19 tracks · 77 min
Strange it may seem now but NAZARETH somehow missed the NWOBHM boom of which they, together with BLACK SABBATH, could have been the godfathers. Instead, the Scots chose the AOR way, and for "Fool Circle", thanks to its diversity, the approach worked well. But the title of their next studio work is telling: too excessive in its desire to catch up with the times, the album goes against the very grain of the band's hairy rock - yet in the end reveals its addictive core. "2XS" sure falls in the shadow of the tremulous "Dream On", NAZARETH's original ballad to match their cover of "Love Hurts" and feature in their repertoire for decades to come with Dan McCafferty's least hoarse vocals of all, but there's more hidden delights such as "Lonely In The Night", light but memorable due to its Spanish-tinged hook, or "You Love Another" that its Caribbean jive and a dub-like echo render almost transcendental. Still, the records starts in an awkward fashion with the '60s girls groups indebted sway of "Love Leads To Madness", its slick chorus smoothing the riff underneath before the rock 'n' roll groove cuts the dirt for "Boys In The Band" that takes itself too seriously to move one's soul while…
