"Cats and Dogs" is a solid slab of commercial, hard rock led by rock veteren Jeff Scott Soto.

Soto was immortalized by his early work with Yngwie Malmsteen. (I actually saw Jeff Scott Soto on the Yngwie J. Malmsteen "Rape and Pillage tour" back in 1984 or 85.)

His raspy voice works as well over this melodic hard rock as it did over Yngwie's neo-classical guitar assaults.

The songs here all flow nicely into the next, with each song possessing a simple charm and some serious hooks.

I've heard people say that playing commercial AOR is talentless. Talisman prove otherwise. While the overall songwriting isn't complex, it is quite obvious that these guys are seasoned musicians.

When cranked up, one thing that stands out is the superb bass playing of Marcel Jacob. However, the band gels together very well. From the vocals down to the guitar solos, everything is well done.

It's a shame that music like this is no longer what is considered cool. This album deserves to be on the radio, but unfortunately "Cats and Dogs" will have to be relegated to an underground favorite for fans of AOR and melodic rock.

Points: 9 out of 10 ;)