Glam Rock defined an era with wild guitar solos, intricately layered backing vocals, alongside bright, sometimes crazy looks. Few artists truly embodied this style, but even fewer took it and turned it on its head to create something fresh in their own quite like Sweet.
Formed as the Sweetshop in 1968, this unique outfit from London began as a quartet of Lead Vocalist Brian Connolly, Bassist Steve Priest, Guitarist Andy Scott, and Drummer Mick Tucker. They dominated the ’70s with hit after hit; ranging from 1973’s “The Ballroom Blitz” and 1974’s “Fox on the Run,” to 1978’s “Love Is Like Oxygen.” The group became widely known for their bright and sometimes whimsical look and sound coupled with lyrics that kept energies high. Over their tenure together, they released nine albums and would occasionally collaborate across their individual projects after Sweet officially disbanded in 1982.
However, in 1985, Andy Scott set out to maintain Sweet’s legacy. Together with Paul Manzi as the lead vocalist, Lee Small on bass, Tom Cory playing keyboards, and Adam Booth pounding the drums, they aimed to wow fans at home and in crowds alike with a powerful recorded element that translates perfectly into a live performance. Excitingly there have been six additional albums to the band’s discography since this era. All this in mind, Sweet (in its reformed state), began work on a fresh new album in 2019. However, the project was placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but through perseverance, patience, and artistry, Sweet saw the project become a reality… because on September 20, 2024, they released Full Circle.
A follow-up to 2020’s Isolation Boulevard, Full Circle arrived through Metalville Records and comes with eleven tracks that feature some familiar style choices coupled with fresh lyrics, but also themes to tantalize listeners new and old. All this stated each song seems to be an intricate piece in the framework of what is set to be Sweet’s final album. For example, “Circus” brings you in strong; with a thudding bassline and catchy lyrics, it is an earworm sure to please. “Don’t Bring Me Water” is a surprising follow-up with deeper harder Rock energies and an almost sultry feel. This is while “Falling Star” has all the makings of a true power ballad complete with dramatic key change and reprise at the end.
While every song on Full Circle is worth a highlight, two stand out as stellar – “Fire In My Heart” and “Full Circle.” Without a doubt, the best track on the album is “Fire In My Heart” hits with an intense intro that seems triumphant, passionate, and protective. It also has the most technically impressive guitar solo and a fade-out that yearning more. This is while “Full Circle” seems like a fitting goodbye after such a storied past.
Sweet’s legacy spans almost six decades, with over fifty-five million albums sold and many chart toppers. Their legacy burns bright and has been kept alive even though Andy Scott is the sole surviving original member. The band has grown and rebuilt strongly over decades and ‘let the phoenix rise again.’ With Full Circle, they used the talent and skill they have honed along the way to pen a love letter to the experience of a lifetime. There truly is a heaviness to the way ‘and so it ends’ is sung.
Overall, Full Circle is exactly what you would expect and want if you sought a Sweet album in 2024. It sounds like it could have been pulled from popular Rock-n-Roll of the late ’70s when hair bands and power ballads topped the charts. It is clear how Sweet has inspired countless Modern Rock bands and made a lasting stylistic impact. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Full Circle 4 out of 5 stars.
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