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HOT NEW REVIEWS
The smallest
Creature 'Million' (Independent/Cyprus Import)May
I welcome you the finest band ever to hail out of Cyprus. They are called The smallest
Creature and they are bringing us an impressive record titled Million, which
sounds like the next big thing. If they were an American or English band, then
they would probably have been praised by the press all over the place, but for
now this 3-piece band (consisting of Stefanos Marnerides, Iacovos Stylianides
and Stephanos Nicolaou) are settled in Larnaca, one of the warmest places in
Europe, and from there they are working on their carreer. The smallest Creature
are brand-new and they have just released their debut album. It sounds like a
major label record, modern and still very melodic, alternative but in a good
catchy way, somewhere between Keane, The Killers, Muse and Radiohead. Opener
High low you sounds a lot like Muse, while the uptempo melodic rocker
Enchanting even embraces Arena style rock, but the band is also sounding
melancholic here and there, such as the Radiohead ish sounding Copenhagen. Stay
in bed all day on the other hand sounds exactly like it's songtitle, really
dark and almost 80s gothic rock ish. As a whole package, Classic Rock is what
this is going to be called in 10-15 years from now. I have said it enough about
new bands, but I feel that this band could easily breakthrough if they are
lucky enough that someone in the upper level of the radio/tv/magazine/festival
world is smart enough to discover this diamond from Cyprus! More info at http://www.thesmallestcreature.com/
Classic
traditional American Country/Cross-over poprock/Westcoast is the name of the
game here and it is done exceptionally well, thanks to especially the fantastic
vocalwork of singer/songwriter Mack Meadows, who comes out of Florida. However,
it is also thanks to Dennis Morgan (an American songwriter and music publisher
who wrote songs for Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill, Barbara Mandrell, Eric
Clapton, Garth Brooks, All-4-One, Feargal Sharkey and Trisha Yearwood. He wrote
a lot of songs on Mack's CD Carry me home. The album starts with a country
rocker titled Smoky mountain man, but throughout the album we can hear some
pure AOR/Westcoast ish tunes (Jennifer come home and My heart can't tell) that
recall memories of the classic 70s westcoast sound of bands like Player,
Firefall, Alabama, Poco, Venice, Eagles, Little River Band and such. Mack's
voice is really one-of-kind, smooth and crystal clear like in the old days,
basically singing in classic Westcoast/AOR style. It also reminds me a bit of
Van Stephenson and Thunder (the American band) during their more country-rock
ish moments. Basically this is a real gem that may sound like a classic country
record, but done really picture perfect, yet with a great touch of
Westcoast-light AOR. Vocals and all 18 included tunes are of a very high level
that could have been huge if it was 1978 or something. Nevertheless, still
highly recommended to check out at: http://www.mackmeadowsguitar.com/
Thorbjorn
Risager and The Black Tornado 'Change my game' (Ruf Records/Germany Import)
Although
Danish singer/songwriter Thorbjørn Risager has been in the music business for
quite some time now, with quite a few releases already, it took until 2014 when
he signed with prime time label Ruf Records and he released his 9th album
Too many roads that he really enjoyed
his breakthrough. Now in 2017, album number 10 Change my game is released and
this could well lift him to even higher places. Thorbjorn has an incredible
'low pitched' voice, while the music sounds traditional, but also very modern.
It starts with a very calm soulful ballad ish song titled I used to love you
that shows the superb vocal skills of Thorbjorn. It gets more heavy bluesrock
during the following tunes, with a big fat stompin' beat that even touches
Whtie Stripes or Joe Bonamassa during Holler'n'Moan and Hold my lover tonight.
More classic midtempo AORish sounds can be heard in the melodic catchy Hard
time that reminds also a bit of Bruce Springsteen. In the end, this is one of
those albums that you just got to hear, because the songs and especially the
voice make it an exceptional adventure that will please a lot of people for
sure. Bluesy rock with a soulful voice and striking beautiful melodies that can
best be heard during the calmer tunes, such as the already mentioned opener I
used to love you and the fantastic Long gone. I have no idea why Thorbjorn
still isn't a familar name in the music world, but who knows this new album
Change my name will change that. Check out more info at: http://risager.info/
Just
like the somewhere else reviewed Thorbjorn Risager, also Albert Castiglia has
been in the music business for a long time, but after signing to Ruf Records in
2014, he now releases his 2nd album on that German label. In total Big dog is
his 8th album so far and it is filled with typical classic blues rock in the
style of Muddy Waters and BB King. Done very well and a must have for fans of
that classic slow train running pure blues style that can only be created by an
American guitarist. This is the kind of music you can enjoy when walking into a
bar somewhere in New Orleans. Check it out for yourself at: http://albertcastiglia.net/
Out
of Finland comes the young singer Ina Forsman, who participated in the National
Idols of Finland and she is now presenting her same titled debut album.
Musically speaking a jazzy affair that sounds dangerously close to Amy
Whinehouse. Done very well, there is definitely potential here and if you like
Amy's records then you will absolutely love this as well. Vocally Ina has
almost the same voice as Amy, so of course people might say this is far from
original, but if you listen closely you can hear that this is nevertheless
something special and offers much more diversity actually than Amy, even
reminding of Janis Joplin here and there. A song like Farewell for example has
some very strong melodies, both vocally and instrumentally speaking, a definite
summer hit in the making! In fact, instrumental the album sounds like a
masterpiece, which is not that strange if you learn about the great American
musicians who created the sound of Ina's first record (Laura Chavez, Derek
O’Brien (guitars), Nick Connolly (keys/organ), Russell Jackson (bass) and Tommy
Taylor (drums) – plus guest harp from Helge Tallqvist and brass from The Texas
Horns, led by producer/saxophonist Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff) in Austin, Texas. Now
you want me back goes back to 1960s Soul in the Aretha Franklin school and Don't
hurt me now offers a very emotional slightly bluesy touch that really grabs you
with it's excellent vocals. It has to be said that if you're not a fan of Amy
Whinehouse, then it might be difficult to get into Ina Forsman's music,
although give it a try, because Ina is musically speaking different, with quite
a big touch of old school Soul and the constant use of big trumpets/saxes in
her sound. Nobody can deny the high quality presented on this strong debut
record. Check out more at: http://www.inaforsman.com/
Honey
For The Biscuit is the 3rd album of the American singer/songwriter, who sounds
like a cross between Joss Stone (musically) and Randy Crawford (soulful voice).
Besides Tasha herself on vocals, guitar and percussion, other involved
musicians are Nathan Watts on bass, John Notto and Jon Taylor on guitar, Don
Wyatt on keyboards, Munjungo Jackson on percussion, Gerry Brown, Ronald Bruner
and Stanley Randolph on drums and Jamelle Williams, Matthew DeMerrit and Lemar
Buillary (trumpets), with guest appearances by Keb’ Mo on Family Tree, Robert
Randolph on Lap Steel guitar during Little Miss Suzie, Samantha Fish on guitar
and vocals on the bluesy Leave That Dog Alone and the legendary Tommy Castro on
vocals on Same Old Thing. A long list, but we are here to talk about the music,
which is old school Soul/R&B with a touch of Blues. The already mentioned
Joss Stone is a good comparison to make here and despite it all sounds good, it
is on the other hand also sounding a bit so and so. Exception is perhaps the
swinging uptempo How long, but overall speaking there are no songs that stand
out here. Not bad at all, but not groundbreaking I am afraid, although you can
still check out this talented singer/songwriter at: http://tashataylor.com
Young
and female is not a combination you saw in the past in the blues music. 25
years ago blues even reached a sorta downfall from being mainstream in the late
1980s when Gary Moore and BB King topped the charts to the basic of a silent
underground movement. However, in the 2000s things started to change, because
young guys like Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Philip
Sayce and many more became rapidly succesful and gave the blues a complete new
generation, which still continues to this day. Even more interesting that also
this new resurrection gave birth to many young female singers (and sometimes guitarists)
entering the scene, such as Joanne Shaw Taylor, Ana Popovic, Samantha Fish,
Susan Tedeschi, Beth Hart and many more and that was something that was almost
out of the question back in the day. Layla Zoe from Canada is the next one and
she is singing very well on this rather strong melodic bluesy rockalbum that
instrumentally is also offering a great piece of work, thanks to
multi-instrumentalist Jan Laacks, who also co-wrote all the songs with Layla. The
songs are most of the time slowtempo or (semi) ballad orientated, with even a
Gary Moore ish guitar solo at the start of Highway of tears. I have to say that
I would have preferred some more calmer tunes, because that is where Layla
sounds at her best (Sweet angel). The album rocks quite a bit, but the songs
itself on the other hand are not always inspiring. Layla's voice is very good
and dangerously close to Anouk somehow! Check it out for yourself at: http://www.layla.ca/
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Paulo
Baltaro 'The day after the night before Vinyl Record' (Banksville Records/UK
Import)
Now
this is something very interesting and quite original as well. It is also on
Vinyl available, so this is probably the best way to present something to the
audience! Paulo Baltaro is not only the founder of the label, but also a
multi-instrumentalist from Italy, who has a long history in music behind him
already, playing in several bands (including the underground progrockband
Arcansiel) and now from out of nowhere his new album was sent to me. The fact
they were able to sent me the vinyl version makes it even more a pleasure to
listen to the diverse sounding original record by Paulo. The album is titled
The day after the night before and contains 11 songs that are all (as a joke)
taken from unreleased and/or imaginary movies. Side A starts with quite a
lovely acoustic song Do it again that combines a ballad with prog elements,
sorta Marillion ish. Next track Postcard from Hell is actually a really great
midtempo melodic progressive rocker that even reminds me a bit of Neal Morse.
Things get slightly out of control during the instrumental Cole Porter and
Frankz's birthday party that sounds very experimental, with some jazzy
influences. Goodnight is one of the strongest tunes actually, another midtempo
tune with a sorta melodic rock approach. Also following track Another sunny day
is a pretty good uptempo melodic progrocker. Closing track Bike is kinda creepy
sounding, as if Alice Cooper, The Young Ones and Miles Davis recorded a song
together while watching an old Tex Avery Cartoon! I really had no idea what to
expect here and of course it has some weird hilareous moments here and there, but
overall this Side-A felt good and for the out-of-the-box Progfans definitely
recommended to check out. Spock's Beard might just be the best comparison to
make. Then on to Side-B of the record which opens with Nowhere street part 2,
an uptempo melodic rocker, which is partly destroyed by computerised vocals.
Thankfully the next couple of tracks (Pills and SIlent song) bring good strong
melodies back again, with the latter reminding me a bit of Aerosmith, so
Classic Rock influences are also present here. Melodic Rock, Classic Rock,
Progrock and here and there some experimental jazz instrumental parts, that is
the overall idea I get when listening to this record. Side-B further offers
It's all right with me, a damn good groovy melodic rocker with nice
guitarsolo's and jazzy trumpet, while closing track Do it again is the electric
version of the first song of the LP. Concluded, a diverse album I can
definitely recommend, because it contains something for everyone, with a clear
focus however on mostly 70s rock sounds. Check out more on Paulo at: http://www.paolobaltaro.com/
Solo
Show is a duo consisting of the German vocalist/pianoplayer Leif Astroid (The
Pleasures) and the Russian guitarist Mike Breeze. They recorded an original but
also wicked sounding album, which they kindly sent on vinyl to me. They played
support act for legendary artists like Mike Tramp and Ray Wilson. I am however
not sure if this album will appeal to a lot of people, because it is more or
less sounding like a piano/acoustic version of The Darkness. The vocals are
constantly in the higher octave range and the songs are all without bass,
electric guitar and drums, so to speak like a stripped Queen, but Leif is not
really sounding like Freddy Mercury. Perhaps Robby Valentine or better said,
Valensia fans will adore this kind of stuff, because that is really the best
comparison I can come up with. It's either love or hate, but you can't deny
they are doing something original. When looking at the back cover I was
actually expecting a full blow glam rock record, but instead we have a very
calm theatrical sounding piano-led record with extraordinary vocals, like a mix
between an acoustic The Darkness and Valensia. Check it out for yourself at: www.soloshow.veddma.com
Why
Does A Woman Need A Bass Guitar is the American singer/songwriter/bassist
Heather Crosse singing for us on her debut album Groovin' at the crosse roads.
Although she has been in the music business for a while now, it took her some
time to release this first album, which by the way was produced by the
legendary Jim Gaines (Huey Lewis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Journey,
Prototype, Hammersmith, Jimi Jamison's Survivor). The result is a nice safe
sounding bluesy rock affair that at times sounds a bit too brave for the real
bluesfans. Not saying it is bad, because therefore it offers too much quality,
but the problem is that nowhere on the album there is a moment where Heather
shows her real talent (on both bass and her vocals). Perhaps Robert Cray is a
good comparison, but then with raw crispy female vocals. Hear it for yourself
on her site at: http://www.heathercrosse.com/
Wendy Webb
'Step out of line' (Spooky Moon Records/Hemifran)
One
year ago we reviewed the wonderful 4th album This is the moment (http://strutter.8m.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS2016January.html)
of this talented Florida based singer/songwriter (and acoustic guitar/electric
piano-player) and now in 2017 Wendy Webb delivers her 5th album Step out of
line. She has an absolute superb voice and her music is very melodic, in a
classic 1970s singer/songwriter direction a la Carole King, Linda Rondstadt,
Emmy Lou Harris, Carly Simon, etc.. There's an impressive guest list here,
including the legendary Jim Horn on sax, Toto bassist David Hungate, bassist
Willie Weeks (David Bowie, George Harrison, etc), keyboardplayer Dennis
Matkosky (Diana Ross, Eddie Money, Boz Scaggs, James Ingram, LeAnn Rimes, Keith
Urban and Chicago), piano/organplayer Mark T. Jordan (Bonnie Raitt, Van
Morrison, etc) and many more. Together with Mark Keller, Wendy wrote, recorded
and produced all the songs. It seems this new album of Wendy is even stronger
than her previous record, with such excellent memorable tunes like Step out of
line, Freedom and the 80s keyboard-led laid-back ballad ish tunes Destiny's
muse and Mexico, but actually any of the 10 songs included here is a must-hear
for fans of mentioned female singers. This is timeless music and could well
have been huge in the 1970s. It recalls a long but not forgotten glorious music
past when real music ruled the airwaves instead of the modern fabricated
so-called music on national TV and Radio. Check it out for yourself at: www.WendyWebbMusic.com
5
songs are on the debut EP of singer/songwriter Johanna Lillvik from Boras,
Sweden. She is making good clean quality typical modern day female fronted
pop/rock with singer/songwriter influences, with a clear alternative approach
in her way of singing. It sounds like a mixture between Sinead O'Connor,
Lapsley and Alanis Morissette, yet with also here and there some jazzy and
theatrical twists (It was a day sounds like a mixture between Edit Piaf, Nina
Hagen and Caro Emerald for example). A talent for sure, but I think a future
full-length release will tell us more. Meanwhile check her out at: https://www.facebook.com/johanna.lillvik
Formed
20 years ago, the band Kelly's Lot has released already 12 records, including
their brand-new 2017 release Bittersweet. The band is formed around Kelly Z,
who is the superb female singer of this act. Further members are Perry
Robertson and Rob Zucca on guitars, Matt McFadden on bass, Sebastian Sheehan on
drums, Bill Johnston on Sax, Dave Welch on Trumpet, Bobby Orgel on Keys and
Frank Hinojosa on Harp. Musically they are quite diverse, with a focus on
folky, bluesy rock, yet with clear classic rock and southern rock influences as
well, which can be heard very well during the fantastic Rise above that almost
sounds like a mixture between Heart, Bonnie Raitt and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Actually
that mixture can be heard more often on this rather great album, which offers
many highlights, such as the lovely slowtempo rocking Sleep and the pure Heart
soundalike groovy rocker On fire. The combination of superb vocalwork and great
strong tunes is making this album a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.
For more info do not hesitate to go to: http://www.kellyslot.com/
Multi-instrumentalist
Klas Qvist is coming out of Sweden and he is a very ambitious man, because his
new album Second thoughts (released under the moniker Citizen K) is actually a
double CD that features 23 tracks in total. Musically speaking we head back to
1970s progressive rock kinda material, although Klas himself rather compares it
to the Beatles' The White album. I hear lots of similarities here, such as
Kayak during the great progrocker Wasps and cars and CSNY during the westcoast
harmonyvocal driven When birds fly south or Alan Parsons Project and Moody
Blues also come to mind a lot of times (Citizen K's Dream). The diversity makes
this album a great record to listen to from start to finish. Vocally it is not
sounding picture perfect, but when the harmonyvocals kick in, it sounds very
impressive actually and the overall mixture of light progressive rock, folky
singer/songwriter, harmonyvocal driven westcoast pop/rock and even a slight
Powerpop touch a la Jellyfish, this is making the whole album a recommended one
for sure. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.paraplyrecords.se/klas-qvist-king-of-second-thoughts.html
Multi-instrumentalist
Scott Evans comes out of New Jersey, and with the help of a few other
musicians, he recorded a great record entitled LLPH. Basically this is American
melodic powerpop at it's very best. Scott has a fantastic clean melodic voice
and the songs are catchy and memorable, pretty much straight-forward and
uptempo rocking most of the time, with right from the start some of the
highlights, such as My light, my love and Getting gone and later on Woman in
love. There's also more laid-back semi ballad ish work to be heard in a song
like The wedding song - I do. Fans of Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms, but also
let's say 70s/early 80s powerpop acts like Dwight Twilley, The Raspberries,
Shoes, The Knack, The Romantics and even The Outfield, they will absolutely
fall in love with this gem from Scott! He also sent me a new single titled Kill
the Indian-Save the man, of which the proceeds go to support Native American
Children. Check out more on this talented singer/songwriter at: http://www.scottevansaudio.com/
Paradise
is already the 6th album of Canadian singer/songwriter Jenn Grant and without a
doubt, it is a very impressive release of her. The music is typical modern day
female fronted singer/songwriter, with indie pop/rock influences. She released
her debut way back in 2004, so she is not a newcomer, but you're never too old
to breakthrough and in Canada she was already nominated for a Juno Award, so
there is a chance her name will become a household name in the near future,
because she truly delivers a quality record again with this Paradise. 11 songs
are on the album and with her angelic voice, Jenn takes you on a lovely journey
that sounds very Canadian meets Northern European, with many highlights, although
the calmer Lion with me has got the most hit potential. She spent a whole year
in the home studio with producer/husband Daniel Ledwel and the result is
definitely highly recommended to fans of Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine,
Lykke Li, Lapsley, Bat For Lashes, Tennis and such. It might not be really
original, but the album is nevertheless filled with high quality music Check it
out for yourself at: http://jenngrant.com/
The
Franklin Electric 'Blue ceilings' (Redline Music/DGR Music)
And
here we have a very impressive new record by a Canadian band called The
Franklin Electric. They released their debut This is how I let you down in 2014,
which was very well received and now follow it up with an album that could
easily mark their breakthrough. Right from the start with the calmer epic indie
pop/rock song I know the feeling, they present us a wonderful song that also
reminds me a bit of Fleet Foxes. Next track Someone just like you lifts the
tempo up, as this is basically a very catchy sorta retro early 80s new wave ish
uptempo poprocker that could easily turn into a major summer hit! The album
continues with a great mixture of slower tempo indie pop tunes and uptempo new
wave ish poprockers, which makes them a perfect match for fans of the countless
modern pop/rock bands (The Editors, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Imagine
Dragons, Keane, White Lies, Interpol). The band has a great lead singer (John
Matte), who actually started this band as a solo project in a worldwide talent
show, which he won. Eventually things got rolling into this band The Franklin
Electric and with so many great new tunes to offer to the audience, they could
well become the next big thing. We said it last year about Blossoms and White,
whom haven't had their big break yet, but somehow I predict a brighter future
for this Canadian band! More info on them can be found at:
https://www.thefranklinelectric.com/
Now
something completely different, because Amariszi is a Balkan-inspired gypsypop
band and what they are doing is quite original and catchy as well, although
musically it has nothing in common with the genres we usually review. World
Music is where this actually belongs and thankfully I am personally also a huge
fan of that music genre, which is as diverse as the people on our Planet Earth!
Babel fish is the 3rd CD of Amariszi and it sounds very diverse, mixing
elements of jazz, balkan, gypsy and pop into an exciting melting pot, with
strong female vocals and the fun thing is that it is sung in many various
languages (Turkish, Spanish, German, Dutch, English, Italian, French,
Hungarian). The jazzy prog fusion of Reflecting stars is one of the strongest
songs here, but also the vibe of instrumental opener Oversture (an Iraq
traditional) and the trumpets in especially Tamburello even remind me of
Calexico, but then mixed with Caro Emerald. The album is showing an energetic
band that could easily bring them an international breakthrough (Jools Holland please
check them out!!!). More info at: http://www.amsterdamartistcollective.nl/amariszi.html
Singer/songwriter
Kurt Deemer is an experienced musician out of Baltimore, USA and he gathered a
band around him to record and release this strong Alternative Roots Rock album.
Gaslight is musically speaking clearly influenced by legendary American rockers
like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Drivin'n'Cryin', Lou Reed, Warren Zevon and
such. Kurt's way of singing is not clean or melodic, but still the music is
quite melodic and memorable, just listen to the great almost Powerpop ish
Burningman or the Tom Petty ish Come close. Although this ain't a classic, it
is nevertheless a recommended rootsy rock/power pop ish record to fans of
mentioned acts. More info at: https://kurtdeemerband.com/
Andrew
Joslyn 'Awake at the bottom of the ocean' (Independent/XO Publicity/USA Import)
Without
a doubt, this is a special release, because Hungarian-American composer,
orchestrator, film scorer and violinist Andrew Joslyn gathered a list of
well-seasoned vocalists around him to perform songs that breathe pure pop
melodies, but instrumental it feels like classical music themes. The result is
phenomenal and a pleasure for the ears from start to finish! Awake at the
bottom of the ocean could of course also have been the soundtrack for a movie
and some of the songs such as the female fronted Icarus, Coal miners and I
should have said goodbye before I met you are really beautiful anthems that
echoes memories of Ane Brun for example. Andrew could easily fit into the
line-up of Crosslinx Music Festival that is held every year in The Netherlands,
but actually this kind of music is overall very popular in Europe, so Andrew's
CD might easily become huge if it discovered, especially if you hear the
incredible high level of music presented here, with a full orchestra as 'band'
and vocalists like Shelby Earl, Billy McCarthy (Augustines), Mark Lanegan and
several others singing. I am not a huge fan of classical music, but the way it
is presented here is just perfect, just listen to the instrumentals Holden's
birds have flown south, Enchanted life and She's gone to California) and also
all those songs with indie pop lush melodies... Beautiful... just beautiful... No
more words to add, as you need to check it out yourself a.s.a.p. More info at: http://www.andrewjoslynmusic.com/
Out
of Arizona, USA comes Surrender Hill, a duo formed around vocalist/guitarist
Robin Salmon and vocalist/percussionist Afton Seekins. Together with Eric
Fritsch on bass, mandoline, organ and electric guitar and Paul Griffith on
drums and percussion, they recorded a very strong new album titled Right here right
now. The songs are mostly about love, loss, experiences growing up and personal
triumph as seen through the eyes of Seekins and Salmon. Robin and Afton are not
only partners in music but also in life. As of January 28, 2017 they will be
husband and wife, so this 2nd album they created is a nice honeymoon present I
think! The music is taking elements of Americana, Folk, Country and
Singer/songwriter, sounding like a perfect cross between Bruce Springsteen,
Rodney Crowell and Dolly Parton, both vocally and musically speaking. It all
sounds very fresh and memorable, with a nice variety due to the use of both
male and female lead vocals as well as sharing them. Although there are
countless similar releases and in the past we have seen many album releases in
this style, Surrender Hill delivers high quality and should therefore not be
ignored. Check them out at: http://www.surrenderhill.com/
Synth
Pop meets early 80s retro New Wave, that is basically what we get to hear on
the 2-CD set of the Baltimore, USA based act Snuttock. It's more or less a step
back in time to 1981 when bands like Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Visage, New Order
and such ruled the European airwaves in contrast to the American AOR/Classic
Rock format. Snuttock therefore is quite an exception to make this kind of
music, although nowadays it seems music has absolutely no borders at all
anymore, Anyway, they released 2 CDs filled with that kind of synth driven
hi-tech music that will definitely apply to the fans of the aforementioned
bands. It's done very well in a sorta epic soundtrack/move kinda way, so if
you're starting to become interested, then head over to: http://www.snuttock.com/
Out
of Kansas City comes Samantha Fish, a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist, who
signed to the German label Ruf Records at the age of 20. Now 8 years later she
has built up a good career with quite a few solo albums, including this release
Wild heart from 2015. She has a sorta new approach to the regular bluesrocksound
and is also not really comparable to the other female artists in this genre,
because there's a clear 60s R&B/Old Soul school kinda vibe to be heard here
and there, both vocally and musically speaking. Songs like Place to fall and Go
home for example remind me of let's say Sam Cooke, although it is also close to
Leon Bridges. But Samantha is also quite diverse, because Jim Lee Blues Part 1
is sounding like we are back in a bar in Louisiana in the 1930s, sounding like
a classic old blues traditional from the early days. On the other hand she can
also really rock hard, such as during Road runner, Bitch on the run and Turn it
up, which is really cool to hear the contrast and change in styles. This
combined makes her a highly recommended musician. Samantha is rapidly making a
name in the music world and WIld heart is the living proof that she can deliver
high quality material. Check her out at: http://www.samanthafish.com/
Of
course I was familiar with this talented American guitarist, but somehow it
took until last year before I really got into his music. This happened while
watching a superb performance he gave at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Although
Joe Bonamassa was also on the line-up that same evening, Walter did his own
thing and showed how incredible he actually was, gaining new fans, including
me. Especially his Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute song Say goodbye to the blues
grabbed me so much that this must have been the highlight of that particular
North Sea Jazz day. Walter has of course already a long career behind him, with
many album releases. The record Relentless is a remarkable one, because in 2003
this was a brand-new record with 14 new songs, but they were recorded live at
the Paradiso in Amsterdam on May 14th, 2003. Quite an unique gig I reckon and
now 14 years later it is still sounding fresh and up-to-date. What I didn't
knew and also learned after the North Sea Jazz performance is the fact that the
legendary Andrew Elt (Sleeze Beez) sings backing vocals! Andrew is also his
tour manager by the way. Anyway, Walter is not only a gifted guitarist, but he
can also sing very well (reminding me of Bobby Barth, Sammy Hagar and such
singers) and what makes Walter's music standout between the rest is that it is
not entirely slow blues orientated, because he also throws in uptempo heavy
rockers (Collingswood), Americana (almost sounding like Bruce Springsteen
during Lonely tonight) and some haunting ballads (Cry if you want to) in his
repertoire, making it sound very diverse and that is something I miss when
listening to Joe Bonamassa for example. Walter is thankfully still alive, as
just recently he survived a liver disease, so he literally overwon the blues
and somehow I feel that this gave him so much new energy, his recent shows are
now belonging to the greatest gigs he ever did, including that North Sea Jazz
one I witnessed. So you better make sure to go to one of his gigs a.s.a.p. and
check him out at: www.waltertrout.com/
Dana Fuchs
'Bliss avenue' (Ruf Records/Germany Import)
A
few years ago we reviewed
the re-release of the debut album of the talented sensation Dana Fuchs Band.
Bliss avenue is her 2013 solo-album and actually one of her few solo releases,
because she hasn't released much in her career. She has nevertheless been
active in the music industry for a long time now and performed countless times
live on stage, of which live album releases are also available. She has had a
lot of things to deal with in her life, but musically speaking she doesn't have
to worry much, because her voice and songs are just beautiful. Soulful with a
lot of emotion is the sound of her voice and her material is sometimes calm and
melodic, almost southern rock ballad ish (Vagabond wind) and at other times
cool, hard rocking (Keep on walkin, How did things get this way). It is quite a
rockin’ album, but also the calmer tunes impress. I have never heard so much
Soul in a Classic Rockalbum. Dana’s voice is really unbelievable and the Classic
Rock material on her album is picture perfect made for her and highly
recommended to anyone who want to hear a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rolling
Stones, Beth Hart, Janis Joplin, Heart and Grace Slick. I am pretty sure live
it will be an evening of excitement to watch Dana sing out her soul and
combined with her beautiful looks, you can’t go wrong here I think. Also need
to mention here the fantastic guitarwork of Jon Diamond, who has been on her
side for a long time now and he was the person who helped her out of her misery
in New York City, when she made money as a strip dancer back in the day. How
things are different now! Check out more at: http://www.danafuchs.com
Out
of New York City comes America's latest greatest and hottest band at the
moment, Jane Lee Hooker, a 5-piece all-female rockband that gives a whole new
twist to classic blues tunes, because most of the songs on this band's debut
album are covers, but played in a hard rockin' sleazy dirty mean punky way. Not
that strange, because the members played in bands like Nashville Pussy, The
Wives and Bad Wizard, which were more or less sleazy punkrockbands, but as Jane
Lee Hooker they are doing the blues, yet in a new approach not heard much. They
have an incredible singer (Dana “Danger” Athens), who sounds like a cross
between Janis Joplin, Beth Hart, Dana Fuchs and the Blues Pills singer, so she
is definitely stealing the show here. The band rocks really hard, but in a
soulful way, with awesome covers of classic tunes like the traditional Wade In
The Water, Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy, Johnny Winter’s Mean Town Blues, Willy
Dixon’s Shake For Me, Albert King’s The Hunter and Free me of Otis Redding.
Blues, Soul and Hardrock are perfectly blended together here and hopefully a
follow-up will also bring some own material, because now I only could find 1
own song, which was on the other hand also the weakest song. Live this band
rocks big time I assume, so go check them out asap at: www.janeleehooker.com
I
remember seeing this incredible talented guitarist/singer/songwriter at a small
venue in the Dutch city of Leiden. That was a few years ago, around the time
she released this live CD/DVD titled Songs from the road, which is a series of
releases by the German label Ruf Records. Meanwhile Joanne has stepped up to
bigger venues and you can hear she has improved, because this release contains
recordings from 4 years ago. The bluesy soulful rock of Joanne sounds really
great and it is definitely not a problem at all to watch her DVD. I do feel
that she has certainly ways to improve, because she is not as good as all those
other female guitar slingers out there, but in 10-15 years this young lady will
for sure headline certain festivals, as that is where her strength lies. More
at: www.joanneshawtaylor.com
The
legendary Canadian guitarist/singer/songwriter Jeff Healey died when he was
just 41 years old in 2008, but during his life and music career he made a huge
impact that still lasts. He had a tough life, because when he was just one year
old he had a rare cancer of the eyes. His eyes had to be surgically removed,
but he still discovered the magic of the guitar and went on playing and singing
that eventually brought him a spot in a movie called Road House. Sad fact is
that this is a Patrick Swayze, who died in 2009 of cancer, one year after Jeff
had died of lung cancer. Thankfully Jeff released quite a lot records, so his
legacy continues. This release on Ruf Records contains several live recordings
from 2006 and 2007 that took place in Londo, Toronto and Norway. Jeff was an
incredible talented musician, who died way too young and the 11 tracks on this
CD show how good he was on both the guitar and also his vocals were very
pleasant to listen to. Another beautiful memory of one of the great blues
guitarists, who by the way was also influenced by jazz and rock, which you can
clearly hear on Songs from the road. More at: www.rufrecords.de
The
American country artists Bob Cheevers has been active in the music business for
over 50 years now, writing songs for artists like Johnny Cash and Waylon
Jennings, but also performing on his own and in total he has written over 3,000
songs! Anyway, there's now a 5 disc set called The Bob Cheevers Collection, of
which I received this nice selective CD that contains 10 out of the 83 songs.
The music is mainly country orientated, yet you can hear different time paths
for sure, as for example Island in paradise has a 80s power ballad twist, Lime
on the rim is rather jazzy and Texas is an only child is a slow heavy bluesy
rocker. However, overall Bob Cheevers is country in the traditional American
way of artists like Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and such. Check
it out for yourself at: http://www.bobcheevers.com/
Out
of South Carolina comes Bid Daddy Wilson, a singer who left the USA in 1979 as
he was a soldier and was stationed in Germany. 7 years later he decided to stay
in Germany where he met his wife and also discovered the blues. Ever since he
has been singing the blues in small clubs and releasing albums, of which
Neckbone stew is the latest release. Although we're talking here about blues,
there's much more to be heard, such as the pure reggea influenced titletrack
and the singer/songwriter ish melodic ballad I just need a smile and also a lot
of Gospel and Americana influences can be found here. Therefore it's a very
diverse record, with the strong vocals of Big Daddy Wilson as leading point.
The guest appearance of Ruthie Foster during Give me one reason is quite
impressive and also for example the guitarwork of Running shoes, it's all these
little sidenotes that makes it an enjoyable recommended album! More at: https://www.bigdaddywilson.com/
American
multi-instrumentalist Michael Lanning has a long history behind him that
started way back in the 1970s as member of the band Jiva, whom released albums
on the label of George Harrison. He went on doing countless sessions, including
TV and Radio adds, but also recently was part of the mighty The Trans-Siberian
Orchestra! Anyway, I received 2 of his albums that also show another different
side of Michael, who is a real huge talent and diversity is clearly on top of
his priority list. The mini-CD Modern sounds in love and cynicism! contains 5
songs that musically grab back to a time when Big-Band-Jazz was huge, so the
roaring twenties/thirties and this is done quite fantastic actually. Michael
has a superb voice and can sing anything. His other album Words should mean
something is more or less a singer/songwriter album that is humoristic as well
and recorded live. This guy can really sing like a God, but somehow I hope he
someday records a rock record, because he does sound a little like Sammy Hagar
of Benny Mardones for example. Check out this gifted singer at: https://www.michaellanning.com
Out
of the Austin, Texas area comes the talented country-rock'n'roller Jesse
Dayton, who just released his 9th CD titled The revealer. He has already gained
some success, as he worked with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and
Rob Zombie in the past. The included music on his latest release is a great
mixture of classic country, rockabilly, rock and roll and americana, which
sometimes is damn catchy uptempo rockabilly/rockn'n'roll reminding me a lot of JD
McPherson (Holy ghost rock n Roller and Eatin' crow and drinkin' sand) and at
other times slow Johnny Cash/George Jones ish traditional country (Daddy was a
badass and The way we are). 12 songs are included and with not a single dull
moment, this is definitely a highly recommended record! Jesse has a great voice
that is perfectly suitable for this kind of bluegrass music. Check it out for
yourself at: http://jessedayton.com/
Oldschool
70s Folkpop is what we get to hear on the latest album of the talented New York
based singer/songwriter Sharon Goldman. Her music is comparable to Janis
Ian/Joni Mitchell, with calm acoustic tingled little singer/songwriter folky
pop tunes that is accompanied by a beautiful voice. She has Jewish roots, which
can clearly be heard in the music, but also lyrically a lot of songs are about
Israel. Sharon has truly delivered a beautiful record that will find it's way to
the fans eventually, although this kind of music is hard to make it in today's
modern age, but once the mass media discovers it and promotes it, she will get
her voice heard! Meanwhile check her out at: https://www.sharongoldmanmusic.com
Out
of Finland comes this dark sounding stoner rockband called The Fertility Cult.
Formed in 2008, their latest album A forest of kings is filled with the kind of
underground groovy stoner rock meets doom metal like a mix between Kyuss, Black
Sabbath and Electric Wizard. The slight difference with those acts is the use
of a sax, which makes them standout for sure. 5 songs are on the album and fans
of mentioned bands will definitely like it a lot. More at: https://thefertilitycult.bandcamp.com/
Canadian
singer-songwriter Lynne Hanson recently released her
5th album 7 Deadly spins, which is without a doubt a fantastic album that
combines elements of folk, Americana, singer/songwriter and bluesy rock. She
has a great voice and her songs are very intriguing. It's only a pity that
there are just 7 tracks on the CD, making it run very short in playing time,
but the presented material is of a very high level and no filler can be found. The
absolute highlights are definitely Waters Edge and My Mama Said, but any song
will do. The overall feeling of the record is quite dark and not uplifting at
all, but that doesn't matter, because the result is just perfect. Her vocals
reminds me a bit of Chrissie Hynde and the dark approach of the music sounds a
bit like Tanita Tikaram. Highly recommended and look forward to check out her
earlier releases, because I was not familiar with Lynne Hanson. More info at: https://www.lynnehanson.com
After
meeting Bruce Springsteen's sax man Clarence Clemmons in the 1970s in New
Jersey, the music career of Jude Jonhstone started. In 1979 she relocated to
L.A. and started writing songs, which eventually led to other singers recording
them. Artists like Laura Branigan, Stevie Nicks, Bette Middler, Trisha
Yearwood, Jenifer Warnes, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and many
others recorded songs written by Jude. Meanwhile in the 2000s Jude also started
recording solo records and the latest is A woman's work, a beautiful
singer/songwriter album that can easily be compared to Carole King. No fillers,
all winners and a real classic 1970s singer/songwriter sound is what we get to
hear. More info on Jude at: http://www.bojakrecords.com/
Now
this is an interesting CD, because the 17 included songs on this CD are all
sung by one of Rock's greatest singers of all times, mr. Joe Lynn Turner. The
songs are covers of classics of the genre, while the musicians playing on the
album are quite well-known, because among others we can hear guest appearances
by Michael Schenker (UFO), Steve Lukather (TOTO), Steve Morse, Phil Collen (DEF
LEPPARD), Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER). The setlist contains some awesome covers
of the classic songs Stone Cold (with Vivian Campbell), Lunatic Fringe, Let the
Music Do the Talking (with Al Pitrelli, Carmine Rojas & Pat Torpey), Mirror
Mirror (with Icarus Witch), Hellraiser (with Steve Lukather, Billy Sherwood,
Jay Schellen & Paul Taylor), 14 Years, Dance The Night Away (with Reb
Beach), Back in Black (with Phil Collen), All Shook Up (with Michael Schenker),
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Tony Franklin
& Doane Perry), All Day and All of the Night (with Brad Gillis, Rudy Sarzo
& Simon Wright), Bloody Well Right (with Dave Kerzner), The Seeker (with
Leslie West), Jungle Love (with Steve Morse), Two Minutes To Midnight (with
Richie Kotzen), Fat Bottomed Girls (with Reb Beach) and Riders On The Storm.
Joe is singing as good as always, so any fan of him needs to check out this
picture perfect sounding record! More at: http://www.joelynnturner.com/
Toronto,
Canada based Bo Green is a real veteran, because he played punk in a band in
the 80s (The Jiks), switched to folk-rock in the 90s with Green Archers and is
now solo making a name on his own. His latest album is titled It don't weigh
nuthin'. The included music is a mix of americana and roots country music,
influenced by Gram Parsons, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle. Especially Steve
Earle is a good comparison to draw when listening to the 9 songs. The songs are
mostly acoustic based, calm and filled with the raw rispy vocals of Bo. Without
a doubt, a real great singer/songwriter album in typical Northern American
style, sounding sometimes very melodic, like the beautiful Waiting, which by
the way only consists of a few words, but also I'll give you everything. The
use of instruments like fiddle, dobro, mandolin and pedal steel give it a real
special Irish folk meets American country touch. Recommended to check out at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bogreenthenewjakes
The
singer/songwriter Michael Lyon comes out of California and delivers a CD that
features 16 tracks which musically might be called fun humoristic
singer/songwriter popmusic. It somehow reminds me of Monty Python, crossed with
Cat Stevens. Michael is not a great singer, but is more or less telling stories
with the use of his guitar. As mentioned, these are real stories and Michael is
making it sound quite funny with his rather unique voice. It's best to check it
out for yourself, because it is hard to compare it. More info at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michaellyon
Out
of Sweden comes singer/songwriter Adna Kadic, a sensational musician who has
lived in Berlin since 2014. In Berlin she started releasing albums an Closure
is already her 3rd one. Filled with typical modern-day melancholic dark lo-fi
dreampop in the style of so many other female singer/songwriters, it might not sound
that original, the result is quite stunning and Adna could well breakthrough.
Especially the song Overthinking has got all it takes to become a huge
worldwide hitsingle. It has somehow a touch of Dotan, the Dutch
singer/songwriter, with whom Adna also toured recently. However, the best
comparisons are definitely Daughter, Bat For Lashes, Florence and the Machine,
Sharon van Etten, Agnes Obel, Lapsley, Boy, etc. etc. Nevertheless I have to
say that Adna has got something special, which makes her stand-out between the
rest. Most of the songs are slow, electronic based with piano and lush vocals,
but always presenting beautiful melodies. Sinead O'Connor, Enya, Clannad, Kate
Bush are also some names that come up when listening to the album, so I guess
by now you have an idea what to expect here. It sounds fresh and crystal clear,
with huge hit potential and definitely a contender for yearly album lists in
december. Make sure not to miss this gem at: http://adna.se/
The
band Aisles comes out of Chile, was formed in 2001 by the brothers Germán
(guitar) and Luis Vergara (keyboards) and childhood friend Rodrigo Sepúlveda
(guitar). At first they started as an instrumental band, but later on another
brother joined the band (Sebastián Vergara), who became the vocalist and to
complete the band, other members joined on bass and drums. Now 15 years later the
line-up has slightly changed, because Luis eventually left the band. He was
replaced by keyboardplayer Juan Pablo Gaete, while the other 2 members are now
Felipe Candia – drums, percussion and Daniel Baird-Kerr – bass. All together
they have now recorded the band's most ambituous and strongest album entitled Hawaii.
The band has released 3 albums prior to this new record, and two of them were
also reviewed by us in the past. Anyway, this new record is filled with
excellent melodic progressive rock that has clear Rush/70s Genesis influences
and some slight Dream Theater (their debut from the 80s!) comparisons, because
the focus is quite clearly on picture perfect instrumental passages. I have to
say that instrumental Aisles is indeed sounding sensational and they are
perhaps close to the top of modern progressive rock, although vocally it is not
that strong I'm afraid (Yes ish). Nevertheless, the 2 CDs are definitely a
must-hear for any progfan out there, with some gracious moments that will wet
the appetite of any fan of this musicgenre. Aisles is one of the newcomers that
will keep the genre alive in the following decades! Check them out at: www.aislesproject.com/
15
years of age!!!!!! Here we welcome Zelena Hull from Nashville, USA. She is a
girl born in the 21st century and now making her debut with this great EP
titled 6 feet under. 6 songs are included and of course there are a few moments
during the album where you can tell she is a young girl who is not yet at the
same level vocally as for example Joanne Shaw Taylor, Samantha Fish, Ana
Popovic or Dana Fuchs. You can hear that during a song like Born and raised,
where she is not able to scream like the aforementioned singers yet, but on the
other hand songs like Six feet under and the beautiful melodic pop/rocker Time
give you a really good feeling. The music style is melodic bluesy rock with a
slight country touch. The fact that she has written all the songs by herself
and sings so easily at the age of 15 is a true gift from above. I am safe to
say that in a few years Zelena will breakthrough, because her voice will
develop for sure. Who knows she might leave the other female singer/songwriters
behind her in popularity. More info at: www.zelenahull.com
Out
of Austin comes this sensational female fronted Americana band, whom released a
5 tracks counting EP. The band is formed around the fantastic singer Mari
Tirsa, who also plays guitar and keys. The music is calm, very melodic an
breathing the classic Americana sound, but still sounding fresh and modern.
Just listen to the absolutely beautiful The well to hear Runaway Horse at their
very best. Do not miss this band! Go check them out at: http://runawayhorseband.com/
In
the early 1980s a band called Gabrielle Roth and The Mirrors was active and
they were among the few to combine tribal rhythms with traditional early 80s
American rock. Luba and Dalbello more or less did the same at a later stage in
the 80s, but Gabriele is claimed to be the first. Anyway, Gabriele sadly died a
few years ago, but she was an American dancer and musician in the world music
and trance dance genres, with a special interest in shamanism. She created the
5Rhythms approach to movement in the late 1970s and nowadays there are hundreds
of 5Rhythms teachers worldwide who use her approach in their work. Meanwhile
she also released about 20 CDs and recently after all these years a CD is
released of material of her very early music recordings, dating back as far as
1979. 6 tracks are included here and especially the beginning is more or less
new wave ish with tribal rhythms, while a song like Pray body is basically
classic early 80s AOR/Poprock like Pat Benatar meets Shandi. A sensational song
with superb vocalwork and overall also reminding me of the classic Fame TV
series songs. Towards the end of the tune it goes into World Music/Tribal
Rhythms again, which is actually sounding very impressive. And all 6 songs are
following this rather own direction, combining spiritual tribal rhythm
dominated world music with american tradition early 80s rock. The songs are
quite lengthy, so despite only 6 are included, the total playing time is
nevertheless 35 minutes. Highly recommended to check out this release! More
info at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gabrielleroththemirrors3
Champagne
Velvet is the 3rd album from Dallas,TX based Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch.
Without a doubt, this is sensational stuff, thanks to a very diverse musical
approach from the very start until the end, so never a dull moment. However,
also Jason himself is a gifted singer, who sings so easily and then it doesn't
matter if it is rockabilly, jazz, soulfyul R&B, vintage 50s American roots
rock, blues or hard hitting rock. Sometimes we can hear similarities to Vintage
Trouble and JD McPherson, but also for example BB King or Jeff Healey passes
by, but then suddenly we're into classic 50s uptempo rock and roll during a
song like Cross-eyed woman (a la Stray Cats). Shine your light on the other
hand is is a beautiful soulful melodic bluesy rockballad, with a great
guitarsolo and the instrumental Lament for Evelyn McHale is basically a classic
rockballad and how about the jazzy instrumental titletrack. Jimi Hendrix is
also sometimes a name that pops up when listening to Jason's voice and
guitarplaying. Concluded, a very diverse record that offers nothing but quality
music! Go check it out for yourself at: https://www.jasonelmore.net/
Formed
20 years ago, You belong here is actually my introduction to this rather
awesome band called Trigger Gospel. They hail out of Chicago and are fronted by
a great female singer called Anna Fermin. She has got a really pleasant voice,
making the songs sound accessible to a wide audience. In fact, despite they are
a so-called Americana band, the songs are almost all very catchy and melodic,
but also very diverse. The beginning for example is close to calmer modest
well-thought melodic pop/rock (The last drag, You belong here and I swear),
while Land of the long white cloud is going into pure rockabilly/bluegrass and
the jazzy I've got friends takes you back to the 1930s and You got me unveils
bluesy influences. It's a nice trip through the American music evolution, but
it sounds fresh and modern nevertheless. Recommended record, especially thanks
to the great vocalwork of Anna! More at: http://www.triggergospel.net/
Although
the name Vinny Fazzari might not be really well-known, he is an American
multi-instrumentalist/producer who worked with quite a lot artists and acts,
such as Bob Dylan and Earth, Wind & Fire. Although he started working on a
first solo-record back in 2005 after winning an award at the LA Music Awards,
it took until 2015 before he was able to release the album. Vinny was actually
sorta living as well as travelling through Europe during the 2000s, playing live
with drummer Gus Genser (Herman Brood and his Wild Romance), bassist Ivo
Severijns and guitarist John Hayes (Mother’s Finest). His home base became
Amsterdam at one point, but due to the illness of his mother he went back to
America. However, Live life long was eventually released and we can easily say
it was worth the wait. The album is a good typical American singer/songwriter
ish album, yet a little rockier, sounding quite friendly actually, sorta like a
cross between 70s David Bowie, Tom Petty and Al Stewart. It's clearly old style
sorta pop/rock, with even a lovely AOR touch in Hold me close tonight that
reminds me of Cheap Trick ballads, including a lovely guitarsolo. In fact,
vocally he is sounding like a perfect cross between David Bowie and Rick
Nielsen. Music box sounds dangerously close to 70s Bowie, so I guess by now you
know more or less what this sounds like. Sometimes rocking, but always
well-thought, with the singer/songwriter approach, very much in the late
70s/early 80s American tradition. Amsterdam is one of the songs that could
especially here in The Netherlands become a huge hit! Definitely a recommended
artist to check out for yourself at: www.vinnyfazzari.com
The
American singer/songwriter Michael Tomlinson debuted 25 years ago, but it took
him until 2016 before he could release a follow-up record. House of sky was
recorded with the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Jay Kennedy,
bassist Dan Mohler, guitarist Brian Diana and several other musicians.
Musically speaking we are heading back to picture-perfect safe sounding
American melodic pop/rock with those kinda beautiful melodies we heard on the
radio in the past. Nowadays this might all sound dated, but nevertheless a song
like Wyoming wind is sounding very pleasant to the ears. Kenny Loggins, Michael
McDonald, Paul Young and especially Dan Seals are similar artists. Some might
say this kind of soft popmusic has died a long time ago, but thanks to Michael
Tomlinson we can enjoy new music in this style again, so thank you Michael for
delivering this nice record! More info at: http://www.michaeltomlinson.com/
Multi-instrumentalist/singer/siongwriter
Seth Swirsky from New Haven, USA has already a long music career behind him
before he released this powerpop album Circle and squares, which is his 3rd
solo-record. He had huge success with the Taylor Dayne song Tell it to my
heart, which he co-wrote with Ernie Gold (yes, one of the musicians on the
classic Preview record, an all-time AOR classic from 1983). However, he did a
lot more, as he’s also an author, a filmmaker, a painter, and a noted collector
of baseball memorabilia, but in the music business he penned songs for Air
Supply, Taylor Dayne, Celine Dion, Al Green, Michael McDonald, Olivia
Newton-John, Tina Turner, Rufus Wainwright. It's best to check out his
extensive bio at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Swirsky
and let's concentrate here on his music, because the sweet 70s ish powerpop on
his new record sounds like a very nice mixture between Teenage Fanclub, Phil
Seymour, Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys. Perhaps not that original, because
countless records were released in that style during the 1970s and 1990s.
However, Seth does it really well and each of the 16 soft powerpopsongs is very
pleasant to listen to. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.seth.com/
Formed
in 2007 in Dallas, Texas by Johnny and Daniel Beauford, Ben Gastright and Steve
Vanderheide, the band Bullfighter Blues has so far released only one album
titled Dog's light. Now they follow it up with a very strong album titled Bravo
max. Musically speaking this is sorta retro classic rock meets alternative
modern melodic poprock. Not really original perhaps, but the result is
definitely quite impressive and sounding like a major label record. They sound
a bit like The Stereophonics crossed with Calexico and even Oasis. With a total
of 15 songs, there's enough to enjoy here! Although they are a pure rockband,
they do leave room for instruments like baritonsax, steelguitaar, Hammond,
trumpet, flute and trombone. A lot of catchy tunes can be found on the album,
such as the lovely Raise a toast! Highly recommended band to check out at: https://bravomax.bandcamp.com/album/bullfighter-blues
Siren's
Sky 'Cosmic' (Independent)
A
little while ago we reviewed the EP CD's of the Dutch project/band Siren's Sky.
This new CD Cosmic is actually a compilation of those 2 EP's that were
originally released in 2015 and 2016, now only featuring the vocalist Lydia
Salnikova. That is a blessing, because the original releases featured various
singers and Lydia was clearly the best. What we get to hear is calmer
AOR/Poprock with a progressive touch, sorta like Mostly Autumn and Karnataka. 9
songs are included and without a doubt, this is a very enjoyable album that
also clearly reveals Heart influences. I would highly recommend this album to
anyone who likes melodic music with strong female vocals. Check it out at: http://sirenssky.wixsite.com/sirens-sky
The
Usual Haunts are from Sacramento, California and are based around 4 young
musicians. Their music is typical modern day psychedelic rock, like we have
heard it from many other bands the past few years, yet they definitely do it at
a high level. Actually it has a sorta late 1960s/early 1970s kinda vibe (The
Doors, Grateful Dead and Red Hot Chili Peppers and such...). The vocals are a
little monotone after a while, but I think this band can easily grow into
something much bigger. Check them out at: http://www.usualhaunts.com/
The
Swiss band Myall-Lake was formed back in 1983, so along with Krokus, they are
one of the longest running bands in Switzerland. The band is formed around
Chris Hügli (vocals), Rushi "Fatgus" Rothen (guitar), Pat von Gunten
(guitar), Mike Halbach (bass) and Tom Wuillemin (drums). Their new album The
system will fail is a very strong melodic heavy rock album that reminds me very
much of the early 1990s. It has that typical GAS (German/Austrian/Swiss) sound
a la Veto, V2, Bonfire, Craaft, Alex Parche Band, Victory, etc. etc. They are
doing it very well, sounding quite huge and also very melodic. Opener and
titletrack The system will fail shows right away that we are dealing here with
quality stuff. This Axxis/Angel Heart ish tune takes you right into the familiar
melodic heavy rocksound like only the German speaking countries can do. Other
highlights are the uptempo melodic rockers Diamonds and gold, Out of my mind
and No return. Must-have for fans of mentioned bands! More at: http://www.myall-lake.ch/
Formed
in 2012, the female fronted band Vexine from Richmond, VA, USA has already
released a debut album in 2013 and a live record in 2014. And now there is the
new studio album titled Little sin. Musically speaking we are heading into
bluesy rock, with as most important part of the band's sound their female
singer Sarah Gleason, who happens to sound like Janis Joplin. She has got a
great raw tone in her voice, which you don't hear that often. The 11 included
songs are also quite pleasant to listen to, mostly in the heavy blues rock
direction (think Sass Jordan). Definitely recommended to check out at: http://www.vexine.com/
Close Talker 'Lens' (Devil Duck Records/DGR Music)
Fink 'Sunday night blues club volume 1' (R'Coup'D/Pias/DGR Music)
Now
this sounds quite huge actually, as if we are listening to a US Major Label release!
The band Dog'n'Style are coming out of France and on their debut CD Pub's
calling they present us typical modern American Heavy Rock in the style of
Alter Bridge and Shinedown, yet with super melodic hardrock choruses out of the
Harem Scarem meets Vollbeat book. The vocals are here and there a bit raw and I
could have lived without the screams that can be heard a few times, but for a
French band this sounds really impressive and also the production is of a very
high level. I would almost say that you absolutely can't go wrong here when
checking them out. Each of the 10 included songs are featuring the mentioned
catchy melodic choruses and the guitarsolo's are sounding the way they need to
sound. Great band and highly recommended to check out at: https://dognstyle.bandcamp.com/
Michael
Ward is an American guitarist/singer/songwriter who has since the early 1970s
played in many acts that featured (ex) members of bands like Frank Zappa,
Ambrosia, Etta James, George Clinton, Bruce Hornsby and Steve Miller.. Besides,
he also has a solo carreer going and released quite a few records the past
decades. Mendacity is a new CD single (featuring Prairie Prince on Drums!) and
I must say that this sounds really good, singer/songwriter with a pop melody,
sounding a bit like 70s meets 80s John Hiatt, with a bit of Robert Gray and Van
Morrison, but in the end being a slightly bluesy yet groovy pop/rock song with
as best comparison perhaps the legendary Steely Dan. Nice one and hopefully
soon a new full-length record of this talented musician. More info at: http://www.michaelwardmusic.com/
This
project from Austria features the Falco guitarist Peter Paul Shrepek and the
Bonfire drummer Edgar Patrick among a few other musicians and female singer
Stella Jones. Although it isn't bad what we get to hear, I am more interested
in hearing a full length record of this project. There's just 1 song included,
a simple poprocker in 70s/80s style. There's not much more to say, so hopefully
next time more on this act. Meanwhile, check it out at: www.redpmusic.com
(Points: 7.1 out of 10)
Formed
in 2012, the Italian band Le Folli Arie brings us a fantastic same titled debut
album, which musically is a mixture of calm 70s prog with pop/aor melodies,
done at an exceptional high level that makes it very accessible for radio
airplay as well. Intelligent prog pop you might call this, reminding of Camel,
yet with also jazz influences (and even Caribbean rhythms in a song like
Fuori!). The songs are sung in the Italian language, which makes it sound even
more attractive and different from the rest. The band consists of four
musicians (Simone Corazzari (lead vocals, guitars, author and producer),
Massimiliano Masciari (bass and steel drum), Francesco Meles (drums and
percussions) and Marco Antonio Cerioli (keyboards and vocals)) from Milan whom
are influenced by bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, PFM, Banco del Mutuo
Soccorso, Area and such. Together with producer Lorenzo Cazzaniga (Claudio
Baglioni, Lucio Dalla, Fabrizio De André, Ray Charles, Sting, Mina, Pfm, Pooh,
Vasco Rossi) they created a record that sounds really great from start to
finish, with many highlights, including the beautiful melodic tunes Salto nel
buio, Bellezza, Il giardino della mia follia (SENSATIONAL!) and Quello che ho
as instant hit singles. Oro, Dhamm, Le Orme, PKM and countless others brought
us also Italian pop/rock melodies in the past and Le Folli Arie do it in their
own kinda style at the same high level, so make sure not to miss this release
at: http://www.lefolliarie.com/
Synth
Pop at it's finest is the name of the game here. We don't review much releases
in this genre, but for the German duo Loewenhertz we make an exception, because
their new CD Echtzeit is a masterpiece in this genre. Depeche Mode is a good
comparison, although Loewenhertz is a little more electronic based. From start
to finish, with songs sung in both German and English, this album is enjoyable
for all fans of classic electro-pop, featuring beautiful melodies all over the
place. Perhaps not original, it is done very well and therefore highly
recommended to fans of Depeche Mode, New Order, OMD, Human League, Soft Cell,
De/Vision, etc. etc. Winter falls is definitely one of the highlights here,
pure 80s synth driven bliss! The production by Jose Alvarez - Brill (Wolfsheim,
De/Vision, Witt, Rosenstolz, Kosheen and Rammstein) is picture perfect, so go check
out more at: http://www.loewenhertz-musik.de/
Dirty
Looks is back! Those were my first thoughts when listening to this classic
early 80s sounding pure Hard Rock album of the German band Razzmatazz. You
don't hear such records much these days (except perhaps Airbourne), but back in
the 1980s countless bands found fame and fortune with this simple but catchy
effective uptempo hardrocksound that was once started by AC/DC in the 1970s. If
you like Krokus, Dirty Looks, Rhino Bucket, Kix, Accept, Britny Fox, Rose
Tattoo, Cinderella, etc., then you can easily check out this band, because they
do it really well. If it is done at this high level, with a great shouter in
the Krokus/Dirty Looks/AC/DC style, catchy tunes and a strong production, then
it is cool to listen to every now and then! More info at: https://www.razzmattazz.com/
Magic
Dance 'Vanishings' (Independent/USA Import)
AOR....
so many new releases and so much average music, standard 80s wanna-be stuff
without hitting me like it used to do back in the day when I heard new AOR
music for the first time. Even the 1990s were a better time and although Pride
Of Lions might get close to a real good AOR band, I have to inform you that
even their last few releases and most of the Frontiers Records albums do
nothing for me personally. Then we head over to New York where in recent years
we saw a new independent AOR project evolving into an interesting adventure.
The project/band is called Magic Dance and the man behind this mysterious AOR
outfit is Jon Siejka. He plays most instruments himself (except for the bass
and some guitarsolos) and is also singing. The new album Vanishings is by far
the finest AOR record of the past 20 years! An incredible picture-perfect AOR
classic without sounding dated or standard. The songs are superb, catchy,
hooky, melodic and filled with all the ingredients we need to hear in a Classic
AOR song. Jon's vocals are terrific and all those lovely included uptempo tunes
(such as Another lost boy, When we were young, I wanna know and The mirror) are
already making me push the repeat button time and time again! Derin Dew
released a great indie AOR album last year and well, this new Magic Dance album
is even better! This album is a must-have record for anyone into real classic
AOR in the style of Agent, Fortune, Beau Coup, Stone Soup, The Koo, Shooting
Star... Do not miss this AOR gem, because it might be one of the finest ones in
this genre this century! More info at: https://magicdance.bandcamp.com/
Out
of Austin comes the very talented Steve Brooks, who is making a nice mixture of
Americana, Folk and SInger/Songwriter, sounding quite relaxed and calm on his
latest album I'll take you home. The songs are quite melodic and a pleasure to
listen to, with the raw vocals of Steve that show a clear American accent
(Country ish a la Johnny Cash). Songs like the beautiful Hainted heart are
easily showing the man's talent, but also during the more uptempo pieces that
could be classified as heartland-westcoast-rock we can hear a strong performed,
especially during Juliet, a rather catchy tune actually. Check out more on
Steve at: http://www.stevebrooks.net/
Damnations
Day 'A world awakens' (Sensory Records/The Laser's Edge/Bertus)
Out
of Australia comes the melodic Progressive Power Metalband Damnations Day, whom
released their debut Invisible, the dead back in 2013, but this 2nd album A
world awakens is my introduction to them. Recorded and mixed by Dean Wells at
Wells Productions and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Kamelot, Wolverine), this
is a rather sensational album that easily reaches the high level of similar
bands like Pyramaze, Fates Warning, Pagan's Mind and Threshold. The band
consists of vocalist/guitarist Mark Kennedy, brother and drummer Dean Kennedy,
lead guitarist Jon King and bassplayer Dean Wells. Everything sounds crystal
clear here and especially Mark's voice is simply amazing. He has got the voice
of a rock/ metal God and can easily sing all the highs and lows. Together with
a bunch of sensational songs and the massive sound/production, this album is
definitely a contender for finest melodic metal album release in 2017! From the
very first few seconds you know that you're onto something really good and that
is happening herem because not a single dull moment can be found here. Damnations
Day brings Metal the way it needs to sound, so completely focused on bringing a
huge sound with powerful vocals and make every song on the record count, which
means no fillers to be found here! A highly recommended album to anyone with a
Melodic Metal Heart! More info at: http://www.damnationsday.com/
Out
of Norway comes the female fronted Symphonic Rockband White Willow, whom have
been active since the early 1990s, releasing their debut way back in 1995. Now
they have released a new record titled Future hopes (their 7th), which
musically does not bring many changes compared to their past and so we can once
again enjoy material that reminds me a lot of UK bands like Mostly Autumn,
Karnataka, Magenta, Touchstone, The Reasoning, etc. etc. Done very well and sometimes
easily reaching the level of aforementioned bands, this is one of those albums
you just put on and listen to all the way until the last song fades out,
because this is really beautiful music. Perhaps nothing new is brought here,
the high level of musicianship and strong vocalwork of Venke Knutson (who
replaced previous singer Sylvia Erichsen), as well as the fact that White
Willow also dares to take add some other music influences (folk, hardrock,
gothic and singer/songwriter) should be well appreciated in this mainly 70s
based melodic symphonic rockgenre. Finally I also need to mention that the
lovely artwork was done by the legendary Roger Dean, which is another highlight
of this great new record of White Willow. Check out more on them at: http://www.whitewillow.info/
3
tracks are on the mini-CD of the Belgian band Elusion. They play nice female
fronted symphonic gothic power metal in the style of After Forever and Epica,
although they do not reach that level here. Nevertheless, the Arabic influences
are quite nice to hear here and there and all 3 songs show a professional
sounding band that is recommended to fans of bands like Epica, After Forever,
Nightwish, Magica... Especially lead singer Evy Verbruggen is a real talented
lady and so I am actually looking forward to a future full-length record.
Nightwish fans will absolutely love the song Facade! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/elusionmetal/
Only
1 song on the CDR that was sent straight out of Texas, but it's a damn good
classic country cross-over pop/rock song. Hopefully soon a review of a
full-length record, so we can see if they are able to produce more quality
material. Meanwhile check it out for yourself at: https://www.amazon.com/Clickety-Clack-feat-Gary-Moore/dp/B01LTHMV0O
Dammit!
is a great female fronted classic hardrock/metalband from the San Francisco
area. They sound very professional on their debut mini-album Darker and darker.
It sounds indeed quite dark, but still melodic and the band's singer Caroline
Blind has a great voice. Similarities to Crucified Barbara, Thundermother and
The Pretty Reckless are possible here. Go check them out at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dammit2
Intelligent
Music Project 'Intelligent Music Project III – Touching the divine' (Intelligent
Music Project/Bulgaria Import)
About
20 years ago we were surprised by a sensational new project from Sofia,
Bulgaria called Brazen Abbot. The man behind this project was
multi-instrumentalist Nikolo Kotzev, who gathered a bunch of singers and
musicians around him to record a string of great records. Eventually he
released a huge record under his own name in 2001 with the Rock Opera Nostradamus
album that featured a massive list of well-known artists and musicians. Much in
the spirit of Ayreon, Kayak, Avantasia and several other big rock opera
projects at the time, this was a fruitful period for such projects. However,
the past 10-15 years these kind of projects seemed to have slowly died, but
here we welcome the Intelligent Music Project, which is organised by another
Sofia, Bulgaria based musician, Milen Vrabevski. He arranged a list of guest
musicians and an orchestra, recording several great albums, of which especially
the 2015 release Intelligent Music Project III – Touching the divine is
must-have release. It contains music that grabs back in style to the 1970s and
1980s, with influences from AOR, Symphonic Rock, Melodic Rock, Progrock and
such. The 3rd record features legendary musicians, such as Simon Phillips
(drums and percussion), Nathan East (bass), Tim Pierce (guitars) and the fantastic
lead vocals by John Payne (ex-Asia) and Toto`s Joseph Williams. It's a pity
this record didn't receive huge press praise when it was released in 2015,
because it definitely deserves it. 14 songs are included and especially John
Payne shows what an incredible underrated singer he is, although Joseph
Williams also shows his skills what made him become the Toto singer. Actually
the whole album is a highlight, but of course we have favorite tracks like Escape,
a beautiful AOR ish ballad with superstrong vocals and melodies, while Stay up
with it's dut-dut keys is close to classic early 80s AOR/Pomprock a la Toto.
Sometimes the calmer light prog/symphonic pop/rock moments make you think of
Alan Parsons Project, just listen to the beautiful A smile away that also has
some influences of John Miles, or We can. Simply feels good takes a slight
different route again, midtempo melodic rock with a superb AOR chorus, classic
Toto all over the place here. And here and there we also hear uptempo rockier
tracks (Like the catchy AORish Fate and Mind projection, but also the slightly
average REO Speedwagon ish boogie rocker Roots) and overall it feels like a
great mixture of especially Toto, Pride Of Lions and old school Alan Parsons
Project. Definitely a superb high quality album that should find it's way quite
easily to fans of this genre. The 2 earlier Intelligent Music Project releases
are also very good, The power of mind and My kind o' lovin', featuring John
Lawton and Joseph Williams on vocals, with as highlights the songs Simple game
and Happiness, but somehow they are a little less interesting if you have heard
this sensational 2015 release Touching the divine, which I can highly recommend
to check out, because it might be one of the finest AOR ish releases of the
past 5-10 years! Check it out at: http://intelligent-music.com/
Alan Reed
'Honey on the razor's edge' (Red Dwarf Recordings/White Knight Records/Nineteen
73/UK Import)
Honey
on the razor's edge is the 2nd solo album of the Scottish singer/songwriter
Alan Reed, who is best known as the former lead singer of the Progressive
Rockband Pallas. This new record is a lovely piece of work that shows the
incredible talent of Alan. He has an amazing voice that suits the music
perfectly and anyone into the classic Pallas stuff will love this solo record
of Alan as well. Songs like Cross My Palm and The Covenanter are just 2
examples of this highly recommended album that features classic melodic
progressive rock from start to finish. Of course the band Frost* is nowadays
bringing the finest in original progrock, but Alan proves on this new solo
record there will be always be a market for classic progrock and thankfully if
it is done on the high level as presented on this record, well then we are all
enjoying it every minute of it! Must-have for the fans of classic Pallas! More
info at: http://reddwarfrecordings.co.uk/
The
Belgian band Beyond The Labyrinth started way back in 1996 and deliver their
4th album with this The art of resilience. The included music is a mix of
melodic heavy rock and progressive rock/metal, somewhere between Axxis,
Threshold and Vandenplas. The vocals are not always strong, due to the use of
different lead singers, but instrumental the band sounds quite impressive and
some of the 12 included tracks are definitely showing a high quality band. Need
to add here that no less than 23 guest musicians and singers are making their
appearance and that makes it a very diverse record. If we listen to the lovely
Threshold ish melodic rockballad Someone
watching over you it's like we are listening to a complete different band
than during the first couple of tunes. It's clear that Oliver Wright is the
best singer and I only wonder why bandleader/guitarist Geert Fieuw didn't use
him on all songs (just listen to the catchy Virtual connection), but perhaps
the idea was to create an album that sounded as diverse as possible in the
prog/melodic heavy rock scene. Sometimes it works very well (like the mentioned
tracks and also If you believe with David Reed Watson on vocals, an almost 80s
AOR ish rocker a la Peroux/Moritz) and sometimes it doesn't (Can't get over
you), but in general this is a rather nice album that you can check out at: http://www.beyond-the-labyrinth.com
The Silent
Wedding 'Enigma eternal' (Fyb Records/Belgium Import)
Released
on the Belgian label Fyb Records, the 3rd album Enigma eternal of the Greek
band The Silent Wedding is a very impressive record. They were formed back in
2006 and besides already releasing a few record, also live they have built up
quite some experience, so all eyes are now focused on this new album, which is
as already mentioned an album you don't want to miss. The sound is huge
(mastered by the legendary Miro of Kamelot/Rhapsody fame) and the included 12
songs are quite sensational and catchy, which is also due to the fact that this
band features a superb lead singer, Marios Karanastasis, who has an incredible
range and makes this band stand out between the countles other progressive
metalbands out there. Songs like Shadows and dust, What lies beyond, Closer to
the end and The endless journey are melodic progrsssive metal masterpieces that
will wet the appetite of fans of Threshold, Symphony X, DGM and Pagan's Mind,
and how about the beautiful ballad Loneliness! Make sure to check out this
sensational record a.s.a.p.! More info at: http://www.thesilentwedding.com/
Only
2 songs on this promo CD, which is a pity, because Leicester/UK based
singer/songwriter Oliver Sean presents us high quality soulful acoustic
summerfriendly pop/rock that definitely grabs you rightaway (New York for
example could become a huge hit!). Oliver himself is a gifted singer and also
multi-instrumentalist/producer and an MTV Europe Music Awards 2012 Nominee.
Originally from Portugal, Oliver is now based in the UK and let's hope we can
review much more of him soon, because he already released 3 albums is working
on his 4th, to be released very soon. Meanwhile, check out this sensational
singer/songwriter at: http://www.oliversean.com/
Out
of the Ukraine comes Karfagen and Spektra is already their 8th album. In the
past they were signed to the label Unicorn Records, owned by the Mystery
guitarist. On this new record Spektra, the band presents us quite superb high
quality (almost) instrumental symphonic rock with a sound that owes much to the
1970s and 1980s. Camel, Alan Parsons Project and Kayak are good comparisons we
can make while listening to the album. The songs are melodic with rich keys and
subtle guitarwork, both also bringing some lovely melodies that sound very
pleasant for the ears. Karfagen is giving instrumental music the joy we need
when listening to music that doesn't feature vocals. Check it out for yourself
this sensational instrumental album! More info at: http://karfagenmusic.com/en/
Out
of Cyprus comes Arda and The Stolen Moon and she was kind enough to sent me the
vinyl version of her album release. What we get to hear is Alternative Pop/Rock
meets Indie Pop and actually Arda has a sorta own style, because I find it hard
to compare her to other acts. Perhaps Jefferson Airplane meets Fiona Apple
meets Alanis Morissette might be a nice description. The cool thing of course
is that it's released as limited edition vinyl record of only 200 pieces, which
happened due to a crowdfunding action Arda started in 2016. Besides Arda on
vocals and piano, we can also welcome the musicians of The Stolen Moon, which
are Socrates Leptos (guitars), Stefanos Meletiou (drums), Mike Chrysanthou
(keys), Claire Palmer (backing vocals) and Nicholas Melis (piano). Robert
Camassa produced the record and he was once a member of the band Diphtheria, a
Cypriotic Metalband that only managed to release a rare demo. Anyway, Arda has
got the voice of a typical Indie Pop meets Folkband, but her music rocks a bit
more and actually is close to alternative pop/rock. 10 songs are included and
most of them go in a similar direction, which is more or less uptempo, with as
finest song the melodic catchy You're not you lately. Check it out for yourself
and get the vinyl version asap as that might become a collector's item. More
at: https://ardaandthestolenmoon.bandcamp.com/releases
Singer/Songwriter
Jeff Gutman comes out of San Francisco and released his debut album way back in
1999. Many albums later I got in touch with this talented musician, who was
kind enough to sent me his latest album Arrive. Musically speaking we are
heading into sophisticated 1970s orientated pop with a singer/songwriter touch.
His 6th album is showing a musician with a passion for music and actually it is
the 3rd song on the album, The haunting, which really made a huge impact on me,
because this is a beautiful haunting typical 70s almost symphonic/progressive
piece with some nice harmonyvocals and strong vocalwork (Styx ish actually). I
wonder how it all would sound if some more rock elements would be added,
because now it all sounds very calm and acoustic/piano based (except the song
The only one I know). If you listen to Time and tide for example, it's
dangerously close to Dennis DeYoung vocally speaking, being a great epic ballad
ish piece of work, and also Edge of the knife feels that way. Here and there
some light AOR/Westcoast influences can be heard and America might also be a
comparison for sure. It's all very soft MOR/Pop orientated and if you dig the
70s way of happy pop life, then this is definitely a must to check out at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jeffgutman
Now
here we have a great sleazy rocking band out of the Buffalo area in the New
York state. The Scarecrow Show is a 3-piece band from the small town of Delevan,
consisting of lead guitarist Ray Cook III and brothers Jon (drums, lead vocals)
and Ben Juchniewicz (bass). Together they recorded a great debut record that
features 11 songs that as mentioned musically can be described as pure rock and
roll the traditional American way, in which we can find influences from classic
rock, glam/sleaze rock, a little bit of garage rock/punkrock and even blues.
This great mixture makes them a sure hit on rock festivals and somehow their
songs are catchy as well, with some awesome guitarwork. They remind me a bit of
Radkey, with a big fat guitarsound, mostly uptempo dirty mean rocking, with as
mentioned memorable catchy choruses to sing-a-long with. Definitely a band to
check out at: https://thescarecrowshow.bandcamp.com/
Steve
Thorne 'Island of the imbeciles' (Independent/Nineteen 73/UK Import)
Since
2007 the British multi-instrumentalist Steve Thorne has been releasing records
and Island of the imbeciles is his 5th album so far. His music moves somewhere
between singer/songwriter, neo-prog and symphonic pop/rock, reminding of a
cross between Jadis and Steven Wilson. Actually quite song orientated, this
album is definitely a must-hear for every music lover, because it features a
lot of memorable tunes. Steve himself is doing almost everything on his own,
although on several songs he is assisted by musicians like Robin Armstrong / guitar,
James McLaren and Tony Levin / bass and Nick D'virgilio / drums. 10 songs are
included in total, of which the highlights are In The Frame (lovely almost
midtempo AOR ish), Colours Of Torment and Dear Mother Earth (very strong
melodic proggy pop/rock, pure Jadis) and the calmer Let Me Down. Steve has a great
voice and the overal sound of this album is just very relaxing and laid-back,
sometimes quite polished prog song orientated. Don't miss this release! More
info at: http://www.steve-thorne.co.uk/
With
only a few real cities, most of the bands from Finland come out of Helsinki,
Turku, Tampere, Vaasa and Oulu. Naryan hails from Tampere and Black letters is
their 2nd album. Musically speaking it offers a sorta calm gothic melancholic
rocksound that recalls Savatage somehow, but then softer with typical Finnish
melodies (Him). The songs sound very theatrical and ballad ish most of the
time, with as one of the absolute highlights the duet (female and male vocals
share) I promise you. It would not surprise me if this band breaks through in
their homeland of Finland, where so many acts are playing this style. They are
doing it very well, sounding almost like a pure melodic rockband here and
there, such as during the catchy Together in this. Go check them out at: http://www.naryanband.com
Sisters
Doll 'All dolled up' (Independent/Australia Import)
The
legendary guitarist Bruce Kulick makes a guest appearance on the debut album of
the Australian band Sisters Doll. Not bad for a new band! Sisters Doll was formed
in Melbourne back in 2010 by 3 brothers (B. Monroe - Guitar/Lead Vocals, Lipz -
Drums/Vocals and Auzy Foxxx - Bass/Vocals) and All dolled up is as mentioned
their very first record. Musically and visually they are clearly an 80s L.A.
Sunset Strip Hair Metal based band, influenced by Kiss, Motley Crue, Van Halen,
Poison, Firehouse, New York Dolls, Twisted Sister, The Darkness, Ramones,
Journey, Sweet, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden and Triumph. They do it
really well here, with a big production, a great kick-ass sound and memorable
tunes, as if it was still 1988. Britny Fox, Tigertailz, Motley Crue, Stryper
and Dirty Blonde are good comparisons here and thanks to a pretty good lead
singer, it all sounds quite strong for a Hair Metal band! Although not really
original, the result is really good. Just listen to Hurricane, Johnny or Young
forever and you're in classic Hair Metal Heaven! A serious version of Steel
Panther might also be a good description. If you're becoming interested, head
over to their site at: https://www.sistersdollband.com/
Only
3 songs are on the album of the San Francisco based band Horse and Chariot, but
they are definitely sounding very strong and reflect a somewhat classic 70s
rocksound like T Rex and also reminds me a bit of Temples if we need to compare
it to a modern band. This 3-piece band's origins go back 30 years in time an
let's just hope a full-length record will follow soon, because this mini-CD
already shows this is a very talented act you just need to hear. Check them out
at: www.horseandchariot.bandcamp.com
New
Wave chamber pop, retro rock and roots music is being mixed together according
to the bio of this Australian band called Miles Recommends and after hearing
the 5 songs of their debut EP Extended play there is indeed some various
influences to be heard, but I would rather call it indie pop/rock with a folk
touch and a jazzy part as well. The band itself is actually a new Australian
singer-songwriting and music production duo of Des Atkinson and Lou Cadell, who
share lead vocals, so we have male and female vocals, both sounding quite good
and all included songs show that we are dealing here with a recommended act.
Look forward to their full-length, meanwhile check them out at: https://milesrecommends.bandcamp.com/album/extended-play
Halcyon
is already the 3rd album of the Swedish band Hidden Lands and once again we can
enjoy wonderful symphonic/progressive rock of a very high level. It has the
typical 70s approach, with lengthy tunes and instrumental passages, but still
keeping it melodic and enjoyable with strong vocal melodies. The band is formed
around Bruno Edling (Violent Silence) - vocals, Hannes Ljunghall (Violent
Silence) - keyboards and guitars, Philipp Bastin - bass and Gustav Nyberg -
drums. Highlights among the 8 included songs are The Silent Service (quite
lovely sympho/progrock, very melodic song a la Alan Parsons Project) and Songbirds
(very impressive classic 70s symphonic rock tune). This is a recommended high
quality album for the sympho/progfans out there! More at: https://www.facebook.com/HiddenLands/
Amsterdam
Connection 'Isn't she lovely' (Harmony Music)
Amsterdam
Connection is a duo consisting of Tim Welwaars (jazz harmonica & piano) and
Naomi Adriaansz (alto / tenor sax), whom together created this lovely tribute
to Stevie Wonder. Tim has played and recorded with Stevie Wonder, Toots
Thielemans, Kenny Burrell, Jose Feliciano, Ray Brown, Mel Lewis, Lee Ritenour,
Jan Akkerman and many others. While listening to the debut album of this duo,
it is clear that Tim must have a connection with the harmonica master himself,
Toots Thielemans, and indeed he was his first and only student. He is even
called Toots' “successor” and besides Amsterdam Connection, he has a solo
carreer going on, but for more info on that please go to: www.timwelvaars.nl Back to Amsterdam
Connection, Naomi is mainly active in the Jazz scene, playing in various bands,
sharing the stage with many international acts and also taking part in the
organisation of jazz festivals (http://www.naomi-adriaansz.nl/).
The smooth instrumental jazz-westcoast album recorded as Amsterdam Connection
is paying hommage to one of the greatest singers of all times, Stevie Wonder.
The album was produced by 2 times Grammy Award winning producer Paul Brown in
Los Angeles and also features the legendary Nathan East (bass), Marc Antoine
(guitar), Jessy J (flute) and Paul Brown (guitar) as guest musicians. The
result is a very impressive album that you can play at almost any ocassion, but
during warm summer nights with a glass of wine it of course gives you the best
and most relaxed feeling. Highly professional and internationally speaking an
album that should definitely reach a wide audience. The harmonica and sax blend
together perfectly, creating beautiful melodies that are without a doubt giving
you the same chills as the original Stevie Wonder melodies. Make sure not to
miss this gem at: www.amsterdamconnection.net
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Out
of Italy comes the band Ananda Mida and they have just released their same
titled debut album. Musically speaking a mixture of Stoner Rock, Classic Rock
and even a touch of complex Progrock rhythms, they have a sorta Ozzy kinda
vocalist. It's not bad at all what we get to hear, although at first sight it
all sounds a bit messy. 70s Black Sabbath meets Progressive Rock is a good
description here, although I would not call this a real must-have release if
you're starting to think this might be an exceptional release. On the other
hand, I do feel that these guys have delivered an interesting record that you
might want to check out, because here and there, something's going on. You can
already hear that during the first song Aktavas that features the progrock and
stoner rock elements, while even making a sorta fuzz guitarsound doing a
southern rock melody! Stoner Rockfans however are the ones that really should
check out this band a.s.a.p. at: https://anandamidaband.bandcamp.com/
Burn Out
Wreck 'Swallow' (Independent/Glass Onyon Pr)
The
first thing I thought when listening to the debut album of Burn Out Wreck was
that this was an old Krokus record I had put on, because from start to finish
this record feels exactly the same way, but in a good way then, as all included
songs sound very strong. Not original at all, it nevertheless kinda grabbed me
due to it's simplicity of AC/DC riffs and catchy Classic Hardrocksound. What
surprised me completely that the band's lead singer Gary Moat was the original
drummer of the legendary Scottish 80s Hair Metalband Heavy Pettin'. Never knew
he was a better singer than that band's original singer Steve Hayman! Anyway,
while Heavy Pettin' tried to sound like Def Leppard meets Saxon meets Krokus,
Burn Out Wreck completely goes for that cool classic Krokus Hardrocksound,
which thanks to a huge production sounds quite impressive. In fact, I haven't
heard such a record in a long time, so it actually sounds refreshing and gives
you a good positive feeling! Classic Rock at it's absolute best! Check out more
at: https://www.burntoutwreck.com/
I
remember of course the fantastic AOR/Melodic (Pomp) Rockband Morningstar from
the USA, but they were active in the 1970s. This new Morningstar comes out of
Austin, Texas and are a female fronted bluesy southern rockband. The band is
actually named after their lead singer, who is called Theresa Morningstar, but
I am not sure if that is her real name. The band was formed in 2013 and they
have now released this same titled debut album, which contains 13 tracks in
total. Fallen roses is one of the strongest songs, because somehow this is a
little more melodic rock orientated. Made to break is also a cool song, an
uptempo almost bluegrass ish tune. On the other hand, most of the songs are
also nice to listen to and are bluesy rock orientated. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStar70/
Here
we have a good The Cult ish sounding classic rockband called Jedeye and they
are coming out of Germany. It might not be really original what they are doing,
but they definitely deliver quality classic hardrock on this debut album
Demons, which is actually a mini record. Gregor Andreska is their singer and he
has a raw hard rock voice in the old Krokus style, which perfectly blends
together. As already mentioned, the music reminds me a bit of The Cult (I'll
wake you up) and even the first Motley Crue record during a catchy uptempo tune
like Pure evil (pure early 80s Hard/Glamrocksound), while the absolute
highlight is the catchy Under the sun. Nice job done here by these Germands, so
go check out more at: www.jedeye.de
In
the 1980s and 1990s there was a huge White Metalscene in the USA, with
countless Christian Rockband playing Hair Metal with lyrics about the love for
Jesus and God. This resulted in a huge scene, which died somewhere in the
1990s, with Sure Conviction being one of the last sensational new bands in the
scene. Narnia has kept the fire burning a bit, but now in 2017 Rainforce can
also be added to the classic Christian Metalsound. These guys deliver a nice
record that sounds like a cross between Petra and Whitecross. Not a classic or
anything, it's a nice one to check out if you miss the days of bands like
Barren Cross, Whitecross, Jerusalem and such. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/rainforce.ch/
Formed
in LA, but based in Nashville, The Voodoo Fix are a hot new name on the rise.
They are a very diverse rock band, whom could become huge with this new record
Back for more, because it has a sorta popular modern sound that made The Black
Keys a big name in the music business. Their debut album In deep from 2016 was
recorded with Grammy-award winning producer Shannon Sanders (Robert Randolph,
India.Arie, Johnny Lang) in L.A. and Darin “D-Roc” James (Memphis Horns,
Solomon Burke, India.Arie) in Nashville. Now within 1 year they follow it up
with Back for more, which musically is less rock and more funk orientated, because
sometimes it's like you're listening to an old Rick James record, but also
Lenny Kravitz meets Red Hot Chili Peppers could be a nice description, yet with
slightly depressing low pitched vocals. In contract to their lovely rocking
debut, they have choosen a more commercial funk sound that will on the other
hand definitely appeal to the masses. Personally I am absolutely more a fan of
their rocksound, which can be heard during the lovely uptempo classic rocker We
belong. I'll bet live on stage these guys will deliver a fantastic show! Now I
feel that their new album shows a slightly different face, but nevertheless it
has somehow an interesting sound and as mentioned before, it would not surprise
me if this band breaks through in 2017 due to this new album! More at: http://www.thevoodoofix.com
Erik Lundgren
'Door dwellers' (Misty Music/Hemifran)
Now
here we have a super sensational singer songwriter record! The musician is
called Erik Lundgren and he comes out of Sweden, but is settled in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Door dwellers is already his 14th solo record, so we have some catching up to
do here! Erik has a fantastic voice and accompanied by a guitar and some keys
he belts out some amazing melodic singer/songwriter music. This is a wonderful
record you must check out, because of it's simplicity, honesty and beautiful
melodies. Indie folk pop is a possible description, but it's the voice that
says it all and Erik has got such a clean picture perfect melodic voice you can
listen to for hours. Hear for yourself at: http://www.eriklundgrenmusic.com
Just
when you think it's going to be a typical country album, the incredible catchy
uptempo One more shot kicks in as song number 2 on the 4th record of the
Australian singer/songwriter Steve McNaughton. This song is a complete surprise
due to it's superb AOR melody that could be lifted from a classic AOR record of
the late 70s/early 80s, with a chorus that sounds like a cross between Blue
Oyster Cult, Little River Band and Magnum. Well, at first sight this was not my
guess when looking at the frontcover of the musician's album Eagles aloft and
also opener Cross country is a pure soft country ish tune. The expectations
were not that high as you can imagine, but that all changed during the
following track One more shot, as already explained in detail and thankfully
the CD contains some more Westcoast-AOR meets crossover-country tunes, with as
highlights the midtempo Floating (a la Mark Spiro), Running dream, the
semi-ballad Under the sycamore, closing track The navigator (another uptempo
AOR song) and the cover of his beloved The Eagles (One of these nights). Not a
classic album or anything, but that song One more shot (and also the closing
track) are definitely bringing some classic AOR chills, so hopefully more of
such uptempo rocking tunes next time. Steve has a pleasant voice that makes it
easy to listen to his music, even though it's not really rocking and fingers
crossed for a future record! Meanwhile, this album is a definite must-have for
fans of the band Doc Holiday. Check out all on Steve at: http://www.stevemcnaughton.com.au/
White 'One
night stand together' (Gentlemen Recordings/DGR Music)
As
soon as the opening song Living fiction of the debut album of the Scottish band
White kicks in, I am convinced that we might be looking at the next big thing
here. I discovered the band last year during their exciting performance at the
Metropolis Festival in Rotterdam and now their official full-length debut One
night stand together is released and I must say that especially this particular
track has got all it takes to become the summerhit of 2017! The band might not
be that original, because the early 80s New Wave of bands like Simple Minds,
Ultravox and Roxy Music can be heard all over the place, but who cares if the
result is as good as on this record. Other highlights are the danceable Future
pleasures, the alternative semi ballad This is not a love song and the very
catchy Be the unknown, which is pure early 1980s New Wave at it's finest.
Remember the name White, because they might become the big thing this festival
summer. Check them out in the meantime at: https://calledwhite.com/
Anton
Walgrave 'Where oceans meet' (Independent/Hemifran)
Well,
well, well... I think we have found one of the greatest undiscovered
singer/songwriters at the moment. He is called Anton Walgrave and he has a
superb voice, while the songs on his latest album Where oceans meet shine
brightly from start to finish. Just listen to a song like Longing or Burn and
you are stepping into Singer/Songwriter heaven with it's beautiful pop melodies
and Anton's vocals are sounding picture perfect, from low to high pitched, he
is able to reach any range. It's unbelievable, but he isn't from the UK, USA or
Australia, as he's coming out of the city of Leuven, Belgium and one wonders
why this guy has not yet broken through worldwide, because he sounds as good as
for example Hozier, Rufus Wainwright or any other modern day praised
singer/songwriter. The most interesting thing about the recording of this CD is
the fact that it was recorded during 2 concerts he gave in a 18th century
chapel of the monastery in Dilbeek, Belgium. The result is magnificent and as
already mentioned, Anton should get a lot of attention, as the big audience
will absolutely love it. Check out more at: http://www.antonwalgrave.com/
Bry
is the project of Irish singer/songwriter Brian O'Reilly. He is already a star
in his home country Ireland and is also about to breakthrough in mainland
Europe now that he is releasing his same titled debut record. The music is
typical modern day radiofriendly pop/rock which sounds quite catchy, but Brian
also has a few calm singer/songwriter pieces hidden between the 10 included
tracks. However, most of the time it is the kinda picture perfect almost
bubblegum pop/rock that can be heard, just listen to songs like Disarm (best
song), Everything and You're alright. Not bad at all and radio-ready for sure
and also the crowd will love this kind of easy sing-a-long pop/rock, but time
will tell if Bry will become a household name or if will it all be over after
the fifteen minutes of fame he will probably get during the coming summer festivals.
Check it out for yourself at: http://www.bryontour.com
The Black
Angels 'Death song' (Partisan Records/DGR Music)
Out
of Austin, Texas, USA comes the American psychedelic rock band The Black
Angels. They have already released 4 albums and even made it into the US
Billboard Charts. Now they have a new album out titled Death song, which more
or less seems to be their ultimate tribute to the Velvet Underground, because
their name is derived from the Velvet Underground song "The Black Angel's
Death Song". The line-up of the band consists of Stephanie Bailey – drums,
percussion, bass, Christian Bland – guitar, vocals, bass, drums, Alex Maas –
vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, Kyle Hunt – keyboards, percussion, bass,
guitar and Jake Garcia – guitar, bass, vocals. Together with producer Phil Ek
(Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, The Shins...), the band have recorded their
strongest album so far. Pure late 1960s/early 1970s Psychedelic Rock with a
modern approach is what to expect here and also heavy stoner fuzz rock
influenced can be heard, but always there is a certain memorable melody. Velvet
Underground meets Jefferson Airplane meets Black Sabbath doomy guitar riffs and
a Grateful Dead meets Blue Oyster Cult sorta cult/theatrical approach can all
be traced in The Black Angel's music. Blend everything together with a 1960s
mysterious almost The Doors' ish kinda vibe, then you have the sound of Death
song. 11 songs are included and each and everyone of these tunes is interesting
to listen to, but one of the absolute highlights has got to be the lovely Half
believing. Don't miss this band's new album, as it might become a major seller
in 2017! More at: http://theblackangels.com/
People vs
Larsen 'Loving losing' (One Trick Dog Records/Hemifran)
Out
of Australia comes this interesting band called Disconnected Genius. At first
sight they are an alternative rockband, but each song develops into an almost
anthemic melodic rocksong actually. They sound like a mix between Live and
Manic Street Preachers, combining the rawness of grungy 1990s Nirvana with the
melodic guitarwork of the 1970s classic rock movement. A song like Vertruvian
man is the best example to give, but all 11 songs show that this band is a
recommended band to check out. They call themselves a punkrockband, but we have
to wait for song number 4 Just stay don't go before something punky pops up and
in fact, this is basically a melodic punkpoprocker. The band is formed around Jamie
O'Keefe (Vocals / Guitar / Piano), Yuri Pavlinov (Bass / BV's) and Danny
Farrugia (Drums / Percussion) and this Nirvikalpa meow is their 2nd album so
far. And it's definitely a good honest album to check out. Lovely melodies can
be heard, sometimes raw and rocking, but also here and there a beautiful calm
semi- melodic rockballad comes along (We're all watching everything). This song
and most of the tunes on the record feature some great melodic guitarsolos and
this combined with a Morissey kinda vocalist and some memorable melodies is
making this band a recommended alternative melodic rockband. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/DisconnectedGenius/
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