Oh yes, I had expectations for this album! I never heard of artist Trond Øie before, and this album Expectations seems to be his solo debut. The sleeve looks very good and I really like the artwork that is used. The album is on the short side-only four tracks making the album 25 minutes long, so it’s more of an EP. The music is OK, but there’s not really something happening. It’s more straight rock than progressive rock. The drums are straightforward, the guitars, bass and keyboard parts are simple.
The album opens with the title track which starts with an organ solo. When the vocals come in it’s too loud compared to the sound of the band. The chorus is actually more country-like music. The instrumental bits are OK, but far from spectacular. The harmonica solo is not really something surprising. The second track To A Friend, is a melancholic song and is one of the better tracks with a good and long guitar solo. It’s a track to jam on. It is followed by A Strange Encounter, which is a more uplifting rock track, and very straightforward. The disc ends withI Keep On Looking, which is a bleaker track, starting with keyboards and a harmonica. After two and a half minutes the track becomes more uptempo, but it’s also a bit wobbly because of the change of pace.
A quote from the lyrics of the song Expectations: “I write my songs and I hope for the best”. Well, I’m sorry dear Trond, I’m sadly not convinced by your album. Two stars for your effort and an extra plus for the album sleeve.
**+ Iris Hidding
- Expectations (7:56)
- To A Friend (7:00)
- A Strange Encounter (4:45)
- I Keep On Looking (5:22)
You can also read my review on the website of Background Magazine:
http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/TrondOieExpectations.html
You can listen to the track Expectations here:
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Grendel HeadQuarters 
I very much agree with your assessment here, based on the track you’ve posted for us, nice organ sound, vocals a bit disjointed, I hear a little Dire Straits in there, but unfortunately unconvinced. A very honest review Iris. Xx
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Thank you very much for reading it and your opinion, dear Neil! 🙂 I’m always honest, I hope the artist will understand. xx
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I hope so too, this is one of the reasons I could never do what you do, I’d be desperately trying to give a new artist a positive review whether they warranted it or not, but honesty is what is needed, I’m far too soft, that’s why you have the respect of listeners and artists alike. Xx
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Thank you very much, sir!! It’s hard to be honest, I know this artist probably put a lot of time and effort in his music. Xx
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