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Darren Wharton was the keyboardist for Thin Lizzy from 1980 until the legendary band broke up four years later. In 1986 he formed his own band Dare and started delving deep into progressive and melodic rock mixed with celtic folk melodies. On "Beneath The Shining Water", the 5th album from the band, the folk music influences are kept in the background and instead the focus is on good old-fashioned melodic AOR. It is calm, soothing, warm and will in particular appeal to those of you who prefer the softer side of rock music. There are many ballads where Darren Wharton's vocal skills are put to the test. The album opens up with a very strong song in "Sea Of Roses" which is definitely the highlight of the entire recording. Then follows two rather pale and faceless pieces that sound pretty much the same before the title track appears and Darren gets a grip on his vocals once again. When Dare engage in epic keyboard supported choruses I lose all interest for a moment as they sound too much like any other rock band. Their strength lies in their more progressive side, when they dare (yeah, right, well done...) to step away from common patterns and experiment a little. Darren Wharton's voice and way of singing reminds me of Richard Marx, one of the non-rock / metal vocalists that I admire the most. "Beneath The Shining Water" is all in all an enjoyable mellow rock album but it lacks that little extra needed to really grab the listener.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Sea Of Roses |
| 2. Days Gone By |
| 3. Silent Hills |
| 4. Beneath The Shining Water |
| 5. The Battles That You've Won |
| 6. Allowed To Fall |
| 7. I'll Be With You |
| 8. Where Darkness Ends |
| 9. Storm Wind |
| 10. Last Train |
: 43.37
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