyway, and does in all honesty possess a good melodic choral hook. Final track 'Strut' builds along a rather beautiful vocal performance but again lacks the killer moments that are obviously essential to attract a wider audience. Having said that, a well above average collection of songs.

www.cornerstone.co.at