TARMAT – Out of the Blue

The Brazilian melodic rock/AOR outfit known as Tarmat is a real pleasant surprise to these ears as this quartet delivers some incredibly well-written, pristine-sounding tunes that lean toward the magical vibes of Toto, Journey, Boston, and to a lesser extent Europe. Did you say earworms and irresistible hooks? Fear not as these guys have got that down to a tee, and many of these compositions are flawlessly arranged. Apart from the last two tracks on the disc, which are rather mundane affairs that lack staying power, this is a beguiling collection of songs that beautifully express feelings of longing and heartache, and Tarmat bring personality and charisma to this polished offering of theirs. An impressive debut album that is definitely worth listening to, especially the melodically gorgeous highlights that are ‘Backbone Feeling’, ‘Rosetta Stone’, ‘Gibberish’, and the dramatic ‘True Colors’. Hopefully there is plenty more to come from this hugely talented band.