Review: Oz Hawe Petersson’s Rendezvous – Oz Hawe Petersson’s Rendezvous

Pride & Joy Music (March 22^nd, 2024)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

Oz Hawe Petersson is not a name that is familiar to many fans of rock and metal, but it should be. As the lead guitarist of Osukaru, they have released several albums in a fourteen-year career, with their last two releases being highlights in their career. Throughout his band’s career, he maintained a connection with keyboardist Mathias Rosén, whom he had previously played with in the Swedish band Eye. They had been writing songs over the years that had an AOR rock feel and completed enough material to release it as a side project.  The results are what I believe to be the AOR album of the year.

For this release, they tapped several singers to bring these songs to life.  Nearly half the tracks feature Osukaru singer Fredrik Werner, two feature Boulevard singer David Forbes, and two with ex- Iconic Eye vocalist Jane Gould.  Other players include vocalist/guitarist Chris Rosander and Captain Black Beard bassist Robert Majd, who perform on two of my favorite tracks. I’ll start with those two songs first.

After a brief intro track, ‘Sacred Land’ commences and the speakers explode with a driving beat, an intense keyboard melody, a fantastic opening solo, and the occasional studio produced snare crash.  Think of AOR favorites like Survivor’s ‘How Much Love’ and Toto’s ‘Isolation’ and add this song to that list. It does not sound like those songs but has that intensity and brought a huge smile on my face. I listened to it four times before moving on to the rest of the album.  A defining AOR masterpiece.

My next favorite is ‘Midnight Lady (Dangerous Game)’ and is the track that sounds most like it could have been recorded by Osukaru. If you are not familiar with that band, a good comparison would be H.E.A.T. I could easily see that band performing this song. A track that veers away from the AOR realm and more into hard rock, the song structure is familiar but performed with perfection. I don’t believe any singles have been announced yet, but this song has commercial viability written all over it. Fantastic.

Going back to ‘Sacred Land’, I thought I knew what to expect from the album with that opener, but I was wrong. ‘As We Cry’ slows things down considerably but not in a momentum-killing way. Osukaru singer Fredrik Werner pulls off a mid-tempo AOR track with a surprising amount of soul. He bears his heart on this song and his delivery along with some superb backing vocals from Zuzanna Korba (who was on Swedish Idol) make this a track that resonates long after it is over.

You get the same type of feel with the David Forbes-led ‘These Tears’. Ideally these songs should have been separated on the album as it’s a little too similar lyrically and aurally. With that said, it’s a fabulous mid-tempo track that once again stirs up the right amount of longing and melancholy. David’s cadence makes you feel it all.

Moving on to the songs sung by Jane Gould, both ‘Fool’s Gold’ and ‘The Essence of Love’ could be mistaken for tracks off a recent ISSA album. Both are high energy with the former relying on Oz’s guitar driven leads. The latter contains a terrific keyboard melody from Mathias Rosén. The higher key change in the latter’s chorus lifts the entire song through the roof. Both songs have their individual strengths, and both are winners.

One last track I would like to mention is the incredible ‘All Roads Lead Back To You’, a power ballad with soul, akin to something like REO Speedwagon’s ‘I Can’t Fight This Feeling’. A once again vulnerable performance from singer David Forbes. If you know his work with Boulevard, then you know what he’s capable of and he brings his A-game with this song. Everything works here. Zuzanna Korba handles the backgrounds on many of the tracks, but this song lets her shine. Her harmonies on the chorus underlining David’s approach fired all the right nerve endings in the back of my head. What a masterful performance.

In fact, all these songs are magnificent. If there is anything to critique, I would say a few of the tracks feel like they end a tad sooner than they should. The fade occurs maybe 10 seconds too soon. That does nothing to detract from this brilliant collection of songs. Just like the great AOR albums of the 80s, the aesthetics are all there: The sound, feel, emotions… this is a remarkable effort. All fans of this genre need to hear this album for themselves. This will certainly be remembered as one of the top albums of this year.

Tracklist:

1. Tuning In (Intro)
2. Sacred Land
3. As We Cry
4. These Tears
5. Midnight Lady (Dangerous Game)
6. Fool’s Gold
7. This Time Around
8. The Essence of Love
9. All Roads Lead Back To You
10. Never Be