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HOT NEW REVIEWS
SAM
OUTLAW 'POPULAR MECHANICS' (BLACK HILL RECORDINGS/ROOTSY MUSIC/KLANDERMAN
PROMOTION/BERTUS)
Although SAM OUTLAW is
a new rising star in the country/Americana world, this new album of him surely
feels more like an 80s catchy poprock adventure in a way we have seen from a
lot of other acts lately (THE WAR ON DRUGS, BEAR'S DEN, DI-RECT, HARRY STYLES,
etc. etc.). I don't mind at all, but I guess when seeing the cover you might
expect a bit of country here, and as I am not familiar with the man's earlier
albums, this 4th CD Popular Mechanics is my introduction to SAM OUTLAW. He does
write all his song by himself, so that's a bonus, while most of the instruments
are played by CHEYENNE MEDDERS. 11 songs are included, and opener Here On A
Mission sounds quite polished and almost reminds me of 80s BRYAN ADAMS ish
midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock, which for me personally works really well! The
titletrack Popular Mechanics follows and continues the 80s influences, this
time it's a catchy uptempo poprocker in once again the aforementioned early 80s
BRYAN ADAMS style. Up next we're heading into slightly more modern
singer/songwriter pop, because Half A World Away is dangerously safe ED
SHEERANish material. Back to the 80s again with the catchy poprocker For The
Rest of Our Lives that sounds like BRYAN ADAMS meets TOM PETTY meets JOHN
COUGAR meets REFUGEE (remember them?), and I must say that when reading the
bio, Sam does a wonderful job in capturing the sound of that classic era, even
better than JOHN MAYER did recently. Other highlights on this rather
surprisingly great 80s influenced pop/rock adventure are Polyamorous and the
80s Power AOR ballads Stay The Night and When You Feel It (even featuring a
JOURNEYesque guitarsolo). Check out all info on this talented singer/songwriter
SAM OUTLAW from Nashville, USA at: http://www.samoutlaw.com
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
FRED
WICKHAM CARAVAN 'TOWN WITHOUT SOUL' (BLACK SITE RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS/KLANDERMAN
PROMOTION)
THE FRED WICKHAM
CARAVAN is a Kansas City band based around singer/songwriter/guitarist FRED
WICKHAM. He released an album a few years ago, but Town Without Soul is the
debut album as a band, which besides Fred also features Matt Brahl on drums,
Richard Burgess on bass, Bart Colliver on keyboards, Marco Pascolini on various
guitars and Fred Wickham junior on mandolin. Musically speaking you have a nice
mixture of calmer Americana singer/songwriter pieces like VAN MORRISON meets
JOHN MELLENCAMP (Progress for example) and rockier soulful pieces such as Just
Because You Can that does have some JOE COCKER kinda similarities. Fred has an
amazing voice and if you imagine a mixture of the aforementioned singers and
their music, then you're close to what you get to hear on this CD. However,
actually Fred has an own identity that combines all the influences we know from
American music, which are rootsy rock, Americana, singer/songwriter, pop/rock, Blues,
New Orleans, Soul, etc. Done at an incredible high level and at times even
reminding of the recent new HUEY LEWIS album, this surely must be a great live
experience. Check for yourself at: https://fredwickham.bandcamp.com/track/town-without-soul
and https://fredwickhamband.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ANNA
ASH 'SLEEPER' (BLACK MESA RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
The L.A. based
singer/songwriter ANNA ASH has already released quite a few albums so far, but
I was not familiar with her yet until her new album Sleeper arrived in the
mailbox. Her voice and music is clearly influenced by 70s female fronted
singer/songwriter/pop/rock in a way it has memories of STEVIE NICKS, LUCINDA
WILLIAMS, JONI MITCHELL and such. Sometimes she streches her voice and then
it's something you either love or hate, such as can be heard during Popularity
or Sleeper. When she holds back a bit, you get to hear some really nice calmer
melodic singer/songwriter pop tunes in an old traditional way of aforementioned
similar artists, which at best can be heard during Favorite Part and Seasonal.
Not bad at all, but probably not for everyone's taste. More info can be found
at: https://annaash.bandcamp.com/album/sleeper-2
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
SERATONES
'LOVE & ALGORHYTHMS' (NEW WEST RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Sometimes when putting
on a new album and hearing just a few seconds of the first song, you know
you're onto something really good. In this case, it concers opener Two Of A
Kind, a rather catchy modern yet retro (late 80s/early 90s) influenced
danceable soulful pop/funk/rock song with a deadly catchy chorus and some nice
cool synths, really giving you the feeling you're back 30 years in time.
SERATONES is the name of the band, they hail from Louisiana, and Love &
Algorhythms is their 3rd album so far. They have a great vibe going all
throughout the CD, with 80s synths, a lot of nice 70s soulful disco train
female vocals (DONNA SUMMER) and done in an early 90s danceable Eurodance meets
funky pop/rock setting, but there's more than meets the eye. This combination
will make them a winner at any festival, and from start to finish it's a joy to
listen to this strong new album of SERATONES. The band was formed in 2013 and
currently consists of AJ Haynes (vocals, guitar), Travis Stewart (guitar), Adam
Davis (bass), Tyran Coker (keyboard), and Jesse Gabriel (drums). AJ has an
amazing old-school soul voice that can best be heard during Dark Matter and the
beginning of I'll Be, a song that starts very calm but develops into a pure 80s
midtempo funky soul hi-tech synth driven tune (a la KOOL & THE GANG). Also
the northern soul/garage psychedelic rocker Get Free is an interesting song
that might appeal to fans of KHRUANGBIN. As you can see, there is a lot of
diveristy going on here, and I am quite surprised that SERATONES has not yet
broke through, because they have a catchy sound that should definitely gain
them much needed exposure. Check them out at: http://www.seratones.band/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
JOSHUA
HEDLEY 'NEON BLUE' (NEW WEST RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Neon Blue is the
follow-up to 2018's debut album Mr. Jukebox of American singer/songwriter
JOSHUA HEDLEY, who is making pure American classic country in the style of
GARTH BROOKS and ALAN JACKSON. He does it extremely well actually, so he really
might become the next big country star. In the past 25 years most country stars
started to flirt with pop and rock, but Joshua is doing his country as
authentic as possible, so without the introduction of other genres. Fans of
real classic country music will love it for sure, so go check him out at: http://joshuahedley.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
49
WINCHESTER 'FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD' (NEW WEST RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Out of Castlewood,
Virginia, USA comes the sensational alternative indie country band 49
WINCHESTER. The band's 4th album Fortune Favors The Bold starts very melodic
and innovative, because the particular song Annabel has a sorta 80s influenced
uptempo cross-over country-indie-pop-rock-wave sound that also feels a bit like
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION during their laste 80s period. Anyway, country rock is
clearly the main ingredient on this new album of them, but in a rockier
direction like in the past POCO became quite known for. 49 WINCHESTER is formed
around Isaac Gibson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Cowbell, Bus
Shelton - Electric Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Chase Chafin - Bass Guitar, Noah
Patrick - Steel Guitar, Don Eanes - Piano, Hammond B3, Keys and Dillon Cridlin
- Drums, Percussion, and together they play one of the finest and most original
country-rockstyle I have heard in decades. From start to finish this is of an
incredible high level, and yes it's been done before by acts like ALABAMA,
POCO, RESTLESS HEART, BLACKHAWK and many more, but 49 WINCHESTER are doing at
such a high level, with here and there a slightly different alternative take,
the new album will definitely become a contender to place a high charting in
the best albums of 2022 lists in the country/rock side of life. Russell County
Line for example is one of the best and most honest real country rock ballads I
have heard in ages, while All I Need is basically pure southern rock in the
style of DOC HOLIDAY and LYNYRD SKYNYRD, while the soulful southern/blues rock ballads
Second Chance and Neon are incredible emotional joyrides, so there's a lot to
discover here besides country. This makes them a must-band to check out at: https://49winchester.bandcamp.com/album/fortune-favors-the-bold
and https://49winchester.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
SOFIE
LIVEBRANT SINGS EMILY BRONTE 'WEEP THE TIME AWAY' (ROOTSY MUSIC/KLANDERMAN
PROMOTION)
The Swedish
singer/composer/musician SOFIE LIVEBRANT has a beautiful voice, and on her 6th
album Weep The Time Away, she has put her music to 8 poems by the legendary
British 19th century poet EMILY JANE BRONTE, who is best known for her novel
Wuthering Heights. Sofie's voice and music reflect an old folk rock meets
acoustic 70s singer/songriter pop direction that sits somewhere between JONI
MITCHELL and FAIRPORT CONVENTION. It's a joy to listen to her music from start
to finish, and as mentioned, lyrically there is a lot to discover due to the
link with Emily. Check for yourself at: www.sofielivebrant.com
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
CATS IN
SPACE 'KICKSTART THE SUN' (HARMONY FACTORY/UK IMPORT)
If I was asked to name
one band that made an impact on me the past 20 years I would definitely mention
CATS IN SPACE, and then in particular their previous album Atlantis, which now
2 years after it's original release I still rank as one of the greatest
AOR/Melodic Rockalbums of the past few decades! The Cats are now back with a
new album titled Kickstart The Sun, and without a doubt, it will be a hard time
to beat Atlantis, but thankfully they have kept the incredible high level of
that previous classic! It's their 5th album in total so far, and I believe no
big changes since the previous album, so it's once again GREG HART as
guitarist/producer and main songwriter, engineer IAN CAPLE, STEEVI BACON
(drums/co-songwriter), DEAN HOWARD (guitars), JEFF BROWN (bass/vocals) and ANDY
STEWART (keys). Musically also no changes, so it's once again a joyful
adventure through the 70s and 80s AOR, Pomprock, Melodic Rock and Theatrical
Classic Rock catalogues.
After a short intro,
the album gets on it's way with the big anthemic arena uptempo melodic rocker
King Of Stars, but it's next track Poke The Witch that has got the
"wow" factor, as this is a dut-dut piano/keys driven late 70s
AOR/Pomprocker in the style of STYX, TOUCH, LE ROUX, ROADMASTER, AVIARY,
RATHSKELLER and such, with a QUEEN meets THIN LIZZY approach during the soaring
guitarsolo. I mentioned it countless times during the previous album, but lead
singer DAMIEN EDWARDS has got to be one of the finest singers to walk on this
planet earth right now! Teenage Millionaires is big ballsy 80s AOR/Melodic Rock
with incredible hooks and a catchy chorus you will be singing all night after
you heard it! Imagine a mix between TOUCH, 70s QUEEN and mid 80s DENNIS DE
YOUNG, then you're not far removed from the sound of the Cats!
Goodbye To The
American Dream is a very nice midtempo AOR/Melodic Rocker, while 1,000,000
Miles is one of the greatest Power Ballads I have heard in ages, even reaching
the classic QUEEN status if you close your eyes! Fifty-One Pillow Bed takes you
straight into classic 80s uptempo AOR with it's JOURNEYesque approach. Charlie's
Ego has got that lovely nostalgic quirky British melodic pop/rock sound of the
70s (TRICKSTER, CITY BOY, CHARLIE...) crossed with somehow a bit of THE TURTLES
during the chorus, and a rather cool Dr. Who synth meets DAVID BOWIE part
during a few seconds towards the end of the song. The titletrack Kickstart The
Sun starts as a calmer ballad, but develops into a somewhat epic 70s influenced
massive sounding semi progressive melodic rocker with big QUEEN harmonyvocals,
and overall also reminding me a bit of ROBBY VALENTINE. A Big Balloon is a
semi-ballad with Damien stretching his vocal chops to the max here and there,
while following Smoke & Mirrors is as close to classic 80s uptempo
AOR/Melodic Rock as you can possibly get, with it's dut-dut keys, hooks and
catchy PREVIEWish chorus.
Hero follows in a
calmer piano-ballad mode, while Last' Dance Saloon is a cool catchy uptempo
bombastic symphonic melodic rocker with a strong memory of classic ELECTRIC
LIGHT ORCHESTRA. The longest (and perhaps best) song Bootleg Bandoleros closes
the album, and this is a superb quite relaxing 70s influenced diverse epic
melodic rocker with a lot of tempo changes and sensational soaring guitarsolos,
sometimes reminding me a lot of BOSTON and a bit of STYX. I think by now you
will get the picture what this is all about! Concluded, this is a really great
new album of CATS IN SPACE that can easily match their previous classic
Atlantis, and hopefully they will be able to tour outside the UK soon, because
they absolutely deserve to be heard by a lot more people. Check out their
website at: https://www.catsinspace.co.uk
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
MARCO
BUSATO 'NIGHT OF MY TIMES VINYL RECORD' (BICKERTON RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
Do not confuse MARCO
BUSATO with MARCO BORSATO, because the talented singer/songwriter/guitarist
MARCO BUSATO is originally from Brazil, but since 2014 he is resident of
London, UK. He now makes his debut with Night Of My Times, an album that has
been released on BICKERTON RECORDS. 9 songs are included and musically speaking
it has a clear nostalgic 60s kinda vibe, kinda like a cross between THE MADD
and JACCO GARDNER for the Dutch musicfans among us. Other musicians joining
Marco are YAN LEMOS (backing vocals), RAFAEL CURITA (guitar) and LEO MONTENEGRO
(organ, piano, synths...). 9 songs are included in total, of which opener
Sunken Ships is a very relaxing summer ish uptempo psychedelic westcoast
pop/rocker in a sorta THE BYRDS style of the late 1960s. Find The Way is a bit
more laid-back, semi proggy and reminding of something JOEL SARUKULA could do.
I Don't Know Why takes you straight into the 60s, while the beautiful Watch Me
Fall has again that lovely late 60s psychedelic summer breeze vibe as if we're
55 years back in time. There's also some surf influences a la THE BEACH BOYS
included in Marco's music, and all together the album sounds very impressive
from start to finish.
Side-B has as
highlights Night Of My Times, the instrumental Tropical Downtime, and the
lovely melodic rocking Speed Of Sound (which also a slight touch of TAME IMPALE
somehow). Marco makes a nice debut with this first solo album, and anyone into
classic 60s psychedelic surf/beat/westcoast need to check out this recommended
musician at: https://bickertonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/br055-night-of-my-times-lp
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
THE
TAMBLES 'SCRAPING BY VINYL RECORD' (BICKERTON RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
Out of the beautiful Dutch city of Gouda,
The Netherlands comes THE TAMBLES, a band with a lovely classic retro 60s mod
powerpop/pub-rocksound, and Scraping By is their 2nd album so far. The band is
formed around Felix Bruyn (Bass, Vocals, Violin), Tijs Tonus (Drums,
Percussion, Vocals), Freek Struijs (Guitar, Vocals) and Ruben Drenth (Vocals,
Guitar, Blues Harp, Trumpet), and Scraping By has a true authentic 60s
nostalgic sound. I received a beautiful vinyl record release from their Spanish
label BICKERTON RECORDS, and I can honestly inform you that it's a true
addition to any record collector's collection since this is the kind of music
that is absolutely timeless.
The album starts calm, but the particular
song Reminding Me Of You develops into a great uptempo Mod Powerpop meets 60s
Garage Rocker. Listen follows, and this is a fantastic uptempo melodic garage
rocker with a soulful touch, and like any other song, also here it is like we
stepped in a time machine back to 1965 when in Holland countless bands were
making this kind of music, so people who appreciate Q5, THE MOTIONS, GOLDEN
EARRINGS, SANDY COAST, TEE SET... Other highlights are the garage rocker Home
(THEMish), Sister Augustine (lovely STONESish garage soul rocker), the calmer
Crying Still, and the 50s rockabilly/bluegrass piece Wild Wild River, but
actually none of the 14 included songs is weak or average, so fans of classic
60s rock need to check out THE TAMBLES. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/TheTambles
and https://bickertonrecords.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THE
MOCKS 'OUT OF SIGHT 45" SINGLE RECORD' (BICKERTON RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
Recently we reviewed a
45" single of the Dutch band THE MOCKS, well, they are back with another
sensational 45" single that has 2 really great tunes on it. Their music is
60s beat/mod/garage rock and both included songs are clearly reminding of a
period in time of music history when music started to get a bit rawer and
edgier. Both the A-Side Out of Sight and Same Old Say on Side-B are wonderful
pieces of classic 60s beat/garage rock that will stand the test of time. 60
years ago THE MOCKS would have been huge and right up there with THE WHO,
ROLLING STONES, THEM, THE KINKS, etc. Check them out at: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreTheMocks/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
UMPHREY'S
MCGEE 'ASKING FOR A FRIEND' (POWDERFINGER/USA IMPORT)
Asking For A Friend is already the 14th
album of the Indiana, USA based band UMPHREY'S MCHEE. Although labeled as a
progressive rockband, they are far more than just that, because their songs are
quite accessible in way that the music does have powerpop/90s college rock
kinda influences as well, something JELLYFISH, KING'S X, ENCHANT, CROWDED
HOUSE, TEARS FOR FEARS and even RUSH or SPOCK'S BEARD are also known for,
especially during the catchy choruses of songs like I Don't Know What I Want,
Always October, Small Strides, So Much and Dayville Monarchy. You might also
call it prog/powerpop with THE BEATLES or THE POLICE influences, but I think if
you mix all the aforementioned acts, then you're close to UMPHREY'S MCEE's
sound on their new album, which might well be their finest album so far. The
band's line up consists nowadays of Brendan Bayliss – guitar, vocals, Joel
Cummins – keyboards, vocals, Ryan Stasik – bass guitar, Andy Farag – percussion,
Jake Cinninger – guitar, vocals and Kris Myers, and together they created an
amazing vibrant melodic sound that will appeal to both prog and popfans out
there. Check out more on this band at: http://www.umphreys.com/6
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
NIK
TURNER & THE TRANCE DIMENSIONALS 'SYNCHRONICITY' (BLACK WIDOW RECORDS/ITALY
IMPORT)
The legendary British
musician/vocalist NIK TURNER is best known as former member of space rock
pioneers HAWKWIND. After his departure he continued making music via various
bands, projects and solo recordings, and the latest one is an album titled
Synchronicity which he recorded as NIK TURNER & THE TRANCE DIMENSIONALS. He
plays sax, flute and sings, while CLOG/Bass, DAI REES/drums, STEVE
HILLMAN/guitar, keys/synths and several guests join his weird experimental
adventures. The artwork of the CD is quite stunning, while the included music
is a nice space/progressive rock trip through the fields of time with likewise
also the comparison to HAWKWIND more than a few times. There's no single weak
moment to be found here, with a lot of diversity going on and the space
adventure takes you to various parts of the world in the shape of all these
interesting sounds that are played by the aforementioned musicians. Fans of
HAWKWIND and BLUE OYSTER CULT will absolutely love this amazing new CD of Nik.
Check more info on Nik's music at: http://www.nikturner.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS 'THE DARK SIDE OF THE CULT: A TRIBUTE TO BLUE OYSTER CULT' (BLACK WIDOW
RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
2 full-length CDs make
this interesting tribute to BLUE OYSTER CULT complete, and I think it is one of
the biggest tributes ever to the legendary American classic rockband. The
project really took off thanks to the label BLACK WIDOW RECORDS, who believed
in GIANCARLO BOLTHER, the producer/leader of the project. B.O.C. is one of the
real original sounding classic rockbands in history, and thanks to Giancarlo
and BLACK WIDOW RECORDS, we now have 2 CDs dedicated to them. Involved are a
lot of Italian bands, but also ex-BOC member ALBERT BOUCHARD, of whom we
recently reviewed a new solo album by the way. In total 29 songs are included,
of which of course a few are the well-known hits of the band (Don't Fear The
Reaper, Burnin' For You and Godzilla), but also quite some rare B.O.C. songs
are being covered by acts like DEATH SS, SMED, BRETUS, HUMULUS, SALEM CROSS,
PRESENCE, etc. etc. All together this is a wonderfully documented tribute to
one of the greatest and most original classic rockbands ever! More info can be
found at: https://www.facebook.com/The.Producer.Giancarlo.Bolther/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CIRCUS
NEBULA 'THE SECOND COMING' (BLACK WIDOW RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
The Italian band CIRCUS NEBULA has been
around since 1988 (!), but despite some cassette only releases and demos in the
1980s and 1990s, it took until 2017 before they released an official
full-length album, which was titled Circus Nebula. Now another 5 years later
the band returns with a new album titled The Second Coming. The band's line up
consists of Michele Gavelli/Keyboards, Roberto "Bobby Joker" Brighi/Drums,
Alex "The Juggler" Celli/Guitars, Marco "Mark Ash" Bonavita/Vocals
(lead) and Deva Silence/Bass, and right from the start with the catchy opener
Jerusalem's Lot, which has a playing time of 23 minutes, it is clear we are
dealing here with a high quality original sounding melodic progressive/heavy
rock band that actually shows an own identity. They sound somewhat like a cross
between EVERGREY, ROUGH SILK, HEAVY LOAD and a heavier TWELFTH NIGHT, so
there's some theatrical influences, high pitched vocals and a 70s proto metal
ish approach here and there, although CIRCUS NEBULA is overall a heavy dark
progressive rockband. What they are doing is of a high level and although to
some it all might sound a bit complex, CIRCUS NEBULA definitely has something
to offer and explore for the open-minded music fans out there. More info at: http://www.circusnebula.com/index.htm
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
DARK
AGES 'BETWEEN US' (BLACK WIDOW RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
Formed all the way
back in the 1980s, the Italian progressive rockband DARK AGES has been around
for a long time now, with quite a lot of releases during the past few decades.
Their new album Between Us features Simone Calciolari / guitars, vocals, Carlo
Busato / drums, Angela Busato / keyboards, flute, vocals, Gaetano Celotti /
bass and Roberto Roverselli / vocals, and it is basically a typical Italo
Progressive Rock album that is recommended to fans of LE ORME, PFM, THE FLOWER
KINGS and such. There's clearly some theatrical influences here and there (KING
DIAMOND meets ROUGH SILK), and sometimes it all sounds a bit too overwhelming,
such as during the opening song Pristine Eyes or The Villain King, while at
other times the melodic sound of the band is really impressive (Showdown for
example, which also features guest singer GIANBATTISTA "JAN" MAMENTI,
and Beyond). Instrumental the band is top-notch, but vocally it sounds a bit
out of control here and there, which is a pity, because DARK AGES shows that during
a couple of songs they are able produce sensational threatrical progressive
rock at a very high level. Check them out for yourself at: https://www.facebook.com/darkagesrock/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
WINTER
'LOOKING BACK' (WINTERGOTHIC RECORDS/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
At first sight WINTER
looks to be a Gothic band, but as soon as opener We Believe In Rock blasts
through the speakers, it is clear that there's something different here,
because this song has a clear 80s melodic rock/hair metal touch both lyrically
and musically speaking. Nevertheless, lead singer/multi-instrumentalist MARKUS
WINTER does have a voice that makes it also remind me of HIM and THE RASMUS, so
imagine a mix of both worlds on this new WINTER CD. Besides Markus other
featured musicians are drummers HUGO RIBIERO and CARSTEN ENGHARDT,
keyboardplayer MICHAEL DONNER and seveal backing singers. However, there's more
than meets the eye, because besides 80s AOR/Melodic Rock influences, the gothic
rock of WINTER also reveals some other influences such as ZZ TOPish boogie rock
and roll during Heartbreak Road and ALICE COOPER during the catchy The Flyer.
Not that strange actually if you learn about the fact that the original
recordings of the 16 included songs were made between 1995 and 2019, so this CD
is actually covers a period of about 25 years in music evolution, and we all
know that the whole world changed during this period. Anyway, the diversity of
the music, but also the high level of musicianship makes WINTER's new CD
Looking Back a recommended album to check out. My favorite songs are the
fantastic Blood Red Vengeance and Princess Of The Night, which are both 80s
Melodic Hardrock at it's very best, reminding me somehow of bands like BONFIRE
and CASANOVA. Throw in HIM and ALICE COOPER influences, and then you have the
sound of WINTER on this 'best of' album! More info at: https://www.winterzeitstudios.de/produkt/markus-winter-looking-back-limitierte-vinyl/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
CARSON
'THE WILFUL PURSUIT OF IGNORANCE' (SIXTEENTIMES MUSIC/SWISS IMPORT)
Lead singer/guitarist
KIERAN MORTIMER-JONES is originally from New Zealand, but moved to Switzerland
along with drummer JAN KURMANN and bassist ELINA WILENER, and recently released
a 2nd full-length album as CARSON. The album is titled The Wilful Pursuit Of Ignorance,
and it is musically speaking superb high quality melodic stoner hardrock with a
focus around Kieran's fantastic vocalwork. Of course the stoner rock sound has
been done before by countless bands and KUYSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and
BLACK SABBATH influences are clearly present, but CARSON does it really well to
give it an own identity, which is mostly thanks to Kieran's amazing strong
vocals, but also when listening to opener Dirty Dream Maker, you get to hear
rightaway a sensational band that is ready to rock the world. SIXTEEN MUSIC is
a great interesting Swiss label that seem to pick the best new rockbands, so
let's hope CARSON gets a chance to breakthrough with their excellent 2nd
full-length album The Wilful Pursuit Of Ignorance. Check them out at: www.sixteenmusic.com/carson
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
RODEO
'MOIRA' (SIXTEENTIMES MUSIC/SWISS IMPORT)
Out of the Basque
region in Spain comes RODEO, whom made their debut in 2017 with the same titled
album, and they followed it up just before corona took over with a follow-up
titled Dilmun. 2022 seems to be the year they will make a full comeback in the
shape of the 3rd album Moria, which will be followed by another new album later
in 2022. The band consists of MIKEL LILARRAMENDI REZABEL (guitar, vocals),
ORTZI ALBERDI ODRIOZOLA (bass) and OROITZ URBIETA EIZAGIRRE (drums), and their
music is pure Stoner Rock in the style of KYUSS. RODEO sounds quite aggressive,
adding a sorta Punk attitude to the stoner rock sound, and of the 10 songs that
are included on their new album Moria the best ones are Therion, Chrones and the
catchy Geras. Compared to some of the other releases on their label SIXTEEN
MUSIC, MOIRA has a rawer sound and also vocally is not as strong as for example
CARSON, but nevertheless they deliver a nice stoner rockalbum here. More info
at: www.sixteenmusic.com/rodeo
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
NO MUTE
'FEATHER FOR A STONE' (SIXTEENTIMES MUSIC/SWISS IMPORT)
Feather For A Stone is
the 3rd album of the Swiss band NO MUTE. They have been around for over 15
years now, and released their debut album Blind back in 2010, which was
followed by follow up Aimless Arrow in 2015, and now there is Feather For A
Stone. Their music is a mix of stoner rock and melodic heavy rock, with some
big fat heavy metal riffs, although each and every of the 9 included songs is
quite melodic actually. The band is formed around TOBIAS GISI (vocals), MATHIAS
SCHIBLER (guitars), ROMAN BAUMANN (bass) and FLORIAN SCHWALLER (drums), and the
highlights on this new album are Big Talk, I Want It and Preacher. The band has
a strong lead singer, and their overall sound is of a very high level,
capturing the best between an accessible melodic approach and pure rock essence
of the stoner kind generation (KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), also reminding
a bit of SOUNDGARDEN here and there. Check them out at: www.nomute.ch
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
ECHOLOT
'DESTRUDO' (SIXTEENTIMES MUSIC/SWISS IMPORT)
The Swiss band ECHOLOT
will release a new album soon, but meanwhile I received their 3rd album
Destrudo which was released in the beginning of the corona pandemic, back in
autumn 2020. The band consists of guitarist/vocalist LUKAS FURER, bassist
RENATO MATTEUCCI and drummer JONATHAN SCHMIDLI. The sound on the album is heavy
and pure sludge/doom, with some growling here and there, although clean vocals
are also featured. 3 long songs are included, and for fans of SLEEP, MONOLORD,
COUGH, CONAN, ELECTRIC WIZARD a must to hear! Not bad at all and done very
well, so go check for yourself at: https://sixteentimes.bandcamp.com/album/destrudo
(Points:
7.9 out of 10)
JAY
BIRD 'AT HOME AGAIN' (YER MUSIC/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
I believe At Home
Again is the solo debut full-length album of American
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist JAY BIRD. He recorded some solo
material in the past, a few EP’s I believe, but was mainly part of a blues rock
band called SOUTH RAIL with whom he recorded several albums. Now in 2022 he
fully concentrates on a solo career and At Home Again is without a doubt a
sensational start, because it contains superb melodic classic 70s inspired
singer/songwriter pop/rock like a mix between JACKSON BROWNE, PAUL SIMON and
JIM GROCE. Jay has a beautiful voice (a la PAUL SIMON) and the 10 included
songs are touching the best works of JACKSON BROWNE and JIM GROCE. The material
is lightweight, but thanks to Jay’s voice the songs are a pleasure to listen
to. It’s slow to midtempo, with every now and then a ballad, but all is
well-thought and of a very high level. I am safe to say that this is one of the
best singer/songwriter albums I have heard the past few years, and fans of
aforementioned artists will like this a lot! Jay plays most of the instruments
by himself (guitars, bass, mandolin, harp, organ), but he got a little help
from drummer TIM HANEY and keyboardplayer CHAD BARGER, and a couple other musicians
on several songs. Jay is a really talented singer/songwriter, and I can easily
highly recommend his album At Home Again. More info can be found at: http://www.jaybyrdmusic.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
STEVE
YANEK 'LONG OVERDUE' (PRIMITIVE RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
In 2005 American
singer/songwriter STEVE YANEK released his solo debut Across The Landscape, but
it took another 17 years and the founding of an own record label (PRIMITIVE
RECORDS) before a follow-up would be released, but now Long Overdue is out on
his own label. The songtitle of the titletrack also refers to this long period,
and it opens the album very nicely as a great rootsy americana pop/rocker in
the style of NEIL YOUNG. Steve plays guitars and piano besides singing, while
there are a few well-known guests appearing to assist Steve on this strong new
album of him, such as JEFF PEVAR (guitar, bass and backing vocals), the
legendary KENNY ARONOFF plays drums, BILLY PAYNE of LITTLE FEAT (piano), ROD
MORGENSTEIN (drums) and T LAVITZ (bass), and the lead singer of the powerpop
band THE JELLYBRICKS (LARRY KENNEDY) sings some backing vocals. The resulting
album is a great Americana/Heartland/Poprock album in the typical American
tradition of NEIL YOUNG, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN,JACKSON BROWNE, JOHN COUGAR and
such. Steve has a good raspy voice and the songs are actually quite melodic,
sometimes uptempo rocking (Tired Of This Attitude) and at other times in a
melodic rocking ballad direction (Like Now). There is a nice mixture going on
here, and fans of typical American singer/songwriter heartland ish pop/rock
need to check out this great album! More info at: https://www.steveyanek.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
SKINNY
DYCK 'PALACE WAITING' (SOUND ASLEEP RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
In 2020 Lethbridge,
Alberta, USA based singer/songwriter SKINNY DYCK released his debut album Get
To Know Someone, and now 2 years later there is a follow-up in the shape of
Palace Waiting. The included music is high quality classic country with a pop
touch, kinda like ROY ORBISON and JOHNNY CASH did in the past. The album has as
subtitle The Latest Song Hits From, and when hearing such a catchy tune like TV
Blue, Skinny definitely has a winner on his hand. DANNY VERA also comes to mind
a lot of times, so I think by now you will more or less understand where this
is going, and I have to admit it was a pleasure to listen a few times to this
lovely new album of the talented SKINNY DYCK. More info can be found at: https://skinnydyck.bandcamp.com/album/palace-waiting
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
D/TROIT
'HEAVY' (CRUNCHY FROG RECORDS/DENMARK IMPORT)
D/TROIT is a
Neo-Soul/Funk-Pop/Rockband from Denmark formed out of the ashes of a rockband
called THE BREAKERS. They are influenced by SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS,
so it means we get to hear a lot of soul and funk inside a modern jacket, yet
always with a link to the glorious past of real soul and funk like it was made
back in the 1960s and 1970s. The band consists of TOKE BO NISTED (vocals),
KLAUS HOJBJERG (guitar), MADS JENSEN (keys), STEFAN ANDERSEN (drums) and JACKIE
LARSEN (bass), along with a few guests on sax, flute, trumpet, percussion and
backing vocals. The band's sound is really sensational, with superb soulful
vocals and a sound that seems to take you straight to the US of A instead of
Denmark! The sound reminds me a lot of the new generation of Soul injected
R&B/Rockacts from the USA, such as BLACK PUMAS, CURTIS HARDING, LEON
BRIDGES, THE TESKEY BROTHERS, DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS, VINTAGE
TROUBLE, LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS, the late CHARLES BRADLEY and so on.
Especially BLACK PUMAS comes to mind more than a few times. Toke is an amazing
soulful singer and the music just fits straight into the melting pot of
aforementioned acts. There’s no weak moment to be found here, as all of the
songs are winners, sometimes uptempo rocking and at other times slow and
soulful, with as absolute highlights Heavy, I Want You, Gotta Have Soul,
Jealousy and Sugar Me, but basically the full album is a winner to check out,
because it is of an incredible high level. It should only be a matter of time
before this D/TROIT from Denmark will breakthrough! More info on D.TROIT can be
found at: https://d-troit.bandcamp.com/album/heavy
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
3ZKS!
'ESTAMOS UNIDOS' (INDEPENDENT/SPAIN IMPORT)
Not that long ago we
reviewed the debut album of the Spanish band 3ZKS! Del ayer a hoy, and now they
are back with a follow-up in the shape of Estamos Unidos. The 3-piece band is
formed around the vocalists BELEN GUTIERREZ and JOSE LUIS GUTIERREZ, and
multi-instrumentalist JK ANDES. The new album continues the AOR/Melodic
Rockstyle of their debut, with a total of 11 songs included on this new CD.
Highlights are Despegar (catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rock in the style of LA
FASE, TERCER ACTO, ALIADOS, etc.), Estamos Unidos (great semi melodic rock
ballad with strong female vocals), the TOTOish Utopia and the AOR rocker Algo
Especial. 3ZKS! is a great band with a strong sound that due to the Spanish
lyrics makes them standout between the rest, and as aforementioned, fans of LA
FASE, TERCER ACTO, ALIADOS snd such will definitely love this classic Spanish
sung AOR record. More info at:
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
CREATION
'IN THE BEGINNING' (GALAXY CLASS RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
40 years ago the band
MPG released their AOR Classic debut, which sadly was their only album. Lead
singer/multi-instrumentalist went on doing other projects/bands and runs a
recording studio, and we interviewed and reviewed him more than 20 years ago. We
lost touch, but recently David sent me a CD of his new band CREATION. He takes
care of the vocals, guitars and keys, while additional members are GARY REDWINE
(bass, harmonica), GREGORY SEEL (sax, guitar), JAY NEWCOMER (keys) and MARK
STEPHENSON (drums). Their debut album In The Beginning is a trip down memory
lane, basically featuring classic 80s AOR/Melodic Rock in the style of AVIATOR,
PROPHET, JOURNEY, SURVIVOR, WHITE SISTER, MPG, etc. Especially songs like the
fantastic uptempo Out Of Control (a la WHITE SISTER), Number One (a la
SUGARCREEK), Things We Do (lovely vibe, early 80s memories) and Crazy Love are
timeless pieces that will please the fans of true 80s authentic American
AOR/Melodic Pomprock in the style of aforementioned bands. More info can be
found at: http://creation.band/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
HENGE
'EXOKOSM VINYL RECORD' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
One of the most exciting and surprising
performances I have seen in 2022 took place at the METROPOLIS FESTIVAL in
Rotterdam where a (British) band called HENGE took everyone by surprise with
both their music and unique stage performance. Actually they were a last-minute
stand-in booking to replace a band whom had cancelled their gig at the very
last minute. Me and a lot of people were completely overwhelmed when HENGE came
on stage and started playing! They are formed around members whom are actually
aliens (!), as taken from their bio: "Lead singer and guitarist, Zpor,
originates from planet Agricular in Cosmic Redshift 7. Goo, who plays bass
guitar and synth bass, is the last surviving Venusian, after mass extinction
due to planet pollution. The drummer, Nom, is of the species Nommo and comes
from Xylantia in the Sirius Star System. Grok, master of synthesizers, is the
only native Earthling in the band.".
Together they make an exciting and
original sound that combines influences from 70s kraut/sympho (KRAFTWERK, JEAN
MICHAEL JARRE, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT) with late 80s/early 90s acid/techno sounds
and a touch of psychedelic acid-rock of the HAWKWIND kind, while the
keys/synths should even please a pomprockfan! However, all together their
semi-instrumental sound is very original and combines the best of all worlds,
and with the robotic Star Wars alike vocals, HENGE gives you something that
sounds like it is coming straight out of space.
I received their wonderful vinyl record
for a review, and I have to say it sounds truly superb when played loud and
proud on the turntable, as if I am taken straight back to their wonderful
performance in early July 2022. 7 songs are included, and I believe Exokosm is
their 2nd album so far. Goldilocks starts the album, and here the mixture of
acid 1988 is blended perfectly with 1970s symphonic rock, while the Star Wars
robotic vocals give the band's sound a different twist during the following
song Bionica. Late 80s hip hop comes along during the funky Get Outta My House,
which also has some cool complex progressive rock parts. Side-A closes nicely
with Nom's Theme, a freaky quirky 80s cartoon influenced uptempo danceable tune
that has again those early 90s techno sounds, and live on stage the crowd went
wild when they played this outrageous song.
Side-B opens with Your Future, a spacey
adventure that reveals some ELP synth influences, while following Exo has again
the classic early 90s Techno synths, with a krautrock kinda touch as well,
although towards the end it gets uptempo progrocking. Closing track New Planet
is a song that is slightly different than the rest of the album, because here
we have a sorta psychedelic Tarantino kinda feeling going on, with the
garage/surf rocking guitar upfront and some majestic bombastic theatrical
harmonyvocals of the musical/opera kind (yes, even a bit STYXish!).
The record packaging has in addition a
cool comic book about HENGE and it's task to save the human species from
extinction. You might think this is all crazy and not really serious, but these
guys are musically speaking deadly serious and doing their job at an incredible
high level that will definitely appeal to the fans of classic kraut (AMON DUUL,
KRAFTWERK, KLAUS SCHULZE, GROBSCHNITT, CAN, NEU!, LA DUSSELDORF, etc) as well
as people who appreciate late 80s/early 90s acid/techno, but then played with
real instruments to give it a band kinda sound, and as mentioned proggies will
also like this. The synth sound is huge and takes you straight back to the
classic days when this instrument was extremely popular, which were the 70s and
80s of course. Check them out at: https://hengemusic.com/
and when you get the chance to catch them live, please do so, because they are
incredible!
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
BATILA
‘TATAMANA’ (GALILEO MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Berlin, Germany
based Congolese-Angolan musician BATILA makes his debut with the strong 15
tracks counting album Tatamana. The music is obviously African influenced of
which Batila is likewise proud, but somehow BATILA gives it a poppy melodic
Soul Meets Reggae touch which could result in massive hits if radio picks it
up. The songs are sung in English and Lingala, Batila plays the acoustic guitar
and sings, and among the 15 included tracks we can find a lot of highlights,
such as
Kindoki, Naboyi and
Far To Long. There’s musically speaking some STING similarities, but then of
course vocally speaking it has much more African music influences due to
Batila’s descent. I also hear some SEAL similarities in a song like What About
Me. Tatamana was recorded with musicians between Berlin, Paris, and Kinshasa at
Trixx Studios, Neon Nursery Studios and the DRC’s Sabab Studios in Kinshasa,
where many great Congolese musicians such as IYENGA, JEAN GOUBALD KALALA and
BANA OK also record, and it wouldn’t surprise me if BATILA becomes the next big
African star, although he is settled is in Germany as mentioned. Do check out
this fantastic inspiring singer/songwriter at: https://www.batila.me/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
NIKOS
TSIACHRIS ‘PRIMAVERA EN BERLIN’ (GALILEO MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
NIKOS TSIACHRIS is a
Greek guitarist/composer living in Berlin, and he already released several
albums in the past, including a few as part of the band RASGUEO. He plays the
flamenco guitar and does it extremely well on his new solo album Primavera En
Berlin. It’s mainly instrumental except for a few songs, and without a doubt
when putting on the album you immediately get the feeling you’re in the lovely
Mediterranean area. Nikos is one of the best newcomers in the (flamenco) guitar
world and let’s hope we’ll be able to catch this fabulous musician live someday
soon, but meanwhile you can check him out at: https://tsiachris.de/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
THEO
PASCAL ‘QUAMUNDOS2’ (GALILEO MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
THEO PASCAL is a
bassist, composer and producer from Portugal who recorded an album with other
Portuguese musicians, such as CARMEN SOUZA (acoustic piano, Rhodes, vocals),
MICK TROVOADA (percussion), LENNY SENOERSKY (sax) and a few others, such as
ORLANDA GUILANDE on the only vocal track I Love People. The included music is
cheerful rich jazzy world music that during some songs could also be qualified
as jazz-fusion progrock in a pure 1970s style, while there are also here and
there some good 70s groovy funky vibes to be heard, but there’s much more,
because some Latin-Jazz, Flamenco and even Cuban jazz parts are hearable. All
together this is a lovely mostly instrumental trip that I can highly recommend
to the adventurous jazz and open-minded progfans out there. More info at: http://www.theopascal.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
GERD
PUTSCHEFF ‘LOS VIENTOS – DUENDE NOW!’ (GALILEO
MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
GERD PUTSCHEFF is a
German violinist who
in cooperation with Spanish musicians recorded Los
Vientos, an album that combines German Jazz with Spanish Flamenco. I have to
say that the result is an interesting and original fusion that you don’t hear
everyday. The instrumental cheerful and uplifting sounds throughout the 13
included songs make it a joy to listen to from start to finish. More info can
be found at: https://www.galileomusic.de/artikel/25648/Gerd_Putscheff_Los_Vientos_Duende_Now/en
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BELOFOUR
‘SUITEN SUITE’ (GALILEO MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
BELOFOUR is a German
band playing instrumental accordeon music. The 4 guys (Stefan Sterzinger,
Stefan Heckel, Nikola Zaric, Paul Schuberth) are quite young and show on their
2nd album they are very good in what they’re doing. 8 songs are
included in total, and the instrumental gypsy accordeon music is a joy to
listen to. I think live on stage these guys will absolutely deliver a
masterclass accordeon music. Check them out at: https://www.belofour.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ALISON
O'DONNELL 'HARK THE VOICE THAT SINGS FOR ALL' (TALKING ELEPHANT
RECORDS/TENACITY/UK IMPORT)
Out of Dublin, Ireland
comes singer/songwriter ALISON O'DONNELL, and she has been in the music
business for about 50 years, even playing with legendary Irish acts like THIN
LIZZY, CLANNAD, BOB GELDOF and such back in the early 1970s. Many years and
album releases later, Alison delivers a nice classic Irish folk/celtic album in
the shape of Hark The Voice That Sings For All. She plays a few (typical Irish)
instruments by herself (such as bodhrán, percussion, autoharp), but she also
gets help from other musicians. It's mostly typical Irish folk like we have
known it for centuries, sometimes calm and at other times uptempo and cheerful,
such as during the catchy I Wish We'd Sailed On The Jeanie Johnston that
immediately recalls the classic days of FAIRPORT CONVENTION. The stunning
beautiful Shout Our Redemption To The SIlvery Pines is an absolute classic folk
tune that I need to mention as well. Alison's voice has aged very well, and all
I can say is that this might be one of the finest true authentic folk albums of
the past few years! More info at: http://www.alisonodonnell.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ROLAND
BUHLMANN ‘EMNALOC’ (INDEPENDENT/SWISS IMPORT)
ROLAND BUHLMANN is
a talented guitarist/composer from Switzerland, and he was kind enough to sent
me his sensational new album Emnaloc. Roland plays electric and Bass Guitars,
Aeon Sustainer, Synthesizers, Voice, Branches, Cooking Pots, Oil Tank, Udu,
while he is helped by Terl Bryant: Drums, Luca Calabrese: Trumpet, David Cross
(KING CRIMSON): Violin, Ondřej Glogar: Carnyx and Angelo Lebrato: Acoustic
Guitar on his latest CD Emnaloc. 8 songs are included in total on his 5th solo
CD, of which a few are very lengthy. These are also the best songs, because
they contain a lot of interesting parts. Everytime you listen to songs like Rithnál
and Emnalóc you will discover something new, and during each of the included
songs you will hear a lot of fascinating melodic sounds. Roland's music is
basically speaking instrumental melodic progressive rock, yet there is so much
more to hear during the playing time of 70 minutes, because you will find world
music, jazz-fusion and countless other music influences all over the place.
Blended together, Roland shows he is an amazing talent who needs to be
discovered soon. More info at: https://rolandbuehlmann.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
ANIMUS
NUMINOUS 'BRAVE NEW WORLD' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
STEVEN
LANCE and TOM DESISTO are 2 multi-instrumentalists from New York who joined
forces and recorded an album together under the bandname ANIMUS NUMINOUS. Brave
New World is actually their 2nd album, and basically, it's filled with
instrumental modern sounding hi-tech progrock and it is clearly influenced by
OZRIC TENTACLES. There is a great mixture of soaring guitars and symphonic
synths, making it a recommended album to both prog, sympho and krautrock fans.
Check out more info at: https://stevenlance.bandcamp.com/album/o-brave-new-world?from=hp
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
CLIVE
MITTEN 'TALES FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH VOLUME 1' (BUMNOTE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Bassist/keyboardplayer
CLIVE MITTEN recorded during the covid lockdown instrumental versions of classic
prog/pop songs from mainly the 1970s. He did all of this on his own at his own
studio, with the help of several others for advice (online I believe) and the
result is a very nice 2-CD set that holds together 14 songs that were
originally recorded by MIKE OLDFIELD, GENESIS, SUPERTRAMP, PETER GABRIEL, PINK
FLOYD, etc. The songs are played in a keyboard/orchestral kinda direction and
it's a joy to hear all those legendary melodies all over again in it's new
refreshed versions, with just Clive on the keybaords. As this volume 1, I
assume there will be a volume 2. Check out more info at: https://twelfthnightuk.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-a-misspent-youth-volume-i
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
TWELFTH
NIGHT 'SMILING AT GRIEF... REVISITED' (BUMNOTE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
TWELFTH
NIGHT is a legendary British Neo-Progband that existed during several periods
in music history, but their most sucessfull time must have been during the late
1970s and 1980s. They were fronted by several vocalists, including the late
GEOFF MANN, who sadly died of cancer in 1993 at a very young age. He left
behind some of TWELFTH NIGHT's finest work, including the material on this new
CD Smiling At Grief... revisited. This new CD version contains the original
songs from 1982 in a new jacket, as these are new remixes done by KARL GROOM
(of THRESHOLD), ROB REED, LEE ABRAHAM, STEVEN WILSON (of PORCUPINE TEE) and
several other people. I have to say that the material actually sometimes is
akin to early 80s Post-Punk-Wave during fantastic uptempo pieces like East of
Eden, This City and The Honeymoon Is Over, but with the Neo-Prog twist of the
band's later years, especially during the pure proggy songs Creeps and Puppets.
TWELFTH NIGHT was a very interesting band when Geoff fronted the band, because
they had a unique sound that fitted the gap between neo-prog, post-punk and new
wave in a way that it would appeal to a lot of people. Geoff went into a
Christian direction, so the band had to let him go, because they wanted to go
for the progrock direction they became known for eventually. This new CD is a
nice collection of the old material, sounding completely up-to-date and more
refreshing than the original songs from 40 years ago, all thanks to the help of
the aforementioned involved people. The CD is available through: www.twelfthnight.info
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
STEEVE
LAFFONT 'ALBA GITANA' (KARU PROD/XANGO MUSIC)
Out of France comes
guitarist Steeve Laffont, and along with Dominique Di Piazza (bass), Costel
Nitescu (violin) and Rudy Rabuffetti (guitar), he created a wonderful
instrumental gypsy jazz album in the style of DJANGO REINHARDT. Opener Alba
Gitana is slightly different due to guest Antoine Tato Garcia who also plays
guitar and sings, but in general speaking this is Gypsy Jazz at it very best,
sometimes sounding fast and furious like a neo-classical guitarplayer and also
quite a lot of times cool, calm, melodic and relaxed such as can be heard
during a song like Jess Fusion. You can check out more info at: https://karuprod.bandcamp.com/album/alba-gitana
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ORIGINAL
SOUNDTRACK 'GOLIATH' (BORIGINAL MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
Goliath is a French
movie and this CD is the motion picture soundtrack composed by BERTRAND
BLESSING. Besides his instrumental classical music piano themes, the CD opens
with the legendary LOUIS ARMSTRONG and his beautiful song When You're Smiling.
What you basically get is a lovely instrumental album that truly belongs in a
setting for a movie. Done extremely well, this is a must-have if you like movie
music.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
CARLOTTA
VALDES 'PRAHA' (ECLIPSE MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
Out of Tampere,
Finland comes CARLOTTA VALDES, and this project is formed around STAM1NA
keyboardist EMIL LAHTEENMAKI. In contrast to the Progressive Metalsound of his
other band, CARLOTTA VALDES is instrumental progressive rock based with a clear
focus on strong melodies. He is joined by several other musicians, such as
bassist ONNI HAMARD, guitarist JERE HAAKANA and drummer TEEMU TAHKANEN. All
together the 8 included songs are a joy to listen to and recommended to the
fans of modern melodic instrumental progrock, especially when hearing a
fantastic song such as M. More info at: https://carlottavaldes.bandcamp.com/album/praha
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THANASSIS
DRITSAS 'SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT BLUE' (PROTASIS MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
Out of Greece comes
the talented pianoplayer THANASSIS DRITSAS, who delivers a nice instrumental
release that contains pieces for piano plus two string instruments. It’s
basically an instrumental classical piano themed album, and it sounds quite
good actually for a late night visit. He is assisted by cello player MICHALIS
PRFYRIS, piano player MIRELLA TILLIANAKI and violist THODORUS MOUZAKITIS, and
together they deliver a wonderful classical music release that feels like
background music to an exciting art house movie. More info at: https://www.protasismusic.gr/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
THE SILVERS
'BACK TO BASICS' (REVLIS RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
THE SILVERS is an
American rootsy rockband that have already released quite a few albums in the
past, of which Back To Basics is their latest. They are formed around MICK
ORTON (bass, vocals), STEVE FARAC (guitar, keys, accordion, vocals), DAIN
BEDFORD-PUGH (guitar, vocals) and CARL UPTHEGROVE (drums, percussion), and
musically speaking they have a typical American rootsy rock and roll sound, and
actually they already were active during the 1970s when they were called SILVER
LAUGHTER, and back then managed to release 2 vinyl albums. Fast forward to 2022
they are back with a great new album that contains a nice mixture Americana,
rootsy classic rock and quite some powerpop (in a R.E.M., WILCO, THE POSIES… kinda
style) done very well, they are a nice band to check out at: https://thesilversmusic.com/
(Points:
7.2 out of 10)
STACY
JONES 'WORLD ON FIRE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The STACY JONES BAND
has been active for 20 years now, and meanwhile they have built up quite a
reputation. Stacy is the lead singer/songwriter of the band, and she also plays
harmonica, organ, piano and acoustic guitar. Their new album World On Fire
contains high class slower delta blues in it’s original style, which can also
be heard quite clearly during the covers of classic songs of ARETHA FRANKLIN,
DEREK TRUCKS, WILLIE DIXON and such. However, the self-written songs sound
really good as well and Stacy shows she is a gifted singer, and especially
during the wonderful title track World On Fire it all sounds quite nice. If
you’re looking for real original Blues in a mild semi-acoustic/electric
direction, then this album is yours to take. More info at: https://stacyjonesband.bandcamp.com
(Points:
7.2 out of 10)
THE
GRACELAND CONSPIRACY 'THE HOLLOW' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of Belfast,
Northern Ireland comes THE GRACELAND CONSPIRACY, a band formed around vocalist
COLIN CROOKS, who also plays keys and guitar. Their music is a mix of
indie-pop, dark gothic and alternative rock, sounding quite like a typical 90s
British band. 4 songs are on their EP, and they deliver a nice
semi-electric/semi-acoustic sound that seems to sound at best during the longer
songs, such as closing track The Last Goodbye that also reveals some THE DOORS
influences, and perhaps even fans of JOY DIVISION might find something of
interest. More info can be found at: https://thegracelandconspiracy.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
LEE
OSKAR 'PASSAGES THROUGH MUSIC' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
LEE OSKAR is a Danish
harmonica player who has been in the music business for almost 60 years. He
played in countless bands (including WAR during the 1970s) and with many
musicians in all genres, and this new CD of him is literally speaking a passage
through time, featuring songs written over the past 50 years, and now recorded
as instrumental harmonica dedicated tunes. TOOTS THIELEMANS might forever be
seen as the most famous harmonica player, but LEE OSKAR is a close second and
this CD contains 9 songs that show the man's fantastic display on the
instrument. The artwork and lay-out is also very impressive, so go check it out
for yourself at:
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
MICHELE
D'AMOUR AND THE LOVE DEALERS ’HEART OF MEMPHIS' (BLUESKITTY RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
MICHELE D’AMOUR is a singer/songwriter from the US
state of Washington, and she has been active since 2012 with her band THE LOVE
DEALERS, and the latest album they released already back in 2019 is Heart of
Memphis, which was likewise also recorded in that city. THE LOVE DEALERS
consists of Jeff Cornel (guitar), Dave Delzotto (drums), Patrick McDanel (bass,
trombone), Brian Olendorf (keyboards), Noel Barnes (sax) and there are guest
appearances by Greg Lyons (trumpet), Angelo Ortiz (congas), Nora Michaels
(backing vocals) and John Oliver III (backing vocals), and Michele herself has
an excellent voice. The included music is slow classic blues rock, with also
some jazz, soul and pop/rock influences and all together there’s no single weak
moment to be found on this album. A song like Come On Over is such a beautiful
smooth relaxing song, it should easily appeal to a lot of people out there!
Check it out for yourself at: http://www.micheledamourandthelovedealers.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
BUD
REICHARD 'INSINUATING EYES' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
American
vocalist/guitarist/bassist BUD REICHARD sent me his 4th CD Insinuating Eyes,
which is a nice diverse classic rock album that is loaded with strong melodies
from start to finish. In total we can find 12 songs, on which Bud plays guitar,
bass and sings, while he is helped out by guest musicians such as drummers DOUG
MCGREW and STEVE FEASLEY, bassist JOEY MUDAMI and guitarist PATRICK PORTER. The
best songs are the uptempo melodic rockers My Oh My, Insinuating Eyes, and
Time. It all reminds me a bit of a rockier version of a band like XTC, although
there are also quite a few calmer songs included. You can check it out for
yourself at: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bud-reichard/265930632
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
MOT AND
KRID ‘EXPLODING HEART’ (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
It’s a pity only 1
song is included on this demo, because it sounds very professional and
sensational. Exploding Heart is the song, and it’s a great modern sounding
female fronted melodic rocker with exceptional strong vocals of CINDY GOMEZ,
and also some great guitarwork, while the big anthemic chorus will whet the
appetite of any AOR fan! MOT AND KRID is the name of the act, and basically
it’s formed around American/German musician THOMAS GALLMEIER, who creates all
the music and let others sing (such as even KATE PERRY on 1 of his other
songs). I wonder how a full album would sound like, because Thomas has got the
AOR pick of destiny in this song for sure! More info at: http://www.motandkrid.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
VANESSA
LIVELY ‘TRUTH IS’ (ANIMADA RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
I believe Truth Is is
the 5th album of the talented singer/songwriter VANESSA LIVELY
from Austin, Texas. She has a lovely voice and her songs are very melodic and
accessible. 9 songs are on the new album, and I have to say there are some
jewels among them, such as the catchy Crumbling Down and the emotional Oh
Deliverance. I was not familiar with her before, but without a doubt, Vanessa
has got the right tone in her voice and has a certain feeling to come up with a
memorable song. She takes influences from pop, folk and even a bit of jazz,
reminding me a bit of BEVERLY CRAVEN somehow. The only complaint is that it’s a
rather short album (playing time around 30 minutes), because we would love to
hear much more of this talented American singer/songwriter. More info can be
found at: https://vanessalively.com
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
KAURNA
CRONIN ‘HARSH BEAUTY’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
We have reviewed some
of the previous albums of the Australian singer/songwriter KAURNA CRONIN, and
he now returns with a great new album titled Harsh Beauty. The included music
is old-school 70s orientated, with a focus on strong clean melodies, and
balancing somewhere between singer/songwriter and pop/rock, sometimes reminding
me of AL STEWART here and there, with a touch of AMERICAesque westcoast
flavored American pop/rock as well. Kaurna has a great voice, and some of these
songs could easily become major hits. Our Way and the sax driven Sideways have
got all it takes to become memorable pop tunes in the future to come, and also
need to mention the superb catchy early 80s driven uptempo AOR/Poprocker Keep
Me By The Rock that almost reminds me of JOHN O’BANION, MARTIN BRILEY or MOON
MARTIN! Check out more info at: https://www.kaurnacronin.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
JAN
OLSEN ‘SPIRIT CHANT’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
If you’re a fan of TOM
WAITS, JOE COCKER or RANDY NEWMAN, then you will surely love the raw voice of
JAN OLSEN, a Danish singer/songwriter who delivers a great album with Spirit
Chant. It’s musically speaking a mix of singer/songwriter blues, pop and rock,
just like we know it from the aforementioned JOE COCKER. 9 great songs that
pass by very quickly, so go check out Jan’s music at: www.jan-olsen.dk
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
SU
ANDERSSON ‘BRAVE’ (ROOTS AND RAMBLERS RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Sweden comes
singer/songwriter SU ANDERSSON, who delivers after the 2 corona years a new
album titled Brave. She has been making music for over several decades, and along
with the help of a list of other guest musicians, Su recorded a nice NEIL
YOUNGish singer/songwriter ish pop/rock album. Vocally sounding very nasal, it
reflects a clear American influence and also has very slight STEVIE NICKS
influences. More info at: https://www.suandersson.com/
(Points:
7.1 out of 10)
BARRY
ORECK ‘LEAP YEAR’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Together with his
musical friends, American singer/songwriter BARRY ORECK recorded a nice folky
singer/songwriter album titled Leap Year. It has a clear Irish kinda feeling,
so with an acoustic approach and use of violin, mandolin and guitar, along with
nice close-harmonyvocals. Done very well, you can check him out at: www.barryoreckmusic.com
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
LAZY
AFTERNOON ‘JUST AS POOR AS BEFORE’ (PARAPLY RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Although the dark sad
image of a windmill would suggest that the new album of the Swedish band LAZY
AFTERNOON is a dark affair, the included 13 songs are actually reflecting a
very nice melodic folk pop/rock sound that reminds a bit of the long-gone days
of bands like FAIRPORT CONVENTION. Nice to check if you’re into 70s melodic
folk pop/rock. More info at: https://www.lazyafternoonmusic.com/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
JIM
PATTON & SHERRY BROKUS ‘GOING THE DISTANCE’ (BERKALIN
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Here’s another nice
calmer Americana/Folk singer-songwriter album by lead singer/guitarist JIM
PATTON and backing singer SHERRY BROKUS, whom are assisted by a list of guest
musicians. The music is laid-back, but very melodic, and the 10 original songs by
the duo are a blessing for the ears. Check out more at: http://edgecitytx.com/
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
ERIK
DAHL ’MUSIC FOR SMALL ROOMS’ (SVALKA RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The Swedish multi-instrumentalist
ERIK DAHL is a very talented musician and I was blown away by the incredible
high level of musicianship on his new album Music For Small Rooms, which he
recorded with a few guests. Erik plays mainly the piano, synths and guitar, and
when hearing a superb song like Natural Home, it’s like we’re listening to the
perfect mix of classical music, jazz, progressive rock and pop. Balanced
perfectly well, this is definitely a highly recommended musician to learn more
about. Other highlights are Gnista, Mannen med bollen and Between Heartbeats.
This is definitely a huge surprise, because Erik is an amazing musician who
connects the best of the aforementioned music worlds. More info can be found
at: https://erik-dahl.se
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
PETER
GALLWAY & MARK WAINER ‘IT’S DELIBERATE’ (GALLWAY BAY MUSIC/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT)
I have reviewed more
records of American singer/songwriter PETER GALLWAY in the past, and It’s
Deliberate is the new album of this talented musician. His music is cool rootsy
American pop/rock with an authentic feeling, and I’ll bet that in the 1970s
Peter would have been a huge star. There’s a bluesy touch here and there, while
the music does have a LOU REED meets BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN kinda approach. A very
pleasant listen and in total 11 wonderful songs to check out, with as highlight
the fantastic midtempo Rearview Mirror that would make Bruce jealous for sure, and
so are some of the other uptempo heartland rockers like Not This Time. More
info at: www.petergallway.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
STEVEN
GRAVES ‘DON’T EVER STOP – THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT)
Don’t Ever Stop is the new EP CD of Californian
singer/songwriter STEVEN GRAVES, who gathered around him musicians Dennis Holt
(drums), Jeff King (guitar), Chris Donahue (bass) and Jimmy Nichols,
(keyboards) and his regular band members Travis Cruise, Ariel Thiermann, Robert
Melendez and super vocalist, Veronica McWoodson to record 5 songs, including a
cover of the JIM GROCE classic I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song. The
result is a nice 70s type of westcoast singer/songwriter pop/rock album in the
style of JACKSON BROWNE. Job well done, and for more info please go to: www.stevengravesmusic.com
(Points:
7.4 out of 10)
HANNAH
READ & MICHAEL STARKEY ‘CROSS THE ROLLING WATER’ (HUDSON RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
HANNAH READ (fiddle,
guitar, vocals) and MICHAEL STARKEY (banjo, guitar, vocals, good vibes)
recorded during the lockdown an album together in the Scottish Borders. They
had met each other just recently at an old timey music session in lovely
Edinburg, and as a result they started working together and record old
traditional and own originals, and now this has been released on CD. The album
breathes the old music sound that fits somewhere between Folk Music and a part
Bluegrass in it’s true traditional form. Over here we have the yearly Bluegrass
Pijnackerplein festival, and they would perfectly suit over there. Although
most of the material is instrumental, there are also a few songs with vocals to
be heard, and personally speaking I would love to hear much more of that,
because the beautiful melodic Ready For The Times To Get Better is a
sensational song that features Hannah’s angelic voice. As mentioned before,
it’s however mostly instrumental and you can really hear the 2 of them share a
passion for this kind of old folk/bluegrass music, because it sounds uplifting
and cheerful from start to finish! Check out more at: www.hannahandmichaelmusic.com
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