New Boston Album Said To Be 85 Percent Complete

This one’s a bit hard to quantify. Hearing that a new album from Boston is 85% complete might indicate that it will be another year or three before fans get a chance to hear it. It may have a lot to do with Boston honcho Tom Scholz and his well-known penchant for perfection. Scholz himself reported in 2010 that the album was “progressing at an agonizingly slow rate – like that would be news – but it is progressing.”

I suppose a guy can’t be blamed for wanting everything just right, so as long as fans have that straight, there won’t be any unrealistic expectations about when the album will actually be completed and ready to be released. To put it plainly, be patient. Perhaps very patient.

Boston, which is one of those groups that has seen a massive change in personnel over the years has just just one original member left in the line-up, and that, is of course, Tom Scholz. Having released their last studio album, Corporate America, in 2002, with Brad Delp still singing lead, one might wonder if the new album will sound much like the Boston of the past. According to new singer Tommy DeCarlo, it will.

The fact that Delp, who died tragically in 2007, will be featured on the new album certainly lends a measure of credibility to DeCarlo’s observation. It’s not entirely clear how Delp’s voice will be included on the album, but I suppose it’s reasonable to conclude that Scholz has in his possession some recordings of Delp working on new material prior to his death. A statement from the group includes the following:

“The lead vocals for Boston’s soon-to-be-released studio album include Brad Delp’s singing on many songs, along with several excellent performances by our other three lead vocalists. The album reflects an intentional effort by principal songwriter and producer Tom Scholz to capture the recognizable sound and energy of his original releases, combined with the musical sophistication expected from exceptional players and vocalists all performing within the traditional framework of the well-known Boston sound.”

At the same time, the group announced the departure of Michael Sweet who is returning to his long-time role as part of Stryper, who are planning a new album of their own. Sweet was not involved in the making of the forthcoming Boston album.

We’ve certainly seen Boston and certain people involved with the band embroiled in controversy over the last few years, but this transitional period that marks Sweet’s departure from the band appears to be happening without any of that, with both Sweet and Boston having good things to say about the time he spent with the group.

Although it’s hard to imagine Boston recapturing that old magic – especially considering how the band has evolved through the years – I see no reason to doubt that they may come out with something quite good. Beyond the news that Brad Delp will be heard on it, part of the group’s statement gives me some hope as well.

The part about the “intentional effort by principal songwriter and producer Tom Scholz to capture the recognizable sound and energy of his original releases,” sounds promising.

As a long-time fan, I’m looking forward to hearing what they’ve come up with.