Unquestionably one of the best "pure AOR" albums released this year.

If you buy only one independent AOR release this year it has to be 'To Love, Repeat & Wonder?' by The LRW Project. Not only is it an impressive AOR record that has been self-released on a limited budget, but it is unquestionably one of the best "pure AOR" albums released this year regardless of any label backing. I've been listening to it non-stop for months and it still shows no signs of leaving my player any time soon.

This passion-filled project from English song-writer Leon Winteringham has been a work in progress for some time and it shows because only the best of the best appear on this album. It's emergence now is through the dedication and desire to release his own music soon as tomorrow never comes (as we all know), so kudos to Winteringham for the bravery and hard work to get his music out there – especially in this bloated present-day musical world and hypercritical internet era.

I know he's looking at this as perhaps a one-off – which would be a crying shame and a real loss for the AOR scene. Hopefully, all the positivity surrounding this album will see him release further music in time; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets snapped up to write with other musicians or even contribute material to different labels/projects in the future. I say this due to not only the strength of his song-writing but also his understanding of AOR and what makes it work.

'To Love, Repeat & Wonder?' is a near-perfect collection of pure AOR that's been crafted by someone with a deep love and understanding of the genre. However, given his age and his previous exposure to an extremely varied musical palette when growing up, he does add some modern twists and touches to his own unique sound. It's highly commercial and owes a lot to bands like Boulevard or late-eighties era Toto.

Although this album has been made and released on a tight budget, it never shows because the production is slick and professional. Watch the video for 'Hell And Back', and you'll see first-hand how much time and effort has been put into creating a big-budget release for as little as possible; he certainly puts bigger acts to shame.

I can't enthuse about this album enough and I really hope this is not the last we hear from Winteringham because this release is a true AOR dream!

Paul 'Woody' Woodward