Released:
February 2001, Independent, AOI 2001

SA Rock Digest charts:
highest position: 10
weeks on Top 20: 3

Website:
AOI

SA Rock Digest
If you were wondering what Peter Hanmer from Off The Edge has been up to since the release of Just Another Band early last year, here's the answer. Peter and singer Sherry Lee Jones have teamed up as Age Of Innocence and produced an uplifting and haunting album of acoustic-based pop and rock tunes. Sherry's voice has been compared to Maggie Reilly (remember Mike Oldfield's 'Moonlight Shadow'), and Annie Haslam from Renaissance (of 'Carpet Of The Sun' fame).

-- Brian Currin, January 2001

Stutter'zine
OFF THE EDGE member Peter Hanmer is the man behind this project, because he played all the instruments (guitars, keys, bass, drums), did some additional vocals and harmonies, produced and wrote all the 12 songs on the debut CD of AGE OF INNOCENCE. Besides Peter, this South-African band also features the female lead singer Sherry-Lee Jones. The music of the band is a bit epic and very calm at times, but each song has a very melodic approach that will even attract AOR {Adult Orientated Rock - ed} fans. Just listen to the first two songs, "Dreams" and "The winter and the summer", both starting very calm, but ending up as good melodic AOR-type tunes with some very nice harmony vocals. Besides a lot of keyboardwork, Peter also uses the acoustic guitar on all the songs.

Surely this isn't a rock album, but still a very enjoyable melodic album that is perfectly suitable for airplay during long hot summer nights. A fine example is the song "St. Aidans", a very impressive tune that features excellent vocals of Sherry-Lee and also a great electric guitar solo. Another notable song is the lovely midtempo AOR of "Cry for help", a song that may attract fans of BURNS SISTERS, T'PAU, QUEEN OF SPADES and a softer HEART. More AOR based material can be found towards the end, namely the very good semi-AOR ballad (with a slight bluesy touch) "Still want you back", with impressive vocal and guitarplay. The CD also has a few instrumentals, and although it may not be a rocking album, it still is a very impressive calmer aor/poprock type album with an important role for the vocals.

(Points: 8 out of 10)

Gabor Kleinbloesem, Strutter'zine