One that the many and dedicated fans of this genre should check out as soon as possible.

Greek guitarist and song-writer John Tzortzis is the brains behind the band known as Ailafar. His music will be of interest to those of you who like your music to be of the AOR-flavoured variety, with a big nod towards eighties Rock. The line-up consists of three female vocalists; Tatiana Oikonomou, Alexandra McKay and Olga Katsenidou who handle the bulk of the vocals, but also helping out on a few songs are Stephan Kammerer (Frontline), Paul Jackson (Roadhouse, Pete Willis Band) and David A. Saylor (Push UK). It's the diversity in the vocal styles of all these singers that makes this album a pleasure to listen to.

'Live For You' is a smooth and classy way to start off the record, and bodes well for what is to follow; it's catchy and memorable, with a subtle understated guitar solo that lets the song do the talking. 'Flood Of Love' and 'Further The Road Signs' follow and have a kind of Romeo's Daughter meets Space Elevator thing going on. Again, Tzortzis' understated guitar work shines through and the sheer amount of melodies that he has poured into these songs is impressive.

The wonderful ballad 'Faith In Love', with its laid-back vocals and emotional lyrics, is this one of the album's standout tracks. 'Two Roses', featuring Kammerer on vocals, is an up-tempo song with a big chorus and enough keyboards to keep any of the "Pink & Fluffy Brigade" (Copyright Derek Oliver) more than happy. 'Tell Me Why', 'Way To Your Heart', 'Greatest Treasure' and 'Out Of The Blue' continue this fine trend of hook-filled melodic AOR. Rounding off the album in style, we have the second big ballad, 'More Than One', and the Rockin' 'Heartlands Ground'; whilst the former does have a few cheesy lyrics, the two songs are still a great way to close out the album.

Summing up, I would have to say that Tzortzis, even with his Greek background, has written and recorded a decidedly English/British sounding AOR album. One that the many and dedicated fans of this genre should check out as soon as possible, because there is a lot of very enjoyable music on 'No Limits' for them to discover.

Ian Johnson