2021 Album Reviews
(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
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(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
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A.D. 2020 – Lockdown Diaries (Maxi EP)
For A.D. 2020 main men Todd Thanhauser (drums, vocals) and Mark McNelley (lead vocals) it’s a case of not so much a super-group of pieces fitting together as a super-bunch of players uniting to form a hybrid/ project band, resulting in the Maxi EP Lockdown Diaries.
It’s also the culmination of a far from unlucky 13 years of friendship and occasional musical crossover (a decade and more back, Todd Thanhauser and Mark McNelley crossed paths in a couple of groups, most famously covers project band Escape, which was around the time the pair first met).
Flash forward to 2020 & 2021 and (lockdown) time to remotely reconvene, write, record and deliver what is a satisfying and fairly diverse, yet complementary, set of songs that bore fruit after initial back & forth chats and ideas with Dan Reed (co-writer and co-producer; backing & harmony vocals, additional guitars & keys).
Add in the talents of Greg Smith (Tyketto) and Dan Reed’s Network buddy Melvin Brannon Jr on bass duties, as well as the redoubtable abilities of Sons of Apollo guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (and keyboard contribution on a couple of the songs from Thal's Apollo bandmate Derek Sherinian), and you have yourselves quite the band.
More importantly, they also have the songs, sonically bolstered by an excellent mix from sound engineer Ron DiSilvestro.
Opener 'Ricochet' is an almost rock-country crossover track with western stylings (the latter reinforced by the western themed video that accompanied the single release of the song); a snappy-beat anthem to positivity and continually moving forward while ricocheting off of any negatives – or pandemics – that may come your way (the "ricochet effect" cymbal splashes are a particularly nice touch).
Similarly seeking the positives in a negative world is the melodically framed 'Finding My Faith,' which also features a tasty little guitar solo and sympathetic lead lines.
"I’ve gotta find my faith in humanity, show me some positive chemistry" sings Mark McNelley with genuine sincerity. You're not alone, Mr McNelley.
Lead-off single 'Undivided' is a highly topical and earworm empowering united-we-stand number that has Dan Reed all over it (it could, and would, sit comfortably on any Dan Reed solo or DRN album), but with that all for one A.D. 2020 touch.
Following numbers, the techno-rock of 'Hard Drive' (with some wicked little guitar licks) and electro-rock of 'Digital Overload' (with synthetic styled synth pulses) are, as their titles suggest, linked by new technology and an over reliance of said technology, respectively.
By contrast 'No Regrets' is a lovely little through-thick-and-thin ballad that features an understated but perfectly pitched (in both senses) vocal from Mark McNelley.
If there’s a criticism to be made it’s that the rhythm of the six originals is upset a little by the final track, a faithful to the original cover of War’s repetitive reggae-funk hit from 1975, 'Why Can’t We Be Friends?'
That said the song works well as a fun, bonus track (check out the live-to-animated Official Music video) and the let’s bury the hatchet message of the number is very much part of A.D. 2020’s modus operandi.
And it’s a fair question – why can’t we all be friends?
This is A.D. 2020, after all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
More information on the band and the album can be found at: https://ad2020music.com/
It’s also the culmination of a far from unlucky 13 years of friendship and occasional musical crossover (a decade and more back, Todd Thanhauser and Mark McNelley crossed paths in a couple of groups, most famously covers project band Escape, which was around the time the pair first met).
Flash forward to 2020 & 2021 and (lockdown) time to remotely reconvene, write, record and deliver what is a satisfying and fairly diverse, yet complementary, set of songs that bore fruit after initial back & forth chats and ideas with Dan Reed (co-writer and co-producer; backing & harmony vocals, additional guitars & keys).
Add in the talents of Greg Smith (Tyketto) and Dan Reed’s Network buddy Melvin Brannon Jr on bass duties, as well as the redoubtable abilities of Sons of Apollo guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (and keyboard contribution on a couple of the songs from Thal's Apollo bandmate Derek Sherinian), and you have yourselves quite the band.
More importantly, they also have the songs, sonically bolstered by an excellent mix from sound engineer Ron DiSilvestro.
Opener 'Ricochet' is an almost rock-country crossover track with western stylings (the latter reinforced by the western themed video that accompanied the single release of the song); a snappy-beat anthem to positivity and continually moving forward while ricocheting off of any negatives – or pandemics – that may come your way (the "ricochet effect" cymbal splashes are a particularly nice touch).
Similarly seeking the positives in a negative world is the melodically framed 'Finding My Faith,' which also features a tasty little guitar solo and sympathetic lead lines.
"I’ve gotta find my faith in humanity, show me some positive chemistry" sings Mark McNelley with genuine sincerity. You're not alone, Mr McNelley.
Lead-off single 'Undivided' is a highly topical and earworm empowering united-we-stand number that has Dan Reed all over it (it could, and would, sit comfortably on any Dan Reed solo or DRN album), but with that all for one A.D. 2020 touch.
Following numbers, the techno-rock of 'Hard Drive' (with some wicked little guitar licks) and electro-rock of 'Digital Overload' (with synthetic styled synth pulses) are, as their titles suggest, linked by new technology and an over reliance of said technology, respectively.
By contrast 'No Regrets' is a lovely little through-thick-and-thin ballad that features an understated but perfectly pitched (in both senses) vocal from Mark McNelley.
If there’s a criticism to be made it’s that the rhythm of the six originals is upset a little by the final track, a faithful to the original cover of War’s repetitive reggae-funk hit from 1975, 'Why Can’t We Be Friends?'
That said the song works well as a fun, bonus track (check out the live-to-animated Official Music video) and the let’s bury the hatchet message of the number is very much part of A.D. 2020’s modus operandi.
And it’s a fair question – why can’t we all be friends?
This is A.D. 2020, after all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
More information on the band and the album can be found at: https://ad2020music.com/
Arielle – Analog Girl in a Digital World
For those unfamiliar with American singer, songwriter and nifty guitarist Arielle, news that she recently hooked up with Brian May for "The Arielle" signature guitar (the first time Brian May Guitars have manufactured a signature model for another player) might lead you to suspect the young musician is a leather clad rock chick showcasing fast fingered fretboard work.
Not so fast with that assumption.
Arielle is a major league lover of Queen (check out her captivating solo/guitar reinterpretation of 'The Show Must Go On') but at the vocal heart and songwriting soul of the guitarist is an old-school artist steeped in melodic, Americana pop; more Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks than The Runaways and Joan Jett.
She’s also, as made clear on latest (mini) album, an Analog Girl in a Digital World.
'Dialup' is a thirty second reminder of that not so long ago time when hooking up to the Internet and downloading a 10MB file took about thirty minutes; Arielle’s lyric over the dialup tone make for wise (spoken) words – "when the world wide web crashes" it shouldn’t be seen as the end of the wider, web-less world (although it may well be for the majority of Millennials).
Opening with A Cappella vocal over soft electronica, following number 'Digital World' develops into a finely crafted and melodically vibrant pop-rock affair that’s as folky as it is fun ("Don’t wanna live in the digital, digital! Take me back to the analog, physical!")
'Peace of Mind,' featuring Nashville artist Guthrie Brown on backing vocals, is Arielle in a four minute nutshell; a melodic charmer that sits somewhere between Americana-pop and Byrds styled rock ‘n’ roll.
The more seriously framed 'This Is Our Intervention' follows, cleverly changing tempo and weight to flit between electric folk and late 60s The Who; a true highlight of the album.
'You’re Still a Man' makes for a short and sharp, rock 'n' roll mid-album interlude (with equally short, sharp and effective six-string licks from Arielle) before 'Inside & Outside' channels the Stevie Nicks side of Rumours; the latter also comes complete with tasteful little guitar remarks that float around the edges of the acoustically framed number.
Quirky song of the album award goes to 'I’d Rather Be in England,' Arielle’s ode to her love of and fascination with the country, including its history – the jolly and jaunty number (with short, Brian May-esque nod including, natch, a snippet of 'God Save The Queen') is only missing a few hey nonny nonnys for full Ye Olde England authenticity.
The musically delicate and delightful 'Living in a Fortress' contrasts with a lyric that attacks the negative and all too accessible side of the digital world ("people know too much and they know us too well – you and your opinions can go to hell!") before the slow-building atmosphere of 'Reimagine Redefine' closes out the album.
The latter also features a guitar-crying solo that highlights that Arielle tone (the album, with each song recorded in one take, features the musician’s self-built "Two-Tone" guitar and "The Arielle" signature model).
Arielle – a extremely talented analog girl in a digital world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Not so fast with that assumption.
Arielle is a major league lover of Queen (check out her captivating solo/guitar reinterpretation of 'The Show Must Go On') but at the vocal heart and songwriting soul of the guitarist is an old-school artist steeped in melodic, Americana pop; more Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks than The Runaways and Joan Jett.
She’s also, as made clear on latest (mini) album, an Analog Girl in a Digital World.
'Dialup' is a thirty second reminder of that not so long ago time when hooking up to the Internet and downloading a 10MB file took about thirty minutes; Arielle’s lyric over the dialup tone make for wise (spoken) words – "when the world wide web crashes" it shouldn’t be seen as the end of the wider, web-less world (although it may well be for the majority of Millennials).
Opening with A Cappella vocal over soft electronica, following number 'Digital World' develops into a finely crafted and melodically vibrant pop-rock affair that’s as folky as it is fun ("Don’t wanna live in the digital, digital! Take me back to the analog, physical!")
'Peace of Mind,' featuring Nashville artist Guthrie Brown on backing vocals, is Arielle in a four minute nutshell; a melodic charmer that sits somewhere between Americana-pop and Byrds styled rock ‘n’ roll.
The more seriously framed 'This Is Our Intervention' follows, cleverly changing tempo and weight to flit between electric folk and late 60s The Who; a true highlight of the album.
'You’re Still a Man' makes for a short and sharp, rock 'n' roll mid-album interlude (with equally short, sharp and effective six-string licks from Arielle) before 'Inside & Outside' channels the Stevie Nicks side of Rumours; the latter also comes complete with tasteful little guitar remarks that float around the edges of the acoustically framed number.
Quirky song of the album award goes to 'I’d Rather Be in England,' Arielle’s ode to her love of and fascination with the country, including its history – the jolly and jaunty number (with short, Brian May-esque nod including, natch, a snippet of 'God Save The Queen') is only missing a few hey nonny nonnys for full Ye Olde England authenticity.
The musically delicate and delightful 'Living in a Fortress' contrasts with a lyric that attacks the negative and all too accessible side of the digital world ("people know too much and they know us too well – you and your opinions can go to hell!") before the slow-building atmosphere of 'Reimagine Redefine' closes out the album.
The latter also features a guitar-crying solo that highlights that Arielle tone (the album, with each song recorded in one take, features the musician’s self-built "Two-Tone" guitar and "The Arielle" signature model).
Arielle – a extremely talented analog girl in a digital world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Asia – The Official Live Bootlegs Vol. 1 (Digital Album)
The original and later reunion line-up of Asia (John Wetton-Geoff Downes-Steve Howe-Carl Palmer) is celebrated in the live environment with this 24 song digital edition of The Official Live Bootlegs Vol 1, itself culled from the lavish 10 CD slipcase boxset of the same name, featuring five different shows across those original and reunion eras (Buffalo, NY 1982, Worcester, MA 1983, São Paulo 2007, Tokyo 2008 and London 2010).
The appeal of this digitally byte-sized edition is obvious – if you are not a mega-fan, find the boxset unaffordable or simply don’t feel the need to have four or five different live versions of a number of Asia album songs, this is the collection for you (at close to 140 minutes long there’s still plenty of digital bang for your multi-show buck).
This Best Of the boxset retains show chronology, starting with the soundboard quality Buffalo 1982 show, which opens with the melodic poppery of 'One Step Closer.'
The "brand new" (at the time) song 'Midnight Sun,' is, here, a six-and-half-minute highlight that musically extends beyond the under four minutes Alpha studio version; the remaining Buffalo songs return focus to the multi-platinum debut album – 'Cutting it Fine' (bizarrely/ disappointingly cut-faded before the 'Bolero' finale),
a seriously impressive 'Wildest Dreams,' 'Sole Survivor' and the band’s MTV/ melodic rock classic 'Heat of the Moment.'
Three bootleg quality Worcester 1983 tracks follow – 'Only Time Will Tell' plus instrumental showcases for Geoff Downes (keyboard solo) and Steve Howe ('Beginnings'-'Valley of Rocks'-'The Clap').
Digitally flash forward a quarter of a century and we find the reunited original Asia, from the soundboard, in São Paulo in 2007.
It’s also, depending on what you wanted to hear a newly reunited Asia play, the most interesting or head scratching part of the album.
The inclusion of 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles can be forgiven, what with its pop stature and massive success (it’s also a great fit for the popper side of Geoff Downes and Asia) and you can just about understand Carl Palmer drumming up an ELP storm on 'Fanfare for the Common Man' (which also allows Steve Howe to cut loose) but performing King Crimson’s prog-classic 'In the Court of the Crimson King,' simply because John Wetton sung it live during his early 70s tenure with that band, is a bit of stretch.
The São Paulo excerpts also include 'Time Again,' 'Here Comes the Feeling' and, inexplicably, given it has already been featured, another outing for Steve Howe and 'The Clap.'
The solid sounding Tokyo 2008 choices are a nice mix and match of old ('The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,' 'The Heat Goes On,' including drum solo) and the then new (Phoenix bookends the vibrant 'Never Again' and one of the most poignant and purposeful numbers Asia/ John Wetton ever recorded, 'An Extraordinary Life').
Tokyo also includes 'Bolero' (the 'Cutting it Fine' finale), here performed as a Geoff Downes solo feature, but there’s no question this compilation would have been better served by featuring the full Buffalo 1982 version of 'Cutting it Fine.'
London 2010, which also carries solid audio quality, closes the show with another showcase of past ('Go,' 'Open Your Eyes') and present (the rocky 'Finger on the Trigger' and slow-burning (musically & lyrically) rock ballad 'End of the World,' both from Omega).
Outside of a couple of track choice/ editing glitches this edition of Asia – The Official Live Bootlegs Vol.1 is a beating the unofficial release bootleggers at their own game success.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The appeal of this digitally byte-sized edition is obvious – if you are not a mega-fan, find the boxset unaffordable or simply don’t feel the need to have four or five different live versions of a number of Asia album songs, this is the collection for you (at close to 140 minutes long there’s still plenty of digital bang for your multi-show buck).
This Best Of the boxset retains show chronology, starting with the soundboard quality Buffalo 1982 show, which opens with the melodic poppery of 'One Step Closer.'
The "brand new" (at the time) song 'Midnight Sun,' is, here, a six-and-half-minute highlight that musically extends beyond the under four minutes Alpha studio version; the remaining Buffalo songs return focus to the multi-platinum debut album – 'Cutting it Fine' (bizarrely/ disappointingly cut-faded before the 'Bolero' finale),
a seriously impressive 'Wildest Dreams,' 'Sole Survivor' and the band’s MTV/ melodic rock classic 'Heat of the Moment.'
Three bootleg quality Worcester 1983 tracks follow – 'Only Time Will Tell' plus instrumental showcases for Geoff Downes (keyboard solo) and Steve Howe ('Beginnings'-'Valley of Rocks'-'The Clap').
Digitally flash forward a quarter of a century and we find the reunited original Asia, from the soundboard, in São Paulo in 2007.
It’s also, depending on what you wanted to hear a newly reunited Asia play, the most interesting or head scratching part of the album.
The inclusion of 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles can be forgiven, what with its pop stature and massive success (it’s also a great fit for the popper side of Geoff Downes and Asia) and you can just about understand Carl Palmer drumming up an ELP storm on 'Fanfare for the Common Man' (which also allows Steve Howe to cut loose) but performing King Crimson’s prog-classic 'In the Court of the Crimson King,' simply because John Wetton sung it live during his early 70s tenure with that band, is a bit of stretch.
The São Paulo excerpts also include 'Time Again,' 'Here Comes the Feeling' and, inexplicably, given it has already been featured, another outing for Steve Howe and 'The Clap.'
The solid sounding Tokyo 2008 choices are a nice mix and match of old ('The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,' 'The Heat Goes On,' including drum solo) and the then new (Phoenix bookends the vibrant 'Never Again' and one of the most poignant and purposeful numbers Asia/ John Wetton ever recorded, 'An Extraordinary Life').
Tokyo also includes 'Bolero' (the 'Cutting it Fine' finale), here performed as a Geoff Downes solo feature, but there’s no question this compilation would have been better served by featuring the full Buffalo 1982 version of 'Cutting it Fine.'
London 2010, which also carries solid audio quality, closes the show with another showcase of past ('Go,' 'Open Your Eyes') and present (the rocky 'Finger on the Trigger' and slow-burning (musically & lyrically) rock ballad 'End of the World,' both from Omega).
Outside of a couple of track choice/ editing glitches this edition of Asia – The Official Live Bootlegs Vol.1 is a beating the unofficial release bootleggers at their own game success.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Astral Drive – Astral Drive ("The Orange Album")
Let’s deal with the elephant in the studio before we hit so much as the first note of the second album from Astral Drive.
Or, rather, the Todd Rundgren loving elephant wearing the XXXXXXL Something / Anything? tee shirt and equally over-sized Hermit of Mink Hollow baseball cap.
And that’s because acclaimed British producer, songwriter and musician Phil Thornalley, recording under the Astral Drive moniker, is a bona fide Todd-head and Rundgren pop nut, as heard to wonderful, 70s pop effect on the debut Astral Drive album of 2018.
A critically acclaimed work that was as much a homage and tribute to the early sound of Todd Rundgren as it was lush, retro-pop ('Wishing I Could Change the World' might be the best 70s pop song TR never wrote), many a critic and Todd fan called it "the fifth side" of Rundgren’s seminal double album Something / Anything? (There’s also a nod or two to Rundgren’s aforementioned classic, Hermit of Mink Hollow).
Three years on comes the follow-up, again titled Astral Drive, but also known as The Orange Album.
The second and final Astra Drive instalment takes those Rundgrenised pop-sonics but broadens the canvas to incorporate later era pop sounds and more contemporary pop/ alt-pop influences (such as the New Radicals).
There is still a huge nod to the Todd Rundgren 70s pop template – the breezy summer vibe of album opener
'I Can Dream,' the singalong harmonies of 'OneBigLove,' the "fifteen minutes of fame" themed waltz-pop of 'Stargazing' (written for Phil Thornalley by singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine) – but there’s a more personal sound and larger sonic stamp employed this time around.
As such, the more full band than singer-songwriter style of The Orange Album is typified by tracks such as the infectious and poptastic 'Waterfall,' the guitar-strum pop of 'For the Dreamers' (which manages to channel a bit of Weezer and Francis Dunnery) and the up-tempo, jangling-guitars pop charm of 'Summer’s Here.'
Elsewhere the dreamy rhythm of 'Dum Dum' mixes Todd Rundgren and mid-era XTC, while the downtempo and spacious ballad 'Born to Fail' is delightful in its melancholic simplicity.
The album also features one cover song, as chosen by Phil Thornalley, who wanted to include a rock and three chords of roll oriented number.
Perhaps no surprise that the chosen track is 'Open My Eyes,' the riff-led, late 60s psychedelic pop-rocker by Todd Rundgren’s first major (but short-lived) band, The Nazz (and a solid, guitar bouncing job Thornalley makes of it too).
Final track 'Wish U Well' (Prince’s 'Purple Rain' becomes Phil Thornalley’s Orange Album Sunset) is the perfect album closer; it acts as both a fond farewell to Astral Drive and a thank you to those that have listened to, and supported, Thornalley’s Astral-ised pop over the last three years and two albums.
The elephant has packed its trunk and said goodbye to the studio, now wearing, one hopes, a bright orange Astral Drive tee shirt.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Or, rather, the Todd Rundgren loving elephant wearing the XXXXXXL Something / Anything? tee shirt and equally over-sized Hermit of Mink Hollow baseball cap.
And that’s because acclaimed British producer, songwriter and musician Phil Thornalley, recording under the Astral Drive moniker, is a bona fide Todd-head and Rundgren pop nut, as heard to wonderful, 70s pop effect on the debut Astral Drive album of 2018.
A critically acclaimed work that was as much a homage and tribute to the early sound of Todd Rundgren as it was lush, retro-pop ('Wishing I Could Change the World' might be the best 70s pop song TR never wrote), many a critic and Todd fan called it "the fifth side" of Rundgren’s seminal double album Something / Anything? (There’s also a nod or two to Rundgren’s aforementioned classic, Hermit of Mink Hollow).
Three years on comes the follow-up, again titled Astral Drive, but also known as The Orange Album.
The second and final Astra Drive instalment takes those Rundgrenised pop-sonics but broadens the canvas to incorporate later era pop sounds and more contemporary pop/ alt-pop influences (such as the New Radicals).
There is still a huge nod to the Todd Rundgren 70s pop template – the breezy summer vibe of album opener
'I Can Dream,' the singalong harmonies of 'OneBigLove,' the "fifteen minutes of fame" themed waltz-pop of 'Stargazing' (written for Phil Thornalley by singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine) – but there’s a more personal sound and larger sonic stamp employed this time around.
As such, the more full band than singer-songwriter style of The Orange Album is typified by tracks such as the infectious and poptastic 'Waterfall,' the guitar-strum pop of 'For the Dreamers' (which manages to channel a bit of Weezer and Francis Dunnery) and the up-tempo, jangling-guitars pop charm of 'Summer’s Here.'
Elsewhere the dreamy rhythm of 'Dum Dum' mixes Todd Rundgren and mid-era XTC, while the downtempo and spacious ballad 'Born to Fail' is delightful in its melancholic simplicity.
The album also features one cover song, as chosen by Phil Thornalley, who wanted to include a rock and three chords of roll oriented number.
Perhaps no surprise that the chosen track is 'Open My Eyes,' the riff-led, late 60s psychedelic pop-rocker by Todd Rundgren’s first major (but short-lived) band, The Nazz (and a solid, guitar bouncing job Thornalley makes of it too).
Final track 'Wish U Well' (Prince’s 'Purple Rain' becomes Phil Thornalley’s Orange Album Sunset) is the perfect album closer; it acts as both a fond farewell to Astral Drive and a thank you to those that have listened to, and supported, Thornalley’s Astral-ised pop over the last three years and two albums.
The elephant has packed its trunk and said goodbye to the studio, now wearing, one hopes, a bright orange Astral Drive tee shirt.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Ava – Wildflower
The beauty and Celtic breadth of of Wildflower, the debut album from Irish singer-songwriter Ava (aka Éabha McMahon; Ava is the phonetic spelling of Éabha), belies the fact that it is just that, the emotively voiced singer’s first solo work.
But then Wildflower and its thirteen all-original songs can be seen and heard as a continuation, or perhaps culmination, of Ava’s previous and noted musical endeavours.
As Éabha McMahon the singer garnered world attention with internationally renowned Irish Choral group Anuna before recording and touring with the globally successful, Grammy nominated music collective, Celtic Woman.
With that musical background, and roots firmly planted in both the Irish language and traditional Irish music/ storytelling, it becomes less of a surprise at just how good Wildflower is – an age old traditional style in a new age setting.
Opening number 'Rhythm Of Earth' couldn’t be better named.
Introducing itself, and continuing with, an uplifting Celtic drum rhythm that recalls Clannad at their emotive best, Ava’s soft and beautifully effective vocal (accompanying herself in dual harmony above a layer of backing vocals) lyrically travels across, and experiences, the world's heartbeat while thinking of home ("echo the rhythm of earth as we roam").
'Wildflowers,' by contrast, is the more delicate side of Ava and her music; introductory harp and vocal interweave in a drifting, almost haunting meld of singer-songwriter storytelling (encompassing the passing of time, the beauty of nature and familial love) and new age folk.
'Call My Name,' which follows, is a more traditional Celtic folk number (housed within contemporary clothing and a modern beat) about being there for someone; the acoustic guitar and vocal of two-as-one love song 'Heartbeats' retains the relationship theme.
Each song on Wildflower is impressive, but the short and sweetly evocative 'Seas Suas' (Stand/ Rise Up), which features Ava vocally & lyrically expressing herself in her native Irish, backed only by soft synth and echoing harmonies, is a true highlight, as is the more rhythmic 'When We Dream' (a modern Celtic lullaby that’s not a million new age notes removed from Enya at her rhythmic best).
The delightful, piano-led brace of 'One More Day' and 'In the Quiet' (the latter lyrically ties together recurring album themes of reflection, love and (a longing for a return to) home) also make an impression, as does the trad. Irish/Scots rooted 'You Are Home.'
The atmospheric pairing of 'Native Call' (a song for Mother Nature) and 'Tell Me Now' (it’s loneliness lyric even more poignant in the isolated lockdown world) are fine, Celtic balladeering meets Enya offerings, while 'Runaway' is three minutes of catchy, acoustic led folk-pop that The Corrs would undoubtedly have a hit with
(if it wasn't for the fact they've already had a hit with a (different) song of the same name).
The more contemporary 'Loud,' which flits between Celtic rhythms and modern sounds, makes for an excellent album closer (the environmentally themed number is also crying out to be a single that should be knocking on the broadcasting door of every mainstream radio station).
As evocative as it is impressive, Wildflower is, hopefully, the planting of solo seeds that will see Éabha McMahon, as Ava the solo artist, blossom into full musical bloom.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But then Wildflower and its thirteen all-original songs can be seen and heard as a continuation, or perhaps culmination, of Ava’s previous and noted musical endeavours.
As Éabha McMahon the singer garnered world attention with internationally renowned Irish Choral group Anuna before recording and touring with the globally successful, Grammy nominated music collective, Celtic Woman.
With that musical background, and roots firmly planted in both the Irish language and traditional Irish music/ storytelling, it becomes less of a surprise at just how good Wildflower is – an age old traditional style in a new age setting.
Opening number 'Rhythm Of Earth' couldn’t be better named.
Introducing itself, and continuing with, an uplifting Celtic drum rhythm that recalls Clannad at their emotive best, Ava’s soft and beautifully effective vocal (accompanying herself in dual harmony above a layer of backing vocals) lyrically travels across, and experiences, the world's heartbeat while thinking of home ("echo the rhythm of earth as we roam").
'Wildflowers,' by contrast, is the more delicate side of Ava and her music; introductory harp and vocal interweave in a drifting, almost haunting meld of singer-songwriter storytelling (encompassing the passing of time, the beauty of nature and familial love) and new age folk.
'Call My Name,' which follows, is a more traditional Celtic folk number (housed within contemporary clothing and a modern beat) about being there for someone; the acoustic guitar and vocal of two-as-one love song 'Heartbeats' retains the relationship theme.
Each song on Wildflower is impressive, but the short and sweetly evocative 'Seas Suas' (Stand/ Rise Up), which features Ava vocally & lyrically expressing herself in her native Irish, backed only by soft synth and echoing harmonies, is a true highlight, as is the more rhythmic 'When We Dream' (a modern Celtic lullaby that’s not a million new age notes removed from Enya at her rhythmic best).
The delightful, piano-led brace of 'One More Day' and 'In the Quiet' (the latter lyrically ties together recurring album themes of reflection, love and (a longing for a return to) home) also make an impression, as does the trad. Irish/Scots rooted 'You Are Home.'
The atmospheric pairing of 'Native Call' (a song for Mother Nature) and 'Tell Me Now' (it’s loneliness lyric even more poignant in the isolated lockdown world) are fine, Celtic balladeering meets Enya offerings, while 'Runaway' is three minutes of catchy, acoustic led folk-pop that The Corrs would undoubtedly have a hit with
(if it wasn't for the fact they've already had a hit with a (different) song of the same name).
The more contemporary 'Loud,' which flits between Celtic rhythms and modern sounds, makes for an excellent album closer (the environmentally themed number is also crying out to be a single that should be knocking on the broadcasting door of every mainstream radio station).
As evocative as it is impressive, Wildflower is, hopefully, the planting of solo seeds that will see Éabha McMahon, as Ava the solo artist, blossom into full musical bloom.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Backwood Spirit - Fresh From the Can
Swedish blues rock band Backwood Spirit, a southern blues rock styled quintet with very discernible nods to the Black Crowes and Free, should have perhaps, because of such obvious influences, called their second album not Fresh From The Can but Based On the Original Recipe.
Whether wearing your influences on your musical sleeve even matters however we’ll return to at the end of the review; what’s more important, of course, is just how tasty the contents are.
Bolstered by the positive feedback for their impressive, self-titled debut album of 2017, the band – founder/ guitarist/ songwriter Kent Engström, singer Göran Edman Norum), drummer Joje Lindskoog, keys player Peter Emilson and new bassist Mats Berglund – returned to the studio a number of times between 2019 and early 2021 to record, and now deliver, Fresh From the Can.
'Catch Your Fire,' a near seven-minute, mid-tempo, Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Black Crowes southern rocker, complete with female backing vocals and honky-tonk piano, makes for a strong opener (with equally strong vocal from Göran Edman).
Following number ‘Rainbow (Full Circle)’ takes a similar route but includes parts (particularly at the intro) that recall the Faces at their shambolic best (with another side order of the Black Crowes).
The downtempo, seven-and-a-half-minute 'Celebration' showcases the band's Black Crowes and Free influences.
Kent Engström plays the mournful guitar parts with aplomb while Göran Edman, it’s fair to say, has heard Chris Robinson and Paul Rodgers more than once; he does however settle in to his own voice on the latter half as the song reaches a cool little Faces meet Beatle conclusion.
Even more 'Free' flowing is soul-blues ballad, 'Sweet in the Evening,' featuring a tasteful, Kossoff-esque guitar solo from Kent Engström at song’s end.
Lead-off single 'Witchwood' then ups the tempo and raises the rock bar – Göran Edman wanders down the Paul Rodgers vocal road at times but the song itself is one of the most memorable, and muscly, on the album.
Equally memorable is 'Leavin’,' a song that’s a distant cousin to 'Mr. Big' and as such wouldn’t be out of place in the Free canon.
'On Through the Night' drops to a bluesier tempo (but keeps up the album quotient of good choruses) before 'Something About You' re-introduces the Free vibe but with a more contemporary and funky middle section (and a soupçon of Uriah Heep-esque harmony vocal arrangements).
Closing number, the near eight-minute 'Mayflower,' evokes Uriah Heep in even larger, Magician’s Birthday era instalments (courtesy of the inclusion of more Hammond, acoustic guitar sections, harmonies and Ken Hensley love-song styled songwriting); its part dreamy, part blues rock arrangement and style make for a strong finish.
If you are of a certain music fan vintage (i.e. older) you may find it distracting or even disconcerting that Backwood Spirit, who are a very good band, carry a number of almost in homage motifs (but then sounding like a specific band hasn’t done Greta Van Fleet, who take it to a whole new facsimile level, any harm).
But if that be the taste you crave, then Fresh From the Can is well worth serving up as Backwood Spirit’s second helping.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Whether wearing your influences on your musical sleeve even matters however we’ll return to at the end of the review; what’s more important, of course, is just how tasty the contents are.
Bolstered by the positive feedback for their impressive, self-titled debut album of 2017, the band – founder/ guitarist/ songwriter Kent Engström, singer Göran Edman Norum), drummer Joje Lindskoog, keys player Peter Emilson and new bassist Mats Berglund – returned to the studio a number of times between 2019 and early 2021 to record, and now deliver, Fresh From the Can.
'Catch Your Fire,' a near seven-minute, mid-tempo, Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Black Crowes southern rocker, complete with female backing vocals and honky-tonk piano, makes for a strong opener (with equally strong vocal from Göran Edman).
Following number ‘Rainbow (Full Circle)’ takes a similar route but includes parts (particularly at the intro) that recall the Faces at their shambolic best (with another side order of the Black Crowes).
The downtempo, seven-and-a-half-minute 'Celebration' showcases the band's Black Crowes and Free influences.
Kent Engström plays the mournful guitar parts with aplomb while Göran Edman, it’s fair to say, has heard Chris Robinson and Paul Rodgers more than once; he does however settle in to his own voice on the latter half as the song reaches a cool little Faces meet Beatle conclusion.
Even more 'Free' flowing is soul-blues ballad, 'Sweet in the Evening,' featuring a tasteful, Kossoff-esque guitar solo from Kent Engström at song’s end.
Lead-off single 'Witchwood' then ups the tempo and raises the rock bar – Göran Edman wanders down the Paul Rodgers vocal road at times but the song itself is one of the most memorable, and muscly, on the album.
Equally memorable is 'Leavin’,' a song that’s a distant cousin to 'Mr. Big' and as such wouldn’t be out of place in the Free canon.
'On Through the Night' drops to a bluesier tempo (but keeps up the album quotient of good choruses) before 'Something About You' re-introduces the Free vibe but with a more contemporary and funky middle section (and a soupçon of Uriah Heep-esque harmony vocal arrangements).
Closing number, the near eight-minute 'Mayflower,' evokes Uriah Heep in even larger, Magician’s Birthday era instalments (courtesy of the inclusion of more Hammond, acoustic guitar sections, harmonies and Ken Hensley love-song styled songwriting); its part dreamy, part blues rock arrangement and style make for a strong finish.
If you are of a certain music fan vintage (i.e. older) you may find it distracting or even disconcerting that Backwood Spirit, who are a very good band, carry a number of almost in homage motifs (but then sounding like a specific band hasn’t done Greta Van Fleet, who take it to a whole new facsimile level, any harm).
But if that be the taste you crave, then Fresh From the Can is well worth serving up as Backwood Spirit’s second helping.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bastette – Exposed EP
Gritty rock-pop quintet Bastette, fronted by songwriter and vocalist Caroline Kenyon, have certainly given the short, sharp electro-rock treatment to second EP Exposed.
More importantly it’s a format that musically (mixing contemporary rock with electro/ synth embellishments and harder-edged pop with big choruses), and in its real life lyricism (a Caroline Kenyon trait), works extremely well.
Keeping it short (the 5 track EP offers up three songs that sit under three minutes; the longest song is just over four minutes) also makes for a more impacting, energy bristling offering from Kenyon, Sam Newiss
(lead guitar), Eoin Kelly (rhythm guitar), Paddy Duffy (bass) and Rob Hirst (drums).
Opener 'Stand Back' is a percussively punchy, synth backed electro-rock number that kicks into gear on the brasher and purposeful hook-chorus; following number 'Talk About It,' a song about taking back control (which Caroline Kenyon makes lyrically explicit in vocally fearless terms) further impresses with its crossover country meets rock guitar stylings, harder-edged chorus and bags of attitude.
'Sick & Twisted' is the band’s Euro-pop moment, albeit with a darker yet mysteriously inviting underbelly (much like the lyric).
Indeed it’s a song that would probably be very well received in the Eurovision Song Contest, as long as the Lancashire based Bastette could swing it so they didn’t represent the United "nul points" Kingdom.
'Rollercoaster' and its real-life-or-fantasy? tale of taking things to extremes then offers up slower and more angular contrast (along with an alluring, siren song vocal from Caroline Kenyon) before closer 'Poison' ups the tempo once again with its rise and fall of up-front guitars, atmospherics and a good sense of dynamics.
Given the lyrical nature of the EP Exposed is well named; it’s also a vibrant and shimmering slice of contemporary rock & edgy pop with some atmospheric twists & turns.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
More importantly it’s a format that musically (mixing contemporary rock with electro/ synth embellishments and harder-edged pop with big choruses), and in its real life lyricism (a Caroline Kenyon trait), works extremely well.
Keeping it short (the 5 track EP offers up three songs that sit under three minutes; the longest song is just over four minutes) also makes for a more impacting, energy bristling offering from Kenyon, Sam Newiss
(lead guitar), Eoin Kelly (rhythm guitar), Paddy Duffy (bass) and Rob Hirst (drums).
Opener 'Stand Back' is a percussively punchy, synth backed electro-rock number that kicks into gear on the brasher and purposeful hook-chorus; following number 'Talk About It,' a song about taking back control (which Caroline Kenyon makes lyrically explicit in vocally fearless terms) further impresses with its crossover country meets rock guitar stylings, harder-edged chorus and bags of attitude.
'Sick & Twisted' is the band’s Euro-pop moment, albeit with a darker yet mysteriously inviting underbelly (much like the lyric).
Indeed it’s a song that would probably be very well received in the Eurovision Song Contest, as long as the Lancashire based Bastette could swing it so they didn’t represent the United "nul points" Kingdom.
'Rollercoaster' and its real-life-or-fantasy? tale of taking things to extremes then offers up slower and more angular contrast (along with an alluring, siren song vocal from Caroline Kenyon) before closer 'Poison' ups the tempo once again with its rise and fall of up-front guitars, atmospherics and a good sense of dynamics.
Given the lyrical nature of the EP Exposed is well named; it’s also a vibrant and shimmering slice of contemporary rock & edgy pop with some atmospheric twists & turns.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Be-Bop Deluxe – Drastic Plastic (Expanded & Remastered 4CD/2DVD Deluxe Box Set Edition)
Completing Cherry Red Records/ Esoteric Recordings superb boxset editions of the remastered studio albums by Be-Bop Deluxe, one of the most original and forward thinking rock bands of the 1970s, is the group's final offering, Drastic Plastic.
What’s as interesting as the album’s new wave meets electro-rhythmic rock style is the fact that singer-guitarist-songwriter and Be-Bop creative director Bill Nelson was pretty much done with the band after previous studio album Modern Music (as detailed by Nelson in his highly informative essay within the accompanying 64 page illustrated booklet).
However his impatience to explore less commercial musical pastures were put on temporary hold when he agreed with the band’s management to deliver one last Be-Bop Deluxe album in the company of fellow Be-Bop'rs Andy Clark (keys), Charlie Tumahai (bass, vocals) and Simon Fox (drums, percussion); Bill Nelson clearly decided however the final hurrah would also be the final evolution of the band.
That being so Drastic Plastic (with a clue in the title) is the transformative middle ground between the more commercial but always creative art-rock sound of Be-Bop Deluxe and what would be Bill Nelson’s next project, the avant-garde new wave of Red Noise.
Recorded in the summer of 1977 but not released until May 1978, Drastic Plastic is an electro-rock, repeating drum patterned, guitar-textured and moog-synth work typified by opening trio 'Electrical Language' (Simon Fox’s drums cut on a tape loop and put through a guitar fuzz-box for added distortion), the militaristic march of 'New Precision' and the more industrial 'New Mysteries.'
But it wasn’t all new rock & electro-synth waves; more recognisable Be-Bop Deluxe styles featured (albeit with newer sounds and effects textures) including pop rocking single 'Panic in the World,' the gorgeous
12-string and mandolin led instrumental 'Visions of Endless Hope,' the frantic carnival at double-speed ride of 'Love in Flames' and the Eddie Cochrane-esque rock 'n' roll of 'Dangerous Stanger.'
As with all the Be-Bop Deluxe boxsets in this multi-disc series, a new stereo mix of the album (from the original multi-track master tapes) is included.
The new mix improvements are evident from the get-go and throughout – the repeat of the vocally treated phrase "the rhythm" at the conclusion of 'Electrical Language' is now prominent rather than almost inaudible (a small but highly song-significant tweak); new wave rocker 'Possession' carries so much more sonic vibrancy (and previously posted missing keyboard splashes) it sounds like a different take; the calypso affected 'Islands of the Dead' now ends on a chiming guitar as opposed to the original, early fade; the muted underwater drum sound on non-album single 'Japan' now pops a little more.
The Drastic Plastic boxset also includes a very large number of bonus, rare and live tracks, including a number of songs appearing for the first time on CD and a few that were previously unavailable (most of the bonus non-album tracks that feature are also given the 2020 remix treatment).
It’s also good to see & hear the five tracks that would have featured on an anticipated companion EP sequenced together; the sadly unreleased EP would have included Be-Bop devotee favourites such as the rock-funky and angular 'Autosexual' (which pointed to where Bill Nelson would head with Red Noise) and the balladeering charm of 'Lovers Are Mortal.'
Also included is the band’s BBC Radio One Sight & Sound In Concert performance from January 1978 as well as the four track session recorded for The John Peel Show that same month.
The real attraction for the Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe fans however is likely to be the 15 track disc of Nelson’s Drastic Plastic demos (which also includes the original demos for rarer non-album tracks such as 'The Saxophonist' and 'Quest For the Harvest of the Stars').
For the audio buff there’s a DVD containing a new 5.1 Surround mix of not just Drastic Plastic but the singles and EP tracks; a second DVD features Bill Nelson’s home movies filmed whilst recording Drastic Plastic in the south of France as well as the broadcast version of the Sight & Sound In Concert performance.
What was originally seen and heard as a piece of Drastic Plastic has turned out to be a rather fantastic conclusion to the Be-Bop Deluxe studio album boxset series.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
What’s as interesting as the album’s new wave meets electro-rhythmic rock style is the fact that singer-guitarist-songwriter and Be-Bop creative director Bill Nelson was pretty much done with the band after previous studio album Modern Music (as detailed by Nelson in his highly informative essay within the accompanying 64 page illustrated booklet).
However his impatience to explore less commercial musical pastures were put on temporary hold when he agreed with the band’s management to deliver one last Be-Bop Deluxe album in the company of fellow Be-Bop'rs Andy Clark (keys), Charlie Tumahai (bass, vocals) and Simon Fox (drums, percussion); Bill Nelson clearly decided however the final hurrah would also be the final evolution of the band.
That being so Drastic Plastic (with a clue in the title) is the transformative middle ground between the more commercial but always creative art-rock sound of Be-Bop Deluxe and what would be Bill Nelson’s next project, the avant-garde new wave of Red Noise.
Recorded in the summer of 1977 but not released until May 1978, Drastic Plastic is an electro-rock, repeating drum patterned, guitar-textured and moog-synth work typified by opening trio 'Electrical Language' (Simon Fox’s drums cut on a tape loop and put through a guitar fuzz-box for added distortion), the militaristic march of 'New Precision' and the more industrial 'New Mysteries.'
But it wasn’t all new rock & electro-synth waves; more recognisable Be-Bop Deluxe styles featured (albeit with newer sounds and effects textures) including pop rocking single 'Panic in the World,' the gorgeous
12-string and mandolin led instrumental 'Visions of Endless Hope,' the frantic carnival at double-speed ride of 'Love in Flames' and the Eddie Cochrane-esque rock 'n' roll of 'Dangerous Stanger.'
As with all the Be-Bop Deluxe boxsets in this multi-disc series, a new stereo mix of the album (from the original multi-track master tapes) is included.
The new mix improvements are evident from the get-go and throughout – the repeat of the vocally treated phrase "the rhythm" at the conclusion of 'Electrical Language' is now prominent rather than almost inaudible (a small but highly song-significant tweak); new wave rocker 'Possession' carries so much more sonic vibrancy (and previously posted missing keyboard splashes) it sounds like a different take; the calypso affected 'Islands of the Dead' now ends on a chiming guitar as opposed to the original, early fade; the muted underwater drum sound on non-album single 'Japan' now pops a little more.
The Drastic Plastic boxset also includes a very large number of bonus, rare and live tracks, including a number of songs appearing for the first time on CD and a few that were previously unavailable (most of the bonus non-album tracks that feature are also given the 2020 remix treatment).
It’s also good to see & hear the five tracks that would have featured on an anticipated companion EP sequenced together; the sadly unreleased EP would have included Be-Bop devotee favourites such as the rock-funky and angular 'Autosexual' (which pointed to where Bill Nelson would head with Red Noise) and the balladeering charm of 'Lovers Are Mortal.'
Also included is the band’s BBC Radio One Sight & Sound In Concert performance from January 1978 as well as the four track session recorded for The John Peel Show that same month.
The real attraction for the Bill Nelson & Be-Bop Deluxe fans however is likely to be the 15 track disc of Nelson’s Drastic Plastic demos (which also includes the original demos for rarer non-album tracks such as 'The Saxophonist' and 'Quest For the Harvest of the Stars').
For the audio buff there’s a DVD containing a new 5.1 Surround mix of not just Drastic Plastic but the singles and EP tracks; a second DVD features Bill Nelson’s home movies filmed whilst recording Drastic Plastic in the south of France as well as the broadcast version of the Sight & Sound In Concert performance.
What was originally seen and heard as a piece of Drastic Plastic has turned out to be a rather fantastic conclusion to the Be-Bop Deluxe studio album boxset series.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Be Bop Deluxe – Live! in the Air Age (15CD/1DVD Limited Edition Box Set)
Esoteric Recordings/ Cherry Red Records have
Be-bowed out in superbly Deluxe style with the final instalment of their fully remastered, multi-disc box set re-releases covering the relatively short but much loved history of one of most individualistic and genre destroying rock bands of the 70s.
Live! In the Air Age, Be Bop Deluxe’s most successful album (reaching #10 in the UK album charts in 1977) was, in reality, only half the live story – 52 minutes (via album and accompanying EP) of the band’s then nearer two hour show with the song sequencing, to borrow from a legendary late and great British comedian, not necessarily in the right order.
Given how revered this album and band – Bill Nelson (lead vocals, guitars), Charlie Tumahai (bass, backing & harmony vocals), Simon Fox (drums, percussion), Andrew Clark (keys) – have become, however, the newly remastered edition keeps the original pretty much intact with the EP tracks ('Shine,' 'Sister Seagull,' 'Maid in Heaven') inserted into the middle of the sequencing to provide a continuous, 10 track live experience.
Strong as the album still stands there is no question the additional seven (full) shows, all recorded during the 1977 UK tour, is the Be Bop heart and Deluxe soul of this expanded edition.
The newly mixed shows (Leicester, Leeds (two shows), London (two shows), Bristol and Bournemouth) return to the Live! Age such gems as the truly majestic (and one of Bill Nelson’s finest ever compositions) 'Swan Song' (seven versions of 'Swan Song' live is almost worth the hefty admission fee on its own) and the four-in-a-row from Modern Music, including the 'Modern Music Suite.'
You’ll also hear the full, fifteen minutes and more audience participation version of set closer 'Terminal Street' and the fully extended, semi-improvised rendition of encore number 'Blazing Apostles.'
Given the latter sometimes ran to twenty minutes (as it does here on a number of occasions) it carries quite a different dynamic from the early fade of the Live! In the Air Age version.
'Blazing Apostles' (and 'Shine') also help highlight a band who were incredibly comfortable when in semi-improvised live mode, such was their confidence and musical trust in each other.
Additionally, while Be Bop Deluxe were one of the most adventurous, always charting new territory album bands of the 70s they were, as proven unequivocally here, not just a good live band but a great live band.
Indeed the fact that the 1977 tour was suspended for six weeks/ rescheduled part way through (due to a nasty car accident involving Bill Nelson, his then wife Jan and the band’s co-producer & sound engineer John Leckie) actually proves that great live band point...
After two short rehearsals Be Bop Deluxe restarted the UK tour with the first of two shows in London at the Hammersmith Odeon – both are near perfect performances.
As an aside, the only flub this listener/ reviewer could hear through the entirety of this multi-performance box set was a miscued intro to the jig section of the rockin’ roll of 'Fair Exchange' from the Leicester gig.
That’s it. One flub.
Add in the three song set from the band’s 1977 BBC Radio One John Peel Session, the 1977 Star Rider In Concert broadcast (featuring a five song performance), postcards, a replica poster and comprehensive 68 page booklet featuring many an anecdote from Bill Nelson, ranging from the funny to the forthright (including why Be Bop Deluxe were never destined for true longevity) and you have yourself a Live! In the Air Age package that’s enough to make a robot smile.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Be-bowed out in superbly Deluxe style with the final instalment of their fully remastered, multi-disc box set re-releases covering the relatively short but much loved history of one of most individualistic and genre destroying rock bands of the 70s.
Live! In the Air Age, Be Bop Deluxe’s most successful album (reaching #10 in the UK album charts in 1977) was, in reality, only half the live story – 52 minutes (via album and accompanying EP) of the band’s then nearer two hour show with the song sequencing, to borrow from a legendary late and great British comedian, not necessarily in the right order.
Given how revered this album and band – Bill Nelson (lead vocals, guitars), Charlie Tumahai (bass, backing & harmony vocals), Simon Fox (drums, percussion), Andrew Clark (keys) – have become, however, the newly remastered edition keeps the original pretty much intact with the EP tracks ('Shine,' 'Sister Seagull,' 'Maid in Heaven') inserted into the middle of the sequencing to provide a continuous, 10 track live experience.
Strong as the album still stands there is no question the additional seven (full) shows, all recorded during the 1977 UK tour, is the Be Bop heart and Deluxe soul of this expanded edition.
The newly mixed shows (Leicester, Leeds (two shows), London (two shows), Bristol and Bournemouth) return to the Live! Age such gems as the truly majestic (and one of Bill Nelson’s finest ever compositions) 'Swan Song' (seven versions of 'Swan Song' live is almost worth the hefty admission fee on its own) and the four-in-a-row from Modern Music, including the 'Modern Music Suite.'
You’ll also hear the full, fifteen minutes and more audience participation version of set closer 'Terminal Street' and the fully extended, semi-improvised rendition of encore number 'Blazing Apostles.'
Given the latter sometimes ran to twenty minutes (as it does here on a number of occasions) it carries quite a different dynamic from the early fade of the Live! In the Air Age version.
'Blazing Apostles' (and 'Shine') also help highlight a band who were incredibly comfortable when in semi-improvised live mode, such was their confidence and musical trust in each other.
Additionally, while Be Bop Deluxe were one of the most adventurous, always charting new territory album bands of the 70s they were, as proven unequivocally here, not just a good live band but a great live band.
Indeed the fact that the 1977 tour was suspended for six weeks/ rescheduled part way through (due to a nasty car accident involving Bill Nelson, his then wife Jan and the band’s co-producer & sound engineer John Leckie) actually proves that great live band point...
After two short rehearsals Be Bop Deluxe restarted the UK tour with the first of two shows in London at the Hammersmith Odeon – both are near perfect performances.
As an aside, the only flub this listener/ reviewer could hear through the entirety of this multi-performance box set was a miscued intro to the jig section of the rockin’ roll of 'Fair Exchange' from the Leicester gig.
That’s it. One flub.
Add in the three song set from the band’s 1977 BBC Radio One John Peel Session, the 1977 Star Rider In Concert broadcast (featuring a five song performance), postcards, a replica poster and comprehensive 68 page booklet featuring many an anecdote from Bill Nelson, ranging from the funny to the forthright (including why Be Bop Deluxe were never destined for true longevity) and you have yourself a Live! In the Air Age package that’s enough to make a robot smile.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stefan Berggren - These Are The Times
Swedish rock vocalist/ guitarist and versatile front man Steffan Berggren (Snakes in Paradise, M3-Classic Whitesnake, The Company of Snakes, Manfred Mann, Bernie Marsden, the Don Airey Band, the Berggren Kerslake Band) stands tall on his second solo album These Are The Times, a clear title-nod to the frustrations (especially for musicians) of the current global pandemic.
The follow up to 2016 debut solo album Stranger in a Strangeland, These Are the Times offers up more of the bluesier rock Stefan Berggren is vocally noted for but here in far weightier and stronger song writing fashion.
(All ten songs were penned by Berggren, who also produced and mixed the album, in the musical company of long-standing band mate, bassist Tomas Thorberg, and drummer Johannes Nordell, both of whom also provide backing vocals).
Opener 'Wild Flowers' boogie-shuffles its way across its four-and-a-half minutes in punchy, blues rock fashion, complete with trademark Stefan Berggren vocal, which flits from soulful blues tones to grittier rock voice as the lyrics require (the song is about feeling outside of society and trying to find your place in life).
'Wild Flowers' has the added bonus of some seriously tasty Hammond (and moog) from guest player Don Airey.
The harmony twinned guitars opening and interesting drum pattern of 'All Or Nothing' sets up another melodically blues rocking winner.
The song also reminds of the late Ken Hensley in his later solo period, particularly in the chorus and backing/ harmony vocals (there’s also some nifty lead guitar work from Stefan Berggren laced throughout the song).
The riff-rocking 'Burning Burning (Last Band On Earth)' has an early, pseudo-punky Cheap Trick vibe goin’ on (to the degree that you almost expect to see Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander’s names on the credits as guest guitarist and vocalist, respectively) while the similarly riff-driven 'Little Angel' is blues-rock meets the Stones, with splashes of honky-tonk piano and organ backing.
The latter keyboard embellishments come courtesy of guest player Joakim Svalberg, who features on three other tracks including the slower, fully blues’d up title track (with piano playing off against guitar licks) and swaggering, rhythm and blues number 'Happy (Shine Your Love Light On Me),' which has both a little of The Faces about it (no bad thing) and a cool, surprise ending outro section.
Providing contrast to the blues-rock that has gone before are sparse, atmospheric ballad 'Lost at Sea' (which benefits from a highly effective string arrangement by Stephen Bentley-Klien) and the up-tempo, folk and fiddles fun of 'New York.'
The lazy drift of the five-and-a-half minute 'Blue Skies' then closes out the album in lyrically uplifting fashion.
The progressively-tinged, Free-esque styled number is primarily a love/ relationship song but doubles as an optimistic look to blue skies ahead and the better times to come beyond those of the album’s title.
But currently These Are The Times – and this is Stefan Berggren, in those times, at his musical best.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The follow up to 2016 debut solo album Stranger in a Strangeland, These Are the Times offers up more of the bluesier rock Stefan Berggren is vocally noted for but here in far weightier and stronger song writing fashion.
(All ten songs were penned by Berggren, who also produced and mixed the album, in the musical company of long-standing band mate, bassist Tomas Thorberg, and drummer Johannes Nordell, both of whom also provide backing vocals).
Opener 'Wild Flowers' boogie-shuffles its way across its four-and-a-half minutes in punchy, blues rock fashion, complete with trademark Stefan Berggren vocal, which flits from soulful blues tones to grittier rock voice as the lyrics require (the song is about feeling outside of society and trying to find your place in life).
'Wild Flowers' has the added bonus of some seriously tasty Hammond (and moog) from guest player Don Airey.
The harmony twinned guitars opening and interesting drum pattern of 'All Or Nothing' sets up another melodically blues rocking winner.
The song also reminds of the late Ken Hensley in his later solo period, particularly in the chorus and backing/ harmony vocals (there’s also some nifty lead guitar work from Stefan Berggren laced throughout the song).
The riff-rocking 'Burning Burning (Last Band On Earth)' has an early, pseudo-punky Cheap Trick vibe goin’ on (to the degree that you almost expect to see Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander’s names on the credits as guest guitarist and vocalist, respectively) while the similarly riff-driven 'Little Angel' is blues-rock meets the Stones, with splashes of honky-tonk piano and organ backing.
The latter keyboard embellishments come courtesy of guest player Joakim Svalberg, who features on three other tracks including the slower, fully blues’d up title track (with piano playing off against guitar licks) and swaggering, rhythm and blues number 'Happy (Shine Your Love Light On Me),' which has both a little of The Faces about it (no bad thing) and a cool, surprise ending outro section.
Providing contrast to the blues-rock that has gone before are sparse, atmospheric ballad 'Lost at Sea' (which benefits from a highly effective string arrangement by Stephen Bentley-Klien) and the up-tempo, folk and fiddles fun of 'New York.'
The lazy drift of the five-and-a-half minute 'Blue Skies' then closes out the album in lyrically uplifting fashion.
The progressively-tinged, Free-esque styled number is primarily a love/ relationship song but doubles as an optimistic look to blue skies ahead and the better times to come beyond those of the album’s title.
But currently These Are The Times – and this is Stefan Berggren, in those times, at his musical best.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Blackheart Orchestra – Mute : The Instrumental Variations
Mute : The Instrumental Variations is quite the departure for the Blackheart Orchestra (aka talented and creative multi-instrumentalist duo Chrissy Mostyn and Rick Pilkington).
It's also cleverly titled.
Chrissy Mostyn, vocally, tends to be the lead instrument of the multi-layered many that create the Blackheart Orchestra’s sound but here Miss Mostyn is vocally silenced as the duo offer up eleven instrumental tracks reworked from their three previous albums – 2013’s Songs From a Satellite (as Blackheart), Diving For Roses (2017) and the excellent Mesmeranto (2019).
Mute has been described by Rick Pilkington as the duo’s "album in between albums album" but that comment is a little tongue in lockdown recorded cheek – this is an obvious labour of musical love, resulting in an album that's almost cinematic/ soundtrack in feel.
Further, there is an adept approach to the duo’s fusion of traditional instruments with electronica and post-production studio techniques (the whole album has a cohesiveness so that the seemingly disparate sources blend seamlessly and don’t jar).
There is a discernible underlying rock sensibility to Mute but with a sweeping soundscape of string arrangements, brass parts and percussion.
Indeed parts of the album hint at Mike Oldfield at his peak, and he didn’t do too badly (some of his work also ended up as film scores but his success helped fund the Branson Empire, so not all good news).
Similarly, there is nothing here to suggest that the Blackheart Orchestra are not capable of doing the same (film scores – not the empire part, hopefully).
The album opens with three pieces that contrast with, yet perfectly complement, each other (track order is an art in itself and the Blackheart Orchestra have got it absolutely right here).
Opening number, 'All Of Me,' gives a sense of foreboding and mystery (there are also some lovely string arrangements employed here) before following number 'Any Kind Of Blue' delivers an almost trance vibe. Third track 'Drown Me Out' then offers up a tense string section motif before ending on rock-electronica.
The mid-album trio of 'Rain On Me,' 'This Romance' and 'Hypnotize' drop the tempo slightly and introduce some folk-rock elements, with acoustic guitar coming more to the fore.
This particular three song salvo are by no means a drop in quality however (the rhythmic 'This Romance' is an album highlight), just less intensity and, again, perfectly placed track order.
'Good Weather' is reminiscent of the short-lived trip-hop era in the 90s – it has a lovely, woozy feel to it and as such acts as the perfect link to the home straight of the album and its final four tracks.
There are a number of poignant yet uplifting moments housed within Mute and none more so than on In Another Lifetime, which is positively (another) life-affirming.
The short, down-tempo introspective piece 'Back to Earth' is another absolute winner, setting up the equally impressive, slow pulse of 'Breathe,' featuring a great "rock guitar" finale.
Final number 'Falling' (which also closes out Diving For Roses) is a lovely, melancholic piece introduced by a delicate solo piano part (which is beautifully recorded).
The number then develops into a full-on prog/rock instrumental, which drives towards a crescendo before fading on the solo piano. Outstanding.
Mute : The Instrumental Variations is beautifully conceived, lovingly created and highly recommended.
Pour a large glass of your favourite tipple, sit back and enjoy.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It's also cleverly titled.
Chrissy Mostyn, vocally, tends to be the lead instrument of the multi-layered many that create the Blackheart Orchestra’s sound but here Miss Mostyn is vocally silenced as the duo offer up eleven instrumental tracks reworked from their three previous albums – 2013’s Songs From a Satellite (as Blackheart), Diving For Roses (2017) and the excellent Mesmeranto (2019).
Mute has been described by Rick Pilkington as the duo’s "album in between albums album" but that comment is a little tongue in lockdown recorded cheek – this is an obvious labour of musical love, resulting in an album that's almost cinematic/ soundtrack in feel.
Further, there is an adept approach to the duo’s fusion of traditional instruments with electronica and post-production studio techniques (the whole album has a cohesiveness so that the seemingly disparate sources blend seamlessly and don’t jar).
There is a discernible underlying rock sensibility to Mute but with a sweeping soundscape of string arrangements, brass parts and percussion.
Indeed parts of the album hint at Mike Oldfield at his peak, and he didn’t do too badly (some of his work also ended up as film scores but his success helped fund the Branson Empire, so not all good news).
Similarly, there is nothing here to suggest that the Blackheart Orchestra are not capable of doing the same (film scores – not the empire part, hopefully).
The album opens with three pieces that contrast with, yet perfectly complement, each other (track order is an art in itself and the Blackheart Orchestra have got it absolutely right here).
Opening number, 'All Of Me,' gives a sense of foreboding and mystery (there are also some lovely string arrangements employed here) before following number 'Any Kind Of Blue' delivers an almost trance vibe. Third track 'Drown Me Out' then offers up a tense string section motif before ending on rock-electronica.
The mid-album trio of 'Rain On Me,' 'This Romance' and 'Hypnotize' drop the tempo slightly and introduce some folk-rock elements, with acoustic guitar coming more to the fore.
This particular three song salvo are by no means a drop in quality however (the rhythmic 'This Romance' is an album highlight), just less intensity and, again, perfectly placed track order.
'Good Weather' is reminiscent of the short-lived trip-hop era in the 90s – it has a lovely, woozy feel to it and as such acts as the perfect link to the home straight of the album and its final four tracks.
There are a number of poignant yet uplifting moments housed within Mute and none more so than on In Another Lifetime, which is positively (another) life-affirming.
The short, down-tempo introspective piece 'Back to Earth' is another absolute winner, setting up the equally impressive, slow pulse of 'Breathe,' featuring a great "rock guitar" finale.
Final number 'Falling' (which also closes out Diving For Roses) is a lovely, melancholic piece introduced by a delicate solo piano part (which is beautifully recorded).
The number then develops into a full-on prog/rock instrumental, which drives towards a crescendo before fading on the solo piano. Outstanding.
Mute : The Instrumental Variations is beautifully conceived, lovingly created and highly recommended.
Pour a large glass of your favourite tipple, sit back and enjoy.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Joe Bonamassa – Now Serving Royal Tea : Live From the Ryman (DVD edition)
The good news for Joe Bonamassa was he managed to get current studio album Royal Tea recorded and in the can just before the Corona virus pandemic shut everything down.
The bad news was, of course (along with drummer Anton Fig breaking his ankle in 2019) said pandemic meant all album touring bets were off for the foreseeable virus ridden future.
But with Joe Bonamassa, by his own admission, a live performer first and foremost, the decision was taken to put together a virtual live performance (recorded & filmed at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville) featuring the album in its near entirety, a week before it’s official release, for a world-wide, virtual ticket paying audience.
That audience, along with those who didn’t catch the streaming broadcast first time around, can now have that special show as a memento and new addition to the vast JoBo live release catalogue, courtesy of its official DVD and Blu-Ray release (the album is also available on CD, 2LP Clear Vinyl and digitally).
Following a short video-documentary (narrated by actor Jeff Daniels) and a quick fly-by/ virtual walk-through of the Ryman Auditorium, the near 2000 seated fans sit at straight-backed, cardboard cut-out attention as the seven piece ensemble (including drummer Greg Morrow, guitarist Rob McNelley and backing vocalists Jade MacRae & Dannielle De Andrea) swing in to action on blues brooding Royal Tea opener, 'One Door Opens.'
The opening number then cranks itself up with, first, a bolero based nod to Jeff Beck followed by an even weightier section (including a fully wah’d solo while Reece Wynans gives it plenty on the Hammond), before it’s dialled back down to close out on a softly delivered, final verse (and big finish).
What follows is a British influenced (for the most part) blow by blues infused blow through nine of the ten Royal Tea songs, including the swing-groove of the bluesy title track, the grittier blues of 'Lookout Man' (driven by Michael Rhodes’ down and dirty bass line and featuring guest player Jimmy Hall on blues harp), slow blues-de-force 'Why Does it Take So Long to Say Goodbye' (Joe Bonamassa on blistering fret-board form) and 'A Conversation With Alice.'
The latter, a highly infectious and uplifting dose of crossover blues, is one of five songs to feature that Joe Bonamassa co-wrote with Bernie Marsden (other Marsden co-writes on display include Target Edition bonus track 'Don’t You Do Me No Favours' and the album’s Americana styled closer, 'Savannah,' both of which accompany the end credits of the DVD & Blu-Ray).
Other Royal Tea highlights include 'I Didn’t Think She Would Do It' (a pacey & psychedelic Cream meets Hendrix’s 'Fire' affair that comes complete with a wicked, wah-infected solo) and the latest in a long line of Joe Bonamassa slow burn epics, 'Beyond the Silence.'
Opening quietly and atmospherically, 'Beyond the Silence' slowly but assuredly builds over a strong Joe Bonamassa vocal (and Reese Wynans’ delicate piano accentuations) to become a progressively arranged blues-rock ballad of purposeful light and shade.
Closing out the set are a trio of covers that nod to both Joe Bonamassa’s earliest live forays and the 20th Anniversary re-release of his debut album A New Day Yesterday (retitled A New Day Now) – a seriously feisty take of Rory Gallagher’s 'Cradle Rock,' a rhythm and bluesy rendition of Free’s 'Walk in My Shadow' and Jethro Tull’s 'A New Day Yesterday,' complete with fully progified 'Würm' ending (if YES did amps to 11 blues rock, etc.)
Virtually filmed, virtually performed and virtually assured to be another Joe Bonamassa winner with the fans, the official release of this special one-off show is marred only by the ill-advised decision to insert filmed audience applause from other Joe Bonamassa releases in between the songs – said inserts thus only detract from an otherwise excellent, audience-less (which was the whole point) event.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The bad news was, of course (along with drummer Anton Fig breaking his ankle in 2019) said pandemic meant all album touring bets were off for the foreseeable virus ridden future.
But with Joe Bonamassa, by his own admission, a live performer first and foremost, the decision was taken to put together a virtual live performance (recorded & filmed at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville) featuring the album in its near entirety, a week before it’s official release, for a world-wide, virtual ticket paying audience.
That audience, along with those who didn’t catch the streaming broadcast first time around, can now have that special show as a memento and new addition to the vast JoBo live release catalogue, courtesy of its official DVD and Blu-Ray release (the album is also available on CD, 2LP Clear Vinyl and digitally).
Following a short video-documentary (narrated by actor Jeff Daniels) and a quick fly-by/ virtual walk-through of the Ryman Auditorium, the near 2000 seated fans sit at straight-backed, cardboard cut-out attention as the seven piece ensemble (including drummer Greg Morrow, guitarist Rob McNelley and backing vocalists Jade MacRae & Dannielle De Andrea) swing in to action on blues brooding Royal Tea opener, 'One Door Opens.'
The opening number then cranks itself up with, first, a bolero based nod to Jeff Beck followed by an even weightier section (including a fully wah’d solo while Reece Wynans gives it plenty on the Hammond), before it’s dialled back down to close out on a softly delivered, final verse (and big finish).
What follows is a British influenced (for the most part) blow by blues infused blow through nine of the ten Royal Tea songs, including the swing-groove of the bluesy title track, the grittier blues of 'Lookout Man' (driven by Michael Rhodes’ down and dirty bass line and featuring guest player Jimmy Hall on blues harp), slow blues-de-force 'Why Does it Take So Long to Say Goodbye' (Joe Bonamassa on blistering fret-board form) and 'A Conversation With Alice.'
The latter, a highly infectious and uplifting dose of crossover blues, is one of five songs to feature that Joe Bonamassa co-wrote with Bernie Marsden (other Marsden co-writes on display include Target Edition bonus track 'Don’t You Do Me No Favours' and the album’s Americana styled closer, 'Savannah,' both of which accompany the end credits of the DVD & Blu-Ray).
Other Royal Tea highlights include 'I Didn’t Think She Would Do It' (a pacey & psychedelic Cream meets Hendrix’s 'Fire' affair that comes complete with a wicked, wah-infected solo) and the latest in a long line of Joe Bonamassa slow burn epics, 'Beyond the Silence.'
Opening quietly and atmospherically, 'Beyond the Silence' slowly but assuredly builds over a strong Joe Bonamassa vocal (and Reese Wynans’ delicate piano accentuations) to become a progressively arranged blues-rock ballad of purposeful light and shade.
Closing out the set are a trio of covers that nod to both Joe Bonamassa’s earliest live forays and the 20th Anniversary re-release of his debut album A New Day Yesterday (retitled A New Day Now) – a seriously feisty take of Rory Gallagher’s 'Cradle Rock,' a rhythm and bluesy rendition of Free’s 'Walk in My Shadow' and Jethro Tull’s 'A New Day Yesterday,' complete with fully progified 'Würm' ending (if YES did amps to 11 blues rock, etc.)
Virtually filmed, virtually performed and virtually assured to be another Joe Bonamassa winner with the fans, the official release of this special one-off show is marred only by the ill-advised decision to insert filmed audience applause from other Joe Bonamassa releases in between the songs – said inserts thus only detract from an otherwise excellent, audience-less (which was the whole point) event.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Joe Bonamassa – Time Clocks
You wouldn’t think a short instrumental of plaintive guitar lines over piano, the percussive march of time and a bell tolling outro could set up an entire album but that’s exactly what 'Pilgrimage,' the opening track on Joe Bonamassa’s latest studio album, Time Clocks, does.
'Pilgrimage' also seems to be a reflection of Joe Bonamassa’s musical journey past (in terms of what he has already accomplished in his career) while also acknowledging the pilgrimage he is still on, as he continues to stretch his own rock and blues boundaries with right-hand man & producer Kevin Shirley. (complemented this time around by an excellent mix from Bob Clearmountain).
That rhythmic tick of time (a recurring theme of the album) segues to the weighty, mid-tempo swagger of 'Notches,' which is built atop a repeating, infectious riff that drives the blues-rock number (with atmospheric, dusty Americana bridge) along its seven-minute road ("I’ve got miles under my wheels, notches in my walking cane").
Following number 'The Heart That Never Waits' is a finger-click-along blues that features great "I’ll be moving on!" vocal backing from Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens (who feature & impress throughout) and an on-blues-point rhythm section of bassist Steve Mackey and the redoubtable drum talents of Anton Fig.
Those first two full songs also typify the album – there’s the aforementioned, adventurous boundary pushing songs that have conspired to generate another Jo-Bo classic or three but the album also features those tried and tested Bonamassa blues traits.
Examples of the latter include 'Questions and Answers,' which hearkens back to British blues of the late sixties (but with a modern twist) and 'Hanging On a Loser,' a funky little piano and barroom blues that threatens to shuffle or doo-wop right out that blues bar at any minute.
'Mind’s Eye' is another Joe Bonamassa trait and true strength, that of the slow-build, heartfelt blues ballad, where a painful past ("the whole damn world comes crashing down around us, I know you’ve found someone else") becomes a powerful musical statement.
The meat of the album however is the long-form numbers with widescreen scope, led by an outstanding title track.
As rock-atmospheric as it is poignant across its seven minutes of light and shade, 'Time Clocks' delivers through understated yet thoughtful vocal deliveries on the verses, huge emotive choruses and full-blown rock sections that feature scintillating guitar lines that slice right through time itself.
'Curtain Call,' the longest song on the album at seven-and-half-minutes, taps into Joe Bonamassa’s penchant for, and love of, classic British rock; the results are an outstanding Led Zeppelin meets hard Americana number bolstered by a number of string-backed sections.
'The Loyal Kind' similarly mixes and matches; opening with a short Celtic themed intro (that reappears between the verses) the song soon builds to a heavier rock-blues with melodic pre-chorus and purposeful finger-pointing chorus backed by thick knotted guitars ("…are you gonna spin around and betray me twice?
I knew it all along and I hate when I’m right!")
Final number 'Known Unknowns' is a crossover blues of very fine style indeed; its melodic grace and bluesier lyric ("I use time to heal my suffering…") shape themselves into one of Joe Bonamassa’s finest lighter shaded moments to date, topped by some delightfully smooth heartbreak-crying guitar lines that recall Eric Clapton at his R&B/ pop-blues crossover best.
The ticking of time waits for none of us, but you wouldn’t be wasting any of that precious commodity by punching in for an hour with Joe Bonamassa on Time Clocks.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
'Pilgrimage' also seems to be a reflection of Joe Bonamassa’s musical journey past (in terms of what he has already accomplished in his career) while also acknowledging the pilgrimage he is still on, as he continues to stretch his own rock and blues boundaries with right-hand man & producer Kevin Shirley. (complemented this time around by an excellent mix from Bob Clearmountain).
That rhythmic tick of time (a recurring theme of the album) segues to the weighty, mid-tempo swagger of 'Notches,' which is built atop a repeating, infectious riff that drives the blues-rock number (with atmospheric, dusty Americana bridge) along its seven-minute road ("I’ve got miles under my wheels, notches in my walking cane").
Following number 'The Heart That Never Waits' is a finger-click-along blues that features great "I’ll be moving on!" vocal backing from Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens (who feature & impress throughout) and an on-blues-point rhythm section of bassist Steve Mackey and the redoubtable drum talents of Anton Fig.
Those first two full songs also typify the album – there’s the aforementioned, adventurous boundary pushing songs that have conspired to generate another Jo-Bo classic or three but the album also features those tried and tested Bonamassa blues traits.
Examples of the latter include 'Questions and Answers,' which hearkens back to British blues of the late sixties (but with a modern twist) and 'Hanging On a Loser,' a funky little piano and barroom blues that threatens to shuffle or doo-wop right out that blues bar at any minute.
'Mind’s Eye' is another Joe Bonamassa trait and true strength, that of the slow-build, heartfelt blues ballad, where a painful past ("the whole damn world comes crashing down around us, I know you’ve found someone else") becomes a powerful musical statement.
The meat of the album however is the long-form numbers with widescreen scope, led by an outstanding title track.
As rock-atmospheric as it is poignant across its seven minutes of light and shade, 'Time Clocks' delivers through understated yet thoughtful vocal deliveries on the verses, huge emotive choruses and full-blown rock sections that feature scintillating guitar lines that slice right through time itself.
'Curtain Call,' the longest song on the album at seven-and-half-minutes, taps into Joe Bonamassa’s penchant for, and love of, classic British rock; the results are an outstanding Led Zeppelin meets hard Americana number bolstered by a number of string-backed sections.
'The Loyal Kind' similarly mixes and matches; opening with a short Celtic themed intro (that reappears between the verses) the song soon builds to a heavier rock-blues with melodic pre-chorus and purposeful finger-pointing chorus backed by thick knotted guitars ("…are you gonna spin around and betray me twice?
I knew it all along and I hate when I’m right!")
Final number 'Known Unknowns' is a crossover blues of very fine style indeed; its melodic grace and bluesier lyric ("I use time to heal my suffering…") shape themselves into one of Joe Bonamassa’s finest lighter shaded moments to date, topped by some delightfully smooth heartbreak-crying guitar lines that recall Eric Clapton at his R&B/ pop-blues crossover best.
The ticking of time waits for none of us, but you wouldn’t be wasting any of that precious commodity by punching in for an hour with Joe Bonamassa on Time Clocks.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Danny Bryant – The Rage To Survive
Acclaimed British bluesman Danny Bryant’s latest studio offering, The Rage to Survive, could well be seen and heard as the third part of a trilogy, following Revelation (2018) and Means of Escape (2019).
While Revelation saw the impassioned singer-guitarist-songwriter go "deep inside of myself" (after a dark period where he lost both a close friend and his father) to embark on a powerful, personal and emotional musical journey, the even stronger Means of Escape was the heavy blues catharsis to those losses – Danny Bryant’s musical release (in both senses).
The Rage to Survive continues that musical escape of two years ago but also, more obviously, tells the tale of so many artists during the pandemic lockdowns of these last two years – having emotionally resurfaced after Means of Escape Danny Bryant soon found himself smothered again, unable to (initially) record or tour and trapped from doing what he loves (and paying the bills lest we forget).
The Rage to Survive then, is an album of anger, of passion, of lockdown isolation and loneliness – yet still uplifting, through the spirit of Danny Bryant’s crying guitar as it fires off six-string sparks or melodic solos in the face of adversity, backed by the talents of Dave Raeburn (drums), Paul Mallatratt (bass), Stevie Watts (keys) and, on a number of tracks, Lauren Young (saxophone) and David Maddison (trumpet).
Opening with the mid-tempo anger of the simply formed but highly effective, constant beat of the title track Danny Bryant’s 'Rage to Survive' is emphatically underlined through his distinct, Cocker-esque snarl:
"Storm comin’, deep and wide; duck and cover, run for your life!"
The slow-groove of 'Trouble With Love,' which follows, is more Free than Free at their Free-ist (I thank you), complete with perfectly dovetailing solo from Danny Bryant.
Starker and darker contrast then comes by way of the six-and-a-half minute 'Invisible Me,' a personal and honest reflection on mental health and loneliness.
Opening with a forlorn trumpet before a keys-backed, soul-baring vocal tales lead, 'Invisible Me' slow-builds to a showcase guitar solo that is as emotive in its delivery as it is impressive in its phrasing.
The groove that drives 'Rescue Me' then acts as the backdrop to a tasty organ solo from Stevie Watts before things are dropped a couple of gears for the solo acoustic ballad 'Falling Tears.'
The Danny Bryant Band rev up again however for 'Make Me Pay,' a dirty great slice of traditional, mid-tempo shuffle blues (a Calling Card of DB and the gang).
It's followed by another album highlight, 'Rain Stops Play,' a southern Americana styled love-song that adds further blues colour and texture to the album, courtesy of Stevie Watts’ threaded piano work and some cryingly good guitar remarks from Danny Bryant.
The brass accompanied blues boogie of instrumental 'Looking Good' makes for a fun little workout before the pour me another rock and lost love/ last chance roll of the piano tinkling and Chuck Berry-styled '‘Till The Bottle Run Dry' damn near duck walks its way out the barroom door.
Closing number 'Westport' (a reference to the Irish town perhaps; there’s certainly a Celtic-blues air to the song’s lamenting melancholy) is another standout track.
A love searching song of two parts, the lyrical stanza eventually gives way to sorrowful yet uplifting guitar play from Danny Bryant on the final two minutes of the song; the solo builds from emotive delicacy to fuller bodied six-string soul-crying, the only crime being a slow-fade just as you hope or expect the song to go round again for another half dozen bars of Danny Bryant in full flight.
Written and produced by Danny Bryant with recording, engineering and mixing by Grammy Award winning Ian Dowling (Adele, KT Tunstall) Rage to Survive sounds as good as it’s performed, the tangible energy of the latter courtesy of the band being in the studio together to record "as live."
The Rage to Survive; The Reason to Succeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
While Revelation saw the impassioned singer-guitarist-songwriter go "deep inside of myself" (after a dark period where he lost both a close friend and his father) to embark on a powerful, personal and emotional musical journey, the even stronger Means of Escape was the heavy blues catharsis to those losses – Danny Bryant’s musical release (in both senses).
The Rage to Survive continues that musical escape of two years ago but also, more obviously, tells the tale of so many artists during the pandemic lockdowns of these last two years – having emotionally resurfaced after Means of Escape Danny Bryant soon found himself smothered again, unable to (initially) record or tour and trapped from doing what he loves (and paying the bills lest we forget).
The Rage to Survive then, is an album of anger, of passion, of lockdown isolation and loneliness – yet still uplifting, through the spirit of Danny Bryant’s crying guitar as it fires off six-string sparks or melodic solos in the face of adversity, backed by the talents of Dave Raeburn (drums), Paul Mallatratt (bass), Stevie Watts (keys) and, on a number of tracks, Lauren Young (saxophone) and David Maddison (trumpet).
Opening with the mid-tempo anger of the simply formed but highly effective, constant beat of the title track Danny Bryant’s 'Rage to Survive' is emphatically underlined through his distinct, Cocker-esque snarl:
"Storm comin’, deep and wide; duck and cover, run for your life!"
The slow-groove of 'Trouble With Love,' which follows, is more Free than Free at their Free-ist (I thank you), complete with perfectly dovetailing solo from Danny Bryant.
Starker and darker contrast then comes by way of the six-and-a-half minute 'Invisible Me,' a personal and honest reflection on mental health and loneliness.
Opening with a forlorn trumpet before a keys-backed, soul-baring vocal tales lead, 'Invisible Me' slow-builds to a showcase guitar solo that is as emotive in its delivery as it is impressive in its phrasing.
The groove that drives 'Rescue Me' then acts as the backdrop to a tasty organ solo from Stevie Watts before things are dropped a couple of gears for the solo acoustic ballad 'Falling Tears.'
The Danny Bryant Band rev up again however for 'Make Me Pay,' a dirty great slice of traditional, mid-tempo shuffle blues (a Calling Card of DB and the gang).
It's followed by another album highlight, 'Rain Stops Play,' a southern Americana styled love-song that adds further blues colour and texture to the album, courtesy of Stevie Watts’ threaded piano work and some cryingly good guitar remarks from Danny Bryant.
The brass accompanied blues boogie of instrumental 'Looking Good' makes for a fun little workout before the pour me another rock and lost love/ last chance roll of the piano tinkling and Chuck Berry-styled '‘Till The Bottle Run Dry' damn near duck walks its way out the barroom door.
Closing number 'Westport' (a reference to the Irish town perhaps; there’s certainly a Celtic-blues air to the song’s lamenting melancholy) is another standout track.
A love searching song of two parts, the lyrical stanza eventually gives way to sorrowful yet uplifting guitar play from Danny Bryant on the final two minutes of the song; the solo builds from emotive delicacy to fuller bodied six-string soul-crying, the only crime being a slow-fade just as you hope or expect the song to go round again for another half dozen bars of Danny Bryant in full flight.
Written and produced by Danny Bryant with recording, engineering and mixing by Grammy Award winning Ian Dowling (Adele, KT Tunstall) Rage to Survive sounds as good as it’s performed, the tangible energy of the latter courtesy of the band being in the studio together to record "as live."
The Rage to Survive; The Reason to Succeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dec Burke – Life In Two Dimensions
Modern progressive singer-guitarist-keyboardist Dec Burke (ex-Frost* and Darwin’s Radio, more recently heard as part of Dilemma and AudioPlastik) might be living Life In Two Dimensions on his fourth solo album but he has a distinct and purposeful, three dimensional sound.
And that’s because Burke’s trademark wall-of-sound is once again present and correct, mixing big atmospheres with guitars, keyboard backing, weighty and rhythmic drum work (courtesy of ex Pendragon sticksman Scott Higham) and an impassioned vocality that is, more times than not, complemented or accompanied by multi-layered backing or harmony vocals.
An album for current & modern times as seen through the eyes and musical ear of an artist at the top of his (lockdown inspired) game, Life In Two Dimensions covers the everyman and everywomam topics of loss & hope (the Yin & Yang of 2020 and 2021) as well as a cynical (i.e. accurate) view of a materialistic world and its endless advertising.
The aforementioned wall-of-sound is heard to fine effect on the title track, a weighty slice of mid-tempo, atmospheric rock (with harmonious guitar solo and big, hook chorus) that opens the album and sets the tone.
The pace is then quickened by the highly-charged, heavy pop-punk ‘n’ roll of 'Emergency' and equally pacey 'Sister X;' the latter takes a grittier, thick riffed approach that perfectly complements the lyrical rallying cry against greed and saturation advertising ("they know what we eat and they know what we feel, and they know it before we decide").
A change of pace is then provided by the ballad 'This Time,' which features a high-crying guitar solo and a delicate ending led by the cello of Guilherme Aguilar (while Reiner Siemens is the featured bassist on the album Guilherme Aguilar, Kristoffer Gildenlöw, Robin Armstrong (who also contributes additional keys, mixing & mastering) share bass duties across four of the ten tracks.
'Sunlight' returns the musical intensity (think prog-metal condensed into four-and-a-half minutes with a couple of interesting change-ups) before the similarly progressive 'Love Steel,' which has melodic light, darker metal-riffed shade and ever-shifting dynamics in abundance, announces itself as contender for best song on the album (there’s a fair few vying for that award, mind you).
The shorter guitar rock and keyboard atmospheres of 'Energy' (featuring a blisteringly sharp guitar solo from Dec Burke) then leads to 'Fly With Broken Wings,' a piano chorded ballad of loss that sits on Scott Higham’s simple but highly effective rhythms before building to a poignant, guitar solo conclusion.
The album closes out on a two song, long-form modern progressive high.
The near eight-minute 'Paper Fortress,' which lyrically finger-points to "material nothingness" when "its love we’re needing" (a romantic notion perhaps but one worth heeding) morphs from a piano-led (courtesy of Robin Z.), atmospheric opening to an angrier, guitar-edged middle sequence before returning to the melodic sensibilities of the opening, complete with delightfully uplifting melodic fretwork from Dec Burke.
Album closer 'Trap Door' is a bristling and shimmering near ten minutes of modern, hard-edged progressive rock that lyrically seems to warn of the costs, or being careful, of what you wish, reach or strive for
("If I told you once then I told you twice, time enough to realize – choices made – don’t apologize").
On the back of Scott Higham’s rock solid beats, well-placed keyboard accentuations and some outstanding guitar play (all given delicate balance through the song’s quieter and reflective middle passage) 'Trap Door' might well be the best long-form piece Dec Burke has yet delivered.
As the title and indeed the sonics and song writing within this album confirm, Dec Burke is an artist who is far from one-dimensional. Long may that continue.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
And that’s because Burke’s trademark wall-of-sound is once again present and correct, mixing big atmospheres with guitars, keyboard backing, weighty and rhythmic drum work (courtesy of ex Pendragon sticksman Scott Higham) and an impassioned vocality that is, more times than not, complemented or accompanied by multi-layered backing or harmony vocals.
An album for current & modern times as seen through the eyes and musical ear of an artist at the top of his (lockdown inspired) game, Life In Two Dimensions covers the everyman and everywomam topics of loss & hope (the Yin & Yang of 2020 and 2021) as well as a cynical (i.e. accurate) view of a materialistic world and its endless advertising.
The aforementioned wall-of-sound is heard to fine effect on the title track, a weighty slice of mid-tempo, atmospheric rock (with harmonious guitar solo and big, hook chorus) that opens the album and sets the tone.
The pace is then quickened by the highly-charged, heavy pop-punk ‘n’ roll of 'Emergency' and equally pacey 'Sister X;' the latter takes a grittier, thick riffed approach that perfectly complements the lyrical rallying cry against greed and saturation advertising ("they know what we eat and they know what we feel, and they know it before we decide").
A change of pace is then provided by the ballad 'This Time,' which features a high-crying guitar solo and a delicate ending led by the cello of Guilherme Aguilar (while Reiner Siemens is the featured bassist on the album Guilherme Aguilar, Kristoffer Gildenlöw, Robin Armstrong (who also contributes additional keys, mixing & mastering) share bass duties across four of the ten tracks.
'Sunlight' returns the musical intensity (think prog-metal condensed into four-and-a-half minutes with a couple of interesting change-ups) before the similarly progressive 'Love Steel,' which has melodic light, darker metal-riffed shade and ever-shifting dynamics in abundance, announces itself as contender for best song on the album (there’s a fair few vying for that award, mind you).
The shorter guitar rock and keyboard atmospheres of 'Energy' (featuring a blisteringly sharp guitar solo from Dec Burke) then leads to 'Fly With Broken Wings,' a piano chorded ballad of loss that sits on Scott Higham’s simple but highly effective rhythms before building to a poignant, guitar solo conclusion.
The album closes out on a two song, long-form modern progressive high.
The near eight-minute 'Paper Fortress,' which lyrically finger-points to "material nothingness" when "its love we’re needing" (a romantic notion perhaps but one worth heeding) morphs from a piano-led (courtesy of Robin Z.), atmospheric opening to an angrier, guitar-edged middle sequence before returning to the melodic sensibilities of the opening, complete with delightfully uplifting melodic fretwork from Dec Burke.
Album closer 'Trap Door' is a bristling and shimmering near ten minutes of modern, hard-edged progressive rock that lyrically seems to warn of the costs, or being careful, of what you wish, reach or strive for
("If I told you once then I told you twice, time enough to realize – choices made – don’t apologize").
On the back of Scott Higham’s rock solid beats, well-placed keyboard accentuations and some outstanding guitar play (all given delicate balance through the song’s quieter and reflective middle passage) 'Trap Door' might well be the best long-form piece Dec Burke has yet delivered.
As the title and indeed the sonics and song writing within this album confirm, Dec Burke is an artist who is far from one-dimensional. Long may that continue.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Cheap Trick – In Another World
Not only are Rick Nielsen and Co. (the vocally ageless Robin Zander, 12-string bassist Tom Petersson, drummer Daxx Nielsen and ever-quirky six-stringer Nielsen Snr) the only band that would consider blasting out the full-blown Cheap Trick and treat of a song entitled 'The Summer Looks Good On You' at the top of a new album released during a pandemic, they are probably the only band that could get away with it.
To be fair the song was originally released as a single pre-pandemic (back when the summer of 2018 approached) but it's fully deserving of its status as the track that kicks off the band’s twentieth studio album, complete with big A Cappella harmonies intro, Robin Zander in ridiculously good voice throughout, a bridge that nods to the Dream Police at their most frantic and melodically infectious hook chorus.
It also introduces what is another fully Tricked up winner (the band’s fourth album in five years), a heavy pop and hook-laden rock offering that tricks sorry, ticks, all the boxes.
Nor does it hurt that the band’s in, hit-the-chorus and out in three and a half minutes trademark is front and central to 13 track, 45 minute proceedings.
Only 'Another World,' a lovely, Lennon-esque together-through-thick-and-thin number, breaks that rule at four minutes (a full speed ahead reprise of the song does, however, sit only six seconds short of that magic three-and-half minute marker).
From the If-Cheap-Trick-had-been-the-Beatles number 'Quit Waking Me Up' (quintessential, timeless Trick) and Stonesy punk of 'Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll,' through acoustically framed (and again Lennon-esque) ballad 'So it Goes' and balshy, guitar driven 'Light Up the Fire,' and on to third time for the John Lennon influenced charm via a cover of the great man’s 'Gimme Some Truth' (originally a 2019 Record Store Day release, Steve Jones sharing six-string space with Rick Nielsen), In Another World is Planet Cheap Trick through and through.
And that’s because, at the album’s core, is the sound of Cheap Trick as they have sounded since pretty much the get-go; as Rick Nielsen recently quipped in interview "it’s just as well we never progressed" because, frankly, who would want them (to want you) to?
The band’s not so cheap as clever trick is to add variations on a theme that’s worked for nigh on forty-eight years and those twenty studio albums – cases in point being 'Passing Through,' a psychedelic slant on the dreamier 'If You Want My Love' sound and 'Here’s Looking at You,' a rock ‘n’ roll number (with 'Surrender' synth nods) that would sit comfortably on any of those twenty albums.
Other worthy of mention moments include the spikey, choppy guitar rhythms of 'The Party,' which recalls the band’s later 80s/ The Doctor era (the "call me a doctor, better call me a nurse!" line could be just such a nod) and the edgy, darker blues of 'Final Days' (with a harmonica and guitar play-off), the latter hearkening back to the band’s earliest days, albeit with contemporary, state of the world shaped lyric.
In Another World, Cheap Trick would still sound like this – and thank Trick for that.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
To be fair the song was originally released as a single pre-pandemic (back when the summer of 2018 approached) but it's fully deserving of its status as the track that kicks off the band’s twentieth studio album, complete with big A Cappella harmonies intro, Robin Zander in ridiculously good voice throughout, a bridge that nods to the Dream Police at their most frantic and melodically infectious hook chorus.
It also introduces what is another fully Tricked up winner (the band’s fourth album in five years), a heavy pop and hook-laden rock offering that tricks sorry, ticks, all the boxes.
Nor does it hurt that the band’s in, hit-the-chorus and out in three and a half minutes trademark is front and central to 13 track, 45 minute proceedings.
Only 'Another World,' a lovely, Lennon-esque together-through-thick-and-thin number, breaks that rule at four minutes (a full speed ahead reprise of the song does, however, sit only six seconds short of that magic three-and-half minute marker).
From the If-Cheap-Trick-had-been-the-Beatles number 'Quit Waking Me Up' (quintessential, timeless Trick) and Stonesy punk of 'Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll,' through acoustically framed (and again Lennon-esque) ballad 'So it Goes' and balshy, guitar driven 'Light Up the Fire,' and on to third time for the John Lennon influenced charm via a cover of the great man’s 'Gimme Some Truth' (originally a 2019 Record Store Day release, Steve Jones sharing six-string space with Rick Nielsen), In Another World is Planet Cheap Trick through and through.
And that’s because, at the album’s core, is the sound of Cheap Trick as they have sounded since pretty much the get-go; as Rick Nielsen recently quipped in interview "it’s just as well we never progressed" because, frankly, who would want them (to want you) to?
The band’s not so cheap as clever trick is to add variations on a theme that’s worked for nigh on forty-eight years and those twenty studio albums – cases in point being 'Passing Through,' a psychedelic slant on the dreamier 'If You Want My Love' sound and 'Here’s Looking at You,' a rock ‘n’ roll number (with 'Surrender' synth nods) that would sit comfortably on any of those twenty albums.
Other worthy of mention moments include the spikey, choppy guitar rhythms of 'The Party,' which recalls the band’s later 80s/ The Doctor era (the "call me a doctor, better call me a nurse!" line could be just such a nod) and the edgy, darker blues of 'Final Days' (with a harmonica and guitar play-off), the latter hearkening back to the band’s earliest days, albeit with contemporary, state of the world shaped lyric.
In Another World, Cheap Trick would still sound like this – and thank Trick for that.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Crooked Shapes – Crooked Shapes
Reading-based alt-rockers Crooked Shapes have, as their self-titled nine-track debut album highlights, cleverly combined both the old and newer rock worlds.
On the sonic surface the trio – George Twydell (lead vocals & guitar), George Ives (bass & vocals) and Craig Carlaw (drums) – are a contemporary, melodic grunge-tinged outfit (elements of Soundgarden, Shinedown and Alice in Chains) but there is also a classic rock-metal sound at play here as well as other, interesting influences (Black Sabbath and King's X respectively, the latter heard to good effect in the vocal harmonies).
There are also hints of stoner-rock and heavy-blues in the band’s DNA but where Crooked Shapes excel is the angular and innovative riffs that underpin their songs.
Opener 'Fire,' which is as incendiary as its title suggests, is built on a muscular riff and a sparse chorus with effective backing vocals. The song also highlights George Twydell’s guitar skills by featuring a short and suitably fret burning solo (with judicious use of wah-wah).
'Fire,' which centres its lyrical anger around internal conflict and trying to take or accept responsibility for one’s actions, helps point to the themes explored on the album, that of the human condition, mental health and difficult times (all of which have come in to harder focus during the Covid-19 pandemic and Lockdowns).
For a young band, there’s a lot of lyrical maturity on display here.
Following number, the alt-rock skewed 'Leave me for Dead,' features another interesting riff and a rhythm part that switches between full and half-time (the opening brace and indeed the following seven numbers are all delivered with serious musical and vocal conviction).
'Appetite,' a catchy rock-blues number with hooky chorus, then gives way to the downtempo, instrumental riff-fest that is the title-track.
Reminiscent of early, doom-laden Black Sabbath and with an almost hypnotic delivery of the bludgeoning main riff, 'Crooked Shapes' is an album highlight.
'Chains in my Mind' is another downtempo song but one that includes both a memorable chorus, strong harmonies and some interesting musical sections.
Following song, the melodic grunge of 'Fallout,' hearkens back to the band’s 2019 EP of that name; it's also the only song from that five-track appetiser to feature here (the other four more classic rock orientated tracks are equally noteworthy however).
The up-tempo, bluesier rock of 'Rise Again' is another to feature well-delivered vocal harmonies (reminiscent of the aforementioned King’s X) before the funky rhythm and blues rock of 'Fly' kicks in to evoke the spirit of Band of Gypsys era Hendrix (no bad reference point).
'Fly' is also a great example of how the contemporary style of Crooked Shapes sits proudly atop a solid 70s rock foundation.
Crooked Shapes keep their best to last with six-minute album closer 'Don’t Look Back.'
Initially continuing in a similar Hendrix vein to 'Fly,' the song soon develops and time-changes to show a band that are capable of light, shade and dynamics (their signature off-kilter riffs and vocal harmonies are also here in spades).
This is a very promising debut album by a very interesting band.
There are some rough edges (less angst in some of the lead vocals may better serve going forward) but a rare intelligence is at work here, and you never doubt the passion and conviction of the deliveries.
Crooked Shapes. Angular, weighty results.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
On the sonic surface the trio – George Twydell (lead vocals & guitar), George Ives (bass & vocals) and Craig Carlaw (drums) – are a contemporary, melodic grunge-tinged outfit (elements of Soundgarden, Shinedown and Alice in Chains) but there is also a classic rock-metal sound at play here as well as other, interesting influences (Black Sabbath and King's X respectively, the latter heard to good effect in the vocal harmonies).
There are also hints of stoner-rock and heavy-blues in the band’s DNA but where Crooked Shapes excel is the angular and innovative riffs that underpin their songs.
Opener 'Fire,' which is as incendiary as its title suggests, is built on a muscular riff and a sparse chorus with effective backing vocals. The song also highlights George Twydell’s guitar skills by featuring a short and suitably fret burning solo (with judicious use of wah-wah).
'Fire,' which centres its lyrical anger around internal conflict and trying to take or accept responsibility for one’s actions, helps point to the themes explored on the album, that of the human condition, mental health and difficult times (all of which have come in to harder focus during the Covid-19 pandemic and Lockdowns).
For a young band, there’s a lot of lyrical maturity on display here.
Following number, the alt-rock skewed 'Leave me for Dead,' features another interesting riff and a rhythm part that switches between full and half-time (the opening brace and indeed the following seven numbers are all delivered with serious musical and vocal conviction).
'Appetite,' a catchy rock-blues number with hooky chorus, then gives way to the downtempo, instrumental riff-fest that is the title-track.
Reminiscent of early, doom-laden Black Sabbath and with an almost hypnotic delivery of the bludgeoning main riff, 'Crooked Shapes' is an album highlight.
'Chains in my Mind' is another downtempo song but one that includes both a memorable chorus, strong harmonies and some interesting musical sections.
Following song, the melodic grunge of 'Fallout,' hearkens back to the band’s 2019 EP of that name; it's also the only song from that five-track appetiser to feature here (the other four more classic rock orientated tracks are equally noteworthy however).
The up-tempo, bluesier rock of 'Rise Again' is another to feature well-delivered vocal harmonies (reminiscent of the aforementioned King’s X) before the funky rhythm and blues rock of 'Fly' kicks in to evoke the spirit of Band of Gypsys era Hendrix (no bad reference point).
'Fly' is also a great example of how the contemporary style of Crooked Shapes sits proudly atop a solid 70s rock foundation.
Crooked Shapes keep their best to last with six-minute album closer 'Don’t Look Back.'
Initially continuing in a similar Hendrix vein to 'Fly,' the song soon develops and time-changes to show a band that are capable of light, shade and dynamics (their signature off-kilter riffs and vocal harmonies are also here in spades).
This is a very promising debut album by a very interesting band.
There are some rough edges (less angst in some of the lead vocals may better serve going forward) but a rare intelligence is at work here, and you never doubt the passion and conviction of the deliveries.
Crooked Shapes. Angular, weighty results.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kat Danser – One Eye Open
The musical travels of rootsy blues Canadian songstress Kat Danser’s previous album Goin’ Gone took singer, band and listener through the dusty roads of the American south and the music of Memphis, the neighbouring Mississippi Delta and Cajun country.
Such travels continue on Kat Danser’s sixth album One Eye Open, but here her travels are expanded to include the smoke-filled cigar bars and music clubs of Havana via Cuban (and Afro Cuban) influenced music, bolstered by a horn section that feature on six of the ten tracks.
(Passionate about the history and culture of such deeply rooted music, musician Kat Danser is also Dr. Kat Danser, with a PhD in Ethnomusicology).
Nor does it hurt that for the third album in a row Kat Danser has collaborated with Steve Dawson, as both producer and featured guitarist.
Dawson’s full sounding production work is all the more impressive given he was recording and directing from his Nashville studio while Kat Danser recorded her vocals in Edmonton and Gary Craig (drums) and Jeremy Holmes musically delivered from other locales (the album was recorded as the Covid-19 pandemic started to spread its presence).
'The Way I Like it Done' opens the album with Kat Danser, the band and horn section in mid-tempo, blues sassy swing; Danser calls the way I like it shots ("I am a lover, an all nighter, the fuel in a butane lighter") while honky-tonk bar piano from featured keyboardist Kevin McKendree and a tasty little solo from Steve Dawson add to the New Awlins atmosphere.
The slow, pulsating blues of 'Lonely and the Dragon' drops the tempo but not the atmosphere (Messrs McKendree (here on organ) and Dawson once again delivering the goods) before 'Frenchman Shake Street' kicks in to deliver some Creole party blues, driven by Gary Craig’s percussive rhythm.
A true standout is the musically surprising but perfectly fitting (for the hell-in-a-handbasket times) title track, which is best described as lyrically angry, rockabilly-punk.
"What the hell is goin’ on, the world’s gonna end before this song!" hollers Kat Dancer before considering the best plan of action is to "get me a reefer and let me go numb, while they nuke themselves to kingdom come." Sounds like a smokin’ good plan to me, Kat.
As was the case with Goin’ Gone, Kat Danser brings a couple of well-chosen covers to the table, both of which provide perfect complement to the eight originals.
Gus Cannon’s 'Bring It With You When You Come,' which hearkens back to the 1920s, sports a fun, ragtime and guitar picking arrangement that keeps the vibe upbeat.
Contrast is provided by a wonderful rootsy-blues rendition of Jessie Mae Hemphill’s 'Get Right, Church,' which provides soulful warmth through Kat Danser’s vocal and acoustic and pedal steel arrangement (the closing line of "Thank you, Jessie May" is a lovely touch).
Other highlights include the Patsy Cline inspired 'Please Don ’t Cry' (not so much Kat Danser as Kat Crooner), pandemic blues number 'End of Days' (written, as confirmed by Danser, "on the night where Covid really hit home") and Cuban blues closer 'Mi Corazón,' a love song to Havana sung in Spanish.
In the world we currently live in we should indeed be keeping One Eye Open – and an ear to the rootsy musical ground in which Kat Danser travels so successfully and performs so passionately.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Such travels continue on Kat Danser’s sixth album One Eye Open, but here her travels are expanded to include the smoke-filled cigar bars and music clubs of Havana via Cuban (and Afro Cuban) influenced music, bolstered by a horn section that feature on six of the ten tracks.
(Passionate about the history and culture of such deeply rooted music, musician Kat Danser is also Dr. Kat Danser, with a PhD in Ethnomusicology).
Nor does it hurt that for the third album in a row Kat Danser has collaborated with Steve Dawson, as both producer and featured guitarist.
Dawson’s full sounding production work is all the more impressive given he was recording and directing from his Nashville studio while Kat Danser recorded her vocals in Edmonton and Gary Craig (drums) and Jeremy Holmes musically delivered from other locales (the album was recorded as the Covid-19 pandemic started to spread its presence).
'The Way I Like it Done' opens the album with Kat Danser, the band and horn section in mid-tempo, blues sassy swing; Danser calls the way I like it shots ("I am a lover, an all nighter, the fuel in a butane lighter") while honky-tonk bar piano from featured keyboardist Kevin McKendree and a tasty little solo from Steve Dawson add to the New Awlins atmosphere.
The slow, pulsating blues of 'Lonely and the Dragon' drops the tempo but not the atmosphere (Messrs McKendree (here on organ) and Dawson once again delivering the goods) before 'Frenchman Shake Street' kicks in to deliver some Creole party blues, driven by Gary Craig’s percussive rhythm.
A true standout is the musically surprising but perfectly fitting (for the hell-in-a-handbasket times) title track, which is best described as lyrically angry, rockabilly-punk.
"What the hell is goin’ on, the world’s gonna end before this song!" hollers Kat Dancer before considering the best plan of action is to "get me a reefer and let me go numb, while they nuke themselves to kingdom come." Sounds like a smokin’ good plan to me, Kat.
As was the case with Goin’ Gone, Kat Danser brings a couple of well-chosen covers to the table, both of which provide perfect complement to the eight originals.
Gus Cannon’s 'Bring It With You When You Come,' which hearkens back to the 1920s, sports a fun, ragtime and guitar picking arrangement that keeps the vibe upbeat.
Contrast is provided by a wonderful rootsy-blues rendition of Jessie Mae Hemphill’s 'Get Right, Church,' which provides soulful warmth through Kat Danser’s vocal and acoustic and pedal steel arrangement (the closing line of "Thank you, Jessie May" is a lovely touch).
Other highlights include the Patsy Cline inspired 'Please Don ’t Cry' (not so much Kat Danser as Kat Crooner), pandemic blues number 'End of Days' (written, as confirmed by Danser, "on the night where Covid really hit home") and Cuban blues closer 'Mi Corazón,' a love song to Havana sung in Spanish.
In the world we currently live in we should indeed be keeping One Eye Open – and an ear to the rootsy musical ground in which Kat Danser travels so successfully and performs so passionately.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dead Man’s Whiskey – Breakout EP
London based hard rock quintet Dead Man’s Whiskey have shaken free from lockdowns and an eighteen month lack of live life to follow up 2017’s debut mini-album Under The Gun (remastered and re-released as the weightier 10 track album Under The Gun : Reloaded in 2019) with 5-track EP Breakout.
From the fade-in riff and rolling drums build-up intro of 'Sleep When I’m Dead' you’re pretty sure you’re on to a good thing; as the main riff and bigger beat kicks in your optimism is confirmed.
A rough ‘n’ ready slice of Dead Man’s rock and roll, led by the husky but sonorous voice of front man Nico Rogers (who lyrically touches on his own mental health struggles), 'Sleep When I'm Dead' features a reprise of the introduction as the short bridge before a 92% Alcohol By Guitar Volume solo kicks in.
The weighty rock swagger of 'I Am Here' is no less impacting; an amusing tale of the love of live performance ("buckle in, make some noise!") through tongue-in-cheek, the ego has landed lyricism ("never fear… your hero is here!")
While not directly aimed at any specific individual or act, you can’t help but feel there may well be a bit of finger pointing going on (and let’s face it we’ve all either met, seen, heard or know a few).
The mid-tempo raunch & roll of 'Breakout' is another strong offering.
Lyrically swinging from lockdowns and life's drudgery to the unfettered energy of getting back out to play (in both senses), the EP’s title track is accompanied by a ridiculously simple one word chorus that will guarantee fists in the air and "breakout!" shouts (it also comes complete with obligatory-for-the-style AC/DC ending).
'Never Ever' is the grungier, rock-metal side of Dead Man’s Whiskey, a talk-box affected "no surrender, no retreat!" slab of anger that includes short but tasty back and forth guitar solos and big call and answer finish.
(It’s also another song that should have the fists in the air come gig time).
'Make You Proud' couldn’t make for a more contrasting ending.
It’s a testament to the emotive impact of the song, first heard on Under The Gun, that the southern-styled rock ballad has become a much loved song among both fans and band.
Here, in starker but highly effective piano and vocal arrangement (with plaintive, tastefully employed guitar solo toward song’s end) it’s no less impacting – and arguably more so, especially for those who are, truly, their father’s sons.
And I’ll happily raise a glass of dead man’s whiskey to that – and to the Breakout EP.
Nice to hear you back, lads.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
From the fade-in riff and rolling drums build-up intro of 'Sleep When I’m Dead' you’re pretty sure you’re on to a good thing; as the main riff and bigger beat kicks in your optimism is confirmed.
A rough ‘n’ ready slice of Dead Man’s rock and roll, led by the husky but sonorous voice of front man Nico Rogers (who lyrically touches on his own mental health struggles), 'Sleep When I'm Dead' features a reprise of the introduction as the short bridge before a 92% Alcohol By Guitar Volume solo kicks in.
The weighty rock swagger of 'I Am Here' is no less impacting; an amusing tale of the love of live performance ("buckle in, make some noise!") through tongue-in-cheek, the ego has landed lyricism ("never fear… your hero is here!")
While not directly aimed at any specific individual or act, you can’t help but feel there may well be a bit of finger pointing going on (and let’s face it we’ve all either met, seen, heard or know a few).
The mid-tempo raunch & roll of 'Breakout' is another strong offering.
Lyrically swinging from lockdowns and life's drudgery to the unfettered energy of getting back out to play (in both senses), the EP’s title track is accompanied by a ridiculously simple one word chorus that will guarantee fists in the air and "breakout!" shouts (it also comes complete with obligatory-for-the-style AC/DC ending).
'Never Ever' is the grungier, rock-metal side of Dead Man’s Whiskey, a talk-box affected "no surrender, no retreat!" slab of anger that includes short but tasty back and forth guitar solos and big call and answer finish.
(It’s also another song that should have the fists in the air come gig time).
'Make You Proud' couldn’t make for a more contrasting ending.
It’s a testament to the emotive impact of the song, first heard on Under The Gun, that the southern-styled rock ballad has become a much loved song among both fans and band.
Here, in starker but highly effective piano and vocal arrangement (with plaintive, tastefully employed guitar solo toward song’s end) it’s no less impacting – and arguably more so, especially for those who are, truly, their father’s sons.
And I’ll happily raise a glass of dead man’s whiskey to that – and to the Breakout EP.
Nice to hear you back, lads.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dim Gray – Flown (CD & 2LP w/ Bonus Tracks Edition)
Oslo-based art-rock post-progressive trio Dim Gray (Oskar Holldorff - vocals, keyboards, Håkon Høiberg - guitars, mandolin, vocals, Tom Ian Klungland - drums, percussion, vocals) carry a lot of Scandinavian folk in their music but in a highly contemporary, Indie styled fashion.
The results, as heard back in 2020 with digitally released debut album Flown, are an intricate and at times evocative set of soundscapes that feature both melody and a more haunting yearning.
The later trait is very much part of the conceptual theme of Flown, via an interconnected set of songs that tell the tale of loss and loneliness (the lyrical story can be interpreted in different ways but there's no question the COVID-19 pandemic has made its theme all the more poignant or relevant for many).
Yet as grey shaded as that sounds (no play on the band’s name intended) there’s a lot of kaleidoscopic colour at play here, with an interweaving of chamber music/ strings, alt-pop and the aforementioned moments of Indie folk and art-rock; all fused from a diverse background of individual and collective influences that include black metal, progressive rock, blues, folk and film music.
Good news then that Flown has now seen larger release in the hard copy shape of CD and 2LP vinyl, plus four bonus songs (with one track exclusive to each of the formats).
The album opens with the plaintive and atmospheric 'Again' ("the story begins at the end…" sings Oskar Holldorff over delicate keyboards and a string backing of violin & cello, lyrically outlining the cyclic nature of the story and concept) before the Indie folk & post-progressive influences of the band come to the fore on 'The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever,' featuring nice harmony vocal work, jangling but edgy guitar and a slightly weightier finale.
The story of loss and longing continues with the Celtic tinged, Indie folk brace of 'Closer' and 'Ráth' and through later, story-linking devices such as short instrumentals 'Flown' and the reflective and echoing 'Yore.'
More delicate melancholic highlights include piano and vocal number 'Wandering' and the equally sparse, acoustically shaped 'Song For E.'
The album ends (or begins again, given the cyclic nature of the story) on three impressive yet very different six-minute numbers.
The musical rise and emotional fall of the angst driven 'Dreamer’s Disease' (with its lyrical cry of escaping the emotionless malady that is apathy) leads to the string-arranged rebirth of 'Ouroboros.'
The slow-build 'Black Sun' then plays out on an uplifting cry of up-tempo, Celtic/ Indie folk.
Strong as the album is as a stand-a-lone 12 track offering, the four bonus tracks that come with the CD and 2LP Vinyl editions are all worthy of inclusion.
The live versions of 'Again' and 'Song For E.' (both feature Elisabeth Turmo on violin & Sunniva Shaw on cello) are, respectively, as evocative and delightful as they are on album while non-album track 'Paper Bird' is lovely mix of piano-led balladeering and chiming rock guitar.
Similarly chiming and charming is the mid-tempo alt-rock of CD track 'Ice And Sea,' while the 2LP edition of Flown sports the pacier rock rhythms of 'Wakeless.'
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The results, as heard back in 2020 with digitally released debut album Flown, are an intricate and at times evocative set of soundscapes that feature both melody and a more haunting yearning.
The later trait is very much part of the conceptual theme of Flown, via an interconnected set of songs that tell the tale of loss and loneliness (the lyrical story can be interpreted in different ways but there's no question the COVID-19 pandemic has made its theme all the more poignant or relevant for many).
Yet as grey shaded as that sounds (no play on the band’s name intended) there’s a lot of kaleidoscopic colour at play here, with an interweaving of chamber music/ strings, alt-pop and the aforementioned moments of Indie folk and art-rock; all fused from a diverse background of individual and collective influences that include black metal, progressive rock, blues, folk and film music.
Good news then that Flown has now seen larger release in the hard copy shape of CD and 2LP vinyl, plus four bonus songs (with one track exclusive to each of the formats).
The album opens with the plaintive and atmospheric 'Again' ("the story begins at the end…" sings Oskar Holldorff over delicate keyboards and a string backing of violin & cello, lyrically outlining the cyclic nature of the story and concept) before the Indie folk & post-progressive influences of the band come to the fore on 'The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever,' featuring nice harmony vocal work, jangling but edgy guitar and a slightly weightier finale.
The story of loss and longing continues with the Celtic tinged, Indie folk brace of 'Closer' and 'Ráth' and through later, story-linking devices such as short instrumentals 'Flown' and the reflective and echoing 'Yore.'
More delicate melancholic highlights include piano and vocal number 'Wandering' and the equally sparse, acoustically shaped 'Song For E.'
The album ends (or begins again, given the cyclic nature of the story) on three impressive yet very different six-minute numbers.
The musical rise and emotional fall of the angst driven 'Dreamer’s Disease' (with its lyrical cry of escaping the emotionless malady that is apathy) leads to the string-arranged rebirth of 'Ouroboros.'
The slow-build 'Black Sun' then plays out on an uplifting cry of up-tempo, Celtic/ Indie folk.
Strong as the album is as a stand-a-lone 12 track offering, the four bonus tracks that come with the CD and 2LP Vinyl editions are all worthy of inclusion.
The live versions of 'Again' and 'Song For E.' (both feature Elisabeth Turmo on violin & Sunniva Shaw on cello) are, respectively, as evocative and delightful as they are on album while non-album track 'Paper Bird' is lovely mix of piano-led balladeering and chiming rock guitar.
Similarly chiming and charming is the mid-tempo alt-rock of CD track 'Ice And Sea,' while the 2LP edition of Flown sports the pacier rock rhythms of 'Wakeless.'
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dion – Stomping Ground
On the blues buddies face of it, legendary American singer Dion’s latest album Stomping Ground is not so much a follow-up to 2020’s highly successful #1 Billboard Blues Chart album Blues With Friends (all eighteen of them) as a Part 2 follow-on.
In a clear case of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, just blues it up even more (lest we forget Dion incorporated blues, R&B and country from the sixty-years a solo artist get-go – hit singles such as 'Runaround Sue' and 'The Wanderer' (itself 12 bar based) are but a facet of his career, albeit the most successful), Stomping Ground reinforces Dion’s love and religious devotion (fitting given his Christianity) to the blues in the company of, this time around, seventeen music brothers and sisters (including a few Blues With Friends returnees).
In short, another opportunity for the still strong voice of the now 82 years young Dion to return to, and play in, his oldest and dearest stomping ground; that of the blues in the company of like-minded friends and musos.
On the 14-song Stomping Ground you’ll hear the luminary likes of Eric Clapton (boogie number 'If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll'), Peter Frampton (adding six-string poignancy to plaintive slow blues 'There Was a Time'), Billy Gibbons (laying it down atop the shufflin’ groove of 'My Stomping Ground'), Sonny Landreth (slick slide on folk-blues 'Cryin’ Shame') and Joe Bonamassa, on whose KTBA (Keeping The Blues Alive) label Blues With Friends and Stomping Ground have been released.
From pacey rhythm and blues opener 'Take it Back' (featuring Joe Bonamassa) and the rhythmic sway of 'Dancing Girl,' which is decidedly Knopfler-esque (so fittingly features the man himself) through to the jive guitar rocking (Jimmy Vivino) and piano rattlin’ roll (Marcia Ball) of 'I Got My Eyes On You Baby' (featuring a great vocal from Dion) and percussive, blues-swaying duet (with Rickie Lee Jones) number 'I’ve Been Watching,' Stomping Ground is yet another strong blues offering from Dion.
Other highlights include the rhythm and up-tempo blues fun of 'I’ve Got to Get to You' featuring Boz Scaggs and father & son guitar duo Joe & Mike Menza (Joe Menza also features on melodic, south-of-the-border blues 'The Night is Young') and the acoustic based, gospel influenced 'Angel in the Alleyways.'
The latter, featuring Patti Scialfa on harmony & backing vocals (Dion and Scialfa’s vocals work wonderfully well together) and Bruce Springsteen on harmonica, is a true highlight, with a lyric that reflects both Dion’s faith and his blues beliefs – "Who guides the hand that comes to play? Like BB King and Stevie Ray.
Who takes the pain we didn't choose? Turns it into Chicago Blues.”
As a sign-off, I leave you with an excerpt from the album foreword by Pete Townshend (Bob Dylan did the back cover honours on Blues With Friends; now that’s having the respect of your peers):
"Dion is a star who knows well how to start again, how to keep shining. He looks at his watch every few years. Damn, let’s make a record!"
Let’s all be glad he did, and continues to do so, with a little help from some illustrious friends.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
In a clear case of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, just blues it up even more (lest we forget Dion incorporated blues, R&B and country from the sixty-years a solo artist get-go – hit singles such as 'Runaround Sue' and 'The Wanderer' (itself 12 bar based) are but a facet of his career, albeit the most successful), Stomping Ground reinforces Dion’s love and religious devotion (fitting given his Christianity) to the blues in the company of, this time around, seventeen music brothers and sisters (including a few Blues With Friends returnees).
In short, another opportunity for the still strong voice of the now 82 years young Dion to return to, and play in, his oldest and dearest stomping ground; that of the blues in the company of like-minded friends and musos.
On the 14-song Stomping Ground you’ll hear the luminary likes of Eric Clapton (boogie number 'If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll'), Peter Frampton (adding six-string poignancy to plaintive slow blues 'There Was a Time'), Billy Gibbons (laying it down atop the shufflin’ groove of 'My Stomping Ground'), Sonny Landreth (slick slide on folk-blues 'Cryin’ Shame') and Joe Bonamassa, on whose KTBA (Keeping The Blues Alive) label Blues With Friends and Stomping Ground have been released.
From pacey rhythm and blues opener 'Take it Back' (featuring Joe Bonamassa) and the rhythmic sway of 'Dancing Girl,' which is decidedly Knopfler-esque (so fittingly features the man himself) through to the jive guitar rocking (Jimmy Vivino) and piano rattlin’ roll (Marcia Ball) of 'I Got My Eyes On You Baby' (featuring a great vocal from Dion) and percussive, blues-swaying duet (with Rickie Lee Jones) number 'I’ve Been Watching,' Stomping Ground is yet another strong blues offering from Dion.
Other highlights include the rhythm and up-tempo blues fun of 'I’ve Got to Get to You' featuring Boz Scaggs and father & son guitar duo Joe & Mike Menza (Joe Menza also features on melodic, south-of-the-border blues 'The Night is Young') and the acoustic based, gospel influenced 'Angel in the Alleyways.'
The latter, featuring Patti Scialfa on harmony & backing vocals (Dion and Scialfa’s vocals work wonderfully well together) and Bruce Springsteen on harmonica, is a true highlight, with a lyric that reflects both Dion’s faith and his blues beliefs – "Who guides the hand that comes to play? Like BB King and Stevie Ray.
Who takes the pain we didn't choose? Turns it into Chicago Blues.”
As a sign-off, I leave you with an excerpt from the album foreword by Pete Townshend (Bob Dylan did the back cover honours on Blues With Friends; now that’s having the respect of your peers):
"Dion is a star who knows well how to start again, how to keep shining. He looks at his watch every few years. Damn, let’s make a record!"
Let’s all be glad he did, and continues to do so, with a little help from some illustrious friends.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Djabe & Steve Hackett – The Journey Continues (2CD & DVD)
There is no question some of the best work done by acclaimed Hungarian jazz-rock group Djabe has come in the company of guitarist Steve Hackett.
Indeed there’s a strong argument be made that their collaborative and semi-improvisational 2017 album Life is a Journey : The Sardinia Tapes (recorded on that beautiful and inspiring island) is the band’s best studio work and one of Hackett’s most impressive six-string showings, certainly in terms of his improvisation skills and free-flowing flexibility.
The Journey Continues is, as the title suggests, a companion piece or live follow-on to Life is a Journey, albeit it’s only now seeing not so much the light of day as the spotlight of the evening’s performance, recorded as it was back in 2019 at the VMKK venue in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, one of a number of shows Djabe & Steve Hackett found scheduling time for in 2019 and 2018.
(Three bonus tracks, two from 2018 and one from 2019 are also included, as well as a Sardinia film clip to the accompaniment of 'Stones and Mirto,' from Djabe & Steve Hackett’s 2019 studio album Back to Sardinia).
The Journey Continues also dovetails as a Best Of Djabe & Steve Hackett live; a superbly performed 13 song set that includes four Life is a Journey numbers (a fifth, 'After Limoncello,' features as one of the bonus tracks), three jazzified Genesis tracks ('In That Quiet Earth' also features a bonus track) and classic Hackett solo number, 'Last Train to Istanbul' (a perfect fit in its Djabe clothing).
Professionally filmed under what are predominately red and purple light washes (very jazz 'n' roll) Djabe & Steve Hackett open proceedings in relatively delicate fashion with 'New Words,' which features mood-setting acoustic then electric guitar lines from, respectively, Attila Égerházi and Steve Hackett.
The number then hits its stride through drummer Péter Kaszás’ marching rhythm, where Attila Égerházi gets to show he’s no slouch himself on electric lead, here in interplay with the melody line created by keyboardist János Nagy and trumpeter Áron Koós-Hutás.
The Pat Metheny/ Lyle Mayes-esque 'Reflections Of Thierache' then follows (featuring Áron Koós-Hutás on trumpet and a couple of tasty Steve Hackett solos) before the smooth opening and fierce finish of 'Life is a Journey' takes centre stage.
The Life is a Journey showcase continues with 'Castelsardo at Night' (featuring some brilliant bass work from Tamás Barabás and another expressive Steve Hackett solo) and the funky jazz-rock of 'Buzzy Island' (with Hackett, then Attila Égerházi, giving it six-string licks a plenty) before contrast is provided by way of Djabe & Steve Hackett’s jazz-pop vocal moment, 'Tears for Peace' (a Djabe and Hackett anti-war composition that goes back to 2012).
Genesis also make an appearance by way of, first, 'Hairless Heart' and the finale section of 'Firth of Fifth'
(the latter a showcase for Steve Hackett’s revered and gorgeously emotive solo) and, at set's end, a seriously jazz-rocking take of 'Los Endos' (preceded by Djabe’s ever-shifting, fifteen minute tour-de-force, 'Lava Lamp'), closing out an outstanding performance by an outstanding set of players.
If you’re any sort of fan of jazz-rock fusion and Steve Hackett at his most expressive & semi-improvisational, it’s well worth continuing the Djabe & Hackett journey that started in Sardinia.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Indeed there’s a strong argument be made that their collaborative and semi-improvisational 2017 album Life is a Journey : The Sardinia Tapes (recorded on that beautiful and inspiring island) is the band’s best studio work and one of Hackett’s most impressive six-string showings, certainly in terms of his improvisation skills and free-flowing flexibility.
The Journey Continues is, as the title suggests, a companion piece or live follow-on to Life is a Journey, albeit it’s only now seeing not so much the light of day as the spotlight of the evening’s performance, recorded as it was back in 2019 at the VMKK venue in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, one of a number of shows Djabe & Steve Hackett found scheduling time for in 2019 and 2018.
(Three bonus tracks, two from 2018 and one from 2019 are also included, as well as a Sardinia film clip to the accompaniment of 'Stones and Mirto,' from Djabe & Steve Hackett’s 2019 studio album Back to Sardinia).
The Journey Continues also dovetails as a Best Of Djabe & Steve Hackett live; a superbly performed 13 song set that includes four Life is a Journey numbers (a fifth, 'After Limoncello,' features as one of the bonus tracks), three jazzified Genesis tracks ('In That Quiet Earth' also features a bonus track) and classic Hackett solo number, 'Last Train to Istanbul' (a perfect fit in its Djabe clothing).
Professionally filmed under what are predominately red and purple light washes (very jazz 'n' roll) Djabe & Steve Hackett open proceedings in relatively delicate fashion with 'New Words,' which features mood-setting acoustic then electric guitar lines from, respectively, Attila Égerházi and Steve Hackett.
The number then hits its stride through drummer Péter Kaszás’ marching rhythm, where Attila Égerházi gets to show he’s no slouch himself on electric lead, here in interplay with the melody line created by keyboardist János Nagy and trumpeter Áron Koós-Hutás.
The Pat Metheny/ Lyle Mayes-esque 'Reflections Of Thierache' then follows (featuring Áron Koós-Hutás on trumpet and a couple of tasty Steve Hackett solos) before the smooth opening and fierce finish of 'Life is a Journey' takes centre stage.
The Life is a Journey showcase continues with 'Castelsardo at Night' (featuring some brilliant bass work from Tamás Barabás and another expressive Steve Hackett solo) and the funky jazz-rock of 'Buzzy Island' (with Hackett, then Attila Égerházi, giving it six-string licks a plenty) before contrast is provided by way of Djabe & Steve Hackett’s jazz-pop vocal moment, 'Tears for Peace' (a Djabe and Hackett anti-war composition that goes back to 2012).
Genesis also make an appearance by way of, first, 'Hairless Heart' and the finale section of 'Firth of Fifth'
(the latter a showcase for Steve Hackett’s revered and gorgeously emotive solo) and, at set's end, a seriously jazz-rocking take of 'Los Endos' (preceded by Djabe’s ever-shifting, fifteen minute tour-de-force, 'Lava Lamp'), closing out an outstanding performance by an outstanding set of players.
If you’re any sort of fan of jazz-rock fusion and Steve Hackett at his most expressive & semi-improvisational, it’s well worth continuing the Djabe & Hackett journey that started in Sardinia.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Rebecca Downes - Stripped Back
Given Rebecca Downes has been one of the more prominent figures in on-line streaming solo performances across the lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021 it was perhaps inevitable – and certainly welcome – that a Stripped Back album, featuring reimagined recordings of songs lifted from the award winning blues rock singer’s previous two albums, would see the light of recorded-during-lockdown day.
There’s also space for two new numbers, selected by Rebecca Downes and songwriting partner/ right-hand guitar man Steve Birkett, from around twenty that didn’t make the cut for More Sinner Than Saint, Downes’ big sounding and highly impacting third studio album released in 2019.
(It should be noted the unused tracks didn’t make the cut through any lack of quality; they simply didn’t fit the very defined mood and tone of the album).
Six re-worked songs from More Sinner Than Saint feature here, including opening track (on both albums) 'Take Me Higher.'
The melodically charged rockin’ original has been given a more low-key, alt-country flavour with subtle, well placed guitar remarks from Steve Birkett that flit over a simple but effective rhythmic backing.
Other Sinner winners include the Adele styled ballad 'Screaming Your Name' and the atmospheric 'With Me.'
The fuller sounding treatments of the originals are tempered here by stripped back arrangements that allow the vocals of Rebecca Downes to carry even more soul baring impact (the beautifully controlled emotional delivery on the former makes for one of Miss Downes’ best vocal performances to date).
'Hurts' is another Stripped Back highlight.
Not only has the mid-tempo blues rocker been given a soft jazz-blues makeover (one rhythmic shift removed from a bossa nova) it also features the Rebecca Downes Band in remote union ('Hurts' is the only song where Steve Birkett isn’t supplying all instrumentation, along with his vocals, the latter ability featuring on a slightly slower and damn near Nashville 'Say Goodbye').
The four tracks lifted from Believe are equally worthy of inclusion, with special mention for the Spanish affected/ acoustic interpretation of fan favourite 'Sailing On a Pool of Tears' and deeper album cut, the dreamy soul-pop of 'Come With Me Baby,' which works even better in its sparser arrangement (with, again, special nod to Steve Birkett’s guitar remarks).
The two new numbers sit comfortably among the more well-known Downes & Birkett nuggets.
'Blues For Us' is a delicately arranged and impressive slow soul-blues that proves yet again less can be more (the lyrical nod to 'Fever' toward song’s end is a nice touch).
The more up-tempo but still chilled-out soul of 'Washing All Over My Heart' complements 'Blues For Us' perfectly, while also underlining that Rebecca Downes can be as soulful as she can be bluesy, jazz-poppin’ or rocking.
Given Stripped Back was recorded remotely during lockdown, special mention has to go to the quality of sound on the finished product (which is excellent throughout), courtesy of Team Birkett.
(Steve Birkett arranged, produced and engineered the tracks; his son, Steve Birkett Jr, mixed and mastered the album).
Indeed Steve Birkett’s musical presence and contributions lead to the only failing – while this is unmistakeably a Rebecca Downes album it could, and arguably should, have been credited as Rebecca Downes with Steve Birkett.
Either way, one of the best vocal & guitar/ songwriting tandems on the blues rock circuit have stripped back to bare their musical souls on an excellent, and cleverly reimagined, album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
There’s also space for two new numbers, selected by Rebecca Downes and songwriting partner/ right-hand guitar man Steve Birkett, from around twenty that didn’t make the cut for More Sinner Than Saint, Downes’ big sounding and highly impacting third studio album released in 2019.
(It should be noted the unused tracks didn’t make the cut through any lack of quality; they simply didn’t fit the very defined mood and tone of the album).
Six re-worked songs from More Sinner Than Saint feature here, including opening track (on both albums) 'Take Me Higher.'
The melodically charged rockin’ original has been given a more low-key, alt-country flavour with subtle, well placed guitar remarks from Steve Birkett that flit over a simple but effective rhythmic backing.
Other Sinner winners include the Adele styled ballad 'Screaming Your Name' and the atmospheric 'With Me.'
The fuller sounding treatments of the originals are tempered here by stripped back arrangements that allow the vocals of Rebecca Downes to carry even more soul baring impact (the beautifully controlled emotional delivery on the former makes for one of Miss Downes’ best vocal performances to date).
'Hurts' is another Stripped Back highlight.
Not only has the mid-tempo blues rocker been given a soft jazz-blues makeover (one rhythmic shift removed from a bossa nova) it also features the Rebecca Downes Band in remote union ('Hurts' is the only song where Steve Birkett isn’t supplying all instrumentation, along with his vocals, the latter ability featuring on a slightly slower and damn near Nashville 'Say Goodbye').
The four tracks lifted from Believe are equally worthy of inclusion, with special mention for the Spanish affected/ acoustic interpretation of fan favourite 'Sailing On a Pool of Tears' and deeper album cut, the dreamy soul-pop of 'Come With Me Baby,' which works even better in its sparser arrangement (with, again, special nod to Steve Birkett’s guitar remarks).
The two new numbers sit comfortably among the more well-known Downes & Birkett nuggets.
'Blues For Us' is a delicately arranged and impressive slow soul-blues that proves yet again less can be more (the lyrical nod to 'Fever' toward song’s end is a nice touch).
The more up-tempo but still chilled-out soul of 'Washing All Over My Heart' complements 'Blues For Us' perfectly, while also underlining that Rebecca Downes can be as soulful as she can be bluesy, jazz-poppin’ or rocking.
Given Stripped Back was recorded remotely during lockdown, special mention has to go to the quality of sound on the finished product (which is excellent throughout), courtesy of Team Birkett.
(Steve Birkett arranged, produced and engineered the tracks; his son, Steve Birkett Jr, mixed and mastered the album).
Indeed Steve Birkett’s musical presence and contributions lead to the only failing – while this is unmistakeably a Rebecca Downes album it could, and arguably should, have been credited as Rebecca Downes with Steve Birkett.
Either way, one of the best vocal & guitar/ songwriting tandems on the blues rock circuit have stripped back to bare their musical souls on an excellent, and cleverly reimagined, album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Lynzie Dray – S.H.E
Scottish singer-songwriter Lynzie Dray has, with debut offering S.H.E, played the less is more card, delivering a short but highly effective acoustic collection of six songs (plus a seventh as a bonus track) that the musician herself describes as "a little journey through the life of Dray."
In fact with a little word-play twisting on that very theme S.H.E can also be seen and heard as, if not a Dray in the life of the Edinburgh based songstress then certainly nineteen minutes of the inner workings of her emotions, as expressed lyrically and musically.
Delicate, thoughtful and set over a simple acoustic refrain, opening track 'Slip Into a Daydream' does exactly what it says within its lyric and drifting musicality.
Following number, the pacier and folk-styled 'Lady in Waiting,' features Lynzie Dray accompanying herself on interjected harmony vocals (Dray’s phrasing, along with the occasional double tracked harmony or counter-vocal line, add to the individuality of the songs).
The more contemporary 'Blue Demons' manages to be both musically jaunty and lyrically darker ("sitting in the dark, the shadows come out to play"), the latter seemingly expressing fears we all have at one time or another (while you get the impression most, if not all, these songs are personal, they are also universal in emotional scope).
Musically spacious "missing you" number 'Hate That I Do' carries both charm and plaintive appeal in equal measure while 'Little Songbird' is the most traditional of the singer-songwriter tunes on display here (a foot-tapping folk number that wouldn’t be out of place in an acoustic Americana bar in Nashville).
Similarly folky and fun is 'What’s a Girl To Do,' featuring a self-effacing lyric that adds to its charm ("how do I get your attention… do I give a whistle [or a] you-hoo hoo-hoo!")
The extended EP closes out with the quite lovely bonus track 'I Came to Say,' featuring renowned jazz-blues singer Becc Sanderson.
It's a song that, frankly, hearkens back to the best female folk balladeering of yesteryear.
So, has Lynzie Dray truly delivered across less than twenty minutes of debut material?
Yes, S.H.E most certainly has.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
S.H.E can be purchased on CD, Digital or very limited ‘Matchbox’ edition with unique/ individual Lynzie Dray artwork (very few remain) at the artist’s Bandcamp page: https://lynziedray.bandcamp.com/album/s-h-e
In fact with a little word-play twisting on that very theme S.H.E can also be seen and heard as, if not a Dray in the life of the Edinburgh based songstress then certainly nineteen minutes of the inner workings of her emotions, as expressed lyrically and musically.
Delicate, thoughtful and set over a simple acoustic refrain, opening track 'Slip Into a Daydream' does exactly what it says within its lyric and drifting musicality.
Following number, the pacier and folk-styled 'Lady in Waiting,' features Lynzie Dray accompanying herself on interjected harmony vocals (Dray’s phrasing, along with the occasional double tracked harmony or counter-vocal line, add to the individuality of the songs).
The more contemporary 'Blue Demons' manages to be both musically jaunty and lyrically darker ("sitting in the dark, the shadows come out to play"), the latter seemingly expressing fears we all have at one time or another (while you get the impression most, if not all, these songs are personal, they are also universal in emotional scope).
Musically spacious "missing you" number 'Hate That I Do' carries both charm and plaintive appeal in equal measure while 'Little Songbird' is the most traditional of the singer-songwriter tunes on display here (a foot-tapping folk number that wouldn’t be out of place in an acoustic Americana bar in Nashville).
Similarly folky and fun is 'What’s a Girl To Do,' featuring a self-effacing lyric that adds to its charm ("how do I get your attention… do I give a whistle [or a] you-hoo hoo-hoo!")
The extended EP closes out with the quite lovely bonus track 'I Came to Say,' featuring renowned jazz-blues singer Becc Sanderson.
It's a song that, frankly, hearkens back to the best female folk balladeering of yesteryear.
So, has Lynzie Dray truly delivered across less than twenty minutes of debut material?
Yes, S.H.E most certainly has.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
S.H.E can be purchased on CD, Digital or very limited ‘Matchbox’ edition with unique/ individual Lynzie Dray artwork (very few remain) at the artist’s Bandcamp page: https://lynziedray.bandcamp.com/album/s-h-e
Ellis Mano Band – Ambedo
Ambedo isn’t the Swiss based Ellis Mano Band’s first dip into European made rock and soul blues, itself based on a solid foundation of US southern/ roots-blues & 60s British blues.
2019 debut album Here And Now was an album that proved singer Chris Ellis and guitarist Edis Mano, augmented by the rhythm pairing of Nico Looser (drums) and Severin Graf (bass), were well worth a listen (especially on tracks such as the muscly 'Whiskey' and the blues crying 'A Lifetime') but Ambedo is a far more satisfying, firing on all four cylinders proposition.
The major difference between the two albums is, other than having ten very good and very well performed songs on Ambedo, the debut showcased a quartet that were also four extremely talented individuals (each a top-notch studio, TV and/ or backing musician) still finding their collective mojo and songwriting feet.
On Ambedo however they are a finely honed band, each comfortable within each other’s musical skin and influences (there’s also a clue in the album’s title; Ambedo means to reflect and/ or absorb, which the band saw as the perfect description of recording this album and the influences that shaped it).
In terms of that reflection, absorption and delivery of final product they’ve pretty much nailed it, from opener 'The Horrible Truth,' a melodically framed and choppy guitar phrased slice of feisty soul-blues rock (Chris Ellis’ distinct rough-edged vocal to the fore complemented by a snappy and sharp guitar solo from Edis Mano) to the rise and fall of album closing goodbye ballad 'Heart ‘N Mind,' featuring Manuel Halter on piano.
The mention of Manuel Halter (who plays keyboards on all tracks bar one – Australian Hammond & Whammy Clav maestro Lachey Doley rocks his Hammond C3 on the 'The Question,' a weighty mid-tempo rocker about challenging inner demons and temptation) leads to the observation that this is a band who have gone beyond their own talents (that Ambedo absorption) to get the best for the songs.
(For example while all the music was written by Chris Ellis & Edis Mano the well-crafted lyrics come courtesy of Irish singer-songwriter-producer Shane Brady, who works in Germany and Switzerland).
A three piece brass section enhance a couple of the numbers (the aforementioned 'Heart ‘N Mind' and the slow and soulful groove of 'Ambedo Mind') while Cathryn Lehmann & Lesley Bogaert grace many of the tracks with their backing vocals, including the delightful, rootsy Americana-country of 'Keep it Simple' and the far darker but highly impacting blues number, 'Fight For Peace.'
The latter, a pointlessness of war song as seen/ sung from a soldier‘s perspective, builds itself to such a crescendo (the voice and guitar of Chris Ellis and Edis Mano at their most unfettered) that it's not just the best song on the album, it's one of the best blues songs of 2021.
Add in Roberto Hacaturyan on percussion and guest musician Benjamin Hartwig on violin, who features on melancholic folk-waltz number 'Long Road,' and you have all the ingredients to make Ambedo the tasty and satisfying offering it is.
The album also carries a great and highly authentic sound, courtesy of the band primarily recording live (the other musicians added or overdubbed their parts later), the use of a lot of vintage equipment and a nice production from Edis Mano at his Studio E10 facility.
All of which helps to sonically create some mighty fine blues numbers, including 'Sweet Sin' and morning after the night before number 'Breakfast,' where Edis Mano nods affectionately to Peter Green while Messrs Looser & Graf display a rhythmic timing as impeccable as a Swiss watch.
Talking of successful and sought after Swiss exports, while Swiss culture and its arts are as diverse as any European country (or more accurately, in the case of Switzerland, a confederacy) the age-old joke still cites its main exports as cuckoo clocks and Toblerone.
Might want to add high quality, soulful blues-rock to that list.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
2019 debut album Here And Now was an album that proved singer Chris Ellis and guitarist Edis Mano, augmented by the rhythm pairing of Nico Looser (drums) and Severin Graf (bass), were well worth a listen (especially on tracks such as the muscly 'Whiskey' and the blues crying 'A Lifetime') but Ambedo is a far more satisfying, firing on all four cylinders proposition.
The major difference between the two albums is, other than having ten very good and very well performed songs on Ambedo, the debut showcased a quartet that were also four extremely talented individuals (each a top-notch studio, TV and/ or backing musician) still finding their collective mojo and songwriting feet.
On Ambedo however they are a finely honed band, each comfortable within each other’s musical skin and influences (there’s also a clue in the album’s title; Ambedo means to reflect and/ or absorb, which the band saw as the perfect description of recording this album and the influences that shaped it).
In terms of that reflection, absorption and delivery of final product they’ve pretty much nailed it, from opener 'The Horrible Truth,' a melodically framed and choppy guitar phrased slice of feisty soul-blues rock (Chris Ellis’ distinct rough-edged vocal to the fore complemented by a snappy and sharp guitar solo from Edis Mano) to the rise and fall of album closing goodbye ballad 'Heart ‘N Mind,' featuring Manuel Halter on piano.
The mention of Manuel Halter (who plays keyboards on all tracks bar one – Australian Hammond & Whammy Clav maestro Lachey Doley rocks his Hammond C3 on the 'The Question,' a weighty mid-tempo rocker about challenging inner demons and temptation) leads to the observation that this is a band who have gone beyond their own talents (that Ambedo absorption) to get the best for the songs.
(For example while all the music was written by Chris Ellis & Edis Mano the well-crafted lyrics come courtesy of Irish singer-songwriter-producer Shane Brady, who works in Germany and Switzerland).
A three piece brass section enhance a couple of the numbers (the aforementioned 'Heart ‘N Mind' and the slow and soulful groove of 'Ambedo Mind') while Cathryn Lehmann & Lesley Bogaert grace many of the tracks with their backing vocals, including the delightful, rootsy Americana-country of 'Keep it Simple' and the far darker but highly impacting blues number, 'Fight For Peace.'
The latter, a pointlessness of war song as seen/ sung from a soldier‘s perspective, builds itself to such a crescendo (the voice and guitar of Chris Ellis and Edis Mano at their most unfettered) that it's not just the best song on the album, it's one of the best blues songs of 2021.
Add in Roberto Hacaturyan on percussion and guest musician Benjamin Hartwig on violin, who features on melancholic folk-waltz number 'Long Road,' and you have all the ingredients to make Ambedo the tasty and satisfying offering it is.
The album also carries a great and highly authentic sound, courtesy of the band primarily recording live (the other musicians added or overdubbed their parts later), the use of a lot of vintage equipment and a nice production from Edis Mano at his Studio E10 facility.
All of which helps to sonically create some mighty fine blues numbers, including 'Sweet Sin' and morning after the night before number 'Breakfast,' where Edis Mano nods affectionately to Peter Green while Messrs Looser & Graf display a rhythmic timing as impeccable as a Swiss watch.
Talking of successful and sought after Swiss exports, while Swiss culture and its arts are as diverse as any European country (or more accurately, in the case of Switzerland, a confederacy) the age-old joke still cites its main exports as cuckoo clocks and Toblerone.
Might want to add high quality, soulful blues-rock to that list.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Enuff Z’Nuff – Enuff Z'Nuff's Hardrock Nite
The Beatles were/ are a cultural phenomenon and their influence continues to this day with many bands covering, referencing or indeed plagiarising (stand up at the back the boy who mentioned that band from Manchester!) their work.
Additionally, interest in the Beatles has increased with the imminent arrival of resurfaced Let it Be film footage as a docuseries on the Disney channel.
Hardrock Nite, the Beatles (and solo nods) covers album from Enuff Z’Nuff, could be a cleverly timed bit of rock band wagon jumping or simply coincidental
(to be fair the Nuffers fondness for the Fab Four is well documented), but either way the band, led by
co-founder, bassist and lead vocalist Chip Z’Nuff, pay homage in a respectful, hard rock styled manner (with
an interesting mix of modern production techniques and overlay of woozy 60s & early 70s sonic vibes).
Introduced via a marching band rendition of 'Entrance of the Gladiators' (most famously heard at circuses across the world), "Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!" proceedings fittingly kick off with 'Magical Mystery Tour,' with well executed layered vocals, chugging guitars in the choruses and power chords in the verses (and some nice twin guitar work from Tony Fennell and Tory Stoffregen).
'Cold Turkey' (John Lennon’s second solo single released in 1969 under the Plastic Ono Band name) lends itself extremely well to Enuff Z’Nuff’s rocked up treatment but the equally rocky 'Eleanor Rigby' fares less well, simply because it’s difficult not to recall the beautiful original and George Martin’s orchestral arrangement (like most of the songs on this album, the originals are almost hard-wired into the DNA of a generation).
Famous Bond theme 'Live and Let Die,' by McCartney’s Wings outfit, has been covered by many a band (most notably Guns N’ Roses) but Enuff Z’Nuff make a decent fist of a song that, in retrospect, is almost prog rock.
The contrasting style of 'Dear Prudence,' which follows, is a fairly faithful to the original success featuring very good vocals.
'Helter Skelter' fits the Enuff Z’Nuff profile perfectly and gets an appropriately rocky airing; similarly 'Jet,' by Wings, which benefits from the heavied-up treatment (the vocal parts are slightly lacking however, or more simply missing that distinct McCartney higher register vocal).
'Revolution' and 'Back in the USSR' have been covered by every man and his rock dog, but Enuff Z’Nuff’s versions are up there, as both swing along with some verve.
Closing number 'With a Little Help From my Friends' is arguably more associated with Joe Cocker (the single, the Woodstock performance, later used as the theme to The Wonder Years) than the Beatles.
Although this similarly fashioned slow rendition contains some nice guitar work, it is difficult to divorce the legendary Joe Cocker’s definitive, raspy voiced version from Enuff Z’Nuff’s interpretation.
Enuff Z'Nuff's Hardrock Nite is a largely successful covers work and very enjoyable.
As genuine fans, Enuff Z’Nuff have delivered an album that celebrates the Beatles, the songwriting genius of Lennon and McCartney and nods to their solo careers.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Additionally, interest in the Beatles has increased with the imminent arrival of resurfaced Let it Be film footage as a docuseries on the Disney channel.
Hardrock Nite, the Beatles (and solo nods) covers album from Enuff Z’Nuff, could be a cleverly timed bit of rock band wagon jumping or simply coincidental
(to be fair the Nuffers fondness for the Fab Four is well documented), but either way the band, led by
co-founder, bassist and lead vocalist Chip Z’Nuff, pay homage in a respectful, hard rock styled manner (with
an interesting mix of modern production techniques and overlay of woozy 60s & early 70s sonic vibes).
Introduced via a marching band rendition of 'Entrance of the Gladiators' (most famously heard at circuses across the world), "Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!" proceedings fittingly kick off with 'Magical Mystery Tour,' with well executed layered vocals, chugging guitars in the choruses and power chords in the verses (and some nice twin guitar work from Tony Fennell and Tory Stoffregen).
'Cold Turkey' (John Lennon’s second solo single released in 1969 under the Plastic Ono Band name) lends itself extremely well to Enuff Z’Nuff’s rocked up treatment but the equally rocky 'Eleanor Rigby' fares less well, simply because it’s difficult not to recall the beautiful original and George Martin’s orchestral arrangement (like most of the songs on this album, the originals are almost hard-wired into the DNA of a generation).
Famous Bond theme 'Live and Let Die,' by McCartney’s Wings outfit, has been covered by many a band (most notably Guns N’ Roses) but Enuff Z’Nuff make a decent fist of a song that, in retrospect, is almost prog rock.
The contrasting style of 'Dear Prudence,' which follows, is a fairly faithful to the original success featuring very good vocals.
'Helter Skelter' fits the Enuff Z’Nuff profile perfectly and gets an appropriately rocky airing; similarly 'Jet,' by Wings, which benefits from the heavied-up treatment (the vocal parts are slightly lacking however, or more simply missing that distinct McCartney higher register vocal).
'Revolution' and 'Back in the USSR' have been covered by every man and his rock dog, but Enuff Z’Nuff’s versions are up there, as both swing along with some verve.
Closing number 'With a Little Help From my Friends' is arguably more associated with Joe Cocker (the single, the Woodstock performance, later used as the theme to The Wonder Years) than the Beatles.
Although this similarly fashioned slow rendition contains some nice guitar work, it is difficult to divorce the legendary Joe Cocker’s definitive, raspy voiced version from Enuff Z’Nuff’s interpretation.
Enuff Z'Nuff's Hardrock Nite is a largely successful covers work and very enjoyable.
As genuine fans, Enuff Z’Nuff have delivered an album that celebrates the Beatles, the songwriting genius of Lennon and McCartney and nods to their solo careers.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
False Memories – The Last Night Of Fall
Italian Goth-metal band (although that’s selling themselves a little wider genre short) have come a long way in a relatively short time.
Formed in 2015 by guitarist Francesco Savino, the band released a self-titled 4 track EP in 2016 before honing a Goth rock/metal sound for 2018 debut album Chimerical, featuring eight new songs and three fit-the-profile numbers from the EP.
Later in 2018 singer Rossella Moscatello joined False Memories; such was signorina Moscatello’s impact the band released a new edition of Chimerical, including three bonus tracks sung by their new vocalist.
The Last Night Of Fall is, then, the first complete, new material offering from what has become a strong musical & songwriting partnership between Francesco Savino and Rossella Moscatello, in the company of new drummer Emanuele Cossu, second guitarist Moreno Palmisano and bassist Gianluca Zaffino.
As hinted at above, False Memories are a bit more than just a Goth/metal band – for starters there is no over-bearing emphasis on guitars with the focus most definitely on the impressive Rossella Moscatello; additionally each song is atmospheric in arrangement or in its slow-build structure.
The band also feature various characteristics of metal and progressive rock (while cleverly keeping it concise; no song ever reaches five minutes), which means they are probably best described as being melancholic yet powerful (hence the more usually applied gothic and doom-metal references).
'Black Shades' opens the album in impressive and well-produced fashion, building from a piano and vocal part to a prog-rock themed first verse before guitars are introduced at the chorus.
Following number 'Rain of Souls' is, as the title suggests, no bundle of laughs but there is an impressive sense of dynamics at play here with the counterpoint of a lovely melody and furious riffing.
Even at a shade under five minutes 'Voices' is a true epic of atmospheric, modern melancholic metal.
To enhance its impact, the band employ unusual time signatures, a huge chorus and a great vocal performance from Rossella Moscatello.
The piano introduced 'Hysteria' is a slower, unsettling number with a powerful chorus and some menacing, understated riffing. The song manages to sound like horror/ suspense film theme music, as does following number 'The Illusionist,' which would sit comfortably on a John Carpenter album.
(The two aforementioned numbers also reinforce, and impress upon the listener, that there are some clever and unexpected chord sequences being implemented here and throughout the album).
'Erased' provides further variety beyond the goth/ metal genre by incorporating some folk-tinged sections interspersed with accomplished riffing and songwriting; by contrast 'Unfaithful Dream' and 'White Crows' are the more derivative variants of the genre, albeit the atmospheric latter features some impressive outro highs from Rossella Moscatello.
Elsewhere 'Sea of Nothingness' and 'Deep Breath' find the band in bone-crunching rifferama territory, tempered with more reflective sections; both numbers also carry elements that could appeal to prog fans and those who like the heavier end of the spectrum e.g. Dream Theater (however, unlike DT et al, and as previously mentioned, False Memories don’t overstay their welcome, keeping it sonically succinct and to the atmospheric point).
Closing number 'Don’t Forget' is another album highlight; opening with a simple guitar figure before crashing in with heavy guitar riffage and vocal gymnastics, the song then follows the familiar quiet verse - loud chorus template but delivered in convincing fashion.
By their very musical nature False Memories are destined to be a marmite band, but they are very, very good at what they do on what is an excellently produced album.
It’s also good to see and hear an Italian band on an Italian label; one that adds more variety to the Frontiers Records roster.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Formed in 2015 by guitarist Francesco Savino, the band released a self-titled 4 track EP in 2016 before honing a Goth rock/metal sound for 2018 debut album Chimerical, featuring eight new songs and three fit-the-profile numbers from the EP.
Later in 2018 singer Rossella Moscatello joined False Memories; such was signorina Moscatello’s impact the band released a new edition of Chimerical, including three bonus tracks sung by their new vocalist.
The Last Night Of Fall is, then, the first complete, new material offering from what has become a strong musical & songwriting partnership between Francesco Savino and Rossella Moscatello, in the company of new drummer Emanuele Cossu, second guitarist Moreno Palmisano and bassist Gianluca Zaffino.
As hinted at above, False Memories are a bit more than just a Goth/metal band – for starters there is no over-bearing emphasis on guitars with the focus most definitely on the impressive Rossella Moscatello; additionally each song is atmospheric in arrangement or in its slow-build structure.
The band also feature various characteristics of metal and progressive rock (while cleverly keeping it concise; no song ever reaches five minutes), which means they are probably best described as being melancholic yet powerful (hence the more usually applied gothic and doom-metal references).
'Black Shades' opens the album in impressive and well-produced fashion, building from a piano and vocal part to a prog-rock themed first verse before guitars are introduced at the chorus.
Following number 'Rain of Souls' is, as the title suggests, no bundle of laughs but there is an impressive sense of dynamics at play here with the counterpoint of a lovely melody and furious riffing.
Even at a shade under five minutes 'Voices' is a true epic of atmospheric, modern melancholic metal.
To enhance its impact, the band employ unusual time signatures, a huge chorus and a great vocal performance from Rossella Moscatello.
The piano introduced 'Hysteria' is a slower, unsettling number with a powerful chorus and some menacing, understated riffing. The song manages to sound like horror/ suspense film theme music, as does following number 'The Illusionist,' which would sit comfortably on a John Carpenter album.
(The two aforementioned numbers also reinforce, and impress upon the listener, that there are some clever and unexpected chord sequences being implemented here and throughout the album).
'Erased' provides further variety beyond the goth/ metal genre by incorporating some folk-tinged sections interspersed with accomplished riffing and songwriting; by contrast 'Unfaithful Dream' and 'White Crows' are the more derivative variants of the genre, albeit the atmospheric latter features some impressive outro highs from Rossella Moscatello.
Elsewhere 'Sea of Nothingness' and 'Deep Breath' find the band in bone-crunching rifferama territory, tempered with more reflective sections; both numbers also carry elements that could appeal to prog fans and those who like the heavier end of the spectrum e.g. Dream Theater (however, unlike DT et al, and as previously mentioned, False Memories don’t overstay their welcome, keeping it sonically succinct and to the atmospheric point).
Closing number 'Don’t Forget' is another album highlight; opening with a simple guitar figure before crashing in with heavy guitar riffage and vocal gymnastics, the song then follows the familiar quiet verse - loud chorus template but delivered in convincing fashion.
By their very musical nature False Memories are destined to be a marmite band, but they are very, very good at what they do on what is an excellently produced album.
It’s also good to see and hear an Italian band on an Italian label; one that adds more variety to the Frontiers Records roster.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Five Points Gang - Wanted
The Five Points Gang describe themselves as a "dirty blues" band but the London based trio, who only formed back in 2019, have many a musical influence.
Additionally, with a line-up of Joe Pearson (vocals & guitar), Brazilian Dinho Barral (bass) and the final, perfectly fitting piece in the shape of French drummer Gaet Allard they also qualify for their alternative description of "international blues band."
But what really sets the Five Points Gang apart from a lot of bands on the blues rock circuit is the fact they have clearly worked hard on the vocals (some impressive melodic/ pop harmony parts) and incorporated disparate elements into the blues context including rock, reggae and pop.
All of which makes for a refreshing change, as does their their enthusiastic (and primarily aggressive) attitude, heard to fine effect on debut album, Wanted.
Opening number (and lead-off) single 'How Long' (a song of social injustice, written after the needless murder of George Floyd) is a case in point; a triple threat of heavy riff, good harmony vocal parts and memorable chorus (Joe Pearson particularly impresses with his riffing, solos and lead vocal).
Similarly impacting are following number, the gritty blues-boogie 'All in All,' and later track 'Drifting Away.'
The latter incorporates a bluesy heavy riff, chunky funk elements, a wicked little guitar solo from producer/ mixer Julian Baraness (the album also features a great production) and even a horns part, courtesy of saxophonist Chris Rand. Great stuff.
However 'Let’s Stay Together,' which precedes 'Drifting Away,' cool and funky as it is, sits uncomfortably close to Living Colour’s 'Love Rears its Ugly Head.'
More successful, and giving Wanted serious mid-album appeal and muscle, are the funked-up 'What Kind of Man,' 'All Points Bulletin' (the band’s feisty "We’re the Five Points Gang!" calling card), the thrumming bass line of pacey blues-pop number 'Deep Inside' and raucous funk-rocker (and Lenny Kravitz-esque) 'Made Man.'
For the more blues orientated listener/ fan the moody and melodic 'All She Said' and six-minute 'Love by the Gun' (on which Dinho Barral contributes an impressive bass solo) should tick the appropriate boxes.
The angry rise and moodier fall of 'The Only One' and choppy guitar chord funk of 'The Secret' motor along purposely (both also display some impassioned vocality from Joe Pearson) before the somewhat meandering, Indie-blues styled 'I See You Now' (with a lower toned Pearson vocal and some well-placed, not overdone soul-blues licks) features as an unexpected, but ultimately successful way to close out the album.
A word here also for drummer Gaet Allard who drives the band along, and through, all thirteen songs, showing exactly why he got the gig.
Wanted is a very good debut album by an individualistic band that show plenty of potential.
There are some rough edges and the odd derivative moment but there is more than enough infectious enthusiasm to hold your interest – on this showing future recordings should yield not the aforementioned very good results but great ones.
Five Points, gang – and bonus points for the Wanted poster/ cover apparel, especially the hats.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Additionally, with a line-up of Joe Pearson (vocals & guitar), Brazilian Dinho Barral (bass) and the final, perfectly fitting piece in the shape of French drummer Gaet Allard they also qualify for their alternative description of "international blues band."
But what really sets the Five Points Gang apart from a lot of bands on the blues rock circuit is the fact they have clearly worked hard on the vocals (some impressive melodic/ pop harmony parts) and incorporated disparate elements into the blues context including rock, reggae and pop.
All of which makes for a refreshing change, as does their their enthusiastic (and primarily aggressive) attitude, heard to fine effect on debut album, Wanted.
Opening number (and lead-off) single 'How Long' (a song of social injustice, written after the needless murder of George Floyd) is a case in point; a triple threat of heavy riff, good harmony vocal parts and memorable chorus (Joe Pearson particularly impresses with his riffing, solos and lead vocal).
Similarly impacting are following number, the gritty blues-boogie 'All in All,' and later track 'Drifting Away.'
The latter incorporates a bluesy heavy riff, chunky funk elements, a wicked little guitar solo from producer/ mixer Julian Baraness (the album also features a great production) and even a horns part, courtesy of saxophonist Chris Rand. Great stuff.
However 'Let’s Stay Together,' which precedes 'Drifting Away,' cool and funky as it is, sits uncomfortably close to Living Colour’s 'Love Rears its Ugly Head.'
More successful, and giving Wanted serious mid-album appeal and muscle, are the funked-up 'What Kind of Man,' 'All Points Bulletin' (the band’s feisty "We’re the Five Points Gang!" calling card), the thrumming bass line of pacey blues-pop number 'Deep Inside' and raucous funk-rocker (and Lenny Kravitz-esque) 'Made Man.'
For the more blues orientated listener/ fan the moody and melodic 'All She Said' and six-minute 'Love by the Gun' (on which Dinho Barral contributes an impressive bass solo) should tick the appropriate boxes.
The angry rise and moodier fall of 'The Only One' and choppy guitar chord funk of 'The Secret' motor along purposely (both also display some impassioned vocality from Joe Pearson) before the somewhat meandering, Indie-blues styled 'I See You Now' (with a lower toned Pearson vocal and some well-placed, not overdone soul-blues licks) features as an unexpected, but ultimately successful way to close out the album.
A word here also for drummer Gaet Allard who drives the band along, and through, all thirteen songs, showing exactly why he got the gig.
Wanted is a very good debut album by an individualistic band that show plenty of potential.
There are some rough edges and the odd derivative moment but there is more than enough infectious enthusiasm to hold your interest – on this showing future recordings should yield not the aforementioned very good results but great ones.
Five Points, gang – and bonus points for the Wanted poster/ cover apparel, especially the hats.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Peter Frampton – Frampton Forgets the Words
Wry title aside, this fully instrumental covers album from Peter Frampton can’t help but put a smile on your face.
For one thing it’s a delightful album (but then Peter Frampton in full yet measured guitar cry is hard to beat) but there’s also a nod of smiling six-string kudos to one of the few players who could reinterpret a vocal led classic or ten (actually nine; see later) into a highly listenable and enjoyable instrumental work.
In short, the lyrics may be removed but the "voice" of the songs are still very much in evidence, courtesy of Frampton’s expressive and emotive guitar skills.
Opening with a smooth and funky take of Sly & The Family Stone’s 'If You Want Me To,' Peter Frampton’s distinct six-string tone is initially and intentionally languid in delivery but highly expressive; his well-placed notes sit atop the grooving pocket created by his core band of Adam Lester (guitar), Rob Arthur (keys, string arrangements), Glenn Worf (bass) and Dan Wojciechowski (drums).
It’s a cool and pleasant opening remark, bolstered by some vibey organ lines from Rob Arthur, but better is yet to come, such as the captivating and atmospheric take of Radiohead’s 'Reckoner,' which allows plenty of space for Peter Frampton’s six-string remarks and guitar-vocal lines to breathe.
Further contrast comes by way of the smooth, slow jazz of 'Dreamland,' a not overly well-known Michel Colombier piece (the only track of the ten to not originally carry a vocal) where Peter Frampton’s six strings take on the original, melodically phrased four-string role of Jaco Pastorius (no mean feat and a challenge very few would even take on).
Marvin Gaye’s 'One More Heartache' retains the "soul" of the original while outfitted in some sharp dressed bluesy clothing (that Frampton can also play the blues is showcased to fine effect on his 2019 All Blues album); Roxy Music’s 'Avalon' then floats quite beautifully along on Frampton’s lyrical line, to the degree that you almost forget Bryan Ferry isn’t in the room.
Stevie Wonder’s 'I Don’t Know Why' picks up the Motown influenced pace with some wonderfully pitched and treated licks before things are cranked up another notch by a stellar rock-blues rendition of the Lenny Kravitz classic 'Are You Going My Way.'
But it wouldn’t be any sort of instrumental/ favourite songs album from Peter Frampton if it didn’t also feature tracks by a couple of his sadly passed friends and musical peers.
'Isn’t it a Pity' is a poignant, close to the original sans vocal nod to George Harrison while 'Loving the Alien' is indeed a loving, seven minute remembrance to someone Peter Frampton called a good friend well before either he or the Thin White Duke became famous (Frampton rightly cites David Bowie as the man who got his career back on track after Bowie called him up to be part of his Glass Spider world touring band in 1987).
Alison Krauss’ 'Maybe' (co-written by Peter Frampton’s right-hand co-writing man for many years Gordon Kennedy, who plays acoustic guitar on the track) closes out Frampton Forgets The Words in fine, country-jazz tinged style.
Produced by Peter Frampton and Chuck Ainlay this instrumental album sounds as good as it plays – and while Peter Frampton can still play like this (Frampton has the degenerative muscle wasting disease Inclusion Body Myositis; he recorded three and a half albums worth of material between late 2018 and early 2019 lest his skills desert him) he can, frankly, forget the words all he wants.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
For one thing it’s a delightful album (but then Peter Frampton in full yet measured guitar cry is hard to beat) but there’s also a nod of smiling six-string kudos to one of the few players who could reinterpret a vocal led classic or ten (actually nine; see later) into a highly listenable and enjoyable instrumental work.
In short, the lyrics may be removed but the "voice" of the songs are still very much in evidence, courtesy of Frampton’s expressive and emotive guitar skills.
Opening with a smooth and funky take of Sly & The Family Stone’s 'If You Want Me To,' Peter Frampton’s distinct six-string tone is initially and intentionally languid in delivery but highly expressive; his well-placed notes sit atop the grooving pocket created by his core band of Adam Lester (guitar), Rob Arthur (keys, string arrangements), Glenn Worf (bass) and Dan Wojciechowski (drums).
It’s a cool and pleasant opening remark, bolstered by some vibey organ lines from Rob Arthur, but better is yet to come, such as the captivating and atmospheric take of Radiohead’s 'Reckoner,' which allows plenty of space for Peter Frampton’s six-string remarks and guitar-vocal lines to breathe.
Further contrast comes by way of the smooth, slow jazz of 'Dreamland,' a not overly well-known Michel Colombier piece (the only track of the ten to not originally carry a vocal) where Peter Frampton’s six strings take on the original, melodically phrased four-string role of Jaco Pastorius (no mean feat and a challenge very few would even take on).
Marvin Gaye’s 'One More Heartache' retains the "soul" of the original while outfitted in some sharp dressed bluesy clothing (that Frampton can also play the blues is showcased to fine effect on his 2019 All Blues album); Roxy Music’s 'Avalon' then floats quite beautifully along on Frampton’s lyrical line, to the degree that you almost forget Bryan Ferry isn’t in the room.
Stevie Wonder’s 'I Don’t Know Why' picks up the Motown influenced pace with some wonderfully pitched and treated licks before things are cranked up another notch by a stellar rock-blues rendition of the Lenny Kravitz classic 'Are You Going My Way.'
But it wouldn’t be any sort of instrumental/ favourite songs album from Peter Frampton if it didn’t also feature tracks by a couple of his sadly passed friends and musical peers.
'Isn’t it a Pity' is a poignant, close to the original sans vocal nod to George Harrison while 'Loving the Alien' is indeed a loving, seven minute remembrance to someone Peter Frampton called a good friend well before either he or the Thin White Duke became famous (Frampton rightly cites David Bowie as the man who got his career back on track after Bowie called him up to be part of his Glass Spider world touring band in 1987).
Alison Krauss’ 'Maybe' (co-written by Peter Frampton’s right-hand co-writing man for many years Gordon Kennedy, who plays acoustic guitar on the track) closes out Frampton Forgets The Words in fine, country-jazz tinged style.
Produced by Peter Frampton and Chuck Ainlay this instrumental album sounds as good as it plays – and while Peter Frampton can still play like this (Frampton has the degenerative muscle wasting disease Inclusion Body Myositis; he recorded three and a half albums worth of material between late 2018 and early 2019 lest his skills desert him) he can, frankly, forget the words all he wants.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Fraternity – Seasons of Change : The Complete Recordings 1970-1974
If the name Fraternity is known outside of Australia and Oz rock fans of a certain age/ vintage, it’s more than likely as the band that Bon Scott fronted before gaining worldwide recognition with AC/DC.
But Fraternity were more than a launch pad to bigger things for Bon Scott as the Seasons Of Change anthology from Cherry Red can testify to across its 3 CDs worth of material.
Fraternity, formed in 1970 by ex Levi Smith’s Clefs members Bruce Howe (bass), Mick Jurd (guitar), John Bisset (organ) and Tony Buettel (drums), along with Bon Scott of noted Australian pop band The Valentines, boasted a rise from pioneers of pub rock in Sydney to an Adelaide based band (with another ex Clef member, John Freeman, replacing Tony Buettel) that were an ear-catching, Battle Of The Sounds winner (claiming the title of Australia’s No.1 band in 1971) that mixed, matched and merged rock, country, prog, psychedelia, blues and the experimental.
Their reputation also garnered them support slots to the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Deep Purple, Free, Manfred Mann and Black Sabbath when said acts came to the Land Down Under.
On 1971 debut Livestock (Disc One) all the aforementioned musical traits are showcased.
The title track opener is decidedly Crosby Stills & Nash in its harmony led vocality (there’s also an intentional 'Woodstock' nod in both the song and its title); the unmistakable voice of Bon Scott then takes lead on funky, mid-tempo number 'Somerville,' albeit in a more straightforward style than the higher voltage rock and roll range he would employ a few years later.
Those tracks set the debut album template, peppered by the more experimental (off-kilter instrumental 'Grand Canyon Suites') and progressive moments such as the semi-classical 'Raglan’s Folly' (about The Charge of The Light Brigade and featuring a purposeful vocal from Bon Scott) and the eight-and-a-half-minute psychedelia of 'It.'
Disc One also features six bonus tracks including non-album singles, the psychedelia-country pop of 'Why Did it Have to Be Me' (and B-side, a cover of the Moody Blues 'Question') and the bluesy harmonica wails of 'The Race Pt.1,' backed by a longer 'Pt.2' version (these four tracks feature original drummer Tony Buettel).
Second album Flaming Galah (Disc Two) expanded the Fraternity line-up by adding Uncle John Eyers (harmonica) and Sam See (piano, guitar).
Less experimental and much bluesier than the debut, Fraternity’s 1972 sophomore release (which sported a number of rearranged for seven-piece Livestock numbers) was the sound of a band finding their embryonic (but still quirky) Oz rock feet, epitomised by opening brace 'Welfare Boogie' (lyrically and musically doing what it says on the title) and 'Annabelle,' a bluesier piano and harmonica led rearrangement of 'Cool Spot' from Livestock.
The album highlight however is 'Seasons Of Change,' a psychedelic soul-rock number featuring another strong vocal performance from Bon Scott.
Five bonus tracks also feature on Disc Two - a cover of The Band’s 'The Shape I’m In,' a three track Maxi-Single and 'Battle Of The Sounds Sequence' (an historic piece of Oz-rock audio featuring 'Seasons of Change,' the announcement of Fraternity’s 1971 BOTS win and another Flaming Galah song, 'If You Got It').
Disc Three, named Second Chance after the final, rock-meets boogie number the band recorded shortly after Bon Scott left to join AC/DC (and sung by Bruce Howe) is a collection of live tracks, rarities and unheard demo recordings.
Collecting songs from their Arts Council Country Tour of South Australia in 1972 (including Chuck Berry covers brace 'Little Queenie' and 'No Particular Place To Go'), recordings from their time in England that same year (including the melancholic rock-blues of 'Requiem') and four songs backing Bon Scott’s co-singer from their Valentines days, Vince Lovegrove (including a version of 'Livestock'), all sixteen Second Chance tracks have been restored/ remastered to the best audio quality possible.
There would be later incarnations of the band under different names, including a Jimmy Barnes fronted variant (with Bruce Howe the only original member) but it was never to be that original Fraternity of musical friends again.
Seasons of Change, which includes exhaustive 18000 word sleeve notes and previously unseen photographs, documents one of the most interesting and innovative bands in the history of Australian rock music.
AC/DC though – whatever happened to them?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But Fraternity were more than a launch pad to bigger things for Bon Scott as the Seasons Of Change anthology from Cherry Red can testify to across its 3 CDs worth of material.
Fraternity, formed in 1970 by ex Levi Smith’s Clefs members Bruce Howe (bass), Mick Jurd (guitar), John Bisset (organ) and Tony Buettel (drums), along with Bon Scott of noted Australian pop band The Valentines, boasted a rise from pioneers of pub rock in Sydney to an Adelaide based band (with another ex Clef member, John Freeman, replacing Tony Buettel) that were an ear-catching, Battle Of The Sounds winner (claiming the title of Australia’s No.1 band in 1971) that mixed, matched and merged rock, country, prog, psychedelia, blues and the experimental.
Their reputation also garnered them support slots to the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Deep Purple, Free, Manfred Mann and Black Sabbath when said acts came to the Land Down Under.
On 1971 debut Livestock (Disc One) all the aforementioned musical traits are showcased.
The title track opener is decidedly Crosby Stills & Nash in its harmony led vocality (there’s also an intentional 'Woodstock' nod in both the song and its title); the unmistakable voice of Bon Scott then takes lead on funky, mid-tempo number 'Somerville,' albeit in a more straightforward style than the higher voltage rock and roll range he would employ a few years later.
Those tracks set the debut album template, peppered by the more experimental (off-kilter instrumental 'Grand Canyon Suites') and progressive moments such as the semi-classical 'Raglan’s Folly' (about The Charge of The Light Brigade and featuring a purposeful vocal from Bon Scott) and the eight-and-a-half-minute psychedelia of 'It.'
Disc One also features six bonus tracks including non-album singles, the psychedelia-country pop of 'Why Did it Have to Be Me' (and B-side, a cover of the Moody Blues 'Question') and the bluesy harmonica wails of 'The Race Pt.1,' backed by a longer 'Pt.2' version (these four tracks feature original drummer Tony Buettel).
Second album Flaming Galah (Disc Two) expanded the Fraternity line-up by adding Uncle John Eyers (harmonica) and Sam See (piano, guitar).
Less experimental and much bluesier than the debut, Fraternity’s 1972 sophomore release (which sported a number of rearranged for seven-piece Livestock numbers) was the sound of a band finding their embryonic (but still quirky) Oz rock feet, epitomised by opening brace 'Welfare Boogie' (lyrically and musically doing what it says on the title) and 'Annabelle,' a bluesier piano and harmonica led rearrangement of 'Cool Spot' from Livestock.
The album highlight however is 'Seasons Of Change,' a psychedelic soul-rock number featuring another strong vocal performance from Bon Scott.
Five bonus tracks also feature on Disc Two - a cover of The Band’s 'The Shape I’m In,' a three track Maxi-Single and 'Battle Of The Sounds Sequence' (an historic piece of Oz-rock audio featuring 'Seasons of Change,' the announcement of Fraternity’s 1971 BOTS win and another Flaming Galah song, 'If You Got It').
Disc Three, named Second Chance after the final, rock-meets boogie number the band recorded shortly after Bon Scott left to join AC/DC (and sung by Bruce Howe) is a collection of live tracks, rarities and unheard demo recordings.
Collecting songs from their Arts Council Country Tour of South Australia in 1972 (including Chuck Berry covers brace 'Little Queenie' and 'No Particular Place To Go'), recordings from their time in England that same year (including the melancholic rock-blues of 'Requiem') and four songs backing Bon Scott’s co-singer from their Valentines days, Vince Lovegrove (including a version of 'Livestock'), all sixteen Second Chance tracks have been restored/ remastered to the best audio quality possible.
There would be later incarnations of the band under different names, including a Jimmy Barnes fronted variant (with Bruce Howe the only original member) but it was never to be that original Fraternity of musical friends again.
Seasons of Change, which includes exhaustive 18000 word sleeve notes and previously unseen photographs, documents one of the most interesting and innovative bands in the history of Australian rock music.
AC/DC though – whatever happened to them?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher -50th Anniversary Edition- (Super Deluxe 4CD+DVD Boxset)
Every blues fan and his aunty knows just about every note of Rory Gallagher’s recorded legacy, so writing about any album by the Irish legend isn’t so much a review as an enjoyable reminisce, as one of the greatest ever modern blues guitarists delivers his heady and intoxicating mix of Irish influenced folk, country, rock and traditional blues.
(Gallagher also had the perfect voice for his songs, mixing Irish lilted charm with blues passion).
In the case of the 50th Anniversary Boxset edition of Rory Gallagher’s eponymously titled debut solo album however there’s plenty to review, listen to and indeed read, coming as it does with a 32 page hardback book, three additional CDs of bonus material (much of it previously unreleased) and a DVD gem in the shape of the never-before-released Pop Deux concert, filmed in Paris in 1971 for French television.
(The fifty-minute, seven song set, which is incredibly high-energy, was Rory Gallagher’s first ever show as s solo artist, in the company of right-hand bass man Gerry McAvoy and drummer Wilgar Campbell).
That talented and ridiculously tight rhythm section, along with the gritty riff that introduces and drives the album’s opening number 'Laundromat,' ushered in the dawning of a true blues talent.
Rory Gallagher had already shown his multi-faceted musicality (including extended jamming and jazz stylings) with the band Taste but he would go on to truly shine as solo artist; the tragedy being of course he was with us, and the music world, for far too short a time.
Even now Rory Gallagher, recorded at Advision Studios in London (and here sporting a brand new mix), sounds as fresh as it did a full half-century ago; a credit to the musical effervescence of Gallagher, the quality of his songs and his gifted guitar playing (he also plays harmonica, mandolin and saxophone on the record).
From the acoustic led, British Folk inspired 'Just a Smile' and simply formed but highly impacting 'I Fall Apart,' through the acoustic and Vincent Crane piano backed country blues 'Wave Myself Goodbye' and rhythm & rockin' blues of 'Hands Up' (Messrs McAvoy & Campbell on double-time as Rory Gallagher ripples out a salvo of expressive notes) and on to the stomp 'n' slide of 'Sinner Boy' and Gallagher’s blues classic 'For The Last Time,' the boy from Ballyshannon doesn’t put a blues lick, harmonica blast or ever-tapping foot wrong.
Add in the folk 'n' western charm of 'It’s You,' the barroom piano blues of 'I’m Not Surprised' and the seven minute jazz-blues of 'Can’t Believe It’s True' (featuring Rory Gallagher on alto saxophone) and you have a masterful ten track album by a master of his blues art and "battered Strat" craft.
Beyond the album and the excellent Pop Deux concert film, there’s a second disc containing four tracks from the Tangerine Studio Session (including Muddy Waters’ 'Gypsy Woman' and Otis Rush’s 'It Takes Time'), ten alternate takes of five different songs (including early, primarily acoustic outings of 'At the Bottom,' which would appear on 1975’s Against the Grain) and rockier instrumental workout, 'Advision Jam.'
You can argue that a third CD of seventeen further alternate takes is strictly for the Rory uber-collector but CD4, along with the album and the DVD film, is a genuine must-have.
Featuring ten Live on BBC tracks from 1971, the fourth disc offers up four songs from Sounds of the 70s and six from the John Peel Sunday Concert.
The latter, recorded at the BBC Paris Theatre, features an eight-minute, wicked slide guitar and boogie romp through the then soon to be Deuce classic 'In Your Town.'
Rory (fifty years) On.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
(Gallagher also had the perfect voice for his songs, mixing Irish lilted charm with blues passion).
In the case of the 50th Anniversary Boxset edition of Rory Gallagher’s eponymously titled debut solo album however there’s plenty to review, listen to and indeed read, coming as it does with a 32 page hardback book, three additional CDs of bonus material (much of it previously unreleased) and a DVD gem in the shape of the never-before-released Pop Deux concert, filmed in Paris in 1971 for French television.
(The fifty-minute, seven song set, which is incredibly high-energy, was Rory Gallagher’s first ever show as s solo artist, in the company of right-hand bass man Gerry McAvoy and drummer Wilgar Campbell).
That talented and ridiculously tight rhythm section, along with the gritty riff that introduces and drives the album’s opening number 'Laundromat,' ushered in the dawning of a true blues talent.
Rory Gallagher had already shown his multi-faceted musicality (including extended jamming and jazz stylings) with the band Taste but he would go on to truly shine as solo artist; the tragedy being of course he was with us, and the music world, for far too short a time.
Even now Rory Gallagher, recorded at Advision Studios in London (and here sporting a brand new mix), sounds as fresh as it did a full half-century ago; a credit to the musical effervescence of Gallagher, the quality of his songs and his gifted guitar playing (he also plays harmonica, mandolin and saxophone on the record).
From the acoustic led, British Folk inspired 'Just a Smile' and simply formed but highly impacting 'I Fall Apart,' through the acoustic and Vincent Crane piano backed country blues 'Wave Myself Goodbye' and rhythm & rockin' blues of 'Hands Up' (Messrs McAvoy & Campbell on double-time as Rory Gallagher ripples out a salvo of expressive notes) and on to the stomp 'n' slide of 'Sinner Boy' and Gallagher’s blues classic 'For The Last Time,' the boy from Ballyshannon doesn’t put a blues lick, harmonica blast or ever-tapping foot wrong.
Add in the folk 'n' western charm of 'It’s You,' the barroom piano blues of 'I’m Not Surprised' and the seven minute jazz-blues of 'Can’t Believe It’s True' (featuring Rory Gallagher on alto saxophone) and you have a masterful ten track album by a master of his blues art and "battered Strat" craft.
Beyond the album and the excellent Pop Deux concert film, there’s a second disc containing four tracks from the Tangerine Studio Session (including Muddy Waters’ 'Gypsy Woman' and Otis Rush’s 'It Takes Time'), ten alternate takes of five different songs (including early, primarily acoustic outings of 'At the Bottom,' which would appear on 1975’s Against the Grain) and rockier instrumental workout, 'Advision Jam.'
You can argue that a third CD of seventeen further alternate takes is strictly for the Rory uber-collector but CD4, along with the album and the DVD film, is a genuine must-have.
Featuring ten Live on BBC tracks from 1971, the fourth disc offers up four songs from Sounds of the 70s and six from the John Peel Sunday Concert.
The latter, recorded at the BBC Paris Theatre, features an eight-minute, wicked slide guitar and boogie romp through the then soon to be Deuce classic 'In Your Town.'
Rory (fifty years) On.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Gentle Giant – Free Hand (Remixed by Steven Wilson)
Gentle Giant, the British progressive band who were active between 1970 and 1980, had quite the mission statement: "To expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular."
Risk was certainly at the forefront of most of their recorded output, which was considered complex even by the progressive rock standards of the day – their influences included classical music, folk, soul and jazz but there was also cross-fertilisation with some of their peers (most obviously YES and Jethro Tull).
Ironically, given the above, on signing a record deal with Chrysalis Records in 1975 the band found themselves in June of that year with their most accessible and commercially successful album, Free Hand.
Fast forward to 2021 and Free Hand sees re-release in a number of formats, all featuring a new remix by award winning producer and musician Steven Wilson, who has previously sprinkled his magic mixing dust on classic back catalogue material by the likes of YES, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and previous GG albums.
Steven Wilson makes his audio presence felt immediately, on opener 'Just the Same,' where the rhythm section is more discernible (in comparison to the 35th Anniversary remastered edition of the album).
The song itself serves as a representative introduction to Gentle Giant. The various stylistic references are there (along with their trademark quirkiness) as is a diversion into jazz territory in the middle section, which includes a lovely retro analogue moog-synth solo (there’s also a hint of the ’Canterbury whimsy’ which had some traction at the time).
Following number 'On Reflection' starts with a complex vocal arrangement (a madrigal) before venturing in to mediaeval type territory.
The title track, by contrast, features a complex arrangement played around a repeating piano figure, interspersed with some whimsical sections (Steven Wilson’s remix of this number has introduced more clarity, a less prominent vocal and an improved stereo image).
The song then meanders off into another jazz-inflected instrumental passage before returning to the main theme, with some panache.
'Time to Kill' starts with a dissonant riff section before introducing the verse, which carries a bit of a Celtic music flavour (there are also shades of Supertramp, but without that band’s commercial sensibilities).
Steven Wilson’s mix captures the multi-instrumentation very well on this song, which is one of the most successful on the album.
'His Last Voyage' veers into folk music (with another madrigal flavouring) but also delivers an impressive guitar wah-wah solo before moving into classical music territory and a return to the folk leanings.
It's all over the shop, frankly, but it kinda works (which could well have been another Gentle Giant mission statement).
The short instrumental 'Talybont' sits squarely in the mediaeval music category before 'Mobile' (which sounds like a collaboration between Jethro Tull folk and ELP) brings Free Hand to its conclusion.
For the dedicated Gentle Giant fan, this will be a delight to hear a "new and improved" version – the audio tweaks and enhancements on the Steven Wilson remix are very subtle, but the end result is an upgrade on the 35th Anniversary edition.
Gentle Giant, given Free Hand to stick to their mission statement.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Risk was certainly at the forefront of most of their recorded output, which was considered complex even by the progressive rock standards of the day – their influences included classical music, folk, soul and jazz but there was also cross-fertilisation with some of their peers (most obviously YES and Jethro Tull).
Ironically, given the above, on signing a record deal with Chrysalis Records in 1975 the band found themselves in June of that year with their most accessible and commercially successful album, Free Hand.
Fast forward to 2021 and Free Hand sees re-release in a number of formats, all featuring a new remix by award winning producer and musician Steven Wilson, who has previously sprinkled his magic mixing dust on classic back catalogue material by the likes of YES, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and previous GG albums.
Steven Wilson makes his audio presence felt immediately, on opener 'Just the Same,' where the rhythm section is more discernible (in comparison to the 35th Anniversary remastered edition of the album).
The song itself serves as a representative introduction to Gentle Giant. The various stylistic references are there (along with their trademark quirkiness) as is a diversion into jazz territory in the middle section, which includes a lovely retro analogue moog-synth solo (there’s also a hint of the ’Canterbury whimsy’ which had some traction at the time).
Following number 'On Reflection' starts with a complex vocal arrangement (a madrigal) before venturing in to mediaeval type territory.
The title track, by contrast, features a complex arrangement played around a repeating piano figure, interspersed with some whimsical sections (Steven Wilson’s remix of this number has introduced more clarity, a less prominent vocal and an improved stereo image).
The song then meanders off into another jazz-inflected instrumental passage before returning to the main theme, with some panache.
'Time to Kill' starts with a dissonant riff section before introducing the verse, which carries a bit of a Celtic music flavour (there are also shades of Supertramp, but without that band’s commercial sensibilities).
Steven Wilson’s mix captures the multi-instrumentation very well on this song, which is one of the most successful on the album.
'His Last Voyage' veers into folk music (with another madrigal flavouring) but also delivers an impressive guitar wah-wah solo before moving into classical music territory and a return to the folk leanings.
It's all over the shop, frankly, but it kinda works (which could well have been another Gentle Giant mission statement).
The short instrumental 'Talybont' sits squarely in the mediaeval music category before 'Mobile' (which sounds like a collaboration between Jethro Tull folk and ELP) brings Free Hand to its conclusion.
For the dedicated Gentle Giant fan, this will be a delight to hear a "new and improved" version – the audio tweaks and enhancements on the Steven Wilson remix are very subtle, but the end result is an upgrade on the 35th Anniversary edition.
Gentle Giant, given Free Hand to stick to their mission statement.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Robin George – Wilderness / Heartlines / Feed the Wolf / Surreal Six String
British rock guitarist-singer-songwriter-producer Robin George is, to this day, best known for the 1985 single 'Heartline' and its host album Dangerous Music.
The song (which also spawned an extended 12" version) got tagged with the label "techno rock" but was more a case of cleverly, and impressively, proving heavy pop, softer (and choral-layered) vocals and wall-of-sound rock could live successfully together, thank you very much (as well as becoming a Robin George sonic trademark).
But there’s a lot more to Robin George than an ear-catching single and an impacting debut album.
This is a musician and producer who has written and/ or performed with some serious names in pop and rock including Daniel Boone, David Byron, Roy Wood, Phil Lynott, Robert Plant, John Wetton, Pete Way and Glenn Hughes (the bootlegged/ never fully mixed Sweet Revenge album by George & Hughes has become something of a cult classic).
Robin George has also released a clutch of entertaining solo albums including the aptly named Rock of Ageists, the cool vibe'd Bluesongs, Dangerous Music II, Rogue Angels and, now, four (yes four; Mr George has been a very busy and creative lockdown boy) solo offerings in 2021.
Wilderness takes some of the best songs from 2020’s BitterSweet HeartBeat and adds physical CD meat to the bones of that streaming release.
From the opening triple salvo – the sonic wall of rock sound that is 'Wild Eyed Women,' the bluesy 'Rainbow Ridge,' the beefy, mid-tempo muscle of 'Freedom' – through to the melodic, heavy pop charm of the title track and on to faith questioning album closer 'Belief,' this is yet another Robin George offering (featuring noted session drummer Charlie Morgan (a RG album regular since Dangerous Music II) and bassist Nibor Salchre) worthy of attention.
Further, when you throw in the likes of the heavy acoustic meets Americana rock (with nifty slide work) of 'Deadwood,' the respective rock-boogie and boogie-rock (a subtle difference I admit) tales of 'Firefox Freddie' and 'Eyeball Kid' along with the T-Rex-ish 'Rock & Roll Busynessman,' you have an album that underlines Robin George is still as musically valid as he was back in 1985.
The song (which also spawned an extended 12" version) got tagged with the label "techno rock" but was more a case of cleverly, and impressively, proving heavy pop, softer (and choral-layered) vocals and wall-of-sound rock could live successfully together, thank you very much (as well as becoming a Robin George sonic trademark).
But there’s a lot more to Robin George than an ear-catching single and an impacting debut album.
This is a musician and producer who has written and/ or performed with some serious names in pop and rock including Daniel Boone, David Byron, Roy Wood, Phil Lynott, Robert Plant, John Wetton, Pete Way and Glenn Hughes (the bootlegged/ never fully mixed Sweet Revenge album by George & Hughes has become something of a cult classic).
Robin George has also released a clutch of entertaining solo albums including the aptly named Rock of Ageists, the cool vibe'd Bluesongs, Dangerous Music II, Rogue Angels and, now, four (yes four; Mr George has been a very busy and creative lockdown boy) solo offerings in 2021.
Wilderness takes some of the best songs from 2020’s BitterSweet HeartBeat and adds physical CD meat to the bones of that streaming release.
From the opening triple salvo – the sonic wall of rock sound that is 'Wild Eyed Women,' the bluesy 'Rainbow Ridge,' the beefy, mid-tempo muscle of 'Freedom' – through to the melodic, heavy pop charm of the title track and on to faith questioning album closer 'Belief,' this is yet another Robin George offering (featuring noted session drummer Charlie Morgan (a RG album regular since Dangerous Music II) and bassist Nibor Salchre) worthy of attention.
Further, when you throw in the likes of the heavy acoustic meets Americana rock (with nifty slide work) of 'Deadwood,' the respective rock-boogie and boogie-rock (a subtle difference I admit) tales of 'Firefox Freddie' and 'Eyeball Kid' along with the T-Rex-ish 'Rock & Roll Busynessman,' you have an album that underlines Robin George is still as musically valid as he was back in 1985.
For the other side of Robin George, look and listen no further than Heartlines, which was released six months after Wilderness.
A collection of stripped back numbers highlighting Robin George in solo/ acoustic mode (with the additional textures of second acoustic or electric guitar and those trademark multi-layered backing & harmony vocals), Heartlines features six songs from Wilderness, arranged in much the same way as they would have originally been written.
Opening with the Dangerous Music brace of 'Heartline' and 'Spy,' Robin George goes on to deliver another twelve acoustic (and electrically backed) numbers including rock and roll lullaby number 'Dark and Stormy' (a slightly rearranged take of 'Dark & Stormy Night' from Rogue Angels), the alt-country blues of 'Moonlight Honey' and fun little looking back number, 'Early Daze.'
The latter, which can be found in longer, full electric form on BitterSweet HeartBeat, works really well here in its shorter and simpler, three minute arrangement.
There's also room on Heartlines for a more delicate, acoustic mix of Phil Lynott’s 'Kings Call,' which originally featured in more electric-folk guise on 2001 tribute album The Spirit of the Black Rose.
A collection of stripped back numbers highlighting Robin George in solo/ acoustic mode (with the additional textures of second acoustic or electric guitar and those trademark multi-layered backing & harmony vocals), Heartlines features six songs from Wilderness, arranged in much the same way as they would have originally been written.
Opening with the Dangerous Music brace of 'Heartline' and 'Spy,' Robin George goes on to deliver another twelve acoustic (and electrically backed) numbers including rock and roll lullaby number 'Dark and Stormy' (a slightly rearranged take of 'Dark & Stormy Night' from Rogue Angels), the alt-country blues of 'Moonlight Honey' and fun little looking back number, 'Early Daze.'
The latter, which can be found in longer, full electric form on BitterSweet HeartBeat, works really well here in its shorter and simpler, three minute arrangement.
There's also room on Heartlines for a more delicate, acoustic mix of Phil Lynott’s 'Kings Call,' which originally featured in more electric-folk guise on 2001 tribute album The Spirit of the Black Rose.
Hot on the heels of Wilderness and Heartlines came the dovetailing pairing of Feed the Wolf and Surreal Six String; the former is another rock-solid, full length studio album from Robin George while the latter is his first fully instrumental offering.
That his distinct and individualistic Dangerous Music sound and style is still alive and well is evident from Feed the Wolf tracks such as 'Momma Sister Daughter' (Bolan vocality meets guitar-edged Robin George rock and roll), the muscly and, again, Bolan-esque (an oft-cited and valid comparison) title track and 'Savage Song,' a gritty, fast-paced number on which Mr George isn’t exactly hanging about.
'Savage Song' also highlights a major Robin George trait, that of reinventing & rerecording some of his older songs to suit his current state of musical mind (some may recall the number as a highlight of Damage Control, a supergroup of sorts featuring George, raspy-throated Quireboys front man Spike, Chris Slade and the late Pete Way).
Other Feed The Wolf highlights include 'Funky Rock Groove' (which does exactly what it says on the tin), the bluesy sway of 'Love is Blind' (featuring some tasty guitar licks from Robin George), the edgy but melodic 'Castles in the Sky' (whose origins go back to the History of the Wolverhampton born musician) and the quirkier 'Painful Kiss,' originally from the album of the same name.
The album ends on the similarly quirky and catchy 'Early Daze,' a looking-back ‘If I knew then’ styled nod to more carefree and innocent times (a shorter acoustic version also sits on Heartlines).
That his distinct and individualistic Dangerous Music sound and style is still alive and well is evident from Feed the Wolf tracks such as 'Momma Sister Daughter' (Bolan vocality meets guitar-edged Robin George rock and roll), the muscly and, again, Bolan-esque (an oft-cited and valid comparison) title track and 'Savage Song,' a gritty, fast-paced number on which Mr George isn’t exactly hanging about.
'Savage Song' also highlights a major Robin George trait, that of reinventing & rerecording some of his older songs to suit his current state of musical mind (some may recall the number as a highlight of Damage Control, a supergroup of sorts featuring George, raspy-throated Quireboys front man Spike, Chris Slade and the late Pete Way).
Other Feed The Wolf highlights include 'Funky Rock Groove' (which does exactly what it says on the tin), the bluesy sway of 'Love is Blind' (featuring some tasty guitar licks from Robin George), the edgy but melodic 'Castles in the Sky' (whose origins go back to the History of the Wolverhampton born musician) and the quirkier 'Painful Kiss,' originally from the album of the same name.
The album ends on the similarly quirky and catchy 'Early Daze,' a looking-back ‘If I knew then’ styled nod to more carefree and innocent times (a shorter acoustic version also sits on Heartlines).
Surreal Six String is a collection of primarily reworked numbers from across Robin George’s career and catalogue, instrumental-ised with the lyric-melody line played on guitar in effective and, on some of the tracks, quite expressive style.
Opener 'Go Down Fighting' was Robin George’s first major single release in 1983 but here is based on his later rocked up version; it therefore works well as a feisty instrumental.
It's also nice to see a place for the atmospheric, tempo shifting instrumental 'Charlotte Starlight,' which goes back to the History album, and 'Love Power & Peace' (featuring Hammond fills from the late Ken Hensley and melodic guitar play from Robin George) from the all-star charity album of that name.
You’ll also find instrumental versions of Feed the Wolf numbers 'Painful Kiss' and 'Love is Blind' as well as
re-workings of the more rock and roll styled 'Dancing Shoes' (from the Rogue Angels album) and a shorter take of the blues swaggering 'Freedom,' from the BitterSweet HeartBeat album.
Other highlights include 'Brandy Bottle Blues' (another with a self-explanatory title), which features a couple of bars of blues blasting sax from Mel Collins, and album closer 'Oxygen.'
Originally a love song, 'Oxygen' works equally well as an expressive guitar workout in instrumental clothing.
Four releases from a man who clearly wasn’t twiddling thumbs during lockdown/s.
Further proof of that ever-busy schedule?
In 2021 Robin George also released a fully remastered version of the Asia 2 Marquee gig from 1986 (of which he was an integral part), a Robin George & Dangerous Music Euro Tour Live CD, a RoxStar Legends compilation and a remastered retooling of the Love Power & Peace charity album as Rocking LovePower, which retains the charitable qualities of the original.
No wonder he lives in Spain – he clearly needs, and deserves, the siestas.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
All albums can be purchased on CD direct from the artist’s website: http://www.robingeorge.co.uk/
Click here for FabricationsHQ's recent interview chat with Robin George.
Opener 'Go Down Fighting' was Robin George’s first major single release in 1983 but here is based on his later rocked up version; it therefore works well as a feisty instrumental.
It's also nice to see a place for the atmospheric, tempo shifting instrumental 'Charlotte Starlight,' which goes back to the History album, and 'Love Power & Peace' (featuring Hammond fills from the late Ken Hensley and melodic guitar play from Robin George) from the all-star charity album of that name.
You’ll also find instrumental versions of Feed the Wolf numbers 'Painful Kiss' and 'Love is Blind' as well as
re-workings of the more rock and roll styled 'Dancing Shoes' (from the Rogue Angels album) and a shorter take of the blues swaggering 'Freedom,' from the BitterSweet HeartBeat album.
Other highlights include 'Brandy Bottle Blues' (another with a self-explanatory title), which features a couple of bars of blues blasting sax from Mel Collins, and album closer 'Oxygen.'
Originally a love song, 'Oxygen' works equally well as an expressive guitar workout in instrumental clothing.
Four releases from a man who clearly wasn’t twiddling thumbs during lockdown/s.
Further proof of that ever-busy schedule?
In 2021 Robin George also released a fully remastered version of the Asia 2 Marquee gig from 1986 (of which he was an integral part), a Robin George & Dangerous Music Euro Tour Live CD, a RoxStar Legends compilation and a remastered retooling of the Love Power & Peace charity album as Rocking LovePower, which retains the charitable qualities of the original.
No wonder he lives in Spain – he clearly needs, and deserves, the siestas.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
All albums can be purchased on CD direct from the artist’s website: http://www.robingeorge.co.uk/
Click here for FabricationsHQ's recent interview chat with Robin George.
Billy F Gibbons – Hardware
Having previously delivered on the Cuban influenced Perfectamundo (2015) and Blues Music Awards winner The Big Bad Blues (2018), Billy Gibbons has come up (ZZ) top trumps again with Hardware, an all original (bar one) collection of rough voiced rock and blues shaded nuggets built around a core of Gibbons, drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Austin Hanks.
'My Lucky Card' is the sort of gritty guitar (with equally gritty, earworm riff) and mid-tempo rough 'n' ready blues you come to expect nay, demand, from Billy Gibbons, whether that be, as here, on another solo album from the legendary blues slinger or as part of ZZ Top.
It’s also a song of top-notch quality, with those wicked little Gibbons licks kept to a howlin’ minimum for maximum effect.
'She’s On Fire,' which follows, is a shorter and niftier paced Texas blues with simple three word hook chorus. As such it wouldn’t be out of place on any ZZ Top album you care to mention, as is the case with 'More-More-More,' which sits four square in the lower down ‘n’ dirty vocal and lyrical style that ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons seem to be able to deliver with sassy ease and six-string sleaze (as Gibbons’ solo on this number attests).
'Shuffle, Step and Slide' then steps (slides and shuffles) up as contender for most self-explanatory song title of the year before slow, dusty road blues contrast comes courtesy of the rather excellent 'Vagabond Man.'
(Think the likes of 'Rough Boy' stripped back to its bare blues bones (with well-placed organ backing) and you’ve got the idea).
The slow stomp-beat and overly repetitive nature of 'Spanish Fly' fails to match what has come before but is redeemed somewhat by what sounds like an improvised guitar solo finale.
'Spanish Fly' is, however, the only weak point of an otherwise exceptionally good album, as following fun numbers 'West Coast Junkie' (Neo surf rock meets quirky Texas blues) and the "Hey! Hey!" dancefloor rock of 'Stackin’ Bones' (featuring Larkin Po sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell) help underline.
The rockin’ blues of 'I Was a Highway' and brasher blues sleaze of 'S-G-L-M-B-B-R' (Some Girls Love My… answers on a postcard, please) keep up the Gibbons groove before the one cover on offer, a stupidly infectious Latino-rock-blues rendition of The Texas Tornadoes’ 'Hey Baby, Que Paso,' takes center stage.
While seemingly at odds with what has come before, atmospheric and pseudo-mysterious closing number 'Desert High,' with its spoken word lyric (Billy Gibbon’s "desert road" narrative/ vocal is drier than the Californian high desert sands outside Escape Studio where the album was tracked) actually makes for a fitting conclusion.
As this album, its songs and even its Eliminator Hot Rod styled cover unequivocally confirm (the latter also seems to hint that there will indeed be a new ZZ Top album in the not-too-distant), The Reverend Billy F. Gibbons has still got the hardware – and knows how to use it.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
'My Lucky Card' is the sort of gritty guitar (with equally gritty, earworm riff) and mid-tempo rough 'n' ready blues you come to expect nay, demand, from Billy Gibbons, whether that be, as here, on another solo album from the legendary blues slinger or as part of ZZ Top.
It’s also a song of top-notch quality, with those wicked little Gibbons licks kept to a howlin’ minimum for maximum effect.
'She’s On Fire,' which follows, is a shorter and niftier paced Texas blues with simple three word hook chorus. As such it wouldn’t be out of place on any ZZ Top album you care to mention, as is the case with 'More-More-More,' which sits four square in the lower down ‘n’ dirty vocal and lyrical style that ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons seem to be able to deliver with sassy ease and six-string sleaze (as Gibbons’ solo on this number attests).
'Shuffle, Step and Slide' then steps (slides and shuffles) up as contender for most self-explanatory song title of the year before slow, dusty road blues contrast comes courtesy of the rather excellent 'Vagabond Man.'
(Think the likes of 'Rough Boy' stripped back to its bare blues bones (with well-placed organ backing) and you’ve got the idea).
The slow stomp-beat and overly repetitive nature of 'Spanish Fly' fails to match what has come before but is redeemed somewhat by what sounds like an improvised guitar solo finale.
'Spanish Fly' is, however, the only weak point of an otherwise exceptionally good album, as following fun numbers 'West Coast Junkie' (Neo surf rock meets quirky Texas blues) and the "Hey! Hey!" dancefloor rock of 'Stackin’ Bones' (featuring Larkin Po sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell) help underline.
The rockin’ blues of 'I Was a Highway' and brasher blues sleaze of 'S-G-L-M-B-B-R' (Some Girls Love My… answers on a postcard, please) keep up the Gibbons groove before the one cover on offer, a stupidly infectious Latino-rock-blues rendition of The Texas Tornadoes’ 'Hey Baby, Que Paso,' takes center stage.
While seemingly at odds with what has come before, atmospheric and pseudo-mysterious closing number 'Desert High,' with its spoken word lyric (Billy Gibbon’s "desert road" narrative/ vocal is drier than the Californian high desert sands outside Escape Studio where the album was tracked) actually makes for a fitting conclusion.
As this album, its songs and even its Eliminator Hot Rod styled cover unequivocally confirm (the latter also seems to hint that there will indeed be a new ZZ Top album in the not-too-distant), The Reverend Billy F. Gibbons has still got the hardware – and knows how to use it.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Myke Gray – Shades Of Gray 2021
Myke Gray is probably still best known as the guitarist of 90s rock-metal band Skin, although previous band Jagged Edge also made a bit of an impression (albeit a short-lived one).
Later projects included Red White & Blues with Skintrade (and ex Jagged Edge) vocalist Matti Alfonzetti, resulting in the tasty little rock-blues album Shine in 2011.
More recently however Myke Gray has been making a name for himself with his own band on the touring and festival circuit, fronted by the sonorous voice of Kim Jennett – or rather was, until Covid came calling.
(There was also an excellent full show lockdown gig performed at KK’s Steel Mill in 2020, featuring vocalist Daniel Byrne and guest vocalist Mark Pascall).
Hamstrung by both the pandemic and an unfathomable lack of support (see later) outside of his own fanbase, Myke Gray has now self-released his second solo album Shades Of Gray 2021, not to be confused with his similarly titled & rather excellent, Satriani styled debut album of 2017,
(Much like the black & white Shades Of Gray logo, the debut is the instrumental Yin (Myke Gray isn’t just a good guitarist; he’s a very good guitarist) to the new album’s rock and roll Yang.
Written, performed and produced by Myke Gray (with drums, production assistance and mixing by Pete Newdeck) Shades Of Gray 2021 is an album that will please both Gray’s faithful, pre-ordering fans (who helped fund the album) and aficionados of old-school 70s UK glam, the following decade’s US equivalent and edgier 90s rock.
From the rifferama rock of 'Turn it Up Louder' (a statement of future performance intent) and 'Wham Bam' (the Rubettes on rock and roll steroids) to the hard-edged melodic rock of 'Take Me Higher' and album closer 'California' (which carries more than a hint of Sunset Strip 80s power-pop), Shades Of Gray 2021 is a rock and glam-tinged blast from the past that makes its mark as a feel-good antidote for present pandemic times.
Lyrically, the album is as straightforward as the music and the song titles – 'This is How We Rock and Roll' does exactly what it says on tin; 'Music is My Remedy,' with its feisty double-time finish, is lyrically self-explanatory; the grittier 'Tied Up in Love' is the pleasure and pain of S&M set to music.
But there’s also an accusatory point being made on never say die boogie number 'I Get Up' ("the way you treat me is a damn disgrace, my middle finger right in your face… you can knock me down, but I get back up!").
Which returns us to the curious case of Myke Gray being, sadly, one of the many quality rock musicians, acts or performers who struggle to get the page space and/ or radio play they deserve; lost in the playlist shuffle of the flavours of the PR month or classic rock acts (both old and new) who have the favourable backing or clout to make an impression over those who are equally (if not more) impressive.
That's not any particular shade of Myke Gray; that's just the black and white of the musical matter.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Shades Of Gray 2021 (CD or MP3) and other Myke Gray merchandise/ albums direct from the artist:
https://www.mykegray.rocks/rwbshop/
Later projects included Red White & Blues with Skintrade (and ex Jagged Edge) vocalist Matti Alfonzetti, resulting in the tasty little rock-blues album Shine in 2011.
More recently however Myke Gray has been making a name for himself with his own band on the touring and festival circuit, fronted by the sonorous voice of Kim Jennett – or rather was, until Covid came calling.
(There was also an excellent full show lockdown gig performed at KK’s Steel Mill in 2020, featuring vocalist Daniel Byrne and guest vocalist Mark Pascall).
Hamstrung by both the pandemic and an unfathomable lack of support (see later) outside of his own fanbase, Myke Gray has now self-released his second solo album Shades Of Gray 2021, not to be confused with his similarly titled & rather excellent, Satriani styled debut album of 2017,
(Much like the black & white Shades Of Gray logo, the debut is the instrumental Yin (Myke Gray isn’t just a good guitarist; he’s a very good guitarist) to the new album’s rock and roll Yang.
Written, performed and produced by Myke Gray (with drums, production assistance and mixing by Pete Newdeck) Shades Of Gray 2021 is an album that will please both Gray’s faithful, pre-ordering fans (who helped fund the album) and aficionados of old-school 70s UK glam, the following decade’s US equivalent and edgier 90s rock.
From the rifferama rock of 'Turn it Up Louder' (a statement of future performance intent) and 'Wham Bam' (the Rubettes on rock and roll steroids) to the hard-edged melodic rock of 'Take Me Higher' and album closer 'California' (which carries more than a hint of Sunset Strip 80s power-pop), Shades Of Gray 2021 is a rock and glam-tinged blast from the past that makes its mark as a feel-good antidote for present pandemic times.
Lyrically, the album is as straightforward as the music and the song titles – 'This is How We Rock and Roll' does exactly what it says on tin; 'Music is My Remedy,' with its feisty double-time finish, is lyrically self-explanatory; the grittier 'Tied Up in Love' is the pleasure and pain of S&M set to music.
But there’s also an accusatory point being made on never say die boogie number 'I Get Up' ("the way you treat me is a damn disgrace, my middle finger right in your face… you can knock me down, but I get back up!").
Which returns us to the curious case of Myke Gray being, sadly, one of the many quality rock musicians, acts or performers who struggle to get the page space and/ or radio play they deserve; lost in the playlist shuffle of the flavours of the PR month or classic rock acts (both old and new) who have the favourable backing or clout to make an impression over those who are equally (if not more) impressive.
That's not any particular shade of Myke Gray; that's just the black and white of the musical matter.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Shades Of Gray 2021 (CD or MP3) and other Myke Gray merchandise/ albums direct from the artist:
https://www.mykegray.rocks/rwbshop/
Steve Hackett – Under a Mediterranean Sky
Progressive luminary Steve Hackett’s Under a Mediterranean Sky is cause for acoustic celebration, especially given it has been thirteen years since Hackett’s last acoustic album, Tribute.
While Tribute paid homage to the renowned guitarist’s classical and Spanish guitar influences (including Bach and Segovia, respectively), Under a Mediterranean Sky is a collection of original compositions (bar one) that take their influence and inspiration from Steve Hackett and his wife Jo’s many trips to that beautiful, scenic and historic part of the world (Jo Hackett has a number of co-writing credits on the album).
Adding widescreen and soundtrack appeal to many of the numbers are the orchestrated arrangements of Steve Hackett’s regular band member and right-hand co-writing man, keyboardist Roger King; his co-writing skills and orchestrated scoring embellish and enrich many a track, including long-form opening piece, 'Mdina (The Walled City).'
Opening with a marching to siege warfare fanfare, 'Mdina' then flits between Steve Hackett’s softer, flamenco styled playing and orchestral arrangement (including a revisit of the opening theme) before culminating in a beautiful, calming passage of orchestration.
It's a striking, near nine-minute piece that seems to be musically speaking on behalf of the famous city’s walls and what they have witnessed across the eras.
Equally striking and most exotic track on the album is the fittingly whirling intensity of 'The Dervish and The Djin.'
Conjuring Turkish and Persian images of both conflict and the celebratory through its percussive and atmospheric arrangement, the piece also features Rob Townsend’s soprano sax, tar (ancient lute instrument played by Malik Mansurov) and duduk (an Armenian woodwind instrument played by Arsen Petrosyan).
The latter pairing are a fine example of musically bonding across the cultural boundaries (something of an intentional, International trait on recent Steve Hackett solo albums).
Other significant contributions come from violinist Christine Townsend (with a beautifully plaintiff violin introduction on the reflective, Greek inspired 'The Memory of Myth') and, on the equally reflective and quite moving 'Casa del Fauno' (The House of the Faun in Pompeii), the flutes of Rob Townsend and Steve Hackett’s brother, John Hackett, who accompany the orchestration and beautiful delicacy of the guitar.
Imagery is to the fore on 'Sirocco' where percussion, guitar and orchestration create vivid musical scenes of Sirocco winds blowing across the sand dunes of the Sahara, while the beautifully scored 'Andalusian Heart' showcases Steve Hackett’s impressive acoustic skills (while giving nod to the great flamenco players).
Similarly impressive in guitar and orchestra arrangement is the ode to Mediterranean waters, 'Call of The Sea.'
For those who have a predilection and love for Steve Hackett in solo acoustic mode, there are four such acoustic jewels shining in the Mediterranean sun – the delightful 'Adriatic Blue,' the perfectly titled 'Joie de Vivre,' the folk inspired charm of 'Lorato' and the only non-original piece to feature, the Italian Baroque of 'Scarlatti Sonata.'
The latter, by 18th century Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti, sounds relatively simple but in acoustic actuality is a very technical piece (including cross-string trills, a technique introduced to Steve Hackett by the late classical guitarist, Theo Cheng) that only the best can master.
Under a Mediterranean Sky is so much more than a collection of travels, scenes and memories set to music.
It’s an orchestrated, nylon and steel-stringed acoustic guitar masterclass.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
While Tribute paid homage to the renowned guitarist’s classical and Spanish guitar influences (including Bach and Segovia, respectively), Under a Mediterranean Sky is a collection of original compositions (bar one) that take their influence and inspiration from Steve Hackett and his wife Jo’s many trips to that beautiful, scenic and historic part of the world (Jo Hackett has a number of co-writing credits on the album).
Adding widescreen and soundtrack appeal to many of the numbers are the orchestrated arrangements of Steve Hackett’s regular band member and right-hand co-writing man, keyboardist Roger King; his co-writing skills and orchestrated scoring embellish and enrich many a track, including long-form opening piece, 'Mdina (The Walled City).'
Opening with a marching to siege warfare fanfare, 'Mdina' then flits between Steve Hackett’s softer, flamenco styled playing and orchestral arrangement (including a revisit of the opening theme) before culminating in a beautiful, calming passage of orchestration.
It's a striking, near nine-minute piece that seems to be musically speaking on behalf of the famous city’s walls and what they have witnessed across the eras.
Equally striking and most exotic track on the album is the fittingly whirling intensity of 'The Dervish and The Djin.'
Conjuring Turkish and Persian images of both conflict and the celebratory through its percussive and atmospheric arrangement, the piece also features Rob Townsend’s soprano sax, tar (ancient lute instrument played by Malik Mansurov) and duduk (an Armenian woodwind instrument played by Arsen Petrosyan).
The latter pairing are a fine example of musically bonding across the cultural boundaries (something of an intentional, International trait on recent Steve Hackett solo albums).
Other significant contributions come from violinist Christine Townsend (with a beautifully plaintiff violin introduction on the reflective, Greek inspired 'The Memory of Myth') and, on the equally reflective and quite moving 'Casa del Fauno' (The House of the Faun in Pompeii), the flutes of Rob Townsend and Steve Hackett’s brother, John Hackett, who accompany the orchestration and beautiful delicacy of the guitar.
Imagery is to the fore on 'Sirocco' where percussion, guitar and orchestration create vivid musical scenes of Sirocco winds blowing across the sand dunes of the Sahara, while the beautifully scored 'Andalusian Heart' showcases Steve Hackett’s impressive acoustic skills (while giving nod to the great flamenco players).
Similarly impressive in guitar and orchestra arrangement is the ode to Mediterranean waters, 'Call of The Sea.'
For those who have a predilection and love for Steve Hackett in solo acoustic mode, there are four such acoustic jewels shining in the Mediterranean sun – the delightful 'Adriatic Blue,' the perfectly titled 'Joie de Vivre,' the folk inspired charm of 'Lorato' and the only non-original piece to feature, the Italian Baroque of 'Scarlatti Sonata.'
The latter, by 18th century Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti, sounds relatively simple but in acoustic actuality is a very technical piece (including cross-string trills, a technique introduced to Steve Hackett by the late classical guitarist, Theo Cheng) that only the best can master.
Under a Mediterranean Sky is so much more than a collection of travels, scenes and memories set to music.
It’s an orchestrated, nylon and steel-stringed acoustic guitar masterclass.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
J.R. Harbidge – Long Black River
Anyone unfamiliar with singer-songwriter-guitarist J.R. Harbidge, upon hearing the country-tinged twangs of debut album First Ray of Light and melodic Americana of sophomore release Long Black River, would be forgiven for thinking he’s an American musician steeped in the traditions of the aforementioned genres (even the artist name J.R. Harbidge, as opposed to James Harbidge, points in that direction).
But given the Americana-country authenticity of the debut album and quality of Long Black River it's a bit of an eyebrow raiser to discover Mr Harbidge is a West Midlands, later Derby based musician with rock roots in the Birmingham music scene.
(As a teenager Harbidge was part of Powderfinger (no, not the Australian band of that name) and, in the naughties, part of grunge-rock trio Third Bullet (described as a more melodic Soundgarden, the band released the musically raw but ear-catching Revelations in 2009).
It’s therefore interesting to musically chart J.R. Harbidge’s musical journey from the likes of Powderfinger and Third Bullet to his Americana based solo artist home; those earlier musical explorations acted as stepping stones while Harbidge searched for his true self and what is, clearly, his Americana/ country muse, heard to fine and impressive effect on Long Black River.
While First Ray of Light, a primarily downtempo, Dylan meets Crosby Stills & Nash affair framed around the personal (relationship numbers and a dash of weightier, finger pointing/ political offerings) was a solid introduction to J.R. Harbidge, Long Black River is musically broader and far more satisfying.
With melodies that fuse The Byrds and the Beatles (melody is core to the success of the album) Long Black River is full of crossover appeal, such as when early Eagles meet Poco, typified by opening brace 'Wrong Side of the Fight' and 'Break the Spell.'
A delightful melodic Americana/ country-pop pairing, either song would have sat comfortably and proudly on any early to mid-era Poco album.
Both songs also benefit from the keyboard contributions of J.R. Harbidge’s right-hand multi-instrumentalist man Pete Larkin, who features throughout the album, as does drummer Mark Bates (both also played on Ray of Hope).
'We Don’t Talk About It' provides quieter, country-affected contrast (with strings from Luke Moller) before the soulful 'Sunshine Not Rain' brings Wurlitzer backed, gospel-tinged optimism through its hopeful lyricism.
Similarly positive is "I’ll be there” number 'When the Sun Doesn’t Shine,' a jaunty little song enhanced by Pete Larkin’s equally jaunty ivory tinkling.
Other highlights across the ten track album (excellently produced & mixed by J.R. Harbidge) include the harmonica and acoustic led 'Side by Side' (the Dylan moment of the album) and a seriously impressive closing brace in the songwriting shape of 'We Don’t Like It' and 'Long Black River.'
'We Don’t Like It' is a lyrically angry, organ backed rocker in contemporary clothing while the slow moving, slow burning title track (featuring distorted vocal verses and some nice lead guitar work from guest player Paul Scott Connop) manages to successfully merge a late 60s/ early 70s sound within a contemporary blues setting.
Long may J.R. Harbidge’s Long Black River of Americana, country and blues flow.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But given the Americana-country authenticity of the debut album and quality of Long Black River it's a bit of an eyebrow raiser to discover Mr Harbidge is a West Midlands, later Derby based musician with rock roots in the Birmingham music scene.
(As a teenager Harbidge was part of Powderfinger (no, not the Australian band of that name) and, in the naughties, part of grunge-rock trio Third Bullet (described as a more melodic Soundgarden, the band released the musically raw but ear-catching Revelations in 2009).
It’s therefore interesting to musically chart J.R. Harbidge’s musical journey from the likes of Powderfinger and Third Bullet to his Americana based solo artist home; those earlier musical explorations acted as stepping stones while Harbidge searched for his true self and what is, clearly, his Americana/ country muse, heard to fine and impressive effect on Long Black River.
While First Ray of Light, a primarily downtempo, Dylan meets Crosby Stills & Nash affair framed around the personal (relationship numbers and a dash of weightier, finger pointing/ political offerings) was a solid introduction to J.R. Harbidge, Long Black River is musically broader and far more satisfying.
With melodies that fuse The Byrds and the Beatles (melody is core to the success of the album) Long Black River is full of crossover appeal, such as when early Eagles meet Poco, typified by opening brace 'Wrong Side of the Fight' and 'Break the Spell.'
A delightful melodic Americana/ country-pop pairing, either song would have sat comfortably and proudly on any early to mid-era Poco album.
Both songs also benefit from the keyboard contributions of J.R. Harbidge’s right-hand multi-instrumentalist man Pete Larkin, who features throughout the album, as does drummer Mark Bates (both also played on Ray of Hope).
'We Don’t Talk About It' provides quieter, country-affected contrast (with strings from Luke Moller) before the soulful 'Sunshine Not Rain' brings Wurlitzer backed, gospel-tinged optimism through its hopeful lyricism.
Similarly positive is "I’ll be there” number 'When the Sun Doesn’t Shine,' a jaunty little song enhanced by Pete Larkin’s equally jaunty ivory tinkling.
Other highlights across the ten track album (excellently produced & mixed by J.R. Harbidge) include the harmonica and acoustic led 'Side by Side' (the Dylan moment of the album) and a seriously impressive closing brace in the songwriting shape of 'We Don’t Like It' and 'Long Black River.'
'We Don’t Like It' is a lyrically angry, organ backed rocker in contemporary clothing while the slow moving, slow burning title track (featuring distorted vocal verses and some nice lead guitar work from guest player Paul Scott Connop) manages to successfully merge a late 60s/ early 70s sound within a contemporary blues setting.
Long may J.R. Harbidge’s Long Black River of Americana, country and blues flow.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hawkwind – Somnia
While the name on the space-rock tin confirms it’s the good ship Hawkwind embarking on another studio voyage, captained by the ever-present and now 80 years young Dave Brock, Somnia is as much a sequel to last year’s Hawkwind Light Orchestra album, Carnivorous, as it is a full-blown Hawkwind release.
The differences are indeed subtle – Carnivorous was originally set up to be a Dave Brock solo project during the first Covid-19 lockdown (the title is an anagram of Corona virus) but with contribution from veteran Hawk drummer Richard Chadwick and additional guitars and vocals from more recent recruit Magnus Martin, it became a second album credited to Hawkwind Light Orchestra (following 2012’s Stellar Variations).
Somnia, which as the title suggests, has a conceptual theme of sleep (from nightmares and sleepless paranoia to more peaceful dream states), started life in much the same yet-another-lockdown way as Carnivorous.
But with Magnus Martin (vocals, bass, guitar, keys, main song writing contributor along with Dave Brock) and Richard Chadwick more involved this time around (albeit still recoding their parts separately) the results are a fuller sounding Hawkwind in space-trio guise.
That aforementioned sleepless paranoia manifests itself in the "heebegeebee’s" and "screaming abdabs" of ten-an-half minute space rock opener, 'Unsomnia.'
Built on a simple repeating rhythm and featuring some trademark off-kilter guitar sonics from Dave Brock, the song segues to a finally-found sleep finale complete with early morning radio weather forecast and chirping birds.
The other long-form numbers on Somnia, 'Strange Encounters' and 'China Blues,' also make their respective six-and-a-half and seven-and-half minute marks.
The former hearkens back to the pulsating space-rock overdrive of classic Hawkwind while the latter is a more machine like, its narrative styled vocal warning, 'Sonic Attack' like, of current pandemic perils ("it’s creeping across the world… you’d better vaccinate…")
The shorter, more concise tracks on Somnia offer up light, shade and contrast to the three heavyweight hitters – 'Alcyone,' for example, is a drifting, space-bluesy affair that sits in dreamy contrast to the short & sinister 'Sweet Dreams' and following number 'I Can’t Get You Off My Mind,' which sounds like early Status Quo on an acid trip (man).
The more avant-garde moments (even by Hawkwind standards) include the off-beat space-jazz of the spoken word 'Small Objects in Space' and the quirky space-pop of 'Counting Sheep.'
The latter features the backing vocals of Mel Rogers & Trixie Smith, as does the Hawk rock and Space roll of 'It’s Only a Dream' (on the softer, choral ending).
While all of the above make for an interesting mix and match, the final two tracks, the instrumental 'Barkus' (melodic guitar lines over a rhythmic template with spoken word sections) and spacier (in both senses) 'Cave of Phantom Dreams' (again led by a spoken word lyric) flatter to disposably deceive.
Somnia doesn’t match the return to form excellence of recent albums such as Top 30 Chart album The Machine Stops (2016), its conceptual companion Into the Woods (2017) or All Aboard the Skylark (2019), but given its creative circumstances it was never likely to.
But it’s another solid 'Hawk offering and an album you certainly won’t be falling asleep to.
Pleasant space dreams, one and all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The differences are indeed subtle – Carnivorous was originally set up to be a Dave Brock solo project during the first Covid-19 lockdown (the title is an anagram of Corona virus) but with contribution from veteran Hawk drummer Richard Chadwick and additional guitars and vocals from more recent recruit Magnus Martin, it became a second album credited to Hawkwind Light Orchestra (following 2012’s Stellar Variations).
Somnia, which as the title suggests, has a conceptual theme of sleep (from nightmares and sleepless paranoia to more peaceful dream states), started life in much the same yet-another-lockdown way as Carnivorous.
But with Magnus Martin (vocals, bass, guitar, keys, main song writing contributor along with Dave Brock) and Richard Chadwick more involved this time around (albeit still recoding their parts separately) the results are a fuller sounding Hawkwind in space-trio guise.
That aforementioned sleepless paranoia manifests itself in the "heebegeebee’s" and "screaming abdabs" of ten-an-half minute space rock opener, 'Unsomnia.'
Built on a simple repeating rhythm and featuring some trademark off-kilter guitar sonics from Dave Brock, the song segues to a finally-found sleep finale complete with early morning radio weather forecast and chirping birds.
The other long-form numbers on Somnia, 'Strange Encounters' and 'China Blues,' also make their respective six-and-a-half and seven-and-half minute marks.
The former hearkens back to the pulsating space-rock overdrive of classic Hawkwind while the latter is a more machine like, its narrative styled vocal warning, 'Sonic Attack' like, of current pandemic perils ("it’s creeping across the world… you’d better vaccinate…")
The shorter, more concise tracks on Somnia offer up light, shade and contrast to the three heavyweight hitters – 'Alcyone,' for example, is a drifting, space-bluesy affair that sits in dreamy contrast to the short & sinister 'Sweet Dreams' and following number 'I Can’t Get You Off My Mind,' which sounds like early Status Quo on an acid trip (man).
The more avant-garde moments (even by Hawkwind standards) include the off-beat space-jazz of the spoken word 'Small Objects in Space' and the quirky space-pop of 'Counting Sheep.'
The latter features the backing vocals of Mel Rogers & Trixie Smith, as does the Hawk rock and Space roll of 'It’s Only a Dream' (on the softer, choral ending).
While all of the above make for an interesting mix and match, the final two tracks, the instrumental 'Barkus' (melodic guitar lines over a rhythmic template with spoken word sections) and spacier (in both senses) 'Cave of Phantom Dreams' (again led by a spoken word lyric) flatter to disposably deceive.
Somnia doesn’t match the return to form excellence of recent albums such as Top 30 Chart album The Machine Stops (2016), its conceptual companion Into the Woods (2017) or All Aboard the Skylark (2019), but given its creative circumstances it was never likely to.
But it’s another solid 'Hawk offering and an album you certainly won’t be falling asleep to.
Pleasant space dreams, one and all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hawkwind - Dust Of Time 1969-2021 (6CD Box Set)
There’s a plethora of anthologies and Best Of releases dedicated to the work of Hawkwind but Dust Of Time is by far the most all-encompassing and extensive, given it’s 6 CD’s worth and first to include all eras of the band’s history (from earliest pre-Hawkwind recordings to 2021 studio album Somnia).
Opening the seven-and-a-half-plus hours anthology is the 1968 cover of Willie Dixon’s 'Bring it On Home' by the band’s co-founder, ever-present and seemingly ageless Dave Brock; it’s followed by 1969 space jazz track 'Sweet Mistress of Pain' (credited to Hawkwind Zoo).
The bass pumping, harmonica blowing 'Hurry On Sundown' (here in its mono single version guise) then heralds the arrival of Hawkwind, as it did on their 1970 self-titled debut album.
Disc One also includes songs from the band’s second album In Search Of Space (the wild, space rock jazz of 'You Shouldn’t Do That' and 'Master of The Universe'), hit single 'Silver Machine,' a nine-minute live version of 'Born To Go' and the Hawk-punk stylings of single 'Urban Guerrilla.'
Disc Two concentrates on tracks from the band’s ground-breaking and now classic space rock albums of the early to mid-70s.
Tracks here include classic Doremi Fasol Latido brace 'Brainstorm' and 'Space is Deep' (plus the sci-fi folk of 'The Watcher'); 'Orgone Accumulator' from live album Space Ritual; 'The Psychedelic Warlords' and 'Wind of Change' (along with the single version of 'Paradox') from Hall of the Mountain Grill; 'Assault and Battery/The Golden Void,' 'Magnu' and 'Spiral Galaxy 28948' from Warrior On the Edge of Time.
Disc Three tracks the band’s late 70s transformation from space rock to a more art rock and proto-new wave sound, featuring Robert Calvert on vocals.
'Steppenwolf' and the punkier 'Kerb Crawler' (from Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music), 'Spirit of the Age' (from Quark Strangeness & Charm), 'PSI Power' (from 25 Years On; credited to the Hawklords) and 'Robot' (from PXR5) are five of a number of true highlights from this era.
A more commercial sounding space rock (with emphasis on rock) returned at the end of the 70s through to the early 80s.
Disc Four showcases this era to fine effect, from hard rockin’ live number 'Shot Down in the Night' and seven from back-to-back fan favourites Levitation and Sonic Attack (including the melodic space-rock of 'Motorway City' and the single version of 'Angels of Death,' respectively), to tracks culled from the more experimental & electronic Church Of Hawkwind and Choose Your Masques (the latter’s 'Arrival in Utopia' epitomises this particular Hawk period).
Commercially the latter half of the 80s and the 90s weren’t so successful for Hawkwind, but they still had an ever-loyal fan base through low charting times.
Disc Five highlights the best of the band’s late 80s to early 90s era, including EP track 'Night of the Hawks,' a couple from well-loved release The Chronicle of the Black Sword ('Needle Gun;' Zarozinia'), a number of BBC Live/ Sessions and 'LSD' from space rock meets techno-ambient album, Electric Tepee.
Disc Five makes for a 16 track collective that isn't definitive, but extremely interesting.
The remainder of the 90s and the noughties were even less successful as Hawkwind navigated a space rock path through changing musical times, but they still released a number of notable (if non-charting) studio and live albums.
Disc Six covers both that era (Arabic influenced instrumental 'Space is Their (Palestine),' political protest rocker 'Right to Decide' and the rhythmic space-drift of Love in Space'' are particularly noteworthy inclusions) and the band’s later resurgence, which started in 2016 with Top 30 album The Machine Stops (showcased here by 'Synchronised Blue' and 'A Solitary Man').
That resurgence and success continued through releases such as 50th Anniversary album All Aboard the Skylark (represented here by space-jazzed instrumental title track) and, bringing us Brock-bang up to date, 'Strange Encounters' from latest album Somnia.
Including an illustrated booklet (with new essay and exclusive interview with Dave Brock) plus poster, Dust Of Time is a fabulous 6CD celebration of the good ship Hawkwind charting its way through more than half-a-century of musical time and space rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Opening the seven-and-a-half-plus hours anthology is the 1968 cover of Willie Dixon’s 'Bring it On Home' by the band’s co-founder, ever-present and seemingly ageless Dave Brock; it’s followed by 1969 space jazz track 'Sweet Mistress of Pain' (credited to Hawkwind Zoo).
The bass pumping, harmonica blowing 'Hurry On Sundown' (here in its mono single version guise) then heralds the arrival of Hawkwind, as it did on their 1970 self-titled debut album.
Disc One also includes songs from the band’s second album In Search Of Space (the wild, space rock jazz of 'You Shouldn’t Do That' and 'Master of The Universe'), hit single 'Silver Machine,' a nine-minute live version of 'Born To Go' and the Hawk-punk stylings of single 'Urban Guerrilla.'
Disc Two concentrates on tracks from the band’s ground-breaking and now classic space rock albums of the early to mid-70s.
Tracks here include classic Doremi Fasol Latido brace 'Brainstorm' and 'Space is Deep' (plus the sci-fi folk of 'The Watcher'); 'Orgone Accumulator' from live album Space Ritual; 'The Psychedelic Warlords' and 'Wind of Change' (along with the single version of 'Paradox') from Hall of the Mountain Grill; 'Assault and Battery/The Golden Void,' 'Magnu' and 'Spiral Galaxy 28948' from Warrior On the Edge of Time.
Disc Three tracks the band’s late 70s transformation from space rock to a more art rock and proto-new wave sound, featuring Robert Calvert on vocals.
'Steppenwolf' and the punkier 'Kerb Crawler' (from Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music), 'Spirit of the Age' (from Quark Strangeness & Charm), 'PSI Power' (from 25 Years On; credited to the Hawklords) and 'Robot' (from PXR5) are five of a number of true highlights from this era.
A more commercial sounding space rock (with emphasis on rock) returned at the end of the 70s through to the early 80s.
Disc Four showcases this era to fine effect, from hard rockin’ live number 'Shot Down in the Night' and seven from back-to-back fan favourites Levitation and Sonic Attack (including the melodic space-rock of 'Motorway City' and the single version of 'Angels of Death,' respectively), to tracks culled from the more experimental & electronic Church Of Hawkwind and Choose Your Masques (the latter’s 'Arrival in Utopia' epitomises this particular Hawk period).
Commercially the latter half of the 80s and the 90s weren’t so successful for Hawkwind, but they still had an ever-loyal fan base through low charting times.
Disc Five highlights the best of the band’s late 80s to early 90s era, including EP track 'Night of the Hawks,' a couple from well-loved release The Chronicle of the Black Sword ('Needle Gun;' Zarozinia'), a number of BBC Live/ Sessions and 'LSD' from space rock meets techno-ambient album, Electric Tepee.
Disc Five makes for a 16 track collective that isn't definitive, but extremely interesting.
The remainder of the 90s and the noughties were even less successful as Hawkwind navigated a space rock path through changing musical times, but they still released a number of notable (if non-charting) studio and live albums.
Disc Six covers both that era (Arabic influenced instrumental 'Space is Their (Palestine),' political protest rocker 'Right to Decide' and the rhythmic space-drift of Love in Space'' are particularly noteworthy inclusions) and the band’s later resurgence, which started in 2016 with Top 30 album The Machine Stops (showcased here by 'Synchronised Blue' and 'A Solitary Man').
That resurgence and success continued through releases such as 50th Anniversary album All Aboard the Skylark (represented here by space-jazzed instrumental title track) and, bringing us Brock-bang up to date, 'Strange Encounters' from latest album Somnia.
Including an illustrated booklet (with new essay and exclusive interview with Dave Brock) plus poster, Dust Of Time is a fabulous 6CD celebration of the good ship Hawkwind charting its way through more than half-a-century of musical time and space rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Ken Hensley - My Book Of Answers
The lyrical poignancy within some of the numbers on Ken Hensley’s final, posthumously released album is sadly fitting (and perhaps fated) given the ex-Uriah Heep legend’s sad passing in November of 2020.
Yet the poetically framed words didn’t come from the song writing mind or pen of Ken Hensley…
My Book Of Answers started as a chance encounter at Alicante airport in 2018 when Russian businessman Vladimir Emelin, whose hobby is writing poetry, was on the same flight to Moscow as Ken Hensley (rock fan Emelin was a huge fan of Hensley).
Discussion soon led to collaboration – from translations of Vladimir’s Emelin’s Russian words into English, Ken Hensley started to fashion what would become the nine songs that feature on My Book Of Answers.
The album, featuring Ken Hensley (vocals, guitars, Hammond, piano) and a core band of Tommy Lopez (drums, backing vocals), Moises Cerezo (bass & backing vocals) and Izzy Cueto (additional guitars) opens in strong, almost vintage Hensley style with the mid-tempo 'Lost.'
A lyrically searching number, 'Lost' features a pumping bass line, atmospheric guitar backing and classic Ken Hensley slide work.
Vintage Hensley is also to the fore on 'Right Here Right Now,' but then it would be, given it’s re-recording of 'Hanging Tree' from Uriah Heep’s 1977 album Firefly.
The reworked Heep classic is the perfect vehicle for Vladimir Emelin’s poem, which could be interpreted as the 'found' sequel to 'Lost' ("Lord, please don´t let my poor heart stray, as I give you my today").
'Cold Sacrifice,' with Hammond backing and quieter, reflective passages, also nods to the Hensley seventies sound; similarly love lost number 'The Silent Scream' ("You remember what we had and what we shared, but the tears fall like rain on what you can´t have again) which features lamenting slide guitar and big-voiced backing on the repeated "it’s real" chorus line.
The ballad 'Cover Girl' (featuring Jacke Knights on piano and a lyric that reflects on when real love becomes "fake love") sits four-square in the balladeering style of Ken Hensley, here hamstrung only by the noticeable strain on Henley’s vocal when he reaches a little.
Similarly weighted but not as impacting is 'Light the Fire (in My Heart),' a love song to music/ musicians and what seems to be a lyrical nod from Vladimir Emelin to Ken Hensley’s past ("Cast your spell on my soul, my magician… by day and by night the wizard´s song went on and on").
'Stand (Chase the Beast Away)' is a slow and folksy acoustic-electric number with "ah-aha-ah" choral vocal backing that recalls a half-speed 'Lady in Black.'
While its stand together lyricism is commendable its round-the-campfire sing-a-long approach makes for the weak point of the album.
Slow rock ballad 'The Darkest Hour' lyrically produces a poignant, foretelling-with-faith moment through Vladimir Emelin’s poetic lines "the hands of the clock they tick and they tock, ever moving forward, no turning back; counting down in my darkest hour, I need you now, I need your power."
Interestingly the included acoustic version (stripped back to accentuate piano (here from David Gonzalez) and string arrangement) is more impacting, probably because of that poignancy and the vulnerability of Ken Hensley’s vocal.
The pulsating groove and quieter atmospheres of closing number 'Suddenly' is another that takes on added poignancy through Vladimir Emelin’s words as delivered by Ken Hensley - "Is this it? Is my life really coming to a close? So suddenly."
It seems that airport meeting and subsequent friendship was fated; for Vladimir Emelin has helped close the Book Of Answers (and lyrical questions) on the life of Kenneth William David Hensley.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Yet the poetically framed words didn’t come from the song writing mind or pen of Ken Hensley…
My Book Of Answers started as a chance encounter at Alicante airport in 2018 when Russian businessman Vladimir Emelin, whose hobby is writing poetry, was on the same flight to Moscow as Ken Hensley (rock fan Emelin was a huge fan of Hensley).
Discussion soon led to collaboration – from translations of Vladimir’s Emelin’s Russian words into English, Ken Hensley started to fashion what would become the nine songs that feature on My Book Of Answers.
The album, featuring Ken Hensley (vocals, guitars, Hammond, piano) and a core band of Tommy Lopez (drums, backing vocals), Moises Cerezo (bass & backing vocals) and Izzy Cueto (additional guitars) opens in strong, almost vintage Hensley style with the mid-tempo 'Lost.'
A lyrically searching number, 'Lost' features a pumping bass line, atmospheric guitar backing and classic Ken Hensley slide work.
Vintage Hensley is also to the fore on 'Right Here Right Now,' but then it would be, given it’s re-recording of 'Hanging Tree' from Uriah Heep’s 1977 album Firefly.
The reworked Heep classic is the perfect vehicle for Vladimir Emelin’s poem, which could be interpreted as the 'found' sequel to 'Lost' ("Lord, please don´t let my poor heart stray, as I give you my today").
'Cold Sacrifice,' with Hammond backing and quieter, reflective passages, also nods to the Hensley seventies sound; similarly love lost number 'The Silent Scream' ("You remember what we had and what we shared, but the tears fall like rain on what you can´t have again) which features lamenting slide guitar and big-voiced backing on the repeated "it’s real" chorus line.
The ballad 'Cover Girl' (featuring Jacke Knights on piano and a lyric that reflects on when real love becomes "fake love") sits four-square in the balladeering style of Ken Hensley, here hamstrung only by the noticeable strain on Henley’s vocal when he reaches a little.
Similarly weighted but not as impacting is 'Light the Fire (in My Heart),' a love song to music/ musicians and what seems to be a lyrical nod from Vladimir Emelin to Ken Hensley’s past ("Cast your spell on my soul, my magician… by day and by night the wizard´s song went on and on").
'Stand (Chase the Beast Away)' is a slow and folksy acoustic-electric number with "ah-aha-ah" choral vocal backing that recalls a half-speed 'Lady in Black.'
While its stand together lyricism is commendable its round-the-campfire sing-a-long approach makes for the weak point of the album.
Slow rock ballad 'The Darkest Hour' lyrically produces a poignant, foretelling-with-faith moment through Vladimir Emelin’s poetic lines "the hands of the clock they tick and they tock, ever moving forward, no turning back; counting down in my darkest hour, I need you now, I need your power."
Interestingly the included acoustic version (stripped back to accentuate piano (here from David Gonzalez) and string arrangement) is more impacting, probably because of that poignancy and the vulnerability of Ken Hensley’s vocal.
The pulsating groove and quieter atmospheres of closing number 'Suddenly' is another that takes on added poignancy through Vladimir Emelin’s words as delivered by Ken Hensley - "Is this it? Is my life really coming to a close? So suddenly."
It seems that airport meeting and subsequent friendship was fated; for Vladimir Emelin has helped close the Book Of Answers (and lyrical questions) on the life of Kenneth William David Hensley.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Malcolm Holcombe – Tricks of the Trade (Deluxe Edition)
In review of Come Hell or High Water, the previous studio album from North Carolina’s roots-folk troubadour Malcom Holcombe, FabricationsHQ made mention that Holcombe’s honest and earthy music is "pulled from the bedrock of the Blue Ridge Southern Appalachians, woodlands and small town grounds" of the lands Holcombe calls home.
It’s also, clearly, where his voice was pulled from, as earthy as the soil that sits atop those grounds and dusty as the roads through them.
While such world-weary vocalisation can be an acquired taste it’s a voice that is as honest as the North Carolina day is long – more importantly, it’s inconceivable to think of Malcolm Holcombe’s rich tapestry of real life lyricism and folk-blues musicality delivered by any other voice.
Take the mid-tempo folk-blues of 'Money Train' for example, which opens Tricks of the Trade, Malcolm Holcombe’s sixth studio album in the last seven years.
The plight of the poor and finger-pointing at the affluent are very much part of Holcombe’s folk-blues fabric and 'Money Train' bitingly aims at the latter through its half sung, half narrated lyric ("I don’t care 'bout the starvin' naked world, somebody else'll fix it; I'm busy in a whirl, on the money train!").
There are also some lovely electric blues licks at six-string play on 'Money Train' (and indeed throughout the album) courtesy of Jared Tyler, who has worked on and off with Holcombe for more than twenty years.
Bass is provided by long-time musical accomplice Dave Roe (the album was recorded at Roe’s Seven Deadly Sins Studios in Nashville) while drum duties are shared by Jerry Roe and Miles McPherson.
Contrast is then provided via the country & western twangs and chorus harmonies of 'Misery Loves Company' (now there’s a country-blues title) and 'Into the Sunlight,' an up-tempo acoustic and electric picking number that carries more than a hint of lyrical ambiguity (another Holcombe trait), but seems to point to the fact that "into the sunlight" we all, indeed, "belong."
There’s further lyrical ambiguity within the lyrics of love song 'Lenora Cynthia,' which is as sweet as it is stark (built upon no more than Malcolm Holcombe’s vocal, acoustic guitar and cello of guest player Ron de la Vega).
But it’s the songs for the forlorn or overlooked that take centre stage more times than not, yet always with a resonance or razor sharp lyric that makes them much more than a simple plea for the poor.
'Damn Rainy Day' for example is an Appalachian folk-blues plea for those on the poverty line ("heat bill's paid and the TV works good enough, but my back still hurts") while the simple rhythm and pseudo gospel choruses (featuring singers Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris) of 'Higher Ground' belie the true lyrical nature of the "freedom to choose, freedom to lose" number ("Hollywood my ass, free carnival glass; another sucker for the man, another sucker for the rats").
Closing number 'Shaky Ground' is the album’s Springsteen in folk mode moment.
A song that lyrically touches on national crises (recently past and still present), 'Shaky Ground' also doubles as the perfect book-end to 'Money Train' ("it must be nice not to face your troubles ev'ry day, with a cocktail in your face to wash away the pain").
For those in early, there’s also 'Windows of Amsterdam,' a red light meets full-bodied (pun intended) folk-rock number exclusive to the first CD run of the album.
Tricks of the Trade perhaps, but Malcomb Holcombe’s seventeenth studio album also carries some of the best tracks of his trade.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It’s also, clearly, where his voice was pulled from, as earthy as the soil that sits atop those grounds and dusty as the roads through them.
While such world-weary vocalisation can be an acquired taste it’s a voice that is as honest as the North Carolina day is long – more importantly, it’s inconceivable to think of Malcolm Holcombe’s rich tapestry of real life lyricism and folk-blues musicality delivered by any other voice.
Take the mid-tempo folk-blues of 'Money Train' for example, which opens Tricks of the Trade, Malcolm Holcombe’s sixth studio album in the last seven years.
The plight of the poor and finger-pointing at the affluent are very much part of Holcombe’s folk-blues fabric and 'Money Train' bitingly aims at the latter through its half sung, half narrated lyric ("I don’t care 'bout the starvin' naked world, somebody else'll fix it; I'm busy in a whirl, on the money train!").
There are also some lovely electric blues licks at six-string play on 'Money Train' (and indeed throughout the album) courtesy of Jared Tyler, who has worked on and off with Holcombe for more than twenty years.
Bass is provided by long-time musical accomplice Dave Roe (the album was recorded at Roe’s Seven Deadly Sins Studios in Nashville) while drum duties are shared by Jerry Roe and Miles McPherson.
Contrast is then provided via the country & western twangs and chorus harmonies of 'Misery Loves Company' (now there’s a country-blues title) and 'Into the Sunlight,' an up-tempo acoustic and electric picking number that carries more than a hint of lyrical ambiguity (another Holcombe trait), but seems to point to the fact that "into the sunlight" we all, indeed, "belong."
There’s further lyrical ambiguity within the lyrics of love song 'Lenora Cynthia,' which is as sweet as it is stark (built upon no more than Malcolm Holcombe’s vocal, acoustic guitar and cello of guest player Ron de la Vega).
But it’s the songs for the forlorn or overlooked that take centre stage more times than not, yet always with a resonance or razor sharp lyric that makes them much more than a simple plea for the poor.
'Damn Rainy Day' for example is an Appalachian folk-blues plea for those on the poverty line ("heat bill's paid and the TV works good enough, but my back still hurts") while the simple rhythm and pseudo gospel choruses (featuring singers Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris) of 'Higher Ground' belie the true lyrical nature of the "freedom to choose, freedom to lose" number ("Hollywood my ass, free carnival glass; another sucker for the man, another sucker for the rats").
Closing number 'Shaky Ground' is the album’s Springsteen in folk mode moment.
A song that lyrically touches on national crises (recently past and still present), 'Shaky Ground' also doubles as the perfect book-end to 'Money Train' ("it must be nice not to face your troubles ev'ry day, with a cocktail in your face to wash away the pain").
For those in early, there’s also 'Windows of Amsterdam,' a red light meets full-bodied (pun intended) folk-rock number exclusive to the first CD run of the album.
Tricks of the Trade perhaps, but Malcomb Holcombe’s seventeenth studio album also carries some of the best tracks of his trade.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hookers & Blow – Hookers & Blow
As the band’s press and self-professed good times attitude would have you believe, Hookers & Blow, formed around the talents of Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed and Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi, got together to form a side-project covers band in 2003 as "an excuse to drink for free in Hollywood."
Given Messrs Reed & Grossi are no strangers to the Hollywood Strip or LA parties there might be more to that statement than meets the eye and beer glass but Hookers & Blow quickly established themselves as serious players on stage and not just in the LA bars.
Indeed the band have since developed near legendary status on the famous Hollywood Strip as one seriously top-notch covers band.
Perhaps inevitable then that, having established themselves and following noted successes such as back-to-back residencies at the Whisky A Go Go in 2013 and a 15th anniversary celebrated by a 25 city headlining tour and supporting the Dead Daises on their first foray through North America, Hookers & Blow have delivered a debut album chock full of some of their favourite songs.
Two years in the on and off / through lockdowns making, the album has been teased over those last couple of years by a number of singles, including a raucous cover of Eddie Money’s 'Shakin’' and an in homage nod to David Bowie via a fairly faithful rendition of his uber-glam classic 'Ziggy Stardust.'
All twelve tracks that make up the Hookers & Blow debut are of rock covers merit (this isn’t just an album recorded for fun, it’s a labour of love), as delivered by Dizzy Reed (who also takes most lead vocals), Alex Grossi and the rest of the current line-up, drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, Quiet Riot), bassist Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.) and Nadja Reed, who adds feminine harmony sass and backing vocal charm to proceedings.
Kicking off with a piano rattlin’ 'Rocks Off' (one of two Rolling Stones songs to be fully Hooker’d; Led Zeppelin also get a double dose of Blow) the band rock and roll their way through a Greatest Hits of classic rock, from the aforementioned 'Rocks Off,' 'Shakin’' and 'Ziggy' Stardust to a monster (sorry) take of Blue Öyster Cult’s 'Godzilla' (featuring the Okai Sisters), a perhaps surprising but nicely delivered version of The Zombies 'Time of the Season' and a great, fun rendition of '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)' by The Beastie Boys, featuring Nadja Reed on lead vocals.
The other Stones number to feature is 'Under My Thumb' (with nice little 'Let’s Spend the Night Together' conclusion) while the Zeppelin double dose is 'Trampled Under Foot' (extended to allow Dizzy Reed to groove out on the keyboard solo while Alex Grossi rocks and wails in the background) and a suitably atmospheric 'No Quarter.'
(The really nice touch here is Grossi’s ex Quiet Riot band mate, the late Frankie Banali, is behind the kit for both Zeppelin numbers).
Elsewhere you’ll find powerful dangers of addiction number 'The Winner Loses' by Body Count (with a slight Hookers & Blow hint of Alice Cooper), Tom Petty’s 'American Girl' and a rockin’ album closer in the shape of Sir Elton’s 'Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.'
Hookers & Blow haven’t reinvented the covers on the wheel here, nor produced anything musically exceptional.
What they have done, however, is achieve what they set out to do – deliver an album that truly epitomises the joy of rock and roll.
Right, whose round is it?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Given Messrs Reed & Grossi are no strangers to the Hollywood Strip or LA parties there might be more to that statement than meets the eye and beer glass but Hookers & Blow quickly established themselves as serious players on stage and not just in the LA bars.
Indeed the band have since developed near legendary status on the famous Hollywood Strip as one seriously top-notch covers band.
Perhaps inevitable then that, having established themselves and following noted successes such as back-to-back residencies at the Whisky A Go Go in 2013 and a 15th anniversary celebrated by a 25 city headlining tour and supporting the Dead Daises on their first foray through North America, Hookers & Blow have delivered a debut album chock full of some of their favourite songs.
Two years in the on and off / through lockdowns making, the album has been teased over those last couple of years by a number of singles, including a raucous cover of Eddie Money’s 'Shakin’' and an in homage nod to David Bowie via a fairly faithful rendition of his uber-glam classic 'Ziggy Stardust.'
All twelve tracks that make up the Hookers & Blow debut are of rock covers merit (this isn’t just an album recorded for fun, it’s a labour of love), as delivered by Dizzy Reed (who also takes most lead vocals), Alex Grossi and the rest of the current line-up, drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, Quiet Riot), bassist Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.) and Nadja Reed, who adds feminine harmony sass and backing vocal charm to proceedings.
Kicking off with a piano rattlin’ 'Rocks Off' (one of two Rolling Stones songs to be fully Hooker’d; Led Zeppelin also get a double dose of Blow) the band rock and roll their way through a Greatest Hits of classic rock, from the aforementioned 'Rocks Off,' 'Shakin’' and 'Ziggy' Stardust to a monster (sorry) take of Blue Öyster Cult’s 'Godzilla' (featuring the Okai Sisters), a perhaps surprising but nicely delivered version of The Zombies 'Time of the Season' and a great, fun rendition of '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)' by The Beastie Boys, featuring Nadja Reed on lead vocals.
The other Stones number to feature is 'Under My Thumb' (with nice little 'Let’s Spend the Night Together' conclusion) while the Zeppelin double dose is 'Trampled Under Foot' (extended to allow Dizzy Reed to groove out on the keyboard solo while Alex Grossi rocks and wails in the background) and a suitably atmospheric 'No Quarter.'
(The really nice touch here is Grossi’s ex Quiet Riot band mate, the late Frankie Banali, is behind the kit for both Zeppelin numbers).
Elsewhere you’ll find powerful dangers of addiction number 'The Winner Loses' by Body Count (with a slight Hookers & Blow hint of Alice Cooper), Tom Petty’s 'American Girl' and a rockin’ album closer in the shape of Sir Elton’s 'Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.'
Hookers & Blow haven’t reinvented the covers on the wheel here, nor produced anything musically exceptional.
What they have done, however, is achieve what they set out to do – deliver an album that truly epitomises the joy of rock and roll.
Right, whose round is it?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Steve Howe – Homebrew 7
As the title suggests, and as will be well-known to the aficionados & collectors of all things Steve Howe, Homebrew 7 is the seventh in an ongoing series of rarity compilations (started in 1996) by the luminary YES guitarist that finds a home for tracks that never found their way into any of Howe’s more established projects such as YES, Asia, GTR, ABWH or his solo albums.
Homebrew 7 also stands proud as the seventh son of a seven album collection and the musical powers such an offspring commands – a best of the Homebrew bunch collection of 21 tracks that have never been released by Steve Howe before, spanning nearly four decades of his notable career (from 1978 to 2016 to be exact).
Some of the tracks have been revisited with additional instrumentation (including contribution from Dylan & Virgil Howe on drums) while others retain their original (but cleaned up) recorded to tape charm.
Additionally, and as detailed by Steve Howe in the 16 page booklet that accompanies the CD, the instruments used are both various and interesting; this gives each piece their own sound, tone and feel, all connected by that quintessential and revered Steve Howe guitar style.
From the short opening brace of the delightfully airy 'The Glider' and delicate autumnal colours of 'October' through to equally short album closers 'Space Void' (Steve Howe does Hawkwind in sixty-seven seconds) and 'From the Get-Go' (a YES sounding piece featuring Howe’s favoured Gibson ES175D), Homebrew 7 is a Homemade collection of highly enjoyable instrumentals, vignette pieces (nine tracks are under two minutes long) and four vocal numbers, including the acoustic 'From Another Day' (which goes back to The Steve Howe Album recording sessions of 1979), the pedal steel featured 'Outstanding Deal' and 'Half Way.'
The latter, a 1997 song that Steve Howe revisited in 2009 and again 2015, features Phil Spalding (bass) and Virgil Howe (drums); it’s also interesting to note this is the vocals/ lyric version of the slightly rearranged instrumental 'While Rome’s Burning' from Howe’s Turbulence album of 1991.
Elsewhere you’ll find little instrumental gems such as the quirky and semi-improvised 'Be Natural,' the even quirkier 'Strange Wayfarer,' the synth guitar textures of 'Deanscape,' the prog-styled 'Safe Haven' and the melodic rock orientated 'Touchstone.'
As short and sonically sweet as all those instrumentals are, the delicately sculpted 'A Lady She Is' (the longest track on the album at just over four minutes), is the pick of the Homebrew 7 bunch.
A personal favourite of Steve Howe’s previously unreleased compositions, the simply structured and beautifully performed 'A Lady She Is' features Howe on aforementioned Gibson ES175D, classical guitar, electric mandolin and bass.
It's also, frankly, worth the admission fee to Homebrew 7 on its own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Homebrew 7 also stands proud as the seventh son of a seven album collection and the musical powers such an offspring commands – a best of the Homebrew bunch collection of 21 tracks that have never been released by Steve Howe before, spanning nearly four decades of his notable career (from 1978 to 2016 to be exact).
Some of the tracks have been revisited with additional instrumentation (including contribution from Dylan & Virgil Howe on drums) while others retain their original (but cleaned up) recorded to tape charm.
Additionally, and as detailed by Steve Howe in the 16 page booklet that accompanies the CD, the instruments used are both various and interesting; this gives each piece their own sound, tone and feel, all connected by that quintessential and revered Steve Howe guitar style.
From the short opening brace of the delightfully airy 'The Glider' and delicate autumnal colours of 'October' through to equally short album closers 'Space Void' (Steve Howe does Hawkwind in sixty-seven seconds) and 'From the Get-Go' (a YES sounding piece featuring Howe’s favoured Gibson ES175D), Homebrew 7 is a Homemade collection of highly enjoyable instrumentals, vignette pieces (nine tracks are under two minutes long) and four vocal numbers, including the acoustic 'From Another Day' (which goes back to The Steve Howe Album recording sessions of 1979), the pedal steel featured 'Outstanding Deal' and 'Half Way.'
The latter, a 1997 song that Steve Howe revisited in 2009 and again 2015, features Phil Spalding (bass) and Virgil Howe (drums); it’s also interesting to note this is the vocals/ lyric version of the slightly rearranged instrumental 'While Rome’s Burning' from Howe’s Turbulence album of 1991.
Elsewhere you’ll find little instrumental gems such as the quirky and semi-improvised 'Be Natural,' the even quirkier 'Strange Wayfarer,' the synth guitar textures of 'Deanscape,' the prog-styled 'Safe Haven' and the melodic rock orientated 'Touchstone.'
As short and sonically sweet as all those instrumentals are, the delicately sculpted 'A Lady She Is' (the longest track on the album at just over four minutes), is the pick of the Homebrew 7 bunch.
A personal favourite of Steve Howe’s previously unreleased compositions, the simply structured and beautifully performed 'A Lady She Is' features Howe on aforementioned Gibson ES175D, classical guitar, electric mandolin and bass.
It's also, frankly, worth the admission fee to Homebrew 7 on its own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Inner Stream – Stain the Sea
The musical ripples of Inner Stream can be traced back to 2008 as a music project conceived by Argentinian vocalist Inés Vera-Ortiz.
Originally working with her brother Jorge in the earliest phase of the project, Inés Vera-Ortiz and Inner Stream have since become a fully-fledged band featuring Vera-Ortiz, Guillermo de Medio (keyboards/ programming), Nicholas Papapicco (drums), Andrea Seveso (guitars) and Mitia Maccaferri (bass).
Such was the promise shown by the quintet Frontiers Records signed them to a multi-album deal, starting with impressive debut offering Stain the Sea.
Whilst the main influence is contemporary rock-metal, the focus is on the vocal and songwriting talents of Inés Vera-Ortiz (whilst she is not in the Jinjer camp of female vocals she is certainly no mere Evanescence copy).
Additionally, there are enough clever ideas and stylistic merges (including symphonic metal, electronic, goth and nü metal), along with some excellent individual performances (Inés Vera-Ortiz and Guillermo de Medio in particular) to keep the listener fully engaged.
Opening track 'Massive Drain' was, interestingly, as Inés Vera-Ortiz explained in its lead-off single promotion, the last song written for the album, during lockdown.
It’s an impressive opener and a good introduction to Vera-Ortiz’s equally impressive voice; the band provide both subtle (atmospheric keyboards) and brutal (heavy guitar parts) backing on a song that's both cleverly arranged and full of good musical ideas, all in just over three minutes of music.
The even shorter 'Fair War' maintains the high standard and skilfully mixes sequencers with heavy staccato guitar parts; 'Hunt You,' one of only three numbers to slip over four minutes, successfully mixes 80s sounding electronica with big guitars (it also highlights the fact there are some great production techniques on this album).
'Aftermath' suffers a little from follow-that-then syndrome after such a strong triple salvo opening, but the semi-anthemic 'Dance With Shades' starts to lift the bar again, courtesy of a tastefully delivered guitar solo and a big chorus.
'Drown Me' drops the tempo for the first time and as such makes a weighty impression; the well-constructed dynamics and production of this number also help mark it out as an album highlight (the almost orchestral keyboard parts by Guillermo de Medio are also worthy of mention).
'If You Dare' is an equally high standard of keyboards/ vocals/ production and multi-layered instrumentation (with headphones the nuances are even more noticeable); by contrast the title track is a more straightforward rocker that’s guaranteed to be a live gig highlight when such events return.
Atmospheric alt-metal number 'The Bridge' (which reminds of American band Faith No More) sports a big, power chord chorus, making for another album highlight.
'Last Drink' unfortunately sounds more like a retread and is another that struggles to follow a weightier predecessor; it does however include a bit of djent metal which should help broaden the band’s appeal.
Final track 'Real' takes the big, anthemic approach – thus working well as a closing number – but it isn’t one of the stronger songs the album.
Stain the Sea is a very, very good album but it's a little over-wrought on occasion (Inés Vera-Ortiz has a great and powerful, voice, but not every line has to be delivered with a long vibrato; there is also a need for a little bit more light and shade in the tempos).
That said choosing to write shorter, sharper songs (which could easily have been over-extended and less impacting) was a smart move, helping to ensure Stain the Sea is not just an impressive first outing from Inner Stream but one of the best debut releases to come out of the Frontiers Records roster.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Originally working with her brother Jorge in the earliest phase of the project, Inés Vera-Ortiz and Inner Stream have since become a fully-fledged band featuring Vera-Ortiz, Guillermo de Medio (keyboards/ programming), Nicholas Papapicco (drums), Andrea Seveso (guitars) and Mitia Maccaferri (bass).
Such was the promise shown by the quintet Frontiers Records signed them to a multi-album deal, starting with impressive debut offering Stain the Sea.
Whilst the main influence is contemporary rock-metal, the focus is on the vocal and songwriting talents of Inés Vera-Ortiz (whilst she is not in the Jinjer camp of female vocals she is certainly no mere Evanescence copy).
Additionally, there are enough clever ideas and stylistic merges (including symphonic metal, electronic, goth and nü metal), along with some excellent individual performances (Inés Vera-Ortiz and Guillermo de Medio in particular) to keep the listener fully engaged.
Opening track 'Massive Drain' was, interestingly, as Inés Vera-Ortiz explained in its lead-off single promotion, the last song written for the album, during lockdown.
It’s an impressive opener and a good introduction to Vera-Ortiz’s equally impressive voice; the band provide both subtle (atmospheric keyboards) and brutal (heavy guitar parts) backing on a song that's both cleverly arranged and full of good musical ideas, all in just over three minutes of music.
The even shorter 'Fair War' maintains the high standard and skilfully mixes sequencers with heavy staccato guitar parts; 'Hunt You,' one of only three numbers to slip over four minutes, successfully mixes 80s sounding electronica with big guitars (it also highlights the fact there are some great production techniques on this album).
'Aftermath' suffers a little from follow-that-then syndrome after such a strong triple salvo opening, but the semi-anthemic 'Dance With Shades' starts to lift the bar again, courtesy of a tastefully delivered guitar solo and a big chorus.
'Drown Me' drops the tempo for the first time and as such makes a weighty impression; the well-constructed dynamics and production of this number also help mark it out as an album highlight (the almost orchestral keyboard parts by Guillermo de Medio are also worthy of mention).
'If You Dare' is an equally high standard of keyboards/ vocals/ production and multi-layered instrumentation (with headphones the nuances are even more noticeable); by contrast the title track is a more straightforward rocker that’s guaranteed to be a live gig highlight when such events return.
Atmospheric alt-metal number 'The Bridge' (which reminds of American band Faith No More) sports a big, power chord chorus, making for another album highlight.
'Last Drink' unfortunately sounds more like a retread and is another that struggles to follow a weightier predecessor; it does however include a bit of djent metal which should help broaden the band’s appeal.
Final track 'Real' takes the big, anthemic approach – thus working well as a closing number – but it isn’t one of the stronger songs the album.
Stain the Sea is a very, very good album but it's a little over-wrought on occasion (Inés Vera-Ortiz has a great and powerful, voice, but not every line has to be delivered with a long vibrato; there is also a need for a little bit more light and shade in the tempos).
That said choosing to write shorter, sharper songs (which could easily have been over-extended and less impacting) was a smart move, helping to ensure Stain the Sea is not just an impressive first outing from Inner Stream but one of the best debut releases to come out of the Frontiers Records roster.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Jagged Edge – Fuel For Your Soul (2CD re-release with bonus tracks)
Jagged Edge, formed by the excellent yet under-valued (as he is to this day) guitarist Myke Gray and fronted by the powerfully voiced Matti Alfonzetti (now of Swedish band Skintrade), are one of many late 80s/ early 90s rock bands that became a wrong place, wrong (changing musical) time casualty.
As such the group’s brand of hybrid rock-metal and heavy AOR was over almost before it began.
Good news then that French label Bad Reputation have released an expanded 2CD edition of the band’s 1990 debut (and only) album, Fuel For Your Soul.
The welcome rerelease comes complete with the 1990 Trouble EP, two non-album tracks (including the bluesy metal of 'Burning Up') and eight bonus tracks
in the shape of four B-sides (including covers of Montrose’s 'Rock the Nation' and Free’s 'Fire and Water') and four live cuts, one of which is a 'rawk'ous rendition of the Eagle’s 'Life In the Fast Lane,' with Myke Gray’s six-string licks and Matti Alfonzetti’s vocal kicks to the fore.
Not that Jagged Edge were all about Messrs Gray and Alfonzetti (who would reunite twenty years later for band project Red, White & Blues, resulting in the tasty little rock-blues album Shine); the band were ably completed by a rock and roll solid rhythm section of Italian drummer Fabio Del Rio (who had been working with Bruce Dickinson) and ex-Tokyo Blade bassist Andy Robbins.
While the EP tracks primarily showcase the band’s rock-metal credentials (such as on Van Halen-styled brace 'Trouble' and 'Rosie Rosie'), the Jeff Glixman produced Fuel For Your Soul is a far bluesier, AOR-metal affair (think Thunder meets Foreigner with a 'Jagged Edge'), as heard on bass pumping, mid-tempo opener 'Liar' and 'You Don’t Love Me,' the only EP song to make the album cut.
The latter, which positively swaggers in its bigger sounding, keyboard backed remix form (no doubt for its exposure as a single), comes across like a bluesier variant of the aforementioned Foreigner (Matti Alfonzetti is very much in Lou Gramm mode here).
The more AOR orientated moments of the album come in the shape of 'Out in the Cold' (an obvious single choice), the title track and ballad 'Loving You Too Long,' but there’s also the 4/4 strut of 'Hell Ain’t a Long Way' (a blues-rock homage to AC/DC if ever you’ve heard one) and the funkier, Thunder-esque groove of 'Sweet Lorraine' (not to be confused with the Uriah Heep classic of the same name).
Myke Gray would go on to be part of the more successful Skin (who also featured Andy Robbins), a band that positively encapsulated the 90s Indie rock/ alt-metal sound (Skin released a clutch of studio albums in the 90s followed by a couple of reunion albums in the late Noughties).
Gray then struck out on his own as a solo artist and songwriter (check out latest album release Shades of Gray 2021).
But there is no question Jagged Edge and Fuel For Your Soul remain one of Myke Gray's (and Matti Alfonzetti’s) biggest and best statements – and an album every fan of late 80s/ early 90s AOR rock-metal should own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
As such the group’s brand of hybrid rock-metal and heavy AOR was over almost before it began.
Good news then that French label Bad Reputation have released an expanded 2CD edition of the band’s 1990 debut (and only) album, Fuel For Your Soul.
The welcome rerelease comes complete with the 1990 Trouble EP, two non-album tracks (including the bluesy metal of 'Burning Up') and eight bonus tracks
in the shape of four B-sides (including covers of Montrose’s 'Rock the Nation' and Free’s 'Fire and Water') and four live cuts, one of which is a 'rawk'ous rendition of the Eagle’s 'Life In the Fast Lane,' with Myke Gray’s six-string licks and Matti Alfonzetti’s vocal kicks to the fore.
Not that Jagged Edge were all about Messrs Gray and Alfonzetti (who would reunite twenty years later for band project Red, White & Blues, resulting in the tasty little rock-blues album Shine); the band were ably completed by a rock and roll solid rhythm section of Italian drummer Fabio Del Rio (who had been working with Bruce Dickinson) and ex-Tokyo Blade bassist Andy Robbins.
While the EP tracks primarily showcase the band’s rock-metal credentials (such as on Van Halen-styled brace 'Trouble' and 'Rosie Rosie'), the Jeff Glixman produced Fuel For Your Soul is a far bluesier, AOR-metal affair (think Thunder meets Foreigner with a 'Jagged Edge'), as heard on bass pumping, mid-tempo opener 'Liar' and 'You Don’t Love Me,' the only EP song to make the album cut.
The latter, which positively swaggers in its bigger sounding, keyboard backed remix form (no doubt for its exposure as a single), comes across like a bluesier variant of the aforementioned Foreigner (Matti Alfonzetti is very much in Lou Gramm mode here).
The more AOR orientated moments of the album come in the shape of 'Out in the Cold' (an obvious single choice), the title track and ballad 'Loving You Too Long,' but there’s also the 4/4 strut of 'Hell Ain’t a Long Way' (a blues-rock homage to AC/DC if ever you’ve heard one) and the funkier, Thunder-esque groove of 'Sweet Lorraine' (not to be confused with the Uriah Heep classic of the same name).
Myke Gray would go on to be part of the more successful Skin (who also featured Andy Robbins), a band that positively encapsulated the 90s Indie rock/ alt-metal sound (Skin released a clutch of studio albums in the 90s followed by a couple of reunion albums in the late Noughties).
Gray then struck out on his own as a solo artist and songwriter (check out latest album release Shades of Gray 2021).
But there is no question Jagged Edge and Fuel For Your Soul remain one of Myke Gray's (and Matti Alfonzetti’s) biggest and best statements – and an album every fan of late 80s/ early 90s AOR rock-metal should own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Robert Jon & The Wreck – Shine a Light on Me Brother
The acclaimed southern and country infused Robert Jon & The Wreck, good as they are (and we’re taking very good indeed) have, in 2021, given themselves quite a hard act to follow – not once, but twice.
In 2020 the band – Robert Jon Burrison (vocals, rhythm guitar), Henry James (lead guitar, b. vocals), Andrew Espantman (drums, b. vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards, b. vocals) and Warren Murrel (bass, b. vocals) – delivered the excellent Last Light on the Highway.
A perfect blend of southern rock, soul and country (and a near cinematic, musically widescreen title track) Last Light on the Highway offered itself up as the best album to date from the Southern California quintet.
Then, earlier this year, Robert Jon & The Wreck followed that Last Light with a new, brighter one in the illuminating shape of 'Shine a Light on Me Brother,' the lead-off single and lead-off song from the band’s new album of that name.
As positive and upbeat a musical & lyrical statement as you’ll hear, 'Shine a Light on Me Brother' is a fabulous mix of Skynyrdesque rock and roll (with some wicked slide from Henry James), New 'awlins brass (courtesy of the 504 Horns), female backing vocal sass and honky-tonk, piano rattling gospel goodness.
Given it’s also one of the best rock 'n' roll songs of the year it makes for that second hard act to follow case.
But follow both Last Light on the Highway and the title track of the new album Robert Jon & The Wreck have, in the Southern California comfort of nine more songs that hit that southern soul, country and rock 'n' roll spot.
'Everyday,' whose honky-tonk stylings sit atop an uber-funky groove (and some cool six-string licks), is another optimistic affair, as is 'Ain’t No Young Love Song,' an up-beat up-tempo celebration of real love.
(Both tracks are graced by the backing vocal presence of Australian trio Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens, as are the title track and two other numbers).
The 504 Horns return in full blues-swing for the sweet soul of 'Chicago' before the slow country-blues of the stripped back 'Hurricane' drops the tempo but not the quality, as proven by the gorgeous guitar solo from Henry James.
The downtempo vibe continues with the Nashville styled 'Desert Sun,' a number the aforementioned Mr James had been playing acoustically for some time.
Good news then that 'Desert Sun' now sits proudly on a Robert Jon & The Wreck album as a full band number; a poignant and honest song of unrequited love and not seeing the warning signs until it’s too late.
'Movin',' which opens with a lazy guitar riff that permeates and underpins throughout, is by far the most individualistic track on the album (southern psychedelic, anyone?) while the melodic charm of the acoustic backed but musically full-bodied 'Anna Maria' belies its doomed relationship lyricism ("why you gotta be so, so cruel?")
Following number, the country-tinged rock ballad 'Brother' is the most touching and moving moment of the album, lyrically highlighting as it does the difficulties of dealing, and living with, mental illness (it also features a poignant and particularly expressive solo from Henry James).
Complete contrast is then provided by closing track 'Radio,' a fun-filled and fun-fuelled honky-tonk hoedown that lyrically cites the struggles every young musician has with an ever less caring, use 'em up and spit 'em back out music industry ("I won't forget Miss Hollywood but thank God she let me go!")
Shine a Light on Me Brother (and sister), down whatever road we travel next – just make sure you travel that road with Robert Jon & The Wreck playing loudly beside you.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
In 2020 the band – Robert Jon Burrison (vocals, rhythm guitar), Henry James (lead guitar, b. vocals), Andrew Espantman (drums, b. vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards, b. vocals) and Warren Murrel (bass, b. vocals) – delivered the excellent Last Light on the Highway.
A perfect blend of southern rock, soul and country (and a near cinematic, musically widescreen title track) Last Light on the Highway offered itself up as the best album to date from the Southern California quintet.
Then, earlier this year, Robert Jon & The Wreck followed that Last Light with a new, brighter one in the illuminating shape of 'Shine a Light on Me Brother,' the lead-off single and lead-off song from the band’s new album of that name.
As positive and upbeat a musical & lyrical statement as you’ll hear, 'Shine a Light on Me Brother' is a fabulous mix of Skynyrdesque rock and roll (with some wicked slide from Henry James), New 'awlins brass (courtesy of the 504 Horns), female backing vocal sass and honky-tonk, piano rattling gospel goodness.
Given it’s also one of the best rock 'n' roll songs of the year it makes for that second hard act to follow case.
But follow both Last Light on the Highway and the title track of the new album Robert Jon & The Wreck have, in the Southern California comfort of nine more songs that hit that southern soul, country and rock 'n' roll spot.
'Everyday,' whose honky-tonk stylings sit atop an uber-funky groove (and some cool six-string licks), is another optimistic affair, as is 'Ain’t No Young Love Song,' an up-beat up-tempo celebration of real love.
(Both tracks are graced by the backing vocal presence of Australian trio Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins and Prinnie Stevens, as are the title track and two other numbers).
The 504 Horns return in full blues-swing for the sweet soul of 'Chicago' before the slow country-blues of the stripped back 'Hurricane' drops the tempo but not the quality, as proven by the gorgeous guitar solo from Henry James.
The downtempo vibe continues with the Nashville styled 'Desert Sun,' a number the aforementioned Mr James had been playing acoustically for some time.
Good news then that 'Desert Sun' now sits proudly on a Robert Jon & The Wreck album as a full band number; a poignant and honest song of unrequited love and not seeing the warning signs until it’s too late.
'Movin',' which opens with a lazy guitar riff that permeates and underpins throughout, is by far the most individualistic track on the album (southern psychedelic, anyone?) while the melodic charm of the acoustic backed but musically full-bodied 'Anna Maria' belies its doomed relationship lyricism ("why you gotta be so, so cruel?")
Following number, the country-tinged rock ballad 'Brother' is the most touching and moving moment of the album, lyrically highlighting as it does the difficulties of dealing, and living with, mental illness (it also features a poignant and particularly expressive solo from Henry James).
Complete contrast is then provided by closing track 'Radio,' a fun-filled and fun-fuelled honky-tonk hoedown that lyrically cites the struggles every young musician has with an ever less caring, use 'em up and spit 'em back out music industry ("I won't forget Miss Hollywood but thank God she let me go!")
Shine a Light on Me Brother (and sister), down whatever road we travel next – just make sure you travel that road with Robert Jon & The Wreck playing loudly beside you.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Liz Jones & Broken Windows – Bricks & Martyrs
Edinburgh based Liz Jones is, at her rootsy heart, a singer-songwriter (and a very fine one at that).
But there’s a lot more to Miss Jones than a handful of well-written blues, jazz or folksy focused songs and an acoustic guitar.
In the company of Broken Windows (John Bruce - guitars; Suzy Cargill - percussion, mandolin); Rod Kennard - bass; Gary Davidson - drum kit; Jamie Hamilton - keys) and a few guest players, the honey-dewed & husky voiced singer has followed up 2017 Broken Windows debut album Songs by Liz Jones
(a mix of Latino influenced pop and French Café jazz) with Bricks & Martyrs (I see what you did there, Liz), a richer offering of roots-blues, jazz, Latin and touches of folk & Americana.
Opener 'Before Me' has a Van Morrison meets rootsy Tex-Mex vibe; piano tinkles and guitar picking rhythms back Liz Jones’ vocally soft but lyrically firm delivery of lovelorn "bricks and martyrs" frustration ("it seems these days you’ll do anything to ignore me… you no longer adore me!")
The slow, jazz-blues swing of the Peggy Lee styled 'Jo' (with accompanying bongo beats) is a cool little number that allows John Bruce to ripple out some equally cool little licks (and even cooler solo) while 'Stain,' with its protest lyric against inequality, returns to the Latino-Santana Lite appeal of the debut album, with that added Liz Jones soft-jazz touch.
The lazy blues of 'Karma' (featuring guest player Gary Martin on harmonica) has Liz Jones vocally lifting (this is a deceptively rangy singer) to ask "is there someone up there?" before the mandolin & acoustic guitar led 'Candle' and the simply arranged but highly effective 'Lover' confirm, in delightful fashion, why Liz Jones is also considered an impassioned roots revivalist.
The more spacious 'Narcissist' vocally sits atop rolling piano lines from Jamie Hamilton (and a short, bluesy solo from guest guitarist Mike Park) before giving way to the up-tempo brace of the decidedly funky 'Wendy' and the rhythm 'n' pop-boogie of 'Call Centre Blues' (another protest song, as made clear by its self-explanatory title and the frustration felt by all of us at one bad call time or another).
Similarly up-tempo and rockin' (by Broken Windows standards) is 'Angel,' a song of sexual attraction and reminisce that grooves atop some cool organ work by guest player Ali Petrie (who also featured on Songs by Liz Jones).
The delicate sway and charm of 'On The Ride' closes out the album, Liz Jones harmonising beautifully with herself while a piano ripples across the song (and at its conclusion).
With an intimate sounding production from Jennifer Clark that perfectly fits the musical mood (tracked live in the studio; Clark also mixed & mastered the album, which has both warmth and sonic clarity) Bricks & Martyrs is also rootsy Slick & Marvellous.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bricks & Martyrs is available on CD & MP3 now via https://www.lizjonesmusic.com/shop/
(Due to industry delays, the Vinyl edition is expected later in the year).
But there’s a lot more to Miss Jones than a handful of well-written blues, jazz or folksy focused songs and an acoustic guitar.
In the company of Broken Windows (John Bruce - guitars; Suzy Cargill - percussion, mandolin); Rod Kennard - bass; Gary Davidson - drum kit; Jamie Hamilton - keys) and a few guest players, the honey-dewed & husky voiced singer has followed up 2017 Broken Windows debut album Songs by Liz Jones
(a mix of Latino influenced pop and French Café jazz) with Bricks & Martyrs (I see what you did there, Liz), a richer offering of roots-blues, jazz, Latin and touches of folk & Americana.
Opener 'Before Me' has a Van Morrison meets rootsy Tex-Mex vibe; piano tinkles and guitar picking rhythms back Liz Jones’ vocally soft but lyrically firm delivery of lovelorn "bricks and martyrs" frustration ("it seems these days you’ll do anything to ignore me… you no longer adore me!")
The slow, jazz-blues swing of the Peggy Lee styled 'Jo' (with accompanying bongo beats) is a cool little number that allows John Bruce to ripple out some equally cool little licks (and even cooler solo) while 'Stain,' with its protest lyric against inequality, returns to the Latino-Santana Lite appeal of the debut album, with that added Liz Jones soft-jazz touch.
The lazy blues of 'Karma' (featuring guest player Gary Martin on harmonica) has Liz Jones vocally lifting (this is a deceptively rangy singer) to ask "is there someone up there?" before the mandolin & acoustic guitar led 'Candle' and the simply arranged but highly effective 'Lover' confirm, in delightful fashion, why Liz Jones is also considered an impassioned roots revivalist.
The more spacious 'Narcissist' vocally sits atop rolling piano lines from Jamie Hamilton (and a short, bluesy solo from guest guitarist Mike Park) before giving way to the up-tempo brace of the decidedly funky 'Wendy' and the rhythm 'n' pop-boogie of 'Call Centre Blues' (another protest song, as made clear by its self-explanatory title and the frustration felt by all of us at one bad call time or another).
Similarly up-tempo and rockin' (by Broken Windows standards) is 'Angel,' a song of sexual attraction and reminisce that grooves atop some cool organ work by guest player Ali Petrie (who also featured on Songs by Liz Jones).
The delicate sway and charm of 'On The Ride' closes out the album, Liz Jones harmonising beautifully with herself while a piano ripples across the song (and at its conclusion).
With an intimate sounding production from Jennifer Clark that perfectly fits the musical mood (tracked live in the studio; Clark also mixed & mastered the album, which has both warmth and sonic clarity) Bricks & Martyrs is also rootsy Slick & Marvellous.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bricks & Martyrs is available on CD & MP3 now via https://www.lizjonesmusic.com/shop/
(Due to industry delays, the Vinyl edition is expected later in the year).
Chez Kane – Chez Kane
While you can’t argue the lead instrument is the powerful voice of Chez Kane (part of the three sisters fronted Kane’d, the contemporary rock-metal septet from Wales) you can certainly argue that Miss Kane’s debut album could have been titled Chez Kane with Danny Rexon.
That Danny Rexon of Swedish glam-metal rockers Crazy Lixx is all over this however (song writing, recording, production, mixing) is no slight on Chez Kane or the 80s to early 90s hard melodic rock style of the album.
Indeed it’s an intentional artist & label collaboration that delivers what all parties wanted – a bona fide, female fronted, huge hooks and harmonies album that used to be such a staple of the aforementioned era (as delivered by the likes of Lee Aaron, Pat Benatar, Lita Ford and Robin Beck) with a little splash of the contemporary.
Opener 'Better Than Love,' with its repeating keyboard motif & atmospheric intro, underlines what this album is all about so authentically you’ll think this is a new found gem from the 80s catalogue of Pat Benatar or one of the best song Miss Benatar never did/ wrote (it’s the latter).
Danny Rexon has also caught that 80s sound perfectly (gated drums, shimmer on the guitar chords) while Chez Kane builds to a vocal that slowly but assuredly lifts to her upper range without ever heading for the frequencies beyond human hearing (high-end warbling divas take note).
The use of saxophone in lieu of the expected guitar for the solo is also a nice touch.
Every 80s band and their uncle (who’s probably playing drums for them now) had to have their own version of Billy Squier’s never-off-rock-radio hit 'The Stroke.'
'All Of It' is the Chez Kane variant, complete with big beat, huge "Hey!" shouts and ridiculously simple but effective fist pumping chorus.
The rockin’ and infectious 'Rocket on the Radio' couldn’t have been better named (had it been 1985 it would be doing exactly what it says on the title); it also manages to include a chorus that’s suspiciously close to the Journey’s 'Be Good to Yourself' in chord structure and melody line (however that does guarantee an ear-catching hook you may find yourself singing the rest of the day).
Oh, and there’s the mandatory "rock, rock, rocket on the radio!" fade out, natch.
'Get it On' is the multi-layered vocal, up-tempo power-pop number of the album and another that wouldn’t have been off rock radio or MTV back in the melodically rock ‘n’ poppin’ day.
'Too Late For Love' and 'Ball N’ Chain' up the melodic rock ante considerably while delivering simple but highly effective ear-worm choruses (a Danny Rexon strength) and perfectly pitched (in both senses) vocal displays from Chez Kane.
'Defender of the Heart' tells you all you need to know without further description but suffice to say it’s a nod to those mid-tempo, arms in the air numbers Heart positively owned back in the big hair day (similarly the pacier 'Die in the Name of Love').
'Midnight Rendezvous' is the sort of heads down, contemporary rocker that, with background keys removed and a second guitar added, would not be out of place on a Kane’d or Crazy Lixx album; as such it makes for a nice change of frantic pace.
'Dead End Street' is the perfect Benatar-esque book-end to 'Better Than Love.'
Similarly atmospheric, the mid-tempo album closer includes a call back for the sax appeal of the opening number.
If you be a devotee of the artists and era mentioned at the top of this review, as delivered by a fine singer under the simpatico guidance of Danny Rexon, then Chez Kane is so far up your street as to be in your living room and curled up on the couch singing along to MTVs greatest melodic rock moments of the 80s.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That Danny Rexon of Swedish glam-metal rockers Crazy Lixx is all over this however (song writing, recording, production, mixing) is no slight on Chez Kane or the 80s to early 90s hard melodic rock style of the album.
Indeed it’s an intentional artist & label collaboration that delivers what all parties wanted – a bona fide, female fronted, huge hooks and harmonies album that used to be such a staple of the aforementioned era (as delivered by the likes of Lee Aaron, Pat Benatar, Lita Ford and Robin Beck) with a little splash of the contemporary.
Opener 'Better Than Love,' with its repeating keyboard motif & atmospheric intro, underlines what this album is all about so authentically you’ll think this is a new found gem from the 80s catalogue of Pat Benatar or one of the best song Miss Benatar never did/ wrote (it’s the latter).
Danny Rexon has also caught that 80s sound perfectly (gated drums, shimmer on the guitar chords) while Chez Kane builds to a vocal that slowly but assuredly lifts to her upper range without ever heading for the frequencies beyond human hearing (high-end warbling divas take note).
The use of saxophone in lieu of the expected guitar for the solo is also a nice touch.
Every 80s band and their uncle (who’s probably playing drums for them now) had to have their own version of Billy Squier’s never-off-rock-radio hit 'The Stroke.'
'All Of It' is the Chez Kane variant, complete with big beat, huge "Hey!" shouts and ridiculously simple but effective fist pumping chorus.
The rockin’ and infectious 'Rocket on the Radio' couldn’t have been better named (had it been 1985 it would be doing exactly what it says on the title); it also manages to include a chorus that’s suspiciously close to the Journey’s 'Be Good to Yourself' in chord structure and melody line (however that does guarantee an ear-catching hook you may find yourself singing the rest of the day).
Oh, and there’s the mandatory "rock, rock, rocket on the radio!" fade out, natch.
'Get it On' is the multi-layered vocal, up-tempo power-pop number of the album and another that wouldn’t have been off rock radio or MTV back in the melodically rock ‘n’ poppin’ day.
'Too Late For Love' and 'Ball N’ Chain' up the melodic rock ante considerably while delivering simple but highly effective ear-worm choruses (a Danny Rexon strength) and perfectly pitched (in both senses) vocal displays from Chez Kane.
'Defender of the Heart' tells you all you need to know without further description but suffice to say it’s a nod to those mid-tempo, arms in the air numbers Heart positively owned back in the big hair day (similarly the pacier 'Die in the Name of Love').
'Midnight Rendezvous' is the sort of heads down, contemporary rocker that, with background keys removed and a second guitar added, would not be out of place on a Kane’d or Crazy Lixx album; as such it makes for a nice change of frantic pace.
'Dead End Street' is the perfect Benatar-esque book-end to 'Better Than Love.'
Similarly atmospheric, the mid-tempo album closer includes a call back for the sax appeal of the opening number.
If you be a devotee of the artists and era mentioned at the top of this review, as delivered by a fine singer under the simpatico guidance of Danny Rexon, then Chez Kane is so far up your street as to be in your living room and curled up on the couch singing along to MTVs greatest melodic rock moments of the 80s.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tony Kaye – End Of Innocence
The debut solo album from ex Yes man (and the band’s original keyboardist) Tony Kaye, hasn’t just been twenty years in the making, it’s a story within a story – a personal In musical memoriam and Requiem Suite to the near three thousand innocent lives lost amidst the heinous attack on the Twin Towers of The World Trade Centre, while a disbelieving world watched on.
That terrorist attack in New York City on the 11th of September 2001 will not soon be forgotten; certainly not by those directly or indirectly affected, including Tony Kaye, a resident of the US since 1974.
Having retired from music in 1996, Kaye was so moved by the events of 9-11 that the very next day he unpacked his keyboards (their first sighting for quite some time) and started sketching, scripting and scoring.
Two decades on, at the twentieth anniversary of 9-11, comes the 73 minute 16 part End Of Innocence, which actually starts the night before with the evening sky lullaby 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' sung by Tony Kaye’s singer-songwriter wife Dani Torchia.
But as heard on the introduction of that same track, the tropical storms from Hurricane Erin that were starting to blow out to sea were to usher in a newer, more terrifying storm the following day.
End Of Innocence continues through its sixteen movements to tell the story of that fateful day through, first, the jazzier late night second half of 'Twinkle Twinkle...' ('Twilight Time') before a calm yet sinister foreboding of synth notes and anxious percussion herald in the '911 Overture,' itself followed by the shorter, piano-jazz of 'NYC Blues.'
The longer-form 'Battle Cry' then acts as a primarily rhythmic scene setter while '285 Fulton Street' musically depicts images of ordinary New York City life (including a street band playing) as people head to work at The World Trade Centre.
(It’s worth noting at this point the poignant track-by-track narratives that form part of the 20 page CD booklet, offering snapshots of the life (and in many cases the subsequent death) of people who were around the area, in the Towers or boarding one of the ill-fated flights).
The tragic loss of the latter is described in the chilling yet highly emotive 'Flight 11,' which features conversations flight attendants were having with the Control Tower as the terrifying reality of the situation became clear.
The frantic struggles within the aircraft are played out by Tony Kaye’s keyboard work, which supports the powerful, percussive drum soloing of Jay Schellen (Circa, Unruly Child, YES live).
As the 'Towers Fall' (to the sounds of collapse and darker synths) the End Of Innocence suite shifts to its second phase, that of lament (Dani Torchia delicately singing her own composition, 'Sweetest Dreams') and
(the reflective) 'Aftermath,' as the 'Heroes' of the hour are commemorated (via a quite beautiful piano and synths piece).
The feature-length piece of the Suite, the progressively framed 'The Battle,' conjures images of the ensuing war on terror (darker passages, middle eastern motifs and pacier, organ & percussion driven sequences) before 'Hope and Triumph' emerges in the shape of an uplifting ballad.
The latter leads to a melancholic 'Homecoming' (a plaintive mix of acoustic guitar and synth washes) as reflection and thoughts return to 'Ground Zero' through a touching, piano led & synth-backed remembrance.
Tony Kaye’s requiem suite to the End Of Innocence is a sculptured and at times moving work.
More importantly it's a fitting tribute to those lost.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tony Kaye, Spirit of Unicorn Music and Cherry Red Records are donating 10% of all profits from End Of Innocence to The Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans, defenders, first responders, their families and those in need.
That terrorist attack in New York City on the 11th of September 2001 will not soon be forgotten; certainly not by those directly or indirectly affected, including Tony Kaye, a resident of the US since 1974.
Having retired from music in 1996, Kaye was so moved by the events of 9-11 that the very next day he unpacked his keyboards (their first sighting for quite some time) and started sketching, scripting and scoring.
Two decades on, at the twentieth anniversary of 9-11, comes the 73 minute 16 part End Of Innocence, which actually starts the night before with the evening sky lullaby 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' sung by Tony Kaye’s singer-songwriter wife Dani Torchia.
But as heard on the introduction of that same track, the tropical storms from Hurricane Erin that were starting to blow out to sea were to usher in a newer, more terrifying storm the following day.
End Of Innocence continues through its sixteen movements to tell the story of that fateful day through, first, the jazzier late night second half of 'Twinkle Twinkle...' ('Twilight Time') before a calm yet sinister foreboding of synth notes and anxious percussion herald in the '911 Overture,' itself followed by the shorter, piano-jazz of 'NYC Blues.'
The longer-form 'Battle Cry' then acts as a primarily rhythmic scene setter while '285 Fulton Street' musically depicts images of ordinary New York City life (including a street band playing) as people head to work at The World Trade Centre.
(It’s worth noting at this point the poignant track-by-track narratives that form part of the 20 page CD booklet, offering snapshots of the life (and in many cases the subsequent death) of people who were around the area, in the Towers or boarding one of the ill-fated flights).
The tragic loss of the latter is described in the chilling yet highly emotive 'Flight 11,' which features conversations flight attendants were having with the Control Tower as the terrifying reality of the situation became clear.
The frantic struggles within the aircraft are played out by Tony Kaye’s keyboard work, which supports the powerful, percussive drum soloing of Jay Schellen (Circa, Unruly Child, YES live).
As the 'Towers Fall' (to the sounds of collapse and darker synths) the End Of Innocence suite shifts to its second phase, that of lament (Dani Torchia delicately singing her own composition, 'Sweetest Dreams') and
(the reflective) 'Aftermath,' as the 'Heroes' of the hour are commemorated (via a quite beautiful piano and synths piece).
The feature-length piece of the Suite, the progressively framed 'The Battle,' conjures images of the ensuing war on terror (darker passages, middle eastern motifs and pacier, organ & percussion driven sequences) before 'Hope and Triumph' emerges in the shape of an uplifting ballad.
The latter leads to a melancholic 'Homecoming' (a plaintive mix of acoustic guitar and synth washes) as reflection and thoughts return to 'Ground Zero' through a touching, piano led & synth-backed remembrance.
Tony Kaye’s requiem suite to the End Of Innocence is a sculptured and at times moving work.
More importantly it's a fitting tribute to those lost.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tony Kaye, Spirit of Unicorn Music and Cherry Red Records are donating 10% of all profits from End Of Innocence to The Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans, defenders, first responders, their families and those in need.
Lee Kerslake – Eleventeen
The reflective piano, acoustic guitar and lyrical introduction ("I’ve got something to say… no, no, it just can’t wait... for time will pass us by before we know it") to country-tinged boy meets girl number 'Celia Sienna' takes on added poignancy given the sad passing of Lee Kerslake (most famously of Uriah Heep and Blizzard of Ozz) in September of 2020, leading to the now posthumous release of his solo album Eleventeen.
The country soft charm of the opening number sets the musical and reflective tone of Eleventeen, an album Lee Kerslake (vocals, drums, keys) and contributing musician Jake Libretto (all guitars, high harmony vocals) started to work on in 2015 but only completed in 2019 (recording time was restricted due to Kerslake’s ongoing illnesses and treatments).
Indeed, if you’re looking for Heepified rock and roll and Blizzardly drumming you’ve come to the wrong place.
But if you want to hear the softer side of Lee Kerslake who, outside of his backing and harmony vocal work with Uriah Heep never got a chance to show how good a singer he was and whose love of music went beyond rock to pop, crooner and big-band swing, then welcome to Eleventeen.
That’s not to say "The Bear" doesn’t rock out a little – 'Take Nothing For Granted' carries an essence of Heep in its rock beat and harmonies while 'Home is Where the Heart Is' melodically rocks in purposeful fashion.
But the other six songs on offer focus on the lighter and personal side of Lee Kerslake, typified by 60s tinged reflection & regret ballad 'Where Do We Go From Here' and Kerslake's crooner moment, a cover of Carole King’s classic 'You’ve Got a Friend,' dedicated to all the friends he has met, known and loved through music.
Similarly friend related is 'Port and a Brandy,' an old-time pub piano and banjo drink-a-long song that’s not just a nod to past drinking buddies but clearly raises a glass to his old mate Mick Box and their ‘Appy Days together (as noted by Box on the sleeve notes).
There are elements of schmaltz too, truth be told, such as the keyboard-strings of six-minute lullaby ballad 'You May Be Yourself (But You’re Never Alone),' which opens with the cries of a baby and the soothing tones of a father, and on the closing instrumental track, 'Mom.'
But the musical facts of the family orientated matter is the former is sung, and the latter played, with genuine sincerity.
'You May Be By Yourself' (not dissimilar to the sort of song the late Ray Thomas would croon over back in the Moody Blues day) was written around a touching moment Lee Kerslake witnessed between good friend and ex bandmate Bob Daisley and his young daughter.
'Mom,' in guitar-led instrumental contrast, is "dedicated to all the mums in the world we should never take for granted;" it's a tune and sentiment that takes on even more meaning for those of us who lost parents to Covid-19 in 2020 and, sadly, for others, the continuing early months of 2021.
Eleventeen is not perfect; given Lee Kerslake’s illnesses and health over the last few years it never could be (you can hear slightly weaker vocals on a couple of numbers that seem to track his diminishing health and strength).
But it is the perfect sign-off from a musician who was as life-loving and gregarious an individual as he was a legendary rock drummer.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The country soft charm of the opening number sets the musical and reflective tone of Eleventeen, an album Lee Kerslake (vocals, drums, keys) and contributing musician Jake Libretto (all guitars, high harmony vocals) started to work on in 2015 but only completed in 2019 (recording time was restricted due to Kerslake’s ongoing illnesses and treatments).
Indeed, if you’re looking for Heepified rock and roll and Blizzardly drumming you’ve come to the wrong place.
But if you want to hear the softer side of Lee Kerslake who, outside of his backing and harmony vocal work with Uriah Heep never got a chance to show how good a singer he was and whose love of music went beyond rock to pop, crooner and big-band swing, then welcome to Eleventeen.
That’s not to say "The Bear" doesn’t rock out a little – 'Take Nothing For Granted' carries an essence of Heep in its rock beat and harmonies while 'Home is Where the Heart Is' melodically rocks in purposeful fashion.
But the other six songs on offer focus on the lighter and personal side of Lee Kerslake, typified by 60s tinged reflection & regret ballad 'Where Do We Go From Here' and Kerslake's crooner moment, a cover of Carole King’s classic 'You’ve Got a Friend,' dedicated to all the friends he has met, known and loved through music.
Similarly friend related is 'Port and a Brandy,' an old-time pub piano and banjo drink-a-long song that’s not just a nod to past drinking buddies but clearly raises a glass to his old mate Mick Box and their ‘Appy Days together (as noted by Box on the sleeve notes).
There are elements of schmaltz too, truth be told, such as the keyboard-strings of six-minute lullaby ballad 'You May Be Yourself (But You’re Never Alone),' which opens with the cries of a baby and the soothing tones of a father, and on the closing instrumental track, 'Mom.'
But the musical facts of the family orientated matter is the former is sung, and the latter played, with genuine sincerity.
'You May Be By Yourself' (not dissimilar to the sort of song the late Ray Thomas would croon over back in the Moody Blues day) was written around a touching moment Lee Kerslake witnessed between good friend and ex bandmate Bob Daisley and his young daughter.
'Mom,' in guitar-led instrumental contrast, is "dedicated to all the mums in the world we should never take for granted;" it's a tune and sentiment that takes on even more meaning for those of us who lost parents to Covid-19 in 2020 and, sadly, for others, the continuing early months of 2021.
Eleventeen is not perfect; given Lee Kerslake’s illnesses and health over the last few years it never could be (you can hear slightly weaker vocals on a couple of numbers that seem to track his diminishing health and strength).
But it is the perfect sign-off from a musician who was as life-loving and gregarious an individual as he was a legendary rock drummer.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kreek – Kreek
What it was hoped the sadly now disbanded British hard & melodic rock outfit Bigfoot would aspire to following their impressive 2017 self-titled debut album is, potentially, where Kreek, featuring ex-Bigfoot front man Antony Ellis, may be headed.
They are certainly off to a solid start with their own self-titled debut which, while ploughing a similar classic meets contemporary rock furrow as Bigfoot, has subtle yet obvious differences that should hopefully elevate Antony Ellis and his new band of musical brothers – Nick Clarke (guitar), Seb Sweet (drums) and Lee Andrews (bass) – to a higher rock plane, by exploring a broader rock canvas.
That the album also sports an earthy but effective and uncluttered production from Dan Rossall (Passion, Revolution Saints), doesn’t do the band or the songs any harm, either.
Take opener 'At the Bottom of Hell' as a more adventurous band example.
A six-and-a-half-minutes plus number that’s as brooding as it is atmospheric and contemporary, 'At the Bottom of Hell' features a purposeful, driving rhythm from Messrs Sweet & Andrews and some tasty solo work from Nick Clarke.
By contrast the high-velocity pace of following track 'Missiles' matches its title before the tempo is dropped (but not the intensity) and angry backing shouts of "Go!" raised while being invited to 'Meet Your Maker' on the raspy riffed number of that name.
'Million Dollar Man' was the perfect choice as lead-off taster single, mixing as it does a wicked little riff, big beat, a hooky chorus and a weighty bridge (where Nick Clark once again gets to fire off some lead guitar sparks).
In short, a fine four-and-a-half-minute mini presentation of Kreek at their infectious and melodically charged best.
Not everything however is as immediately impacting.
'One Voice,' a brooding and bass rattling downtempo number with hints of Ozzy, adds yet another shade to Antony Ellis’ and Kreek’s vocal and musical colours but doesn’t quite make the intended impact.
The same issue plagues the grittier, bass pumping 'Down ‘N Dirty' but only because it’s the type of song, complete with clichéd lyric, that’s been heard too many times before.
Both songs do allow Anthony Ellis to stretch the tonsils a little more however (not so much in range as in wider dynamics).
The galloping, classic rock styled sections (UFO meets Maiden) of 'Man on My Shoulder' is a far punchier affair; contrast is then provided by the mid-tempo swagger of chest thrusting all-for-one blues rocker, 'Stand Together.'
Equally swaggering is penultimate number 'Get Up,' which flits from bass driven verse sections and thicker guitar riffage to muscly "whoa oh-oh" chorus celebrations that recall Extreme.
Further contrast comes by way of closing number 'You’re On Your Own,' which manages to mix a slow blues rock vibe with Bon Jovi lyricism (and an obligatory helping of slower, "oh, oh-oh" chorus backings).
It was bad news for many a rock fan to find out that not only is Bigfoot no longer in existence, Antony Ellis was last seen up a Kreek.
The good news however is Mr Ellis brought not just a very strong paddle but three very capable oarsmen.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
They are certainly off to a solid start with their own self-titled debut which, while ploughing a similar classic meets contemporary rock furrow as Bigfoot, has subtle yet obvious differences that should hopefully elevate Antony Ellis and his new band of musical brothers – Nick Clarke (guitar), Seb Sweet (drums) and Lee Andrews (bass) – to a higher rock plane, by exploring a broader rock canvas.
That the album also sports an earthy but effective and uncluttered production from Dan Rossall (Passion, Revolution Saints), doesn’t do the band or the songs any harm, either.
Take opener 'At the Bottom of Hell' as a more adventurous band example.
A six-and-a-half-minutes plus number that’s as brooding as it is atmospheric and contemporary, 'At the Bottom of Hell' features a purposeful, driving rhythm from Messrs Sweet & Andrews and some tasty solo work from Nick Clarke.
By contrast the high-velocity pace of following track 'Missiles' matches its title before the tempo is dropped (but not the intensity) and angry backing shouts of "Go!" raised while being invited to 'Meet Your Maker' on the raspy riffed number of that name.
'Million Dollar Man' was the perfect choice as lead-off taster single, mixing as it does a wicked little riff, big beat, a hooky chorus and a weighty bridge (where Nick Clark once again gets to fire off some lead guitar sparks).
In short, a fine four-and-a-half-minute mini presentation of Kreek at their infectious and melodically charged best.
Not everything however is as immediately impacting.
'One Voice,' a brooding and bass rattling downtempo number with hints of Ozzy, adds yet another shade to Antony Ellis’ and Kreek’s vocal and musical colours but doesn’t quite make the intended impact.
The same issue plagues the grittier, bass pumping 'Down ‘N Dirty' but only because it’s the type of song, complete with clichéd lyric, that’s been heard too many times before.
Both songs do allow Anthony Ellis to stretch the tonsils a little more however (not so much in range as in wider dynamics).
The galloping, classic rock styled sections (UFO meets Maiden) of 'Man on My Shoulder' is a far punchier affair; contrast is then provided by the mid-tempo swagger of chest thrusting all-for-one blues rocker, 'Stand Together.'
Equally swaggering is penultimate number 'Get Up,' which flits from bass driven verse sections and thicker guitar riffage to muscly "whoa oh-oh" chorus celebrations that recall Extreme.
Further contrast comes by way of closing number 'You’re On Your Own,' which manages to mix a slow blues rock vibe with Bon Jovi lyricism (and an obligatory helping of slower, "oh, oh-oh" chorus backings).
It was bad news for many a rock fan to find out that not only is Bigfoot no longer in existence, Antony Ellis was last seen up a Kreek.
The good news however is Mr Ellis brought not just a very strong paddle but three very capable oarsmen.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Andy Lindquist – Blues Soul Groove
Florida based musician Andy Lindquist, a ridiculously prolific songwriter and true solo artist (all instrumentation, vocals and recording processes including pre and post production), delivered his tenth blues offering and 70th album overall, Blues Soul Groove, at the top of 2021.
It follows in the musical footsteps of 2020’s Blues By Twos but leaves a bigger, and wider, imprint than that album due to the fact its 13 tracks carry a palette of more blues shades – good as it was, the lengthy 16 track Blues By Twos was also Blues By Too many songs; its predominately thick guitar tones and swampy meets bar-room blues style would have been better served as a tighter and shorter 12 or 13 track album.
Blues Soul Groove is also, as the title suggests, as much about the soul groove as the blues itself – the slow, melodic and 70s soul affected title track and the blues-soulful 'As the Blues Turn' being notable and effective cases in point.
The Andy Lindquist blues sound (his own backing/ harmony vocals and recording techniques garner him a very distinct style) is also heard to fine effect on tracks such as the baptising blues shuffle 'That’s Where I Born My Blues,' swampy rhythm meets ZZ riff number 'The Hands of the Devil' and the guitar crying prophecy blues of 'Doomed to Repeat it.'
Other highlights include lead-off single and opening number 'By the Foot of John Lee,' a song that nods to Mr Hooker (one of many Andy Lindquist influences) in fine, acoustic led, electric backed, fashion (including an "uh-hoh-huh-hoh" or two, natch).
But it never has nor ever will be all about the blues for Andy Lindquist – other notable 2020 albums from the multi-genre musician included Dakota Country (delivering exactly what it says on the title with a splash of cowboy ‘n’ western) and the keyboard and harmonies led 70s vibe of Less Ain’t More.
That said there is no question Andy Lindquist has, not unlike the title of album number 70, got a seriously soulful blues groove goin’ on – and given the current pandemic times and what was happening in Lindquist’s un-United States around the time of this album’s January release, it’s probably never been more timely that Mr Lindquist is singing the blues.
As if to prove that blues for the country point the mid-tempo anger of 'Bully Blues (Cult Blood)' and slower, soul-blues of 'Still Dragging Those Chains' let you know that Andy Lindquist has his finger on the pulse of (hopefully now past) abuse-of-power politics and (still very present) heartbeat of the Black Lives Matter movement, respectively.
There's also the slightly more southern stomp-Lite of 'Dirty Up the Water,' which sits dead centre of the album, lyrically touching on the issues of both privilege and colour.
Recent blues outings from Andy Lindquist include Full Pain Love, Nuff Yo Stuff, Blues By Twos and, now, Blues Soul Groove.
Here’s another couple of three-word titles for you.
Great Little Album. Prolifically Gifted Artist.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It follows in the musical footsteps of 2020’s Blues By Twos but leaves a bigger, and wider, imprint than that album due to the fact its 13 tracks carry a palette of more blues shades – good as it was, the lengthy 16 track Blues By Twos was also Blues By Too many songs; its predominately thick guitar tones and swampy meets bar-room blues style would have been better served as a tighter and shorter 12 or 13 track album.
Blues Soul Groove is also, as the title suggests, as much about the soul groove as the blues itself – the slow, melodic and 70s soul affected title track and the blues-soulful 'As the Blues Turn' being notable and effective cases in point.
The Andy Lindquist blues sound (his own backing/ harmony vocals and recording techniques garner him a very distinct style) is also heard to fine effect on tracks such as the baptising blues shuffle 'That’s Where I Born My Blues,' swampy rhythm meets ZZ riff number 'The Hands of the Devil' and the guitar crying prophecy blues of 'Doomed to Repeat it.'
Other highlights include lead-off single and opening number 'By the Foot of John Lee,' a song that nods to Mr Hooker (one of many Andy Lindquist influences) in fine, acoustic led, electric backed, fashion (including an "uh-hoh-huh-hoh" or two, natch).
But it never has nor ever will be all about the blues for Andy Lindquist – other notable 2020 albums from the multi-genre musician included Dakota Country (delivering exactly what it says on the title with a splash of cowboy ‘n’ western) and the keyboard and harmonies led 70s vibe of Less Ain’t More.
That said there is no question Andy Lindquist has, not unlike the title of album number 70, got a seriously soulful blues groove goin’ on – and given the current pandemic times and what was happening in Lindquist’s un-United States around the time of this album’s January release, it’s probably never been more timely that Mr Lindquist is singing the blues.
As if to prove that blues for the country point the mid-tempo anger of 'Bully Blues (Cult Blood)' and slower, soul-blues of 'Still Dragging Those Chains' let you know that Andy Lindquist has his finger on the pulse of (hopefully now past) abuse-of-power politics and (still very present) heartbeat of the Black Lives Matter movement, respectively.
There's also the slightly more southern stomp-Lite of 'Dirty Up the Water,' which sits dead centre of the album, lyrically touching on the issues of both privilege and colour.
Recent blues outings from Andy Lindquist include Full Pain Love, Nuff Yo Stuff, Blues By Twos and, now, Blues Soul Groove.
Here’s another couple of three-word titles for you.
Great Little Album. Prolifically Gifted Artist.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Andy Lindquist – Stand Abide Endure
Andy Lindquist celebrated his 75th album on his own Mauntra Records (yep, count ‘em; as mentioned oft-times before this is one seriously driven, musically prolific artist) in fine style.
It’s also fitting Stand Abide Endure is another blues offering, given that’s where Lindquist’s multi-faceted music heart beats strongest, certainly in terms of his own variant of the genre (incorporating thick guitars, southern/ Floridian swamp blues and grittier, New Orleans & Bayou blues).
Andy Lindquist gets that swamp on early for 'The River Queen,' which lyrically tells the tale of an old blues club
a youthful Lindquist would sneak into to catch his fill of the blues.
In short, bitten by the blues bug at a very young age; and numerous ear-catching blues albums later he’s clearly not in search or in need of an antidote.
Following number 'Call of the Rooster' is a gritty guitars, blues harp and cock-a-doodle "doo-hoo!" of a song that carries shades of Howlin’ Wolf (never a bad thing).
Such a gritty underbelly (a trait of Andy Lindquist when in blues mode), as heard on the lyrically darker grunge-blues of 'The Price of Whisky' and the riff and slide driven 'Atlanta Burns,' is tempered by the acoustic 'Why Do Flowers Have to Bloom' and country-folk blues number 'Even When the Sun Don’t Shine.'
(The latter, much like Andy Lindquist himself, finds a way to be highly positive even in the cloudiest or most pessimistic of days).
Further blues diversity comes by way of the Stonesy 'No Vacation,' the reggae-ska blues of 'C’mon and Call Me,' the funkier groove of 'Swamp Thing,' the folk charm and harmonies of love song 'Just Like a Circle' and the light & dark of wake-up call number 'Grey Bones.'
And then there’s 'Blues Upon the Red,' a blues crying and levy breaking tale of a church leader who was also a KKK grand master, and got his deserved comeuppance ("Reverend Halsey Ambrose took this city down, he filled his life with sin and put a curse on this town; he preached up hatred for the black man, so the river done take up his mortal soul and he ain’t been seen again.")
Given the latter is based on a true story only one generation removed, along with the fact we still haven’t learned the values of acceptance or equality, it makes for a sobering song – as does, more literally, closing number '29,' an intentionally old sounding (the intro & outro "record scratches" are a nice touch) folksy guitar and vocal number that celebrates Andy Lindquist’s twenty nine years of sobriety.
That sign-off, along with bouts of bad luck and (by his own publicised admission) some serious, life threatening health issues that would have seen lesser individuals go under, mean the title of album number seventy-five also doubles as Andy Lindquist’s personal mission statement.
If there’s a criticism to be made it should be that Andy Lindquist has, not for the first time, fallen into the couple of songs too many trap.
But, track by track truth be told, he’s pitched it just about right because the 15 songs and just over one hour of music that make up Stand Abide Endure have enough varying shades of blues to make each song selection a valid one.
The results are yet another hour in the company of Andy Lindquist that’s well worth the time, y’all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It’s also fitting Stand Abide Endure is another blues offering, given that’s where Lindquist’s multi-faceted music heart beats strongest, certainly in terms of his own variant of the genre (incorporating thick guitars, southern/ Floridian swamp blues and grittier, New Orleans & Bayou blues).
Andy Lindquist gets that swamp on early for 'The River Queen,' which lyrically tells the tale of an old blues club
a youthful Lindquist would sneak into to catch his fill of the blues.
In short, bitten by the blues bug at a very young age; and numerous ear-catching blues albums later he’s clearly not in search or in need of an antidote.
Following number 'Call of the Rooster' is a gritty guitars, blues harp and cock-a-doodle "doo-hoo!" of a song that carries shades of Howlin’ Wolf (never a bad thing).
Such a gritty underbelly (a trait of Andy Lindquist when in blues mode), as heard on the lyrically darker grunge-blues of 'The Price of Whisky' and the riff and slide driven 'Atlanta Burns,' is tempered by the acoustic 'Why Do Flowers Have to Bloom' and country-folk blues number 'Even When the Sun Don’t Shine.'
(The latter, much like Andy Lindquist himself, finds a way to be highly positive even in the cloudiest or most pessimistic of days).
Further blues diversity comes by way of the Stonesy 'No Vacation,' the reggae-ska blues of 'C’mon and Call Me,' the funkier groove of 'Swamp Thing,' the folk charm and harmonies of love song 'Just Like a Circle' and the light & dark of wake-up call number 'Grey Bones.'
And then there’s 'Blues Upon the Red,' a blues crying and levy breaking tale of a church leader who was also a KKK grand master, and got his deserved comeuppance ("Reverend Halsey Ambrose took this city down, he filled his life with sin and put a curse on this town; he preached up hatred for the black man, so the river done take up his mortal soul and he ain’t been seen again.")
Given the latter is based on a true story only one generation removed, along with the fact we still haven’t learned the values of acceptance or equality, it makes for a sobering song – as does, more literally, closing number '29,' an intentionally old sounding (the intro & outro "record scratches" are a nice touch) folksy guitar and vocal number that celebrates Andy Lindquist’s twenty nine years of sobriety.
That sign-off, along with bouts of bad luck and (by his own publicised admission) some serious, life threatening health issues that would have seen lesser individuals go under, mean the title of album number seventy-five also doubles as Andy Lindquist’s personal mission statement.
If there’s a criticism to be made it should be that Andy Lindquist has, not for the first time, fallen into the couple of songs too many trap.
But, track by track truth be told, he’s pitched it just about right because the 15 songs and just over one hour of music that make up Stand Abide Endure have enough varying shades of blues to make each song selection a valid one.
The results are yet another hour in the company of Andy Lindquist that’s well worth the time, y’all.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Andy Lindquist – The Big Blue Jazz Debacle…
In the UK there is no question that Florida based musician Andy Lindquist is known more for his blues and blues rock output.
Indeed you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s a blues rock artist, full stop; but while a big part of his bluesy heart lies within that genre this is a ridiculously prolific musician who loves, is influenced by, and has recorded albums of well-crafted melodic pop, Christian rock, funk, soul, hard/ melodic rock and, as the slightly tongue-in-cheek title of his seventy-seventh album (I told you he was prolific) declares… jazz.
Thankfully, and as the title also hints at, Andy Lindquist’s style of that most heatedly debated of genres is bluesier and guitar-led, accompanied by underpinning bass lines and brush-styled drum work (all by Lindquist, as is recording, production & engineering – this is a solo artist in the truest sense); not the more avant-garden variety where everyone had better damn well be in a different key and tempo or its not proper Jazz (with a capital J).
Take the opening number and title track for example, which comes across as a jazzier and slightly slower tempo instrumental version the Chris Rea classic 'On the Beach' (no bad comparison in terms of feel-good rhythmic groove factor). Similarly calypso rhythmic, but with brasher and slightly angular guitar stylings (well, it is jazz) is later track, the reflective 'Bygone Days.'
Second track in, 'Midnight Shadow Messages,' is a blues club jam of singular guitar notes atop a bubbling bass line and slightly off-beat cymbal splashes while 'The Shape of Light' is an appealing, semi-improvised melodic rock guitar performed over a simple rhythm.
Elsewhere 'Orange Slacks Jazz' and 'The Hi and Mighty' make for a smooth jazz brace while the tempo-shifting 'Cerulean' is, as the title suggests, the deep blue(s) track of the album, guitar and textured organ exchanging bluesy pleasantries.
One of the most interesting tracks (with one of the best titles) is the tempo-shifting Latin-jazz meets Santana of 'Octopushy,' although the drums and various percussion constantly fighting for the same space could also be the Debacle of the album, or straight out of Louis Balfour's Jazz Club (one for The Fast Show fans).
Penultimate number 'Tangled Out' takes it lead from 'Midnight Shadows Messages' in that its melodic six-string phrasing far outweighs any jazz tendencies.
Here however 'Tangled Out' goes further to become the stand-out track of the album; an expressive, joyous and what sounds like a semi-improvised celebration from Andy Lindquist without ever overplaying his (guitar) hand.
Closing with 'Count to Ten' (the quirkier and quicker tempo bookend to the opening title track), The Big Blue Jazz Debacle shows itself off as, outside of a couple of off-kilter hiccups, Big Blue Jazz Delightful.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Indeed you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s a blues rock artist, full stop; but while a big part of his bluesy heart lies within that genre this is a ridiculously prolific musician who loves, is influenced by, and has recorded albums of well-crafted melodic pop, Christian rock, funk, soul, hard/ melodic rock and, as the slightly tongue-in-cheek title of his seventy-seventh album (I told you he was prolific) declares… jazz.
Thankfully, and as the title also hints at, Andy Lindquist’s style of that most heatedly debated of genres is bluesier and guitar-led, accompanied by underpinning bass lines and brush-styled drum work (all by Lindquist, as is recording, production & engineering – this is a solo artist in the truest sense); not the more avant-garden variety where everyone had better damn well be in a different key and tempo or its not proper Jazz (with a capital J).
Take the opening number and title track for example, which comes across as a jazzier and slightly slower tempo instrumental version the Chris Rea classic 'On the Beach' (no bad comparison in terms of feel-good rhythmic groove factor). Similarly calypso rhythmic, but with brasher and slightly angular guitar stylings (well, it is jazz) is later track, the reflective 'Bygone Days.'
Second track in, 'Midnight Shadow Messages,' is a blues club jam of singular guitar notes atop a bubbling bass line and slightly off-beat cymbal splashes while 'The Shape of Light' is an appealing, semi-improvised melodic rock guitar performed over a simple rhythm.
Elsewhere 'Orange Slacks Jazz' and 'The Hi and Mighty' make for a smooth jazz brace while the tempo-shifting 'Cerulean' is, as the title suggests, the deep blue(s) track of the album, guitar and textured organ exchanging bluesy pleasantries.
One of the most interesting tracks (with one of the best titles) is the tempo-shifting Latin-jazz meets Santana of 'Octopushy,' although the drums and various percussion constantly fighting for the same space could also be the Debacle of the album, or straight out of Louis Balfour's Jazz Club (one for The Fast Show fans).
Penultimate number 'Tangled Out' takes it lead from 'Midnight Shadows Messages' in that its melodic six-string phrasing far outweighs any jazz tendencies.
Here however 'Tangled Out' goes further to become the stand-out track of the album; an expressive, joyous and what sounds like a semi-improvised celebration from Andy Lindquist without ever overplaying his (guitar) hand.
Closing with 'Count to Ten' (the quirkier and quicker tempo bookend to the opening title track), The Big Blue Jazz Debacle shows itself off as, outside of a couple of off-kilter hiccups, Big Blue Jazz Delightful.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Steve Lukather - I Found the Sun Again Joseph Williams - Denizen Tenant
Well it’s Toto, Jim, but not as we know it…
With two Toto stars trekking across solo territory at the same time with plenty of cross-album fertilisation (for example David Paich unsurprisingly pops up in both), the above line is not far off the musical mark.
Additionally, when the band kicks back in to live action post COVID-19 on the anticipated Dogz Of Oz tour (we see what you did there, boys) it will be under new Lukather & Williams management with a line-up of new musical employees, as previewed on their well received Live Stream performance in November 2020.
This duo-led Toto is because David Paich has retired from touring and relationships are strained with Steve Porcaro, in part due to the recent, now settled, lawsuit filed by the late Jeff Porcaro’s widow, Susan Porcaro-Goings, claiming unpaid money due to the Jeff Porcaro Estate (which did not go down well with Mr Lukather).
It’s therefore the perfect time for Messrs Lukather and Williams to shake off the recent Toto trials and have some no pressure, dovetailing solo album fun, further tied together through same album cover style and clever promo marketing that saw them released simultaneously (and in some cases packaged together).
With two Toto stars trekking across solo territory at the same time with plenty of cross-album fertilisation (for example David Paich unsurprisingly pops up in both), the above line is not far off the musical mark.
Additionally, when the band kicks back in to live action post COVID-19 on the anticipated Dogz Of Oz tour (we see what you did there, boys) it will be under new Lukather & Williams management with a line-up of new musical employees, as previewed on their well received Live Stream performance in November 2020.
This duo-led Toto is because David Paich has retired from touring and relationships are strained with Steve Porcaro, in part due to the recent, now settled, lawsuit filed by the late Jeff Porcaro’s widow, Susan Porcaro-Goings, claiming unpaid money due to the Jeff Porcaro Estate (which did not go down well with Mr Lukather).
It’s therefore the perfect time for Messrs Lukather and Williams to shake off the recent Toto trials and have some no pressure, dovetailing solo album fun, further tied together through same album cover style and clever promo marketing that saw them released simultaneously (and in some cases packaged together).
Steve Lukather's album features drummer Greg Bissonette, keyboardist Jeff Babko and bassists Jorgen Carlsson and John Pierce but you’ll also find appearances from Ringo Starr and the aforementioned David Paich and Joseph Williams.
Opener 'Along for The Ride,' an up-tempo rocker with Joseph Williams on backing vocals, delivers both a catchy earworm chorus and clever 'Won’t Get Fooled Again' keyboard nod from Jeff Babko. The latter remark is an intentional and clever dovetail to Steve Lukather’s angry "riding on my bloodied coat-tails" lyric (making his thoughts on the recent lawsuit very clear indeed). The funky downtempo 'Serpent Soul' (the title is further evidence of Lukather’s take on recent legal proceedings) features both David Paich (piano) and Joseph Williams as well as another killer chorus. The song also helps highlights both what a good singer Steve Lukather is, as well as his chops on guitar when he trades licks with Paich in the solo section. 'The Low Spark of High-heeled Boys,' the first of three covers, is guaranteed to divide opinion between those who are familiar and fond of the long-form original by Traffic and the uninitiated. Either way Steve Lukather’s version evokes smoky jazz clubs with a slice of Steely Dan, a side order of classic Toto and some tasteful piano and organ parts (nor does Lukather’s solo at the fade-out disappoint). 'Journey Through' is an excellent, mournful and Jeff Beck influenced instrumental that should keep the legions of Lukather guitar-fans happy; further impressive Luke guitar licks then make themselves known on a pretty faithful rendition of Joe Walsh’s 'Welcome to the Club.' The quirky but highly impacting song writing style of Joe Walsh is written all over this classic but Steve Lukather makes a decent fist of it, to the degree that even the most dedicated of Walsh fans should appreciate this version. The title track is the sort of downtempo, soulful number at which Steve Lukather excels (such Lukather songs usually carry themes of either love lost or, as here, love found – hence the title). Beautifully produced by Lukather and Ken Freeman, the deceptively simple 'I Found the Sun Again' (built on a single repeating chord with instrumentation built around it) features great supporting work from Jeff Babko. Lukather also delivers an emotionally wrought solo in a manner only he can. 'Run to Me' is the album’s bubble-gum pop meets Beatles pastiche moment (no surprise then that Ringo Starr guests here along with, again Joseph Williams) but carrying far more clout is closing number and final cover, 'Bridge of Sighs,' the bona fide blues fusion classic by the Godfather of Tone, Robin Trower. While Steve Lukather’s version does indeed carry some weight (and nice touch on the Easter egg Hendrix nod), that weight is also a millstone around Lukather's guitar neck as this is one of a select number of uber-classic songs that should be left well alone, both in terms of Trower’s growling and unrivalled guitar work and the late and great Jimmy Dewar’s vocals. Nor does this version benefit from the keyboard parts. Steve Lukather tries to put his own spin on 'Bridge of Sighs' as he cranks up to the big solo but it ends up as a furious fretwork widdle-fest. The end result is an overblown finale to what is an otherwise classy and musically diverse album. |
For Denizen Tenant Joseph Williams has invited in a seriously impressive list of well over a dozen guest players including Jeff Babko, Lenny Castro, Michael Landau, Simon Phillips and Leland Sklar.
Opening number 'Never Saw You Coming' raises the stakes in terms of big sounding production values with an intricate mix of notably effective guitar parts (courtesy of Michael Landau), vocal harmonies and keyboard motifs across the stereo spectrum. Featuring a great (multi) vocal performance from Joseph Williams (who also contributes synths, drums, programmed bass and piano to the song), 'Never Saw You Coming' is an absolute winner musically while lyrically dealing with the only thing in life that is certain – the great leveller. 'Liberty Man' could easily have found a home on a Toto album. A strong number with a vibe reminiscent of 'Africa' meets 'Rosanna,' Toto alumni Leland Sklar and Simon Phillips provide stunning rhythm section parts for this number. The title track is an unusual but effective number inhabiting the same ground as a Donald Fagen solo album with unexpected chord progressions, a slice of jazz and some clever time changes. 'Wilma Fingadoux' then surprises for different reasons – the music is almost hip-hop in nature but Joseph Williams delivers another assured set of multi layered vocals and a winning melody line. 'Black Dahlia,' featuring David Paich, ups the Toto-esque quotient; the shuffle-type number is another well-constructed piece with superior vocals. The first of two covers is a rendition of the Peter Gabriel / Kate Bush classic 'Don’t Give Up,' with Joseph Williams in the vocal company of his daughter Hannah Ruick. While well sung it adds nothing to the original or flow of the album (as such it would have been better served as a non-album single). 'The Dream,' an up-tempo soft rocker, is a partial return to form but not an album highlight – the far more interesting 'Remember Her' is, however. Written about scientific pioneer and British born American astronomer Cecilia Helena Payne, 'Remember Her' is elevated (apologies) further by an almost orchestral arrangement during the choruses. That Steve Lukather contributes to the song with a trademark Luke solo makes the song even more of a highlight. 'No Lessons' is described by Joseph Williams as "practically autobiographical," which is interesting given the lyrics were written by Denise Gruska (with music by her husband, Jay Gruska). The number is certainly delivered in an emotional manner, while the song itself benefits from a sparse piano and vocal introduction before building on an orchestral arrangement and layered vocals. Following number 'Mistress Winter's Jump' is, like 'Wilma Fingadoux' another curiosity but less successful; its folksy Christmas Carol style makes for an incongruous inclusion on the album. Penultimate number, a cover of Beatles ballad 'If I Fell,' features Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather in vocal duet. Much like 'Don’t Give Up' however this sounds like an unnecessary "friends & family" inclusion. (File under well-produced and well sung karaoke). On album closer 'World Broken' Joseph Williams returns to his forte of big choruses, sparse downtempo arrangement and crystal clear yet complex production. In short, a strong statement with which to finish. |
In reviewing these Yin & Yang releases side-by-side and by listening back-to-back, it’s easy to arrive at the conclusion that, with some quality control, cherry picking track-choice and by dropping the covers, two very good albums could have been merged and condensed in to one, exceptional album of all killer and no-filler.
Said offering could have been released and promoted as a Lukather-Williams debut album or with a suitable tour tie-in moniker such as Dogz Of Oz. Or, say, something like, maybe, Toto. Actually, that's not bad name.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Said offering could have been released and promoted as a Lukather-Williams debut album or with a suitable tour tie-in moniker such as Dogz Of Oz. Or, say, something like, maybe, Toto. Actually, that's not bad name.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bernie Marsden – Kings
Kings, Bernie Marsden’s first solo album in seven years, taps in to the ex Whitesnake guitarist’s love of old school blues through ten bona fide blues classics recorded, covered or made famous by the "Three Kings" of the blues, Albert, B.B. and Freddie.
As good as that all sounds (and it sounds great – this is high quality, reverently played blues from Bernie Marsden in the company of bassist John Gordon, drummer Jim Russell and keyboardist Bob Haddrell), the even better news is Kings is the first in an Inspirations series of albums.
(A collaboration between Conquest Music and Bernie Marsden’s Little House Music, Inspirations is to be a sequence of albums where Marsden pays tribute to those whose music shaped his tastes and guitar playing).
Bernie Marsden’s King-sized stall is set out right from the get-go with the oft-covered 'Don’t You Lie to Me.'
Marsden’s piano backed R&B take on the song sits somewhere between the Afro Cuban rhythms of Albert King’s version and B.B. King’s slower take; guitar wise, Marsden’s licks cleverly nod in homage to the Kings while showcasing his own tone-full take on the blues.
Kings also reinforces the fact Bernie Marsden’s blues credentials and abilities are as good as any of the current crop of bluesmen and women you care to mention, courtesy of his smooth (and always well placed) melodic tones and natural feel.
Such traits are heard to fine effect on 'Key to the Highway' (Marsden putting his stamp on the slow blues standard) and the Leon Russell penned 'Help Me Through the Day,' made famous by Freddie King (and covered by Whitesnake on the Lovehunter album).
The latter track is as melodic in phrasing as it is spacious in its arrangement.
The high (blues) standards don’t let up across the remainder of the album, from the Hammond augmented
'I’ll Play the Blues For You' (which does exactly what it says on the slow blues tin) to the short 'n' slow honky-tonk blues of 'Woman Across the River' and the lower-key (and highly effective) Bernie Marsden vocal that leads the rhythmic sway of 'Help the Poor.'
The tempo is raised for another Leon Russell composition, the perfectly titled 'Me and My Guitar' (Bernie Marsden and band rocking the blues in riff lickin’ and high kickin’ Freddie King fashion) before the Leon
Russell / Don Nix penned 'Living On the Highway' steps up to display an authenticity that nods to Freddie King’s version of what is a fun, blues "Howlin’" song.
Freddie King’s own 'You’ve Got to Love Her With Feeling' positively drips the blues over Bernie Marsden’s solo notes before the Don Nix number 'Same Old Blues' (one of the great slow blues songs) does its damnedest to match Freddie King’s Gospel styled version.
The latter features a great vocal from Bernie Marsden and some tasteful, note crying tones, all of which sit atop the 2am blues café vibe created by Messrs Gordon, Russell and Haddrell.
The ten covers are complemented by a couple of Bernie Marsden instrumental originals that dovetail in homage to what has come before – 'Runaway' offers up a blues licks laden, tempo changing, three minute boogie-shuffle before the shorter and slower 'Uptown Train' blues swings into the station, coming to a Kingly stop after only two minutes and twenty seconds.
Ladies and gentlemen, Bernie Marsden, the Prince of Tone playing homage to the Kings of the Blues.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
As good as that all sounds (and it sounds great – this is high quality, reverently played blues from Bernie Marsden in the company of bassist John Gordon, drummer Jim Russell and keyboardist Bob Haddrell), the even better news is Kings is the first in an Inspirations series of albums.
(A collaboration between Conquest Music and Bernie Marsden’s Little House Music, Inspirations is to be a sequence of albums where Marsden pays tribute to those whose music shaped his tastes and guitar playing).
Bernie Marsden’s King-sized stall is set out right from the get-go with the oft-covered 'Don’t You Lie to Me.'
Marsden’s piano backed R&B take on the song sits somewhere between the Afro Cuban rhythms of Albert King’s version and B.B. King’s slower take; guitar wise, Marsden’s licks cleverly nod in homage to the Kings while showcasing his own tone-full take on the blues.
Kings also reinforces the fact Bernie Marsden’s blues credentials and abilities are as good as any of the current crop of bluesmen and women you care to mention, courtesy of his smooth (and always well placed) melodic tones and natural feel.
Such traits are heard to fine effect on 'Key to the Highway' (Marsden putting his stamp on the slow blues standard) and the Leon Russell penned 'Help Me Through the Day,' made famous by Freddie King (and covered by Whitesnake on the Lovehunter album).
The latter track is as melodic in phrasing as it is spacious in its arrangement.
The high (blues) standards don’t let up across the remainder of the album, from the Hammond augmented
'I’ll Play the Blues For You' (which does exactly what it says on the slow blues tin) to the short 'n' slow honky-tonk blues of 'Woman Across the River' and the lower-key (and highly effective) Bernie Marsden vocal that leads the rhythmic sway of 'Help the Poor.'
The tempo is raised for another Leon Russell composition, the perfectly titled 'Me and My Guitar' (Bernie Marsden and band rocking the blues in riff lickin’ and high kickin’ Freddie King fashion) before the Leon
Russell / Don Nix penned 'Living On the Highway' steps up to display an authenticity that nods to Freddie King’s version of what is a fun, blues "Howlin’" song.
Freddie King’s own 'You’ve Got to Love Her With Feeling' positively drips the blues over Bernie Marsden’s solo notes before the Don Nix number 'Same Old Blues' (one of the great slow blues songs) does its damnedest to match Freddie King’s Gospel styled version.
The latter features a great vocal from Bernie Marsden and some tasteful, note crying tones, all of which sit atop the 2am blues café vibe created by Messrs Gordon, Russell and Haddrell.
The ten covers are complemented by a couple of Bernie Marsden instrumental originals that dovetail in homage to what has come before – 'Runaway' offers up a blues licks laden, tempo changing, three minute boogie-shuffle before the shorter and slower 'Uptown Train' blues swings into the station, coming to a Kingly stop after only two minutes and twenty seconds.
Ladies and gentlemen, Bernie Marsden, the Prince of Tone playing homage to the Kings of the Blues.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bernie Marsden – Chess
Following hot on the blues coloured heels of Bernie Marsden’s Kings album (the first in an Inspirations series of releases where Marsden plays homage to a host of blues standards and blues greats) comes Chess, which, as the title suggests beyond its game playing cover, is a tribute to the famous Chess record company of Chicago.
The Inspirations series also fits the musical profile, blues love (and guitar tone stylings) of Bernie Marsden perfectly.
And, indeed, his band of studio blues brothers who featured on Kings – bassist John Gordon, drummer Jim Russell and keyboardist Bob Haddrell, with Alan Glen on harmonica.
Opener 'I’m Just Your Fool,' arranged as per Little Walter’s version, shuffles, slow-boogies and moves it’s way down the Chess board in the company of harmonica and honky-tonk tinkles, while the rhythm section of John Gordon and Jim Russell bring it on home.
Chuck Berry’s 'Back in the USA' then rocks, rolls and duck walks its way across "Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge!" (as well as featuring some nice harmonised vocality from Bernie Marsden).
'Grits Ain’t Groceries' is faithful to Little Milton’s soul-blue version (sans horns but with some great organ work, bubby bass lines and a purposeful vocal from Bernie Marsden) before two bona fide Willie Dixon penned blues standards take centre stage.
The Muddy Waters hit 'I’m Ready' features some seriously authentic sounding blues harp alongside Bernie Marsden's short 'n' sassy blues licks (and dual/ harmonised "I’m ready/ ready as man can be" intro and outros) while Bo Diddley’s 'Can’t Judge a Book' rattles along just as it should, driven by that famous Diddley beat.
Another Willie Dixon penned number, Elmore James’ 'I Can’t Hold On,' puts itself forward as arguably the most blues of the Chess numbers, due in no small part to to that famous Dixon stop-time arrangement after each verse, Bernie Marsden's wicked little slide licks, Alan Glen's blues harp and the song’s 'Dust My Broom' style.
'Won’t Be Hanging Around' is the album’s slow blues moment, allowing Bernie Marsden to add some six-string blues shine to proceedings (the entire band covering the Albert King number with some aplomb) while Sonny Boy Williamson’s 'Fattening Frogs for Snakes' carries a little bit more swing than the original (blues harp and blues guitar going back and forth over a super-smooth groove from John Gordon and Jim Russell).
'That’s Alright' (actually the Jimmy Rogers song 'That’s All Right,' not to be confused with the more famous Arthur Crudup/ debut Elvis Presley single of the same name) retains the authenticity of Rogers’ slow-tempo twelve-bar, complete with sweet little guitar licks and Alan Glen’s forlorn harmonica nod to Little Walter.
The rhythmic sway of Howlin Wolf’s 'Who’s Been Talking' (here with a smooth Santana vibe and Bernie Marsden’s best, melodic blues moments of the entire album) closes out the Chess homage but not the album, which is completed (as was Kings) by two Marsden instrumental originals – the mid-tempo, organ backed boogie of 'Lester' and the pacier, shuffle-groove fun of 'Johnny.'
Chess is another Knightly move from Bernie Marsden, in the company of expert players.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Inspirations series also fits the musical profile, blues love (and guitar tone stylings) of Bernie Marsden perfectly.
And, indeed, his band of studio blues brothers who featured on Kings – bassist John Gordon, drummer Jim Russell and keyboardist Bob Haddrell, with Alan Glen on harmonica.
Opener 'I’m Just Your Fool,' arranged as per Little Walter’s version, shuffles, slow-boogies and moves it’s way down the Chess board in the company of harmonica and honky-tonk tinkles, while the rhythm section of John Gordon and Jim Russell bring it on home.
Chuck Berry’s 'Back in the USA' then rocks, rolls and duck walks its way across "Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge!" (as well as featuring some nice harmonised vocality from Bernie Marsden).
'Grits Ain’t Groceries' is faithful to Little Milton’s soul-blue version (sans horns but with some great organ work, bubby bass lines and a purposeful vocal from Bernie Marsden) before two bona fide Willie Dixon penned blues standards take centre stage.
The Muddy Waters hit 'I’m Ready' features some seriously authentic sounding blues harp alongside Bernie Marsden's short 'n' sassy blues licks (and dual/ harmonised "I’m ready/ ready as man can be" intro and outros) while Bo Diddley’s 'Can’t Judge a Book' rattles along just as it should, driven by that famous Diddley beat.
Another Willie Dixon penned number, Elmore James’ 'I Can’t Hold On,' puts itself forward as arguably the most blues of the Chess numbers, due in no small part to to that famous Dixon stop-time arrangement after each verse, Bernie Marsden's wicked little slide licks, Alan Glen's blues harp and the song’s 'Dust My Broom' style.
'Won’t Be Hanging Around' is the album’s slow blues moment, allowing Bernie Marsden to add some six-string blues shine to proceedings (the entire band covering the Albert King number with some aplomb) while Sonny Boy Williamson’s 'Fattening Frogs for Snakes' carries a little bit more swing than the original (blues harp and blues guitar going back and forth over a super-smooth groove from John Gordon and Jim Russell).
'That’s Alright' (actually the Jimmy Rogers song 'That’s All Right,' not to be confused with the more famous Arthur Crudup/ debut Elvis Presley single of the same name) retains the authenticity of Rogers’ slow-tempo twelve-bar, complete with sweet little guitar licks and Alan Glen’s forlorn harmonica nod to Little Walter.
The rhythmic sway of Howlin Wolf’s 'Who’s Been Talking' (here with a smooth Santana vibe and Bernie Marsden’s best, melodic blues moments of the entire album) closes out the Chess homage but not the album, which is completed (as was Kings) by two Marsden instrumental originals – the mid-tempo, organ backed boogie of 'Lester' and the pacier, shuffle-groove fun of 'Johnny.'
Chess is another Knightly move from Bernie Marsden, in the company of expert players.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Eddie Martin – The Birdcage Sessions
Given the musical influences that inspire London based blues singer/ songwriter/ guitarist/ multi-instrumentalist Eddie Martin, it’s hard to imagine a better or more relevant song than 'Before We Wake Up' to introduce Martin’s solo-acoustic, labour of lockdown love album The Birdcage Sessions.
A sparse but spirited gospel-folk & blues call to action, 'Before We Wake Up' channels near century old Mississippi blues to decry a modern world that’s as ill divided now as it was then ("I dreamed a rich man at his table, sprinkled his food with gold, while a thousand servants out there shivered in the cold").
The 14 tracks that make up The Birdcage Sessions is
not just that aforementioned labour of lockdown love however; it’s also a labour of learning love.
Already an exceptionally good and critically acclaimed guitarist (including slide), harmonica player and songwriter, Eddie Martin (as comfortable in big band or power-trio formats as he is in his award winning role as one the UK & Europe’s leading solo performers) learned, with lockdown time on his hands, how to sound engineer (the entire album was recorded at his home studio), play more instruments (including lap-steel, mandolin, banjo, accordion and various keyboards) and paint (the album cover artwork is an Eddie Martin original).
The only other contributor to The Birdcage Sessions is another Martin – Eddie’s talented cello playing son Xavi adds additional colour to three tracks, including 'Falling' (a forlorn, delta shaped blues) and the simple but sweet 'Skylight,' which is as delightful as it is poetic in its lockdown lyricism ("take me up through your pixel free screen, while this monk quarantines on this life raft of breathing").
Indeed some of the lyricism to be found on The Birdcage Sessions is based on poetry – Eddie Martin isn’t just another "woke up this morning" bluesman; he’s also a published poet, lyrically inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan and Cole Porter.
More powerful words are to be heard on the Rory Gallagher-esque acoustic trills of 'Birdcage Blues' (a nod to those that stand shoulder to solidarity shoulder in movements such as BLM) while the finger picking & harmonica folk-blues of mother nature / life number 'River Song' is an absolute hidden gem of acoustic blues. (Make no mistake, if this had been a Joe Bonamassa penned & performed acoustic piece we’d all be banging on about it until the day that river runs dry).
But there’s humour to be heard here, too (another Eddie Martin trait).
'Happy Broke and Free' is an up-beat, positive and personal retort to current times (and a musician's locked down, gig-less life) while 'Too Much Choice Blues' (one of two bonus tracks recorded back in 2018) can’t help but make you smile in sad acknowledgement ("I’m buying bottled water fresh from a mountain spring, it just fell out of the sky but they charge me what I’d pay for gin").
Equally fun is harmonica led instrumental 'Kitchen Boogie,' which contrasts delightfully with a song such as 'Lazy Sunday,' the ultimate lie-back and forget your worries blues.
A plaintive In Memoriam instrumental rendition of 'Amazing Grace' (the only cover on the album) is played in fittingly respectful fashion by Eddie Martin, in homage to his performance of the tune at his best friend’s funeral and to reflect for a moment on an all those we have lost over the last sixteen months.
And on that very lockdown and loss subject, as we all start to fly a little freer from our Birdcage existences, we should do so to the soundtrack and accompaniment of Eddie Martin.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
A sparse but spirited gospel-folk & blues call to action, 'Before We Wake Up' channels near century old Mississippi blues to decry a modern world that’s as ill divided now as it was then ("I dreamed a rich man at his table, sprinkled his food with gold, while a thousand servants out there shivered in the cold").
The 14 tracks that make up The Birdcage Sessions is
not just that aforementioned labour of lockdown love however; it’s also a labour of learning love.
Already an exceptionally good and critically acclaimed guitarist (including slide), harmonica player and songwriter, Eddie Martin (as comfortable in big band or power-trio formats as he is in his award winning role as one the UK & Europe’s leading solo performers) learned, with lockdown time on his hands, how to sound engineer (the entire album was recorded at his home studio), play more instruments (including lap-steel, mandolin, banjo, accordion and various keyboards) and paint (the album cover artwork is an Eddie Martin original).
The only other contributor to The Birdcage Sessions is another Martin – Eddie’s talented cello playing son Xavi adds additional colour to three tracks, including 'Falling' (a forlorn, delta shaped blues) and the simple but sweet 'Skylight,' which is as delightful as it is poetic in its lockdown lyricism ("take me up through your pixel free screen, while this monk quarantines on this life raft of breathing").
Indeed some of the lyricism to be found on The Birdcage Sessions is based on poetry – Eddie Martin isn’t just another "woke up this morning" bluesman; he’s also a published poet, lyrically inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan and Cole Porter.
More powerful words are to be heard on the Rory Gallagher-esque acoustic trills of 'Birdcage Blues' (a nod to those that stand shoulder to solidarity shoulder in movements such as BLM) while the finger picking & harmonica folk-blues of mother nature / life number 'River Song' is an absolute hidden gem of acoustic blues. (Make no mistake, if this had been a Joe Bonamassa penned & performed acoustic piece we’d all be banging on about it until the day that river runs dry).
But there’s humour to be heard here, too (another Eddie Martin trait).
'Happy Broke and Free' is an up-beat, positive and personal retort to current times (and a musician's locked down, gig-less life) while 'Too Much Choice Blues' (one of two bonus tracks recorded back in 2018) can’t help but make you smile in sad acknowledgement ("I’m buying bottled water fresh from a mountain spring, it just fell out of the sky but they charge me what I’d pay for gin").
Equally fun is harmonica led instrumental 'Kitchen Boogie,' which contrasts delightfully with a song such as 'Lazy Sunday,' the ultimate lie-back and forget your worries blues.
A plaintive In Memoriam instrumental rendition of 'Amazing Grace' (the only cover on the album) is played in fittingly respectful fashion by Eddie Martin, in homage to his performance of the tune at his best friend’s funeral and to reflect for a moment on an all those we have lost over the last sixteen months.
And on that very lockdown and loss subject, as we all start to fly a little freer from our Birdcage existences, we should do so to the soundtrack and accompaniment of Eddie Martin.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Zed Mitchell – Route 69 (Vinyl Edition)
You just need to hear a couple of bars of ultra-smooth soloing or resonating tone of noted German guitarist-singer-songwriter Zed Mitchell to realise why he has been a sought-after session musician for most of his 50-year career.
Prior to his recent flurry of cool-vibe'd solo work Zed Mitchell played on, among many others, the million selling Munich Symphonic Sound Orchestra album (as featured guitarist) and did session recording work with the luminary likes of Tina Turner, Phil Collins & Natalie Cole.
More lately however Zed Mitchell has found time to stretch his legs (make that guitar fingers) as a solo artist, with with eight albums under his guitar strap since 2007, including latest offering Route 69.
Given the notable 50 year career mark mentioned above, it’s perhaps no surprise the album also carries a number of more autobiographical tracks, whilst also featuring lyrics by British blues promoter, broadcaster and songwriter Pete Feenstra.
Opener 'By Sundown You’ll Be Gone' (one of four songs to feature Pete Feenstra’s lyrics) is about as good a cool-grooved take on Mark Knopfler meets Chris Rea as you’re ever likely to hear.
Indeed while Zed Mitchell’s accent carries through to his singing voice (with phrasing that complements or plays off the notes he’s delivering) there’s no question his Knopfler-esque vocals and six-string style could transfer as an impressive Mark Knopfler tribute act, should he ever feel the dire (sorry) need.
Lucky for us however Zed Mitchell gets on with being Zed Mitchell, albeit with those Knopfler/ Rea/ Clapton/ Cray stylistic comparisons but topped off with his own, distinct, six-string punctuation of note bends, sustain and phrasing.
Not that it’s all about Zed Mitchell – his son Todor Manojlovic, no slouch on guitar himself, plays on the album (he also provides backing vocals); father and son are to the fore on the soulful AOR of 'I’m Still Waiting' before Zed Mitchell slows things down for the yearning, melodic blues of 'The Girl That Broke Your Heart,' featuring subtle synth backing and a short but delightful piano solo from Sascha Kuhn.
The laid back, central core of the album is where Zed Mitchell truly excels.
His delicate yet pronounced (a neat trick in itself) lead work melodically floats over the top of songs such as the lyrically uplifting 'Freedom Trail,' slow 'n’ soulful pop-blues 'From My Dreams' (you can just hear Hank Marvin instrumental-ising on this one) and the soft, snare brushed jazz-tinged blues of 'Midnight Melody,' which features the saxophone of Max Schurakowski.
Later changes of pace and style come by way of the tempo-shifting 'I Don’t Know' (featuring some funky and whammy affected guitar work) and 'Fake,' a rhythmically framed search for the truth and finding oneself.
The lights low style of Route 69, along with Zed Mitchell’s gorgeous playing, make for a perfect late night, glass in hand album; one that would be perfectly suited to a 33rpm platter spun on a record deck.
Good news then that Route 69, originally issued as a 12 track CD, is now also available on 10 track vinyl (the other two tracks are available to stream or download).
Be warned though, if that be your format of choice Zed Mitchell and Route 69 are so six-string smooth they might slip right off the turntable.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Prior to his recent flurry of cool-vibe'd solo work Zed Mitchell played on, among many others, the million selling Munich Symphonic Sound Orchestra album (as featured guitarist) and did session recording work with the luminary likes of Tina Turner, Phil Collins & Natalie Cole.
More lately however Zed Mitchell has found time to stretch his legs (make that guitar fingers) as a solo artist, with with eight albums under his guitar strap since 2007, including latest offering Route 69.
Given the notable 50 year career mark mentioned above, it’s perhaps no surprise the album also carries a number of more autobiographical tracks, whilst also featuring lyrics by British blues promoter, broadcaster and songwriter Pete Feenstra.
Opener 'By Sundown You’ll Be Gone' (one of four songs to feature Pete Feenstra’s lyrics) is about as good a cool-grooved take on Mark Knopfler meets Chris Rea as you’re ever likely to hear.
Indeed while Zed Mitchell’s accent carries through to his singing voice (with phrasing that complements or plays off the notes he’s delivering) there’s no question his Knopfler-esque vocals and six-string style could transfer as an impressive Mark Knopfler tribute act, should he ever feel the dire (sorry) need.
Lucky for us however Zed Mitchell gets on with being Zed Mitchell, albeit with those Knopfler/ Rea/ Clapton/ Cray stylistic comparisons but topped off with his own, distinct, six-string punctuation of note bends, sustain and phrasing.
Not that it’s all about Zed Mitchell – his son Todor Manojlovic, no slouch on guitar himself, plays on the album (he also provides backing vocals); father and son are to the fore on the soulful AOR of 'I’m Still Waiting' before Zed Mitchell slows things down for the yearning, melodic blues of 'The Girl That Broke Your Heart,' featuring subtle synth backing and a short but delightful piano solo from Sascha Kuhn.
The laid back, central core of the album is where Zed Mitchell truly excels.
His delicate yet pronounced (a neat trick in itself) lead work melodically floats over the top of songs such as the lyrically uplifting 'Freedom Trail,' slow 'n’ soulful pop-blues 'From My Dreams' (you can just hear Hank Marvin instrumental-ising on this one) and the soft, snare brushed jazz-tinged blues of 'Midnight Melody,' which features the saxophone of Max Schurakowski.
Later changes of pace and style come by way of the tempo-shifting 'I Don’t Know' (featuring some funky and whammy affected guitar work) and 'Fake,' a rhythmically framed search for the truth and finding oneself.
The lights low style of Route 69, along with Zed Mitchell’s gorgeous playing, make for a perfect late night, glass in hand album; one that would be perfectly suited to a 33rpm platter spun on a record deck.
Good news then that Route 69, originally issued as a 12 track CD, is now also available on 10 track vinyl (the other two tracks are available to stream or download).
Be warned though, if that be your format of choice Zed Mitchell and Route 69 are so six-string smooth they might slip right off the turntable.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bedwyr Morgan – ‘Drychwn Ymlaen (Looking Ahead)
The good news for Celtic/ melodic rock fans is Bedwyr Morgan, singer-guitarist-songwriter of Welsh melodic rockers MOjO these last three and half decades, has managed to find time to record and release his first solo album, ‘Drychwn Ymlaen (Looking Ahead).
The even better news is it’s been well worth the wait.
Not that it’s the Llangefni based musician’s first solo foray – the album is the long-awaited follow-up to Bedwyr Morgan's self-titled, 4-track EP from five years ago.
Three of the four EP songs featured twice (each sung in Welsh and English) while the other track, the delicate instrumental 'Machlud Celtaidd' ('Celtic Sunset'), was described by acclaimed LA session musician/ bassist Leland Sklar as "Knopfleresque… really good."
The album follows the dual language format of the EP by having its eight tracks featured twice, first in Welsh and then again in English.
That both are worthy of inclusion and have enough variation in linguistic and lyrical texture to make each version as valid, and valuable, as the other is another plus for a very fine album.
Opening with the melodic and latter day Quo-styled rocker 'Torraist ti’r Addewid' ('You Broke the Promise') Bedwyr Morgan and his core band of Rhys Jones (additional guitars), Sion Roberts (drums) and Tony Parisella (bass) deliver an eight song set that’s as sonically warm (kudos to Bedwyr Morgan & Rhys Jones for the solid production job and the latter’s engineering and mastering skills) as it is musically inviting.
That inviting Celtic musicality is heard to fine effect on the lovely acoustic & electric pop number 'Dim ond Atgof' ('Just a Memory'), which features Tudur Huws Jones on bouzouki, and evocative instrumental 'Pylu Mae’r Enfys' ('The Fading Rainbow'), featuring plaintively phrased lead guitar from Bedwyr Morgan and equally plaintive Low Whistle from again, Tudur Huws Jones.
Adding a touch of bluesier rock to Celtic proceedings is the weightier mid-tempo tale of 'Lladron Crigyll' ('The Crigyll Robbers') and the more up-tempo (and ever so slightly Stonesy) melodic blues rock of 'Paid Troi ‘Nol' ('Don’t Turn Back'); both tracks benefit from the Hammond textures provided by Bob Fridzema.
The best however is left for last across the six-minute "welcome at each door" optimism of the title track, a lovely acoustic & electric framed ballad (with some delightful six-string remarks) that also features piano accentuations from Erin Bryfdir, Dave Molloy on guitar and Peter Elias Jones on drums.
The song then returns as its own echoing piano reprise, acting as a bonus, ninth song sign-off.
Ladies and gentlemen Bedwyr Morgan, dual language singer and dual threat musician – Celtic charm and melodically engaging.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The even better news is it’s been well worth the wait.
Not that it’s the Llangefni based musician’s first solo foray – the album is the long-awaited follow-up to Bedwyr Morgan's self-titled, 4-track EP from five years ago.
Three of the four EP songs featured twice (each sung in Welsh and English) while the other track, the delicate instrumental 'Machlud Celtaidd' ('Celtic Sunset'), was described by acclaimed LA session musician/ bassist Leland Sklar as "Knopfleresque… really good."
The album follows the dual language format of the EP by having its eight tracks featured twice, first in Welsh and then again in English.
That both are worthy of inclusion and have enough variation in linguistic and lyrical texture to make each version as valid, and valuable, as the other is another plus for a very fine album.
Opening with the melodic and latter day Quo-styled rocker 'Torraist ti’r Addewid' ('You Broke the Promise') Bedwyr Morgan and his core band of Rhys Jones (additional guitars), Sion Roberts (drums) and Tony Parisella (bass) deliver an eight song set that’s as sonically warm (kudos to Bedwyr Morgan & Rhys Jones for the solid production job and the latter’s engineering and mastering skills) as it is musically inviting.
That inviting Celtic musicality is heard to fine effect on the lovely acoustic & electric pop number 'Dim ond Atgof' ('Just a Memory'), which features Tudur Huws Jones on bouzouki, and evocative instrumental 'Pylu Mae’r Enfys' ('The Fading Rainbow'), featuring plaintively phrased lead guitar from Bedwyr Morgan and equally plaintive Low Whistle from again, Tudur Huws Jones.
Adding a touch of bluesier rock to Celtic proceedings is the weightier mid-tempo tale of 'Lladron Crigyll' ('The Crigyll Robbers') and the more up-tempo (and ever so slightly Stonesy) melodic blues rock of 'Paid Troi ‘Nol' ('Don’t Turn Back'); both tracks benefit from the Hammond textures provided by Bob Fridzema.
The best however is left for last across the six-minute "welcome at each door" optimism of the title track, a lovely acoustic & electric framed ballad (with some delightful six-string remarks) that also features piano accentuations from Erin Bryfdir, Dave Molloy on guitar and Peter Elias Jones on drums.
The song then returns as its own echoing piano reprise, acting as a bonus, ninth song sign-off.
Ladies and gentlemen Bedwyr Morgan, dual language singer and dual threat musician – Celtic charm and melodically engaging.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Barry Myers – Tapestry Of Life
Floridian singer, songwriter and musician Barry Myers has a new age meets old school pop-craft style about him and it’s a style that serves him well.
For his fourth solo album (or third if we take 2020’s Angel to be a 7-track extended EP) Barry Myers retains his Beatles, Dan Fogelberg and Pink Floyd influences but his melodic and lyrically personal sensibilities take centre stage on what is his most all-encompassing release to date.
Additionally, given the album is conceptually based around life's highs & lows (fitting for the Covid world of these last two years) Tapestry Of Life is also a well-named labour of love (and labour of living).
Nor does it hurt that there are a number of returnees from previous Barry Myers albums, including drummer, producer & mixer Sean Shannon (who has performed those roles admirably on just about everything Myers has done in the studio), Myers’ Florida based buddy and acclaimed Canadian guitarist Pat Travers (who has featured on previous Barry Myers albums) and guitarist Barry Stone, who played on Angel.
Additionally, and ably accompanying Barry Myers (lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, keys, piano) this time around is David Mikeal (lead & classical guitar, keys, bass, backing vocals).
The melodically charged 'Touch the Sky' is an uplifting opener of helping hand optimism ("you can’t turn back the years, but you can become very bold!"), complete with rock solid beat, sweeping guitar lines and lyrically reaffirming Middle 8.
Following number, the George Harrison-esque 'Light Again,' is the softer (voiced) side of Barry Myers housed within a big, balladeering sound; reflective and clearly personal, it’s as poignant as it is beautiful, with some gorgeous lead guitar work from David Mikeal.
The lighter rock and pop harmonies roll of 'Always Yesterday' is a lyrical apology about blaming the past (or others) for your present while 'Dream of the Night' offers up the album’s left-field moment.
A song of infatuation at first sight, the saxophone led (courtesy of Gregory Seel) and Latin styled sway of 'Dream of the Night' (which also carries a touch of Al Stewart about it) leads to the unmistakable sound of Pat Travers on full-bodied, melodic lead guitar as the song reaches its conclusion.
The classical guitar and piano led 'Praying Today' acts as the album’s short and contemplative interlude before the bigger sounding 'Burning Down the Wire' returns to the Barry Myers brand of melodic rock and guitar harmonies, lyrically bemoaning the issues many a talented and hard-working circuit band find themselves with as regards buyers, promoters and venues ("we reach out to you, you don’t reach back… want us to fill your room, luxury laundry mat?").
Short vignette piece, 'Anger and Love,' with background jazz sax, leads to the melodic and almost Floydian cries of 'Cutting Through,' a song that hearkens back to Barry Myers earlier work, such as heard on debut album 7th Avenue.
'Cutting Through,' in resonating chord turn, then sets up the shorter but no less melodic ballad, 'Letters in the Sky.'
The downtempo and melodic country vibe of the title track, featuring guitarist Barry Stone, lyrically threads the 'Tapestry Of Life' together, thus completing the journey.
To borrow from the title track's lyrical analogy, Barry Myers has, once again, weaved a tapestry of melodic threads through a collection of well-written, well performed and well produced songs that deserve melodic rock/ AOR airplay and recognition well beyond the confines of his Floridian playing borders.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
For his fourth solo album (or third if we take 2020’s Angel to be a 7-track extended EP) Barry Myers retains his Beatles, Dan Fogelberg and Pink Floyd influences but his melodic and lyrically personal sensibilities take centre stage on what is his most all-encompassing release to date.
Additionally, given the album is conceptually based around life's highs & lows (fitting for the Covid world of these last two years) Tapestry Of Life is also a well-named labour of love (and labour of living).
Nor does it hurt that there are a number of returnees from previous Barry Myers albums, including drummer, producer & mixer Sean Shannon (who has performed those roles admirably on just about everything Myers has done in the studio), Myers’ Florida based buddy and acclaimed Canadian guitarist Pat Travers (who has featured on previous Barry Myers albums) and guitarist Barry Stone, who played on Angel.
Additionally, and ably accompanying Barry Myers (lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, keys, piano) this time around is David Mikeal (lead & classical guitar, keys, bass, backing vocals).
The melodically charged 'Touch the Sky' is an uplifting opener of helping hand optimism ("you can’t turn back the years, but you can become very bold!"), complete with rock solid beat, sweeping guitar lines and lyrically reaffirming Middle 8.
Following number, the George Harrison-esque 'Light Again,' is the softer (voiced) side of Barry Myers housed within a big, balladeering sound; reflective and clearly personal, it’s as poignant as it is beautiful, with some gorgeous lead guitar work from David Mikeal.
The lighter rock and pop harmonies roll of 'Always Yesterday' is a lyrical apology about blaming the past (or others) for your present while 'Dream of the Night' offers up the album’s left-field moment.
A song of infatuation at first sight, the saxophone led (courtesy of Gregory Seel) and Latin styled sway of 'Dream of the Night' (which also carries a touch of Al Stewart about it) leads to the unmistakable sound of Pat Travers on full-bodied, melodic lead guitar as the song reaches its conclusion.
The classical guitar and piano led 'Praying Today' acts as the album’s short and contemplative interlude before the bigger sounding 'Burning Down the Wire' returns to the Barry Myers brand of melodic rock and guitar harmonies, lyrically bemoaning the issues many a talented and hard-working circuit band find themselves with as regards buyers, promoters and venues ("we reach out to you, you don’t reach back… want us to fill your room, luxury laundry mat?").
Short vignette piece, 'Anger and Love,' with background jazz sax, leads to the melodic and almost Floydian cries of 'Cutting Through,' a song that hearkens back to Barry Myers earlier work, such as heard on debut album 7th Avenue.
'Cutting Through,' in resonating chord turn, then sets up the shorter but no less melodic ballad, 'Letters in the Sky.'
The downtempo and melodic country vibe of the title track, featuring guitarist Barry Stone, lyrically threads the 'Tapestry Of Life' together, thus completing the journey.
To borrow from the title track's lyrical analogy, Barry Myers has, once again, weaved a tapestry of melodic threads through a collection of well-written, well performed and well produced songs that deserve melodic rock/ AOR airplay and recognition well beyond the confines of his Floridian playing borders.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Nekromant – Temple of Hall
Swedish metal-trio Nekromant (Mattias Ottosson - vocals, bass), Adam Lundqvist - guitars, Joakim Olsson - drums) have celebrated their deal with Despotz Records with the first offering for that label, Temple of Haal.
It's an album epitomises and showcases the band’s old-school Black Sabbath/ Pentagram authenticity with the added layer of Swedish darkness (both in mood and metal style).
Opening number 'Sileni' starts with an opening bombast that mixes Spinal Tap and Judas Priest (probably not what they were looking for but bizarrely it works).
A great guitar sound, along with accomplished riffing, holds the number up musically, but lyrically it does flirt around the aforementioned Tap at times.
Following number 'The Woods' is straight from the Priest playbook; it’s a winner musically but, again, not quite lyrically (while Swedish bleakness and a disconnection from Social Media/ reconnection with the material world are themes of the album, the likes of “cross the wastelands into nowhere” comes over as a little clichéd (and over-used) in the realms of dark/ riff-metal).
'Olórin’s Song' is very much old school Sabbath in doom-metal clothing (with Tolkien lyricism).
There’s some excellent guitar riffery from Adam Lundqvist here with a suitably supportive rhythm section (there’s also some welcome light & shade), but at nearly eight minutes long the band are stretching the point on a song that would have been more impacting if just a little more concise.
'Nekrolith' sees the band back on furious riffing form with a strong vocal contribution from Mattias Ottosson and excellent unison riffing mid-way through the Maiden-esque number (nod here to Ottosson’s bass work).
Vignette piece 'Vaenir Dreams' opens with acoustic guitars before a dual-lead section (reminiscent of Thin Lizzy/ Wishbone Ash) segues into another early Sabbath influenced number, slow and heavy metal ballad 'King Serpent.'
The seven-and-half-minute latter, which doesn’t outstay its welcome, remains downtempo and doom-laden until near the end when double bass drums and the guitar rhythm part combine for a very effective double-time outro.
Instrumental 'Häckle Klint' continues the downtempo, metal riffing theme and is another example of the band at their best; it’s followed by the title track, a big, epic number that is successfully delivered through strong guitar parts and a good sense of dynamics via a drop in intensity on the latter verse before the big ending.
Keeping the best to last, 'Behind the Veil of Eyes' serves as a demonstration of what the band is all about.
Big and meaty slow riffs, soaring vocals, some clever twists with key changes and use of dissonance are all on the agenda on the seven-minute closer.
Temple Of Haal could have been put together during the 1970s (there is a clear and distinct lineage), but Nekromant wear such influences proudly on their metal clad sleeves.
And while it isn’t a killer album, there is more than enough here to satisfy those who hanker after a band to assume the crown of early/ classic Black Sabbath for that particular sub-genre of metal – Nekromant certainly have enough about them to be genuine contenders.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
It's an album epitomises and showcases the band’s old-school Black Sabbath/ Pentagram authenticity with the added layer of Swedish darkness (both in mood and metal style).
Opening number 'Sileni' starts with an opening bombast that mixes Spinal Tap and Judas Priest (probably not what they were looking for but bizarrely it works).
A great guitar sound, along with accomplished riffing, holds the number up musically, but lyrically it does flirt around the aforementioned Tap at times.
Following number 'The Woods' is straight from the Priest playbook; it’s a winner musically but, again, not quite lyrically (while Swedish bleakness and a disconnection from Social Media/ reconnection with the material world are themes of the album, the likes of “cross the wastelands into nowhere” comes over as a little clichéd (and over-used) in the realms of dark/ riff-metal).
'Olórin’s Song' is very much old school Sabbath in doom-metal clothing (with Tolkien lyricism).
There’s some excellent guitar riffery from Adam Lundqvist here with a suitably supportive rhythm section (there’s also some welcome light & shade), but at nearly eight minutes long the band are stretching the point on a song that would have been more impacting if just a little more concise.
'Nekrolith' sees the band back on furious riffing form with a strong vocal contribution from Mattias Ottosson and excellent unison riffing mid-way through the Maiden-esque number (nod here to Ottosson’s bass work).
Vignette piece 'Vaenir Dreams' opens with acoustic guitars before a dual-lead section (reminiscent of Thin Lizzy/ Wishbone Ash) segues into another early Sabbath influenced number, slow and heavy metal ballad 'King Serpent.'
The seven-and-half-minute latter, which doesn’t outstay its welcome, remains downtempo and doom-laden until near the end when double bass drums and the guitar rhythm part combine for a very effective double-time outro.
Instrumental 'Häckle Klint' continues the downtempo, metal riffing theme and is another example of the band at their best; it’s followed by the title track, a big, epic number that is successfully delivered through strong guitar parts and a good sense of dynamics via a drop in intensity on the latter verse before the big ending.
Keeping the best to last, 'Behind the Veil of Eyes' serves as a demonstration of what the band is all about.
Big and meaty slow riffs, soaring vocals, some clever twists with key changes and use of dissonance are all on the agenda on the seven-minute closer.
Temple Of Haal could have been put together during the 1970s (there is a clear and distinct lineage), but Nekromant wear such influences proudly on their metal clad sleeves.
And while it isn’t a killer album, there is more than enough here to satisfy those who hanker after a band to assume the crown of early/ classic Black Sabbath for that particular sub-genre of metal – Nekromant certainly have enough about them to be genuine contenders.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Night Ranger - ATBPO
Political sway, music fashions and pandemics come and (hopefully) go but through it all bands such as Night Ranger, a 40 year, now 13 studio album champion of hard, melodic rock (with sprinklings of power pop and obligatory power-ballad moments) don’t just persevere – they play on through, while declaring You Can Still Rock In America (and every other part of the rock 'n’ roll world).
Hence the title of the band’s latest album, an acronym for And The Band Played On, the band being Night Ranger originals Jack Blades (lead vocals, bass), Kelly Keagy (lead vocals, drums) and Brad Gillis (guitars) along with ten-year Night Ranger veteran Eric Levy (keyboards) and Keri Kelli (guitars), who officially joined in 2014.
The hard hitting and sharp beat of 'Coming For You' is classic Night Ranger rock right out the studio gate.
Punchy, positive and with obligatory hook-chorus, it isn’t overly original nor a sonic sensation but by crikey it’s effective, and yet another calling card for an act that are a true legacy band of hard melodic rock, as impacting/ relevant now as they were in those platinum selling eighties daze.
'Bring it All Home To Me' is, musically, closer to the aforementioned heavy power-pop (complete with stupidly simple / highly infectious chorus) while the pacier 'Breakout' is more akin to late 80s/ early 90s rock-metal (but, again, with trademark Night Ranger melodic hook moment; this time in the pre-chorus).
This year’s Night Ranger arms-in-the-air ballads are 'Can’t Afford a Hero' and 'The Hardest Road,' both of which carry crossover country-styled arrangements and nicely arranged backing an harmony vocals.
(The latter is particularly impressive on 'Can't Afford a Hero,' to the degree that it could have been sub-titled If Crosby Stills & Nash did Melodic Rock ballads).
Not every song passes melodic rock muster however; the dodgy lyric rock and repetitive roll of 'Hard to Make it Easy' (there are some tasty twin-harmony guitar lead lines at play, though) and the simple beat sing-a-long meets Bon Jovi of 'Dance' are decidedly throwaway.
But the weightier numbers more than make up for the weaker material – the harder and edgier 'Cold as December,' which flits from rawer, rock-blues riffology to punkier Cheap Trick is a nice change of musical emphasis, as is the rockin’ 'Monkey,' built atop a hard and fast rhythm and a beefy and bubbly bass line.
The album closes out as impressively as it opened, courtesy of the choppy guitar chords fun of the upbeat 'Lucky Man' (featuring the first and indeed only appearance of the usually compulsory "woah-ohs") and the upbeat, here’s to better times, hook-laden melodic rock of 'Tomorrow.'
As a bonus, the CD and LP versions of the album feature an eleventh track in the none-too-shabby Hendrix meets power-pop shape of 'Savior.'
ATBPO – IFAPIS
And The Band Played On – In Fine And Pretty Impressive Style.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hence the title of the band’s latest album, an acronym for And The Band Played On, the band being Night Ranger originals Jack Blades (lead vocals, bass), Kelly Keagy (lead vocals, drums) and Brad Gillis (guitars) along with ten-year Night Ranger veteran Eric Levy (keyboards) and Keri Kelli (guitars), who officially joined in 2014.
The hard hitting and sharp beat of 'Coming For You' is classic Night Ranger rock right out the studio gate.
Punchy, positive and with obligatory hook-chorus, it isn’t overly original nor a sonic sensation but by crikey it’s effective, and yet another calling card for an act that are a true legacy band of hard melodic rock, as impacting/ relevant now as they were in those platinum selling eighties daze.
'Bring it All Home To Me' is, musically, closer to the aforementioned heavy power-pop (complete with stupidly simple / highly infectious chorus) while the pacier 'Breakout' is more akin to late 80s/ early 90s rock-metal (but, again, with trademark Night Ranger melodic hook moment; this time in the pre-chorus).
This year’s Night Ranger arms-in-the-air ballads are 'Can’t Afford a Hero' and 'The Hardest Road,' both of which carry crossover country-styled arrangements and nicely arranged backing an harmony vocals.
(The latter is particularly impressive on 'Can't Afford a Hero,' to the degree that it could have been sub-titled If Crosby Stills & Nash did Melodic Rock ballads).
Not every song passes melodic rock muster however; the dodgy lyric rock and repetitive roll of 'Hard to Make it Easy' (there are some tasty twin-harmony guitar lead lines at play, though) and the simple beat sing-a-long meets Bon Jovi of 'Dance' are decidedly throwaway.
But the weightier numbers more than make up for the weaker material – the harder and edgier 'Cold as December,' which flits from rawer, rock-blues riffology to punkier Cheap Trick is a nice change of musical emphasis, as is the rockin’ 'Monkey,' built atop a hard and fast rhythm and a beefy and bubbly bass line.
The album closes out as impressively as it opened, courtesy of the choppy guitar chords fun of the upbeat 'Lucky Man' (featuring the first and indeed only appearance of the usually compulsory "woah-ohs") and the upbeat, here’s to better times, hook-laden melodic rock of 'Tomorrow.'
As a bonus, the CD and LP versions of the album feature an eleventh track in the none-too-shabby Hendrix meets power-pop shape of 'Savior.'
ATBPO – IFAPIS
And The Band Played On – In Fine And Pretty Impressive Style.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Oscar Cordoba Band – Mythical (Part One)
Glasgow-based Oscar Cordoba Band, an instrumental jazz-rock fusion group of some standing in the Scottish central belt (including some notable support slots), could have sub-titled Mythical, their impressive full-length debut album, sorry for the delay.
That it is actually sub-titled Part One tells you a second album is already in the pipeline while the unpredicted, near eleven-month late arrival of the debut allows the band – Sam McCulloch (guitars), Kenneth Clark (keyboards), Nelson McFarlane (5-string bass), George Falconer (drums, percussion) – to claim what is believed to be a world first: an album launch show (in February 2020) where there wasn’t actually an album to launch.
Such non-album circumstances (down to unforeseen scheduling issues, musical fate and, more seriously, the Covid-19 pandemic) didn’t detract from the individual and collective talent on display that February night, including Nelson McFarlane’s son Neil guesting on tenor saxophone.
The younger McFarlane, who released his own debut album/ maxi EP Harmonic Chances in 2020, reprises his guest OCB role on Mythical : Part One; he adds some serious sax appeal to seven of the ten tracks including the punchy and funky Carl Filipiak opener 'No Return' (here a featuring a slow 'n' smooth OCB opening).
Live, and as witnessed at the excellent launch show (OCB aren’t a collection of good players, this is unit of very good payers), the band flit between jazz, rock, funk fusion classics and original compositions, some of which featured on the band’s rather tasty 2018 EP.
For the debut album however – completed, mixed and mastered toward the end of 2020 – OCB have intentionally concentrated on classic covers.
That’s a risk in itself as you have to be tightly unified and have the chops to take on material from the luminary likes of Billy Cobham ('Red Baron' and a seriously purposeful version of 'Stratus'), Simon Phillips ('All Things Considered' and the smooth pumpin’ 'Moments of Fortune'), Colosseum II ('Am I' plus the rocking and ever-shifting 'Put it This Way'), Frank Gambale ('Up in Beachwood,' a real highlight featuring Sam McCulloch and Neil McFarlane in dual harmony) and Pat Metheny.
The latter’s gorgeous, drifting composition 'Born' (Neil McFarlane playing the part of saxophonist Chris Potter admirably, with some subtle variation) closes out Mythical : Part One in fine, and quite emotive, style.
"Tight" and "chops" boxes duly ticked.
Other highlights include the Tom Barlage penned Focus/ Jan Akkerman melodic showcase 'Tommy,' here segued in medley with Don Airey’s aforementioned Colosseum II composition, 'Am I.'
Their respective, not-too-dissimilar atmospheres make for a joyful combination and an opportunity for Sam McCulloch to deliver the Akkerman and Gary Moore lines (none too shabby six-stringers to be nodding to) with tasteful aplomb.
Mythical : Part One is a well-worth-the-wait showcase of the Oscar Cordoba Band’s influences while providing a taster (through the airy, bass-led funk of 'Picardia Criolla') of the all-original Mythical : Part Two, which should see the light of fusion day in the latter half of 2021.
Barring any more unforeseen circumstances or pandemics, of course.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That it is actually sub-titled Part One tells you a second album is already in the pipeline while the unpredicted, near eleven-month late arrival of the debut allows the band – Sam McCulloch (guitars), Kenneth Clark (keyboards), Nelson McFarlane (5-string bass), George Falconer (drums, percussion) – to claim what is believed to be a world first: an album launch show (in February 2020) where there wasn’t actually an album to launch.
Such non-album circumstances (down to unforeseen scheduling issues, musical fate and, more seriously, the Covid-19 pandemic) didn’t detract from the individual and collective talent on display that February night, including Nelson McFarlane’s son Neil guesting on tenor saxophone.
The younger McFarlane, who released his own debut album/ maxi EP Harmonic Chances in 2020, reprises his guest OCB role on Mythical : Part One; he adds some serious sax appeal to seven of the ten tracks including the punchy and funky Carl Filipiak opener 'No Return' (here a featuring a slow 'n' smooth OCB opening).
Live, and as witnessed at the excellent launch show (OCB aren’t a collection of good players, this is unit of very good payers), the band flit between jazz, rock, funk fusion classics and original compositions, some of which featured on the band’s rather tasty 2018 EP.
For the debut album however – completed, mixed and mastered toward the end of 2020 – OCB have intentionally concentrated on classic covers.
That’s a risk in itself as you have to be tightly unified and have the chops to take on material from the luminary likes of Billy Cobham ('Red Baron' and a seriously purposeful version of 'Stratus'), Simon Phillips ('All Things Considered' and the smooth pumpin’ 'Moments of Fortune'), Colosseum II ('Am I' plus the rocking and ever-shifting 'Put it This Way'), Frank Gambale ('Up in Beachwood,' a real highlight featuring Sam McCulloch and Neil McFarlane in dual harmony) and Pat Metheny.
The latter’s gorgeous, drifting composition 'Born' (Neil McFarlane playing the part of saxophonist Chris Potter admirably, with some subtle variation) closes out Mythical : Part One in fine, and quite emotive, style.
"Tight" and "chops" boxes duly ticked.
Other highlights include the Tom Barlage penned Focus/ Jan Akkerman melodic showcase 'Tommy,' here segued in medley with Don Airey’s aforementioned Colosseum II composition, 'Am I.'
Their respective, not-too-dissimilar atmospheres make for a joyful combination and an opportunity for Sam McCulloch to deliver the Akkerman and Gary Moore lines (none too shabby six-stringers to be nodding to) with tasteful aplomb.
Mythical : Part One is a well-worth-the-wait showcase of the Oscar Cordoba Band’s influences while providing a taster (through the airy, bass-led funk of 'Picardia Criolla') of the all-original Mythical : Part Two, which should see the light of fusion day in the latter half of 2021.
Barring any more unforeseen circumstances or pandemics, of course.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Joseph Parsons – At Mercy’s Edge
European based American singer-songwriter-guitarist Joseph Parsons pretty much always has somethings to say across what is a fair old number of projects and releases over the last three decades (a prolific output of more than a dozen studio solo albums plus six live releases, a number of albums as a founder member of bands such as U.S. Rails, Hardpan and 4 Way Street and three offerings as part of Parsons Thibaud with fellow U.S. songwriter Todd Thibaud).
Even better news is what he has to say is usually worth a listen or ten, which is certainly true of fourteenth solo album At Mercy's Edge, a cracking little album that is not just reminiscent of some of his earlier work but one full of stories of what ails us and the world.
Nor does it hurt that, since 2008, Joseph Parsons has worked with the same transatlantic band of musical brothers from the USA and Germany – alongside Parsons are the talents of Freddi Lubitz (bass, vocals); Ross Bellenoit (guitars, vocals) Sven Hansen (drums, vocals).
At Mercy’s Edge kicks off in fine Americana rock (with a splash of folk) style with 'Greed On Fire.'
The song's uplifting musicality is tempered by a finger pointing lyric that gets straight to the changing heartland of the matter ("set a course get me outta here… the machine took us all for a ride, we’ll sacrifice everyone... greed on fire"), which could well explain why Mr Parsons now resides in Germany.
Tongue in cynical writer’s cheek aside it should be noted while The Joseph Parsons Band work the European music scene and circuit (and, more recently/ pre-pandemic, the UK) they make the occasional trip back to Parson’s homeland.
'Changes Everything' is a far rockier, shedding the shackles affair that builds the anger while also being more lyrically positive ("love changes everything!") alongside its "woah-oh-oh changes!" vocal backing.
There’s a folksier/ Celtic sweep to the sing-a-long charm of the uplifting 'Nerve,' which also features a splash of Hammond from guest keyboardist Adam Flicker (who appears on four tracks).
The more rhythmic and bluesy 'Madness' then makes its wholly contemporary mark before 'Trouble Zone' takes centre stage as Joseph Parson’s Springsteen moment (paralleling The Boss’s more radio friendly American-Heartland style of song).
It’s also one of only three numbers on the ten track album to sit well over the more predominant there-and-a-half-minute song approach; it needs all of its five minutes however to get its hardships of life message across ("hoping for a green zone, while living in the red").
The other, slightly longer songs are the angular guitars of the spacious and brooding 'Last One In' and the album closing title track, a storytelling finale in finely crafted, Americana meets Irish folk clothing.
Both benefit from their slightly longer stay but elsewhere Joseph Parsons and band have cleverly kept it short, sharp and to the lyrical point.
Such compaction makes the downtempo charm of relationship number 'One More' (featuring Emily Ana Zeitlyn on harmony & backing vocals), the slow-dancing guitar twang of 'Living With the Top Down' and the cool fuzzed guitar vibe and bluesy swing of 'Mule Train' all the more impacting.
Which is fitting, given At Mercy’s Edge is, indeed, another highly impacting and lyrically insightful offering from Joseph Parsons.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Even better news is what he has to say is usually worth a listen or ten, which is certainly true of fourteenth solo album At Mercy's Edge, a cracking little album that is not just reminiscent of some of his earlier work but one full of stories of what ails us and the world.
Nor does it hurt that, since 2008, Joseph Parsons has worked with the same transatlantic band of musical brothers from the USA and Germany – alongside Parsons are the talents of Freddi Lubitz (bass, vocals); Ross Bellenoit (guitars, vocals) Sven Hansen (drums, vocals).
At Mercy’s Edge kicks off in fine Americana rock (with a splash of folk) style with 'Greed On Fire.'
The song's uplifting musicality is tempered by a finger pointing lyric that gets straight to the changing heartland of the matter ("set a course get me outta here… the machine took us all for a ride, we’ll sacrifice everyone... greed on fire"), which could well explain why Mr Parsons now resides in Germany.
Tongue in cynical writer’s cheek aside it should be noted while The Joseph Parsons Band work the European music scene and circuit (and, more recently/ pre-pandemic, the UK) they make the occasional trip back to Parson’s homeland.
'Changes Everything' is a far rockier, shedding the shackles affair that builds the anger while also being more lyrically positive ("love changes everything!") alongside its "woah-oh-oh changes!" vocal backing.
There’s a folksier/ Celtic sweep to the sing-a-long charm of the uplifting 'Nerve,' which also features a splash of Hammond from guest keyboardist Adam Flicker (who appears on four tracks).
The more rhythmic and bluesy 'Madness' then makes its wholly contemporary mark before 'Trouble Zone' takes centre stage as Joseph Parson’s Springsteen moment (paralleling The Boss’s more radio friendly American-Heartland style of song).
It’s also one of only three numbers on the ten track album to sit well over the more predominant there-and-a-half-minute song approach; it needs all of its five minutes however to get its hardships of life message across ("hoping for a green zone, while living in the red").
The other, slightly longer songs are the angular guitars of the spacious and brooding 'Last One In' and the album closing title track, a storytelling finale in finely crafted, Americana meets Irish folk clothing.
Both benefit from their slightly longer stay but elsewhere Joseph Parsons and band have cleverly kept it short, sharp and to the lyrical point.
Such compaction makes the downtempo charm of relationship number 'One More' (featuring Emily Ana Zeitlyn on harmony & backing vocals), the slow-dancing guitar twang of 'Living With the Top Down' and the cool fuzzed guitar vibe and bluesy swing of 'Mule Train' all the more impacting.
Which is fitting, given At Mercy’s Edge is, indeed, another highly impacting and lyrically insightful offering from Joseph Parsons.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pepperkid2 – Adventures in Pepperland
Pepperkid2 isn’t so much a band as a project moniker for Jem Davis, keyboardist of acclaimed British melodic rockers FM.
However for these musical Adventures in Pepperland (recorded through lockdown 2020 in his own studio, which he named Electric Pepperland – hence the album title) Pepperkid2 might be best described a Jem Davis & Friends, with buddy and singer Mike Dyer (Grand slam) featuring as main vocalist & co-writer, plus appearances from a number of other musical friends and colleagues.
That the album is also anything goes and "genre fluid" (to use Jem Davis’s own description) is evident from the get-go with fun and infectious opener 'Pepperland.'
On that song you’ll hear direct influences of the Small Faces, the Beatles and Jellyfish, with the added bonus of Davis’s FM bandmate Jim Kirkpatrick on rockney vocals (and lead guitar) while keyboard horns and synth melody lines lead the charge around the fantasy world.
The rockier and ever so slightly psychedelic 'The Otherside' allows Mike Dyer to stamp his vocal identity on Pepperland while the slower, six-minute 'London Bound?' settles into a bluesy and soulful rhythm (that pulsates more than it beats); it also comes complete with Floyd-esque backing vocals and a nice Hammond solo from Jem Davis.
'Finding My Way' isn’t too far removed from the sort of reflective number Howard Jones would come up with (sans electronica), here with a touch of delicate but dovetailing backing vocals from Hayley Simone and a life lesson tag-line ("you don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone").
'Voodoo,' with its strong back-beat, sparse piano lines and weaving synth-sorcery (and fittingly sinister talk-box / guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn) leads us through a darker avenue of Pepperland; however the near seven minute number would have been more impacting had it been more concise.
The most rock-oriented song on the album, the air-punching 'Fire Me Up,' is driven by a Hammond riff, big muscly beat and some wicked Moog play; lead-off single 'After the Rain' then continues the rock vibe, here in the shape of a pulsating and weighty mid-tempo melodic rocker that features a purposeful vocal from Mike Dyer and great guitar solo from Dyer’s Grand Slam bandmate, Laurence Archer.
'Behind the Glass' is the album’s Alice in Wonderland moment and another song that channels both Jellyfish and the Beatles; its pop warmth, harmonies and synth-weaving charm also make for one of the highlights of the album.
Unfortunately following number 'Fools Lullaby' isn’t a highlight; even by the multi-faceted standards of Adventures in Pepperland the Nashville-tinted, piano-led ballad, featuring FM vocalist Steve Overland, sounds incongruous here (and too downtempo for the mood and vibe of the album).
The delightful pop-sheen of 'Allow to Let Go,' with its late 60s/ early 70s California pop appeal (and equally delightful guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn), is another winner however (the 'Pepperland' reprise ending is a nice touch).
The latter is then bettered by 'Breath of Life,' which more than merits its near seven minutes.
Encapsulating what we have all gone through in 2020 (and, sadly, 2021) 'Breath of Life' musically slow-builds while asking us to "breathe in, breathe out" before culminating in a Floydian finale that features an emotive and striking "shot of hope" guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn.
Closing out with the Supertramp meets music theatre stylings of 'Something Gotta Give' (a wickedly sharp political statement interspersed with a children’s choir and Christmas sentimentalities), Adventures in Pepperland proves itself to be, outside of a couple of wrong-turns, a wonderful trip through the musical mind of Jem Davis.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pepperkid2 – Adventures in Pepperland is out now: www.pepperkid2.com/
However for these musical Adventures in Pepperland (recorded through lockdown 2020 in his own studio, which he named Electric Pepperland – hence the album title) Pepperkid2 might be best described a Jem Davis & Friends, with buddy and singer Mike Dyer (Grand slam) featuring as main vocalist & co-writer, plus appearances from a number of other musical friends and colleagues.
That the album is also anything goes and "genre fluid" (to use Jem Davis’s own description) is evident from the get-go with fun and infectious opener 'Pepperland.'
On that song you’ll hear direct influences of the Small Faces, the Beatles and Jellyfish, with the added bonus of Davis’s FM bandmate Jim Kirkpatrick on rockney vocals (and lead guitar) while keyboard horns and synth melody lines lead the charge around the fantasy world.
The rockier and ever so slightly psychedelic 'The Otherside' allows Mike Dyer to stamp his vocal identity on Pepperland while the slower, six-minute 'London Bound?' settles into a bluesy and soulful rhythm (that pulsates more than it beats); it also comes complete with Floyd-esque backing vocals and a nice Hammond solo from Jem Davis.
'Finding My Way' isn’t too far removed from the sort of reflective number Howard Jones would come up with (sans electronica), here with a touch of delicate but dovetailing backing vocals from Hayley Simone and a life lesson tag-line ("you don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone").
'Voodoo,' with its strong back-beat, sparse piano lines and weaving synth-sorcery (and fittingly sinister talk-box / guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn) leads us through a darker avenue of Pepperland; however the near seven minute number would have been more impacting had it been more concise.
The most rock-oriented song on the album, the air-punching 'Fire Me Up,' is driven by a Hammond riff, big muscly beat and some wicked Moog play; lead-off single 'After the Rain' then continues the rock vibe, here in the shape of a pulsating and weighty mid-tempo melodic rocker that features a purposeful vocal from Mike Dyer and great guitar solo from Dyer’s Grand Slam bandmate, Laurence Archer.
'Behind the Glass' is the album’s Alice in Wonderland moment and another song that channels both Jellyfish and the Beatles; its pop warmth, harmonies and synth-weaving charm also make for one of the highlights of the album.
Unfortunately following number 'Fools Lullaby' isn’t a highlight; even by the multi-faceted standards of Adventures in Pepperland the Nashville-tinted, piano-led ballad, featuring FM vocalist Steve Overland, sounds incongruous here (and too downtempo for the mood and vibe of the album).
The delightful pop-sheen of 'Allow to Let Go,' with its late 60s/ early 70s California pop appeal (and equally delightful guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn), is another winner however (the 'Pepperland' reprise ending is a nice touch).
The latter is then bettered by 'Breath of Life,' which more than merits its near seven minutes.
Encapsulating what we have all gone through in 2020 (and, sadly, 2021) 'Breath of Life' musically slow-builds while asking us to "breathe in, breathe out" before culminating in a Floydian finale that features an emotive and striking "shot of hope" guitar solo from Nigel Spennewyn.
Closing out with the Supertramp meets music theatre stylings of 'Something Gotta Give' (a wickedly sharp political statement interspersed with a children’s choir and Christmas sentimentalities), Adventures in Pepperland proves itself to be, outside of a couple of wrong-turns, a wonderful trip through the musical mind of Jem Davis.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pepperkid2 – Adventures in Pepperland is out now: www.pepperkid2.com/
Mick Pini / Audio54 – Backtrack
The digitally released Backtrack isn't going to be one of the most heralded or hyped blues albums of 2021 but it is, unquestionably, one of the most interesting, given it’s a Best Of collaboration between German based, Leicester blues veteran Mick Pini and Audio54 producer, remixer, songwriter and musician Craig Marshall.
Stemming from an idea noted British blues promoter and broadcaster Pete Feenstra had for updating Mick Pini’s music via Craig Marshall’s inventive remixing expertise, Backtrack is a 12-track compilation that feature some of Pini’s favourite songs from his 25 album, 55 year music career, remixed and remastered by Marshall, along with four Audio54 tracks featuring Pini's tone-full guitar work.
Opener 'Jumping Blues' (from Mick Pini’s Happy With The Blues album of 2015), epitomises that very title.
Indeed the song doesn't just jump, it hops skips and shuffles across its near four minutes in fairly understated but ultra-fun, guitar lickin’ and piano ratting fashion, like a blast from the jive-blues past.
By contrast 'Blues For Peter Green' (another that does exactly what it says on the title; something of a Mick Pini trait) is a more serious six-string affair that pays homage to the late and great man in haunting, evocative fashion across seven minutes of tasteful, reverbed guitar remarks that float over a slow and thoughtful, early Fleetwood Mac (natch) styled rhythm.
It also reinforces why Eric Clapton once described Mick PIni as "the legitimate successor to Peter Green."
Backtrack goes on to cover pretty much every blues hued facet of Mick Pini (with that Audio54 remix (and sometimes reimagined) touch), from the echoing, dry-voiced delivery that accompanies the slide driven stomp of 'Blues is Cheap' and ultra-funky 'You Know I Can' (with a groovin' guitar, organ and horns end of song work-out) to rhythmic slow blues instrumental 'Into the Distance.'
The latter sports Pini licks so smooth you’re likely to slip on the audio waves created.
Of the four Audio54 / Mick Pini creations 'Shadows' is the most intriguing (four and half minutes of sleepy jazz-blues), but a highlight of the entire album is the near eight-minute instrumental 'Slow Hands,' where Pini picks various shades of soulful blues colours out of his guitar atop a finger-clicking rhythm and interjection of soft jazz horns, muted trumpet and soft, woozy organ work.
Add in songs such as the effortlessly played slow blues 'I Got it Bad' (and the equally impressive/ emotive 'One Glass of Water'), the barrelhouse meets honky-tonk instrumental guitar & piano fun of 'Snowy Wood' and closing Audio54 / Mick Pini piece 'Wasteland' (a beautifully forlorn acoustic guitar over synth canvas cry for the dispossessed), and you have a reimagined compilation album well worth your attention.
Mick Pini might be backtracking here, but in the most forward thinking of terms.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Backtrack can be purchased/ downloaded at: https://audio54.bandcamp.com/releases
Stemming from an idea noted British blues promoter and broadcaster Pete Feenstra had for updating Mick Pini’s music via Craig Marshall’s inventive remixing expertise, Backtrack is a 12-track compilation that feature some of Pini’s favourite songs from his 25 album, 55 year music career, remixed and remastered by Marshall, along with four Audio54 tracks featuring Pini's tone-full guitar work.
Opener 'Jumping Blues' (from Mick Pini’s Happy With The Blues album of 2015), epitomises that very title.
Indeed the song doesn't just jump, it hops skips and shuffles across its near four minutes in fairly understated but ultra-fun, guitar lickin’ and piano ratting fashion, like a blast from the jive-blues past.
By contrast 'Blues For Peter Green' (another that does exactly what it says on the title; something of a Mick Pini trait) is a more serious six-string affair that pays homage to the late and great man in haunting, evocative fashion across seven minutes of tasteful, reverbed guitar remarks that float over a slow and thoughtful, early Fleetwood Mac (natch) styled rhythm.
It also reinforces why Eric Clapton once described Mick PIni as "the legitimate successor to Peter Green."
Backtrack goes on to cover pretty much every blues hued facet of Mick Pini (with that Audio54 remix (and sometimes reimagined) touch), from the echoing, dry-voiced delivery that accompanies the slide driven stomp of 'Blues is Cheap' and ultra-funky 'You Know I Can' (with a groovin' guitar, organ and horns end of song work-out) to rhythmic slow blues instrumental 'Into the Distance.'
The latter sports Pini licks so smooth you’re likely to slip on the audio waves created.
Of the four Audio54 / Mick Pini creations 'Shadows' is the most intriguing (four and half minutes of sleepy jazz-blues), but a highlight of the entire album is the near eight-minute instrumental 'Slow Hands,' where Pini picks various shades of soulful blues colours out of his guitar atop a finger-clicking rhythm and interjection of soft jazz horns, muted trumpet and soft, woozy organ work.
Add in songs such as the effortlessly played slow blues 'I Got it Bad' (and the equally impressive/ emotive 'One Glass of Water'), the barrelhouse meets honky-tonk instrumental guitar & piano fun of 'Snowy Wood' and closing Audio54 / Mick Pini piece 'Wasteland' (a beautifully forlorn acoustic guitar over synth canvas cry for the dispossessed), and you have a reimagined compilation album well worth your attention.
Mick Pini might be backtracking here, but in the most forward thinking of terms.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Backtrack can be purchased/ downloaded at: https://audio54.bandcamp.com/releases
Plenty - Enough
Plenty, the 80s Indie/art-pop band formed around vocalist Tim Bowness, guitarist & keyboardist Brian Hulse and bassist David K Jones (who reformed in 2018 to deliver the album It Could Be Home) have certainly provided Enough (sorry) on their latest old-is-new offering to keep their fans and aficionados of atmospheric art-rock happy.
A 2CD album made up of three parts entitled 'Old,' 'Older' and 'Borrowed' ('Old' & 'Older' feature some original parts by Michael Bearpark (guitars/ bass), Peter Chilvers (keys) and drummers Tom Atherton & Charles Grimsdale), Plenty have revisited their back catalogue, raided their demo archives and taken on a very interesting selection of covers to produce an equally interesting album (a number of the tracks point in the direction of No-Man, the art-pop creative formed by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson in the late 80s).
'Old' is a mini-album containing seven contemporary interpretations of 1980s Plenty songs that weren't included on It Could Be Home.
Highlights here include 'Forest Almost Burning' (the softer but prominent voice of Tim Bowness over a simple but effective rhythm, with keyboard and guitar remarks coming and going throughout, is quintessential Plenty), 'The Blessed Ones' (Marc Almond meets mid-tempo rock ambience), 'War Games By the Sea' (which has a touch of Peter Gabriel about it), the rhythmic dream-pop of 'The Other Side' and pick of the bunch, the haunting 'Toward the Shore.'
(The latter is only missing the yearning voice of Kate Bush; indeed it almost sounds like it should be on Miss Bush’s 'The Ninth Wave' suite).
'Older' is the first ever release of seven Plenty demos ranging from 1986 to 1990, several of which include lyrical ideas later used by No-Man.
The original demos of four 'Old' tracks feature including 'Forest Almost Burning,' which would become an early No Man (is an Island) song; this makes for interesting song development comparisons, but the other three demos are equally worthy of inclusion.
'Sacrifice' is a rhythmically structured number not dissimilar to an 80s David Byrne while the semi-ethereal pairing of 'Brave Dreams' and 'Broken Nights' could, title-wise, be the Yin and Yang of each other (both demos are from 1990).
As strong as the band’s revisited / reimagined material and early demos are, there is no question the most intriguing part of Enough is 'Borrowed' and its five covers.
'New Brighton' (by It’s Immaterial, one of a number of then contemporaries Plenty echoed in their art rock and electronica-pop stylings) retains the ambience of the lovely original while the reinterpretation of Suanne Vega’s 'Soap and Water' is best, and perfectly, described by the band themselves ("wherein despair takes a trip to the Euro Disco!").
A fuller-sounding arrangement of The Teardrop Explodes ballad 'Tiny Children' improves on the original and Kevin Coyne’s 'Forgive Me' also works better here (built around a more serious, rhythmic sway), but the most intriguing cover is Hank Williams’ 'I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.'
The latter has to be, to paraphrase Tim Bowness, the most English slice of Americana ever heard/ recorded. (It’s really only missing an outro voice of "More tea, Vicar?").
Three distinct parts totalling 19 songs across 2CDs of ambient art-rockscapes and 80s era Indie-pop.
Yep, Plenty (sorry again) here for everyone.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
A 2CD album made up of three parts entitled 'Old,' 'Older' and 'Borrowed' ('Old' & 'Older' feature some original parts by Michael Bearpark (guitars/ bass), Peter Chilvers (keys) and drummers Tom Atherton & Charles Grimsdale), Plenty have revisited their back catalogue, raided their demo archives and taken on a very interesting selection of covers to produce an equally interesting album (a number of the tracks point in the direction of No-Man, the art-pop creative formed by Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson in the late 80s).
'Old' is a mini-album containing seven contemporary interpretations of 1980s Plenty songs that weren't included on It Could Be Home.
Highlights here include 'Forest Almost Burning' (the softer but prominent voice of Tim Bowness over a simple but effective rhythm, with keyboard and guitar remarks coming and going throughout, is quintessential Plenty), 'The Blessed Ones' (Marc Almond meets mid-tempo rock ambience), 'War Games By the Sea' (which has a touch of Peter Gabriel about it), the rhythmic dream-pop of 'The Other Side' and pick of the bunch, the haunting 'Toward the Shore.'
(The latter is only missing the yearning voice of Kate Bush; indeed it almost sounds like it should be on Miss Bush’s 'The Ninth Wave' suite).
'Older' is the first ever release of seven Plenty demos ranging from 1986 to 1990, several of which include lyrical ideas later used by No-Man.
The original demos of four 'Old' tracks feature including 'Forest Almost Burning,' which would become an early No Man (is an Island) song; this makes for interesting song development comparisons, but the other three demos are equally worthy of inclusion.
'Sacrifice' is a rhythmically structured number not dissimilar to an 80s David Byrne while the semi-ethereal pairing of 'Brave Dreams' and 'Broken Nights' could, title-wise, be the Yin and Yang of each other (both demos are from 1990).
As strong as the band’s revisited / reimagined material and early demos are, there is no question the most intriguing part of Enough is 'Borrowed' and its five covers.
'New Brighton' (by It’s Immaterial, one of a number of then contemporaries Plenty echoed in their art rock and electronica-pop stylings) retains the ambience of the lovely original while the reinterpretation of Suanne Vega’s 'Soap and Water' is best, and perfectly, described by the band themselves ("wherein despair takes a trip to the Euro Disco!").
A fuller-sounding arrangement of The Teardrop Explodes ballad 'Tiny Children' improves on the original and Kevin Coyne’s 'Forgive Me' also works better here (built around a more serious, rhythmic sway), but the most intriguing cover is Hank Williams’ 'I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.'
The latter has to be, to paraphrase Tim Bowness, the most English slice of Americana ever heard/ recorded. (It’s really only missing an outro voice of "More tea, Vicar?").
Three distinct parts totalling 19 songs across 2CDs of ambient art-rockscapes and 80s era Indie-pop.
Yep, Plenty (sorry again) here for everyone.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Ben Poole & Guy Smeets – Acoustic Duo Live
Blues rock & soul singer-songwriter-guitarist Ben Poole, who can muscle out a weighty and riff laden blues-rock tune as well as he can huskily voice a melodically framed soul-pop original (both traits heard to fine effect on his last and best-to-date studio album Anytime You Need Me), has little opportunity to switch from his favoured Telecaster or Gibson to acoustic when touring with his own band.
However, in the company of his good friend, musical brother and up & coming Dutch guitar sensation Guy Smeets, Poole has put that to rights on the pair’s Acoustic Duo Live album.
(You could also argue it’s long overdue, given the pair have shared stages for nigh on ten years and undertook their first headlining tour back in 2019).
Recorded across two consecutive shows in The Netherlands in August 2020 at Café Zaal in De Comm Groesbeek, the near hour set delivers an intimate and nicely vibe’d performance from Poole & Smeets.
It should also be musically noted that while the set opens with, and features, a number of Ben Poole originals Guy Smeets is not just playing acoustic foil to the voice, songs and talents of Poole.
Indeed on opener 'Let’s Go Upstairs' (from Ben Poole’s debut album of the same name), it’s Smeets that takes the finger flexing acoustic lead while Poole puts his husky vocal tones over the funky number.
It’s also notable how well blended they are vocally, such as when Guy Smeets harmony backs on the choruses of the weightier 'Take it No More' from Anytime You Need Me; it’s also another song where Smeets gets to interpret the solo in fine acoustic fashion before a little guitar interplay between the two.
Ben Poole then adds some delicate acoustic touches to the introduction of the soulful 'It Doesn’t Have to be That Way' (which also featured on Poole’s debut album), before 'Going Up Country' adds a little blues coloured tone (and finger pickin’ good solos from both players).
Country blues is then swapped for funky blues in the shape of 'Nothing Ever Hurt Like You' before the blues staple 'Too Tired' allows for some acoustic call and answer, tricky interplay and individual soloing.
It’s also worth noting Acoustic Duo Live isn’t just a great set from two great players; it’s a great sounding set, courtesy of Wayne Proctor in his House-Of-Tone guise.
Proctor’s mix (and mastering) has placed the listener front and centre of a sound that retains its spacious, live ambience with a soupçon of reverb in the acoustics (both the guitars and the room).
If there’s criticism to be made on an otherwise excellent acoustic showcase it’s that the impromptu stop-starts through the ten-minute 'Guitar Duel' would have been better edited out to make for a tighter and more concise piece (while featuring the full sequence helps showcase the on-the-night fun and playfulness of proceedings, such moments tend to fall in to the "had to be there" category).
Redemption however comes by way of an excellent jam-medley encore of 'Billie Jean,' 'Smoke On The Water,' 'Purple Haze' and The Temptations 'I'm Losing You.'
Whether acoustically rocking it up or bluesin' it out, Ben Poole & Guy Smeets are, as it says on the cover, an entertaining and impressive acoustic duo live.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
However, in the company of his good friend, musical brother and up & coming Dutch guitar sensation Guy Smeets, Poole has put that to rights on the pair’s Acoustic Duo Live album.
(You could also argue it’s long overdue, given the pair have shared stages for nigh on ten years and undertook their first headlining tour back in 2019).
Recorded across two consecutive shows in The Netherlands in August 2020 at Café Zaal in De Comm Groesbeek, the near hour set delivers an intimate and nicely vibe’d performance from Poole & Smeets.
It should also be musically noted that while the set opens with, and features, a number of Ben Poole originals Guy Smeets is not just playing acoustic foil to the voice, songs and talents of Poole.
Indeed on opener 'Let’s Go Upstairs' (from Ben Poole’s debut album of the same name), it’s Smeets that takes the finger flexing acoustic lead while Poole puts his husky vocal tones over the funky number.
It’s also notable how well blended they are vocally, such as when Guy Smeets harmony backs on the choruses of the weightier 'Take it No More' from Anytime You Need Me; it’s also another song where Smeets gets to interpret the solo in fine acoustic fashion before a little guitar interplay between the two.
Ben Poole then adds some delicate acoustic touches to the introduction of the soulful 'It Doesn’t Have to be That Way' (which also featured on Poole’s debut album), before 'Going Up Country' adds a little blues coloured tone (and finger pickin’ good solos from both players).
Country blues is then swapped for funky blues in the shape of 'Nothing Ever Hurt Like You' before the blues staple 'Too Tired' allows for some acoustic call and answer, tricky interplay and individual soloing.
It’s also worth noting Acoustic Duo Live isn’t just a great set from two great players; it’s a great sounding set, courtesy of Wayne Proctor in his House-Of-Tone guise.
Proctor’s mix (and mastering) has placed the listener front and centre of a sound that retains its spacious, live ambience with a soupçon of reverb in the acoustics (both the guitars and the room).
If there’s criticism to be made on an otherwise excellent acoustic showcase it’s that the impromptu stop-starts through the ten-minute 'Guitar Duel' would have been better edited out to make for a tighter and more concise piece (while featuring the full sequence helps showcase the on-the-night fun and playfulness of proceedings, such moments tend to fall in to the "had to be there" category).
Redemption however comes by way of an excellent jam-medley encore of 'Billie Jean,' 'Smoke On The Water,' 'Purple Haze' and The Temptations 'I'm Losing You.'
Whether acoustically rocking it up or bluesin' it out, Ben Poole & Guy Smeets are, as it says on the cover, an entertaining and impressive acoustic duo live.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Popa Chubby – Tinfoil Hat
Even before you hear so much as a bar of music or one lyrical line from Popa Chubby’s latest album, its title tells you who, and what, the influences and catalysts were for what is, as the big man of New York Blues himself states, "a record that’s as true as I have ever been in 60 years on this planet."
"Ladies and gentlemen this is the year 2020 in the United States of America and this song is dedicated to all you crazy people!"
That introduction, which kicks off the Peter Gunn styled title track, is Popa Chubby (aka Ted Horowitz) just getting started, underlined by they-walk-among-us verses such as "Gettin’ all my news from Fox TV, Bill Gates gonna be the death of me; I’m a certified lunatic, manic cat – gotta put on my tinfoil hat. Keep those gamma rays out!"
That last line is more telling than its humour suggests because you get the impression that while recording what is a true lockdown album (all instruments, vocals, recording, engineering and production by Popa Chubby), along with what he saw going on in the US and elsewhere, Mr Horowitz was doing his best to not get angry and go all green-skinned Hulk as the 2020 world and some of its citizens went into meltdown.
Similarly COVID focussed is the cha cha cha beat of mid-tempo blues boogie 'Baby Put On Your Mask' before Popa’s forthright brand of blues comes calling in the finger pointing shape of 'No Justice No Peace,' a blues plea to the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter movement.
Following number 'Someday Soon (Change is Gonna Come)' is positive, up-tempo hope in reaction to the previous track; such positivity continues with the foot-tapping fun of 'Can I Call You My Friends?', a clarion call of all in this together solidarity.
The negative or divisive aspects of the un-United State of 2020 affairs are brought to bear on the rockabilly Lite of 'You Ain’t Said Shit' (no prizes for guessing what "stable genius" with the "best words" that song’s aimed squarely at) and 'Another Day in Hell,' a far more serious six-minute blues aimed at those who pave their own way to the Devil’s gates.
Other notable tracks include the Rastafarian reggae styled 'Cognitive Dissonance' ("what is the cost of a human life… put a dollar figure on it… you can’t… but they can), the love song charm of soul-blues pop number 'Embee’s Song' and album closer '1968 Again,' an acoustic swamp stomp nod to a pivotal time, both good and bad.
"This record is dedicated to the memories of all the souls who departed this mortal coil due to Coronavirus disease. May truth be our light to guide us through the dark night."
- Theodore Horowitz
Popa Chubby for next President.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
"Ladies and gentlemen this is the year 2020 in the United States of America and this song is dedicated to all you crazy people!"
That introduction, which kicks off the Peter Gunn styled title track, is Popa Chubby (aka Ted Horowitz) just getting started, underlined by they-walk-among-us verses such as "Gettin’ all my news from Fox TV, Bill Gates gonna be the death of me; I’m a certified lunatic, manic cat – gotta put on my tinfoil hat. Keep those gamma rays out!"
That last line is more telling than its humour suggests because you get the impression that while recording what is a true lockdown album (all instruments, vocals, recording, engineering and production by Popa Chubby), along with what he saw going on in the US and elsewhere, Mr Horowitz was doing his best to not get angry and go all green-skinned Hulk as the 2020 world and some of its citizens went into meltdown.
Similarly COVID focussed is the cha cha cha beat of mid-tempo blues boogie 'Baby Put On Your Mask' before Popa’s forthright brand of blues comes calling in the finger pointing shape of 'No Justice No Peace,' a blues plea to the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter movement.
Following number 'Someday Soon (Change is Gonna Come)' is positive, up-tempo hope in reaction to the previous track; such positivity continues with the foot-tapping fun of 'Can I Call You My Friends?', a clarion call of all in this together solidarity.
The negative or divisive aspects of the un-United State of 2020 affairs are brought to bear on the rockabilly Lite of 'You Ain’t Said Shit' (no prizes for guessing what "stable genius" with the "best words" that song’s aimed squarely at) and 'Another Day in Hell,' a far more serious six-minute blues aimed at those who pave their own way to the Devil’s gates.
Other notable tracks include the Rastafarian reggae styled 'Cognitive Dissonance' ("what is the cost of a human life… put a dollar figure on it… you can’t… but they can), the love song charm of soul-blues pop number 'Embee’s Song' and album closer '1968 Again,' an acoustic swamp stomp nod to a pivotal time, both good and bad.
"This record is dedicated to the memories of all the souls who departed this mortal coil due to Coronavirus disease. May truth be our light to guide us through the dark night."
- Theodore Horowitz
Popa Chubby for next President.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Redfish - Songs From the Fire Station EP
Borders based band Redfish (now more commonly known as Redfish Blues Band) have such a solid live reputation it’s a little surprising they have only now delivered official live product.
But it’s a well-timed release, given it’s an inviting if concise, four song reminder of what we have been missing this last year and more as we sing the predominately isolated COVID-19 blues.
Recorded at The Old Fire Station venue in Carlisle (the band are regular performers at TOFS, with full shows and blues jams), the EP catches a flavour of what Redfish are all about; not through any of the entertaining and multi-styled originals that feature on 2019 debut album Souls, however, but via four live-staple/ favourite covers.
Drummer Sandy Sweetman and bassist Rod Mackay can hold down tight or groove out on the rhythm with equal aplomb (managing both on the seven minute, rhythm ‘n’ bluesy take of Bob Dylan’s 'Meet Me in the Morning') while front man Stumblin’ Harris has a soulful vulnerability to his vocal that complements the real life/ real world numbers the band predominately perform.
Tidy a trio as front man and rhythm section make the band have not one but two secret weapons in their blues-hued arsenal.
Guitarist Martin McDonald is one of the best and most authentic sounding guitarists on the UK blues circuit, courtesy of being not just a bloody good player but driving his sound through a bloody big Leslie cabinet speaker for that thick, McDonald tone (front and centre on the near eight minute, funk-a-delic blues take of Bill Withers’ 'Use Me').
Keyboardist Fraser Clark is a wickedly good player with, in the live setting, highly animated, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him watchability.
On a live EP such visuals are obviously posted missing but not his classy piano touches, soloing or organ keyboard embellishments, heard to fine effect on Jimmy Reed’s oft-covered 'Bright Lights, Big City' and his honky tonkin’ runs on the rattling and rolling rendition of Hound Dog Taylor’s 'Give Me Back My Wig.'
(The latter number also allows Martin McDonald to add some serious slide appeal).
Good news as a live EP from the Redfish Blues Band is, the better news is Songs From the Fire Station also points toward the (admittedly still faint) light now starting to appear at the end of the COVID tunnel.
It therefore might not be too long before Songs from the Fire Station becomes songs from across the country in full-set shows in front of welcoming audiences.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
You can purchase Songs From the Fire Station (as well and other releases from Redfish Blues Band) as a download or CD from the band's website store: https://www.redfishband.co.uk/store-tracks-cd-s-merch
But it’s a well-timed release, given it’s an inviting if concise, four song reminder of what we have been missing this last year and more as we sing the predominately isolated COVID-19 blues.
Recorded at The Old Fire Station venue in Carlisle (the band are regular performers at TOFS, with full shows and blues jams), the EP catches a flavour of what Redfish are all about; not through any of the entertaining and multi-styled originals that feature on 2019 debut album Souls, however, but via four live-staple/ favourite covers.
Drummer Sandy Sweetman and bassist Rod Mackay can hold down tight or groove out on the rhythm with equal aplomb (managing both on the seven minute, rhythm ‘n’ bluesy take of Bob Dylan’s 'Meet Me in the Morning') while front man Stumblin’ Harris has a soulful vulnerability to his vocal that complements the real life/ real world numbers the band predominately perform.
Tidy a trio as front man and rhythm section make the band have not one but two secret weapons in their blues-hued arsenal.
Guitarist Martin McDonald is one of the best and most authentic sounding guitarists on the UK blues circuit, courtesy of being not just a bloody good player but driving his sound through a bloody big Leslie cabinet speaker for that thick, McDonald tone (front and centre on the near eight minute, funk-a-delic blues take of Bill Withers’ 'Use Me').
Keyboardist Fraser Clark is a wickedly good player with, in the live setting, highly animated, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him watchability.
On a live EP such visuals are obviously posted missing but not his classy piano touches, soloing or organ keyboard embellishments, heard to fine effect on Jimmy Reed’s oft-covered 'Bright Lights, Big City' and his honky tonkin’ runs on the rattling and rolling rendition of Hound Dog Taylor’s 'Give Me Back My Wig.'
(The latter number also allows Martin McDonald to add some serious slide appeal).
Good news as a live EP from the Redfish Blues Band is, the better news is Songs From the Fire Station also points toward the (admittedly still faint) light now starting to appear at the end of the COVID tunnel.
It therefore might not be too long before Songs from the Fire Station becomes songs from across the country in full-set shows in front of welcoming audiences.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
You can purchase Songs From the Fire Station (as well and other releases from Redfish Blues Band) as a download or CD from the band's website store: https://www.redfishband.co.uk/store-tracks-cd-s-merch
Dan Reed - Alchemy II Beats
Dan Reed’s latest solo adventure (coming only seven months after soul-synth chill-out album Liftoff) is, as the title confirms, the instrumental sequel to Alchemy, Reed’s ambient meditative album released in 2019.
The secondary title of Beats points to the sonic emphasis of Alchemy II.
Where Alchemy was a genuinely meditative experience the sequel is a more rhythmic affair featuring electro-percussive grooves over bursts of synth textures and other keyboards, synth bass lines and the occasional sprinkle of guitar and ambient background vocals.
Additionally, in a similar exercise as to that employed with Liftoff (where Dan Reed created four videos to complement the lyrics of four of the songs) Reed has produced visual accompaniments for five of the ten tracks which, as Reed comments, is all about "…finding the story the music cries out to be told."
The album opens by taking a cosmic 'Communion' of echoing synth bursts and electro-beats for the "future noir groovescapes" that shape Alchemy II before 'One By One' positively pulses electro ambience, accompanied by distant background vocals that flit in and out of the sonic foreground like far away radio (station) waves and background Reediation.
The slightly darker and more rhythmic 'Medusa' is not far removed from the sort of piece that would open or close a TV suspense movie (balanced by a curiously uplifting and echoing four-note synth motif) while following number, 'Fallen Orbit,' underlines the album’s "future noire" tag-line (as the accompanying visuals seem to express, let’s sort our own, still beautiful world out before colonising another one).
Like 'Medusa' before it however, 'Fallen Orbit' has its own uplifting counterpoint, here in the shape of the backing voices.
Contrasting with the previous fall is the rise of the Eastern flavoured and highly rhythmic 'Levitated.'
The track, especially when dovetailed with its own visual accompaniment, takes those of us who wish we could fly above the noise and negativity of the surface to a higher altitude – or at least for the four minutes and fifteen seconds of the elevated piece.
The perfectly titled 'Glider' is the album’s spacey, soul-groove number, floating as it does above the darker machine rhythms and robotic nature of following track 'Cruise Control.'
The sci-fi slanted 'The Ruins' is another darker-edged piece (one that seems to pulse in the shadows of its own title) while the synths, guitars and backing voices mix of the reflective 'Some Rainy Day' is a true album highlight.
While Alchemy II Beats is primarily composed, performed and produced by Dan Reed, there’s an appearance from Swedish bassist Bengt Jonasson on final track 'Departure Gate 7.'
Written by Reed & Jonasson, 'Departure Gate 7' is a delightful ambient-country, album closing farewell, led by the melodic bass-lines of a talented Swedish musician who is clearly bass-hip to the Beats of Dan Reed’s latest electro-ambient offering.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The secondary title of Beats points to the sonic emphasis of Alchemy II.
Where Alchemy was a genuinely meditative experience the sequel is a more rhythmic affair featuring electro-percussive grooves over bursts of synth textures and other keyboards, synth bass lines and the occasional sprinkle of guitar and ambient background vocals.
Additionally, in a similar exercise as to that employed with Liftoff (where Dan Reed created four videos to complement the lyrics of four of the songs) Reed has produced visual accompaniments for five of the ten tracks which, as Reed comments, is all about "…finding the story the music cries out to be told."
The album opens by taking a cosmic 'Communion' of echoing synth bursts and electro-beats for the "future noir groovescapes" that shape Alchemy II before 'One By One' positively pulses electro ambience, accompanied by distant background vocals that flit in and out of the sonic foreground like far away radio (station) waves and background Reediation.
The slightly darker and more rhythmic 'Medusa' is not far removed from the sort of piece that would open or close a TV suspense movie (balanced by a curiously uplifting and echoing four-note synth motif) while following number, 'Fallen Orbit,' underlines the album’s "future noire" tag-line (as the accompanying visuals seem to express, let’s sort our own, still beautiful world out before colonising another one).
Like 'Medusa' before it however, 'Fallen Orbit' has its own uplifting counterpoint, here in the shape of the backing voices.
Contrasting with the previous fall is the rise of the Eastern flavoured and highly rhythmic 'Levitated.'
The track, especially when dovetailed with its own visual accompaniment, takes those of us who wish we could fly above the noise and negativity of the surface to a higher altitude – or at least for the four minutes and fifteen seconds of the elevated piece.
The perfectly titled 'Glider' is the album’s spacey, soul-groove number, floating as it does above the darker machine rhythms and robotic nature of following track 'Cruise Control.'
The sci-fi slanted 'The Ruins' is another darker-edged piece (one that seems to pulse in the shadows of its own title) while the synths, guitars and backing voices mix of the reflective 'Some Rainy Day' is a true album highlight.
While Alchemy II Beats is primarily composed, performed and produced by Dan Reed, there’s an appearance from Swedish bassist Bengt Jonasson on final track 'Departure Gate 7.'
Written by Reed & Jonasson, 'Departure Gate 7' is a delightful ambient-country, album closing farewell, led by the melodic bass-lines of a talented Swedish musician who is clearly bass-hip to the Beats of Dan Reed’s latest electro-ambient offering.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Mike Ross – Origin Story
Multi-styled blues rock musician Mike Ross certainly kept busy through lockdowns and lack of live performance.
Having released The Clovis Limit : Tennessee Transition earlier in the year (an acoustic companion piece to the critically acclaimed The Clovis Limit Pt 1 and Pt 2 albums), followed by the successfully funded remix & restoration project for the previously unreleased Lay it Bare by Taller Than (Mike Ross’s old band), the multi-faceted musician has now issued Origin Story, courtesy of another successful fan funded campaign.
New recordings of older songs charting Mike Ross’s 1990s career history, the chosen tracks were sourced from an archive of cassette and DAT tapes, CD-Rs and 1/2" tape masters (most of which had lain undisturbed since 1997); the re-recorded results are four songs each from Afterglow (1994-1996), Mother Sugar (1996-1997) and aforementioned, Mike Ross led power trio Taller Than (1998).
The album sets the songs in chronological order, starting with the Afterglow quartet.
Opening track 'Universal Swing' is deep and bluesy; a lolling and spacious offering that features a big voiced vocal from Mike Ross and tasty & complementary slide/ solo work.
The grittier guitars and organ swells of the excellent 'Seabirds' follows, complete with full-bodied, harmony voiced chorus (think proto-grunge version of Crosby Stills & Nash).
The downtempo 'Acceptance' carries a late 60s/ early 70s blues vibe within its reflective state of musical mind (and another great solo from Mike Ross) while the solemn opening of 'Sunshine Through the Rain' (with church organ stylings backing melodic guitar line) leads to a Townshend styled crash of chords that morphs into a punchy, and lyrically optimistic, rhythm and blues rocker.
The Mother Sugar foursome opens with another Origin Story highlight, a Southern Americana meets the Beatles blues entitled 'Broken Angel;' the up-tempo 'Pale Blue Skies' then airs its piano, organ and guitar instrumentation through rocky verses and heavy-pop choruses.
The six-and-a-half-minute 'Right Through the Seasons' is the album’s slow blues moment (with a side of gospel – "and if the rain, keeps on falling, would you come and shelter me?"); it’s also another fine example that Mike Ross is as comfortable in that role as he is in hard fuzzed blues or Nashville styled Americana.
Ballad 'Ships Pass Me By' then acts as the perfect sweet and soulful closer to the Mother Sugar story.
The Taller Than musical tales continue beyond the Lay it Bare album via, first, a mid-tempo guitar driven ode to 'The Little Man' followed by the first of two long-form Taller Than tunes, the reggae meets psychedelia of 'Die Trying' (if Bob Marley did blues).
'Grows On You,' with its distinct (if heavier) and well-served late-era Beatles/ Lennon vibe, produces another highlight before contrast is provided by the blues brooding and psychedelically moody 'Chinese Eyes.'
The latter, a spacey eight-and-a-half-minute number built atop a simple repeating bass line and splashes of darker blues-jazz, ends on a curious, almost disturbing outro of novelty song 'Mairzy Doats.'
Two bonus acoustic tracks in the shape of a slower 'Seabirds' and the more up-tempo, pop-harmony chorus and kazoo embellished 'Time,' complete the Mike Ross Origin Story, re-recorded from the past to deservedly find life in the present.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Origin Story and other Mike Ross albums & merchandise at: https://shop.mikerossmusic.co.uk/products
Having released The Clovis Limit : Tennessee Transition earlier in the year (an acoustic companion piece to the critically acclaimed The Clovis Limit Pt 1 and Pt 2 albums), followed by the successfully funded remix & restoration project for the previously unreleased Lay it Bare by Taller Than (Mike Ross’s old band), the multi-faceted musician has now issued Origin Story, courtesy of another successful fan funded campaign.
New recordings of older songs charting Mike Ross’s 1990s career history, the chosen tracks were sourced from an archive of cassette and DAT tapes, CD-Rs and 1/2" tape masters (most of which had lain undisturbed since 1997); the re-recorded results are four songs each from Afterglow (1994-1996), Mother Sugar (1996-1997) and aforementioned, Mike Ross led power trio Taller Than (1998).
The album sets the songs in chronological order, starting with the Afterglow quartet.
Opening track 'Universal Swing' is deep and bluesy; a lolling and spacious offering that features a big voiced vocal from Mike Ross and tasty & complementary slide/ solo work.
The grittier guitars and organ swells of the excellent 'Seabirds' follows, complete with full-bodied, harmony voiced chorus (think proto-grunge version of Crosby Stills & Nash).
The downtempo 'Acceptance' carries a late 60s/ early 70s blues vibe within its reflective state of musical mind (and another great solo from Mike Ross) while the solemn opening of 'Sunshine Through the Rain' (with church organ stylings backing melodic guitar line) leads to a Townshend styled crash of chords that morphs into a punchy, and lyrically optimistic, rhythm and blues rocker.
The Mother Sugar foursome opens with another Origin Story highlight, a Southern Americana meets the Beatles blues entitled 'Broken Angel;' the up-tempo 'Pale Blue Skies' then airs its piano, organ and guitar instrumentation through rocky verses and heavy-pop choruses.
The six-and-a-half-minute 'Right Through the Seasons' is the album’s slow blues moment (with a side of gospel – "and if the rain, keeps on falling, would you come and shelter me?"); it’s also another fine example that Mike Ross is as comfortable in that role as he is in hard fuzzed blues or Nashville styled Americana.
Ballad 'Ships Pass Me By' then acts as the perfect sweet and soulful closer to the Mother Sugar story.
The Taller Than musical tales continue beyond the Lay it Bare album via, first, a mid-tempo guitar driven ode to 'The Little Man' followed by the first of two long-form Taller Than tunes, the reggae meets psychedelia of 'Die Trying' (if Bob Marley did blues).
'Grows On You,' with its distinct (if heavier) and well-served late-era Beatles/ Lennon vibe, produces another highlight before contrast is provided by the blues brooding and psychedelically moody 'Chinese Eyes.'
The latter, a spacey eight-and-a-half-minute number built atop a simple repeating bass line and splashes of darker blues-jazz, ends on a curious, almost disturbing outro of novelty song 'Mairzy Doats.'
Two bonus acoustic tracks in the shape of a slower 'Seabirds' and the more up-tempo, pop-harmony chorus and kazoo embellished 'Time,' complete the Mike Ross Origin Story, re-recorded from the past to deservedly find life in the present.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Origin Story and other Mike Ross albums & merchandise at: https://shop.mikerossmusic.co.uk/products
Joanne Shaw Taylor – The Blues Album
Sometimes it’s a matter of right blues place, right song choice time.
Such is the case with British blues-rock musician Joanne Shaw Taylor’s seventh studio release The Blues Album, an all covers affair conceived by Taylor (who felt it was time to deliver just such a record) and renowned blues-rock artist Joe Bonamassa, who offered both song suggestions and to have the album released on his independent blues label, KTBA Records.
Produced and recorded by Bonamassa and Josh Smith (who also made some song suggestions) at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, The Blues Album features a stellar supporting cast including not just the guesting Bonamassa & Smith (guitars) but Reese Wynans (keys), Greg Morrow (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass).
The choice of 'Stop Messin' Round' as opener is as effective as it is integral to proceedings, given the Peter Green led Fleetwood Mac’s part in the British blues boom and subsequent US invasion, (respective influences on the music of Miss Taylor and smokin’ guitar Joe).
Here the oft-covered classic is given a faithful-to-the-original treatment, with Reese Wynan’s distinctive ivory rattling accompanying and backing Joanne Shaw Taylor’s big, bold blues licks (and an equally strong vocal performance from the husky voiced Taylor).
Equally successful is the sassy voiced, soul-funky and horn-backed take of Little Milton’s 'If That Ain’t a Reason' (with another meaty solo from Joanne Shaw Taylor) before the 60s vibe and infectious groove of 'Keep On Lovin' Me' cleverly nods to both Magic Sam’s version and The Paladins roots-rockabilly rendition.
'If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody' has been covered so often and so well that it’s a hard standard to follow, but by keeping it slow and soulful it becomes another solid choice (Joanne Shaw Taylor obviously worked hard on the phrasing to ensure she put her own vocal stamp on it).
Special mention too for Taylor's tasty and melodic guitar solo on 'If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody.'
(It's also worth noting that for the album Taylor primarily used her modified 1966 Esquire Junior through vintage amps, with no pedals; the results are a truly authentic sound from a great player).
'Don’t Go Away Mad,' originally recorded in 1991 by Little Village, delivers some light rockabilly pop-blues fun (and duet vocal from Joe Bonamassa) before 'Scraps Vignette' offers itself as just that, sitting dead centre of the album as a short rock guitar interlude.
Following the 'Scraps' a second selection of covers present themselves, starting with a blues sultry rendition of Albert King’s Stax classic 'Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me,' followed by the gospel-blues and horns of Little Milton’s 'Let Me Down Easy' (both songs are highlights of the entire album, as are their respective, full-bodied, fret-lickin’ solos).
'Two Times My Lovin’' is a little too staid for Fabulous Thunderbirds foot-tapping comfort but delightful soul balladeering contrast is provided by way of the Don Cavey penned 'I Don’t Know What You’ve Got' (featuring Mike Farris), as made famous by Little Richard.
The latter is another that stays pretty faithful to the original, with Joanne Shaw Taylor’s impassioned vocality taking its lead from Little Richard’s own (sans his unique and trademark pulpit-preaching moments), but it makes for the perfect, soul crying, homage.
Another Don Covay classic, 'Three Time Loser,' closes out the album in fine, piano tinkling, unlucky in love, up-beat barroom blues style.
Yes indeed. Right blues place, right song choice time for a covers album that was Taylor made – with a little help from some illustrious friends.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Such is the case with British blues-rock musician Joanne Shaw Taylor’s seventh studio release The Blues Album, an all covers affair conceived by Taylor (who felt it was time to deliver just such a record) and renowned blues-rock artist Joe Bonamassa, who offered both song suggestions and to have the album released on his independent blues label, KTBA Records.
Produced and recorded by Bonamassa and Josh Smith (who also made some song suggestions) at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, The Blues Album features a stellar supporting cast including not just the guesting Bonamassa & Smith (guitars) but Reese Wynans (keys), Greg Morrow (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass).
The choice of 'Stop Messin' Round' as opener is as effective as it is integral to proceedings, given the Peter Green led Fleetwood Mac’s part in the British blues boom and subsequent US invasion, (respective influences on the music of Miss Taylor and smokin’ guitar Joe).
Here the oft-covered classic is given a faithful-to-the-original treatment, with Reese Wynan’s distinctive ivory rattling accompanying and backing Joanne Shaw Taylor’s big, bold blues licks (and an equally strong vocal performance from the husky voiced Taylor).
Equally successful is the sassy voiced, soul-funky and horn-backed take of Little Milton’s 'If That Ain’t a Reason' (with another meaty solo from Joanne Shaw Taylor) before the 60s vibe and infectious groove of 'Keep On Lovin' Me' cleverly nods to both Magic Sam’s version and The Paladins roots-rockabilly rendition.
'If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody' has been covered so often and so well that it’s a hard standard to follow, but by keeping it slow and soulful it becomes another solid choice (Joanne Shaw Taylor obviously worked hard on the phrasing to ensure she put her own vocal stamp on it).
Special mention too for Taylor's tasty and melodic guitar solo on 'If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody.'
(It's also worth noting that for the album Taylor primarily used her modified 1966 Esquire Junior through vintage amps, with no pedals; the results are a truly authentic sound from a great player).
'Don’t Go Away Mad,' originally recorded in 1991 by Little Village, delivers some light rockabilly pop-blues fun (and duet vocal from Joe Bonamassa) before 'Scraps Vignette' offers itself as just that, sitting dead centre of the album as a short rock guitar interlude.
Following the 'Scraps' a second selection of covers present themselves, starting with a blues sultry rendition of Albert King’s Stax classic 'Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me,' followed by the gospel-blues and horns of Little Milton’s 'Let Me Down Easy' (both songs are highlights of the entire album, as are their respective, full-bodied, fret-lickin’ solos).
'Two Times My Lovin’' is a little too staid for Fabulous Thunderbirds foot-tapping comfort but delightful soul balladeering contrast is provided by way of the Don Cavey penned 'I Don’t Know What You’ve Got' (featuring Mike Farris), as made famous by Little Richard.
The latter is another that stays pretty faithful to the original, with Joanne Shaw Taylor’s impassioned vocality taking its lead from Little Richard’s own (sans his unique and trademark pulpit-preaching moments), but it makes for the perfect, soul crying, homage.
Another Don Covay classic, 'Three Time Loser,' closes out the album in fine, piano tinkling, unlucky in love, up-beat barroom blues style.
Yes indeed. Right blues place, right song choice time for a covers album that was Taylor made – with a little help from some illustrious friends.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
JD Simo – Mind Control
With Chicago born, Nashville based singer-songwriter-guitarist JD Simo the phrase "expect the unexpected" is becoming ever more applicable.
His third solo album in under three years, Mind Control is one of many albums born within the confines of a pandemic and related lockdowns.
It's also a clear case of JD Simo, in the company of long-time collaborator Adam Abrashoff (drums) and Adam Bednarik (bass), having that lockdown time to experiment, musically fuse and stretch further than ever before (influences as diverse as Captain Beefheart and John Lee Hooker on not just the same album but in the same song? Believe it).
Mind Control features ten songs built from a foundation of repeating, almost hypnotic drum patterns from Adam Abrashoff (rhythmic influences include afrobeat and North Mississippi trance) with JD Simo’s psychedelic and sometimes off-kilter blues scattered riffs and jagged notes sitting atop, underpinned by Adam Bednarik’s tight, and at times interweaving, bass lines.
All above make their presence felt on six-minute opener 'Go Away Satan;' with part-spoken part-sung verses, guitar distortions and vocal "woah oh oh" harmony choruses it’s a devil of a dark-funk tune to start proceedings.
'Go Away Satan' and the following nine numbers emphatically underline there’s no-one else out there that sounds quite like JD Simo in blues-rock land; although the term blues-rock doesn’t really apply here, nor do any genre specific labels.
Having pushed out and on after splitting his band SIMO in 2017 with, first, 2019 debut solo album Off At 11 followed by the self-titled 2020 follow-up (an album that "connected the missing link between Woodstock and Motown"), JD Simo is now pushing the originally blues based boundaries to near genre-breaking point.
The JD Simo sound and style is a melting pot of late 60s/ early 70s psychedelia, experimental blues, spacious atmospheres, jam-styled composition and a little funk, in which a song such as 'I’m In Love' lives.
That particular track, where Simo echoes his own spoken vocals in an eerie two voice setting, has some similarity (certainly in its uncertainty of drifting direction) to Bad Company’s 'Master of Ceremonies.'
The Nashville meets slide guitar and psychedelia of 'Let Go' is (slightly) closer to a traditional southern and slide blues but again it’s all JD relative; following number 'Know It All,' featuring a sinewy bass line from Adam Bednarik, returns to the spaciousness of sound that the album thrives in, here complete with a distinct, and wholly immersive, 60s psychedelic spirit.
'Want What I Don’t Have' is another that takes traditional blues as its starting point but ends up in a rhythmic trance, as does 'That’s When You Know That You’re Down;' the latter features interesting (and on first play disconcerting) and clever tempo variations between guitar/voice and the rhythm section.
Back to back brace 'Fucked Up' (dual vocals and psychedelic chorus meets fuzzed trance-blues) and 'Devil is Always Watchin’' (ZZ Top at their most Heaven, Hell and out there) work as interesting short-song interludes (both are under three minutes) before penultimate number 'People Pleaser' shows itself to be, somewhat ironically, too out there to make the same sort of impact the earlier numbers did.
Final number 'Recovery' returns to the slow and spacious jam style of 'I’m In Love,' yet all the while retaining a distinctly bluesy underbelly, which makes for a fitting nod-to-those roots closer.
Mind Control? Try Mind Expanding.
And a part-experimental part-exploration of the blues that very few dare travel.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
His third solo album in under three years, Mind Control is one of many albums born within the confines of a pandemic and related lockdowns.
It's also a clear case of JD Simo, in the company of long-time collaborator Adam Abrashoff (drums) and Adam Bednarik (bass), having that lockdown time to experiment, musically fuse and stretch further than ever before (influences as diverse as Captain Beefheart and John Lee Hooker on not just the same album but in the same song? Believe it).
Mind Control features ten songs built from a foundation of repeating, almost hypnotic drum patterns from Adam Abrashoff (rhythmic influences include afrobeat and North Mississippi trance) with JD Simo’s psychedelic and sometimes off-kilter blues scattered riffs and jagged notes sitting atop, underpinned by Adam Bednarik’s tight, and at times interweaving, bass lines.
All above make their presence felt on six-minute opener 'Go Away Satan;' with part-spoken part-sung verses, guitar distortions and vocal "woah oh oh" harmony choruses it’s a devil of a dark-funk tune to start proceedings.
'Go Away Satan' and the following nine numbers emphatically underline there’s no-one else out there that sounds quite like JD Simo in blues-rock land; although the term blues-rock doesn’t really apply here, nor do any genre specific labels.
Having pushed out and on after splitting his band SIMO in 2017 with, first, 2019 debut solo album Off At 11 followed by the self-titled 2020 follow-up (an album that "connected the missing link between Woodstock and Motown"), JD Simo is now pushing the originally blues based boundaries to near genre-breaking point.
The JD Simo sound and style is a melting pot of late 60s/ early 70s psychedelia, experimental blues, spacious atmospheres, jam-styled composition and a little funk, in which a song such as 'I’m In Love' lives.
That particular track, where Simo echoes his own spoken vocals in an eerie two voice setting, has some similarity (certainly in its uncertainty of drifting direction) to Bad Company’s 'Master of Ceremonies.'
The Nashville meets slide guitar and psychedelia of 'Let Go' is (slightly) closer to a traditional southern and slide blues but again it’s all JD relative; following number 'Know It All,' featuring a sinewy bass line from Adam Bednarik, returns to the spaciousness of sound that the album thrives in, here complete with a distinct, and wholly immersive, 60s psychedelic spirit.
'Want What I Don’t Have' is another that takes traditional blues as its starting point but ends up in a rhythmic trance, as does 'That’s When You Know That You’re Down;' the latter features interesting (and on first play disconcerting) and clever tempo variations between guitar/voice and the rhythm section.
Back to back brace 'Fucked Up' (dual vocals and psychedelic chorus meets fuzzed trance-blues) and 'Devil is Always Watchin’' (ZZ Top at their most Heaven, Hell and out there) work as interesting short-song interludes (both are under three minutes) before penultimate number 'People Pleaser' shows itself to be, somewhat ironically, too out there to make the same sort of impact the earlier numbers did.
Final number 'Recovery' returns to the slow and spacious jam style of 'I’m In Love,' yet all the while retaining a distinctly bluesy underbelly, which makes for a fitting nod-to-those roots closer.
Mind Control? Try Mind Expanding.
And a part-experimental part-exploration of the blues that very few dare travel.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Skinny Knowledge - Don’t Turn Out The Lights
They might be described as "alt-rockers from Bournemouth" but from the outset of debut album Don’t Turn Out The Lights it’s clear the ball-park of Skinny Knowledge (given studio birth by songwriter & drummer turned front man & singer-guitarist Andy L Smooth) is big, anthemic crowd-pleaser numbers.
Add in a clear sense of dynamics, a punky attitude (with a sprinkling of obligatory choice language) and some potential crowd participation (when that day returns) and you have a product that should appeal to fans of the Foo Fighter and Green Day for starters (the songs also carry an element of a modern version of Squeeze/ Glenn Tilbrook, albeit within a considerably rockier framework).
It’s also clear Andy L Smooth, who plays all the instruments on the album, had passion behind the project from day one, citing a love of music that inspires, makes a mark or leaves message as his benchmark.
Nor does it hurt that the album sports a great sound and production from Lewis Johns.
The title track opening is representative of the Skinny Knowledge sound with a salvo of vocals and guitars (with the chorus cleverly hinted at) before it builds to the rhythm section kicking in.
A song of bravado, swagger and resolve to meet life’s challenges, 'Don’t Turn Out the Lights' comes complete with sing-a-long, anthemic ending.
Following track and lead-off single 'Imagination' is a full-bore Grohl-esque number delivered with passion (some clever twists help elevate it from being a Foo tribute however) while 'Alive' provides another polished performance (and another big hook for a chorus).
'King of Nothing' then kicks in to offer up a glorious slice of sub three-minute power pop-punk featuring a killer dissonant riff and a social message.
The hooky 'Keep Me Out Of It' and the quirkier but weighty 'Not Coming Down' carry those aforementioned echoes of Squeeze before the spikey 'Getaway' conjures images of a pumped-up Nirvana on amphetamines.
'Sayonara,' an album highlight, benefits from a drop in tempo, a killer half-time riff and well delivered harmony vocal parts. A build to a higher tempo rifferama section before returning to that half-time killer riff to end on makes for some great stuff – and all in under three-and-a-half minutes.
Further contrast is provided by the piano-led rock ballad 'Wheel of Love,' written shortly after Andy L Smooth got engaged (it's also, as Smooth himself admits, "a blend of cheese and rock").
Personal as it is, the ballad is somewhat incongruous to what has come before and what follows – which are the up-tempo and upped ante brace of 'This Time' and 'Make a Change,' with the latter offering more space for the vocals to shine.
The short and sharp 'Take the Blame' manages to sound like a hybrid of 'Overkill' Motorhead and punk before the even shorter 'Heavy Metal Interlude' does exactly what it says on the pastiche tin.
'Stand Alone' then conjures further and final album closing images of a rocked up Squeeze/ Glenn Tilbrook.
This is a strong debut offering from Skinny Knowledge, with a fair proportion of the 14 tracks destined to benefit in the live setting (whenever that may be).
To that effect and future Skinny Knowledge, post album recording, became a full-blown four-piece featuring Andy L Smooth (lead vocals/ guitar), Benjamin Parker (guitar), Fenge Davies (bass) and Charlie Kenny (drums).
Well done, good luck and Sayonara guys!
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Add in a clear sense of dynamics, a punky attitude (with a sprinkling of obligatory choice language) and some potential crowd participation (when that day returns) and you have a product that should appeal to fans of the Foo Fighter and Green Day for starters (the songs also carry an element of a modern version of Squeeze/ Glenn Tilbrook, albeit within a considerably rockier framework).
It’s also clear Andy L Smooth, who plays all the instruments on the album, had passion behind the project from day one, citing a love of music that inspires, makes a mark or leaves message as his benchmark.
Nor does it hurt that the album sports a great sound and production from Lewis Johns.
The title track opening is representative of the Skinny Knowledge sound with a salvo of vocals and guitars (with the chorus cleverly hinted at) before it builds to the rhythm section kicking in.
A song of bravado, swagger and resolve to meet life’s challenges, 'Don’t Turn Out the Lights' comes complete with sing-a-long, anthemic ending.
Following track and lead-off single 'Imagination' is a full-bore Grohl-esque number delivered with passion (some clever twists help elevate it from being a Foo tribute however) while 'Alive' provides another polished performance (and another big hook for a chorus).
'King of Nothing' then kicks in to offer up a glorious slice of sub three-minute power pop-punk featuring a killer dissonant riff and a social message.
The hooky 'Keep Me Out Of It' and the quirkier but weighty 'Not Coming Down' carry those aforementioned echoes of Squeeze before the spikey 'Getaway' conjures images of a pumped-up Nirvana on amphetamines.
'Sayonara,' an album highlight, benefits from a drop in tempo, a killer half-time riff and well delivered harmony vocal parts. A build to a higher tempo rifferama section before returning to that half-time killer riff to end on makes for some great stuff – and all in under three-and-a-half minutes.
Further contrast is provided by the piano-led rock ballad 'Wheel of Love,' written shortly after Andy L Smooth got engaged (it's also, as Smooth himself admits, "a blend of cheese and rock").
Personal as it is, the ballad is somewhat incongruous to what has come before and what follows – which are the up-tempo and upped ante brace of 'This Time' and 'Make a Change,' with the latter offering more space for the vocals to shine.
The short and sharp 'Take the Blame' manages to sound like a hybrid of 'Overkill' Motorhead and punk before the even shorter 'Heavy Metal Interlude' does exactly what it says on the pastiche tin.
'Stand Alone' then conjures further and final album closing images of a rocked up Squeeze/ Glenn Tilbrook.
This is a strong debut offering from Skinny Knowledge, with a fair proportion of the 14 tracks destined to benefit in the live setting (whenever that may be).
To that effect and future Skinny Knowledge, post album recording, became a full-blown four-piece featuring Andy L Smooth (lead vocals/ guitar), Benjamin Parker (guitar), Fenge Davies (bass) and Charlie Kenny (drums).
Well done, good luck and Sayonara guys!
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Smoking Martha – Universe
Brisbane alt-rock quartet Smoking Martha have followed up 2017’s impressive, angst driven debut album In Deep with the broader scoped (but still very much on the alternative rock sonic spectrum) Universe.
As the new album highlights, this is also a musically feisty little band, with singer Tasha D (aka Natasha Doherty) also perfectly fitting that description.
For that feistiness look no further than opener (and lead-off single) 'Good Girls,' which channels some of the energy (and riffs) of Girlschool and Smoking Martha’s compatriots AC/DC.
However, there the similarity ends as the song has both a seriously punky edge and a fast-lipped "la la-la la-la la!" hooky pop chorus (it’s also worth noting Tasha D has a smoky and confident delivery in her voice; a welcome deviation from the majority of female rock voices who attempt to emulate Amy Lee of Evanescence).
'Only Love' follows with a memorable riff and another accomplished, understated vocal performance; there’s also some muscular and inventive riffing here by guitarist Mick Broome, ably supported by the rhythm section of bassist Matty Mulheran and drummer Jordy Poynter.
'I Tried' then finds the band in more reflective mood with some less metallic/rock riffs, but it’s still an impressive song, driven by Mick Broome’s guitar with the aid of a delay pedal (reminiscent of early U2).
'Wonderful Happiness' is more melancholic in arrangement but, again, shows there is some good songwriting in the band, including an understanding of light and shade.
'Liquid Sunshine,' which made its initial impact as a single, announces its mid-album placement equally successfully with a big riff before dropping for the verse, followed by an upbeat chorus with a big hook (see light and shade above). There are also elements of the Police in this number (no bad thing), with Jordy Poynter getting an opportunity to show off his chops.
'Intermission' pretty much does what it says on the tin (a sparse blues/ torch song which meanders along featuring only guitars and vocals) while 'Neon Lights,' at only a couple of clicks over two minutes, is a short slice of alt-Americana (via Oz) that, while successful, doesn’t ever set the Australian heather alight.
'Ghost' is a much stronger proposition and includes a killer riff during the verse – it features another great vocal from Tasha D (and impressive backing vocals) and a rhythm section that drops to a half time beat at all the right places.
'It’s a Lie' is a slow based (hitting double-time stride in the middle) dark blues stomper that continues the strength and purpose found across the second half of the album; the band’s top-form continues with the mid-tempo rise and fall of 'In the Shadows' with Tasha D contributing further accomplished lead and harmony/ backing vocals.
The album culminates with, first, full-on fast paced rocker 'Wild and Free' (featuring more serious riffage by the band) and a surprise closing package in the shape of the downtempo 'Universe,' which is almost folk-based (the title track is a song that grows on you after repeated listens).
Smoking Martha are, indeed, alt-rock but there's echoes of new wave, grunge and pop-punk in the mix (all with rocked up attitude for the modern era); in short more than enough to appeal to a wider audience.
Additionally, Tasha D’s vocals have a certain appeal, and their concise numbers (only 'It’s a Lie' is north of four minutes) could have a commercial value in these Spotify-driven, short attention span times.
Highly recommended (Smoking Martha I mean… not the short attention span).
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Universe will be released on Friday 3rd December via Xelon Entertainment.
As the new album highlights, this is also a musically feisty little band, with singer Tasha D (aka Natasha Doherty) also perfectly fitting that description.
For that feistiness look no further than opener (and lead-off single) 'Good Girls,' which channels some of the energy (and riffs) of Girlschool and Smoking Martha’s compatriots AC/DC.
However, there the similarity ends as the song has both a seriously punky edge and a fast-lipped "la la-la la-la la!" hooky pop chorus (it’s also worth noting Tasha D has a smoky and confident delivery in her voice; a welcome deviation from the majority of female rock voices who attempt to emulate Amy Lee of Evanescence).
'Only Love' follows with a memorable riff and another accomplished, understated vocal performance; there’s also some muscular and inventive riffing here by guitarist Mick Broome, ably supported by the rhythm section of bassist Matty Mulheran and drummer Jordy Poynter.
'I Tried' then finds the band in more reflective mood with some less metallic/rock riffs, but it’s still an impressive song, driven by Mick Broome’s guitar with the aid of a delay pedal (reminiscent of early U2).
'Wonderful Happiness' is more melancholic in arrangement but, again, shows there is some good songwriting in the band, including an understanding of light and shade.
'Liquid Sunshine,' which made its initial impact as a single, announces its mid-album placement equally successfully with a big riff before dropping for the verse, followed by an upbeat chorus with a big hook (see light and shade above). There are also elements of the Police in this number (no bad thing), with Jordy Poynter getting an opportunity to show off his chops.
'Intermission' pretty much does what it says on the tin (a sparse blues/ torch song which meanders along featuring only guitars and vocals) while 'Neon Lights,' at only a couple of clicks over two minutes, is a short slice of alt-Americana (via Oz) that, while successful, doesn’t ever set the Australian heather alight.
'Ghost' is a much stronger proposition and includes a killer riff during the verse – it features another great vocal from Tasha D (and impressive backing vocals) and a rhythm section that drops to a half time beat at all the right places.
'It’s a Lie' is a slow based (hitting double-time stride in the middle) dark blues stomper that continues the strength and purpose found across the second half of the album; the band’s top-form continues with the mid-tempo rise and fall of 'In the Shadows' with Tasha D contributing further accomplished lead and harmony/ backing vocals.
The album culminates with, first, full-on fast paced rocker 'Wild and Free' (featuring more serious riffage by the band) and a surprise closing package in the shape of the downtempo 'Universe,' which is almost folk-based (the title track is a song that grows on you after repeated listens).
Smoking Martha are, indeed, alt-rock but there's echoes of new wave, grunge and pop-punk in the mix (all with rocked up attitude for the modern era); in short more than enough to appeal to a wider audience.
Additionally, Tasha D’s vocals have a certain appeal, and their concise numbers (only 'It’s a Lie' is north of four minutes) could have a commercial value in these Spotify-driven, short attention span times.
Highly recommended (Smoking Martha I mean… not the short attention span).
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Universe will be released on Friday 3rd December via Xelon Entertainment.
Sons of Liberty - Aces & Eights
If you like your rock music unpretentious and ass kicking with a decidedly southern slant and plenty of hooks, Bristol’s Sons of Liberty could well fit the bill with second album Aces & Eights.
The band are heavily influenced by the more rocking end of the southern spectrum (think Molly Hatchet meets Blackfoot with a dash of Skynyrd and a side order of UK classic rock) but have enough innovative ideas, twists and turns within their material to keep it both interesting and put their own stamp on the genre (Southern Brit rock anyone?).
Opening number 'Ruby Starr' (written about the late Black Oak Arkansas backing singer of that name and a great vocalist in her own right) makes for a strong start.
A mid-paced rocker with a very catchy chorus and twin guitarists Fred Hale & Andy "Moose" Muse delivering the riffs in fine complementary style, the band also show a sense of dynamics on 'Ruby Starr' by dropping it down at the breakdown before delivering a feisty wah-wah solo and finishing the song in half time.
The slower paced 'Don’t Hide Behind Your Weakness' features a purposeful and impassioned vocal delivery from front man Rob Cooksley (the semi-anthemic style of the song has potential for audience participation with its "hey!" interjections).
Following number 'Black Blizzard' is another slow number redolent of later-era Skynyrd, albeit Rob Cooksley’s gruffer vocal is more akin to the late Jimmy Farrar of early 80s Molly Hatchett fame.
Cooksley then gives it the full Farrar on the tongue-in-lyrical-cheek of 'Beef Jerky Boogie,' an out and out rocker that the aforementioned Molly Hatchett would have loved to have called their own back in the boogie on down day.
'Damaged Reputation,' a lead-off single playlisted by Planet Rock, is more representative of the band and includes another impressive wah-wah solo.
'Texas Hill Country' then does exactly what it says on the tin, to the degree that the Bristolians convince you they are distant cousins of the Van Zants.
'Fire and Gasoline' and 'Doc’s Remedy' rock along in safe if not stellar fashion (southern fried AC/DC filler and country rock-a-billy respectively) but poignant, southern slanted ballad 'I Come in Peace,' featuring a good melody and thoughtful picked guitar part, sees the band and Rob Cooksley delivering in far more convincing fashion (and delivering one of the strongest songs on the album).
'Dead Man’s Hand' (the title track by another name, if you know your card games) is a twist on the 12 bar southern blues but the band pull it off to such a degree that it becomes another of the album's best songs.
(A word here for the rhythm section of Mark Thomas (bass) and Steve Byrne (drums) who are unobtrusive but rock solid throughout).
Penultimate number 'Lights Are On' is a mid-tempo, southern rocking rabble-rouser which should shine in a live setting, while album closer 'Whiskey is my Vaccine' is a likeable, humorous and topical tribute to drinking "uisge beatha" played in a suitably wobbly and woozy style.
In summation, there's a mid-album lull in proceedings (a bit of quality control could have elevated the album to even greater heights) but Aces & Eights is still an impressive outing and a strong calling card for, and from, Sons of Liberty.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The band are heavily influenced by the more rocking end of the southern spectrum (think Molly Hatchet meets Blackfoot with a dash of Skynyrd and a side order of UK classic rock) but have enough innovative ideas, twists and turns within their material to keep it both interesting and put their own stamp on the genre (Southern Brit rock anyone?).
Opening number 'Ruby Starr' (written about the late Black Oak Arkansas backing singer of that name and a great vocalist in her own right) makes for a strong start.
A mid-paced rocker with a very catchy chorus and twin guitarists Fred Hale & Andy "Moose" Muse delivering the riffs in fine complementary style, the band also show a sense of dynamics on 'Ruby Starr' by dropping it down at the breakdown before delivering a feisty wah-wah solo and finishing the song in half time.
The slower paced 'Don’t Hide Behind Your Weakness' features a purposeful and impassioned vocal delivery from front man Rob Cooksley (the semi-anthemic style of the song has potential for audience participation with its "hey!" interjections).
Following number 'Black Blizzard' is another slow number redolent of later-era Skynyrd, albeit Rob Cooksley’s gruffer vocal is more akin to the late Jimmy Farrar of early 80s Molly Hatchett fame.
Cooksley then gives it the full Farrar on the tongue-in-lyrical-cheek of 'Beef Jerky Boogie,' an out and out rocker that the aforementioned Molly Hatchett would have loved to have called their own back in the boogie on down day.
'Damaged Reputation,' a lead-off single playlisted by Planet Rock, is more representative of the band and includes another impressive wah-wah solo.
'Texas Hill Country' then does exactly what it says on the tin, to the degree that the Bristolians convince you they are distant cousins of the Van Zants.
'Fire and Gasoline' and 'Doc’s Remedy' rock along in safe if not stellar fashion (southern fried AC/DC filler and country rock-a-billy respectively) but poignant, southern slanted ballad 'I Come in Peace,' featuring a good melody and thoughtful picked guitar part, sees the band and Rob Cooksley delivering in far more convincing fashion (and delivering one of the strongest songs on the album).
'Dead Man’s Hand' (the title track by another name, if you know your card games) is a twist on the 12 bar southern blues but the band pull it off to such a degree that it becomes another of the album's best songs.
(A word here for the rhythm section of Mark Thomas (bass) and Steve Byrne (drums) who are unobtrusive but rock solid throughout).
Penultimate number 'Lights Are On' is a mid-tempo, southern rocking rabble-rouser which should shine in a live setting, while album closer 'Whiskey is my Vaccine' is a likeable, humorous and topical tribute to drinking "uisge beatha" played in a suitably wobbly and woozy style.
In summation, there's a mid-album lull in proceedings (a bit of quality control could have elevated the album to even greater heights) but Aces & Eights is still an impressive outing and a strong calling card for, and from, Sons of Liberty.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jeff Scott Soto – The Duets Collection : Volume 1
Given Jeff Scott Soto has been there, done that and sang it (both solo and with a veritable who’s who of bands and musicians) it’s no surprise the multi-disciplined rock vocalist (from the hard, metal and melodic variants to prog, funk and theatrical) has taken the (lockdown) opportunity to revisit some of his back catalogue in the company of friends who also know how to hold a tune or three.
For the hard-core JSS fan, every song can be time-stamped back to its original source, whether that be a solo work or as part of a band projects (Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Talisman, Soul SirkUS, to name but three) but the
re-recorded and vocally accompanied approach taken on The Duets Collection : Volume 1 mean each song has a newly performed lease of life, producing a fresh take on the "Best Of" format.
Opener 'Livin’ the Life,' all pacey, palm-muted riffs and pinch harmonics, is well delivered by not just JSS and Erik Martensson but the musicians involved (the album features SOTO rhythm section Edu Cominato (drums) & Tony Dickinson (bass) along with guitarists Jorge Salan (also of SOTO), Howie Simon and Leo Mancin).
A real album highlight is the metal-shorn 'Don’t Let it End' featuring Dino Jelusick, one of the best of the current crop of rock vocalists.
An improvement on the Rising Force original, the revamped, bigger production version features a stronger acoustic opening before building to an epic chorus (and a very Yngwie-type solo, natch).
Following number 'Mysterious' features the instantly recognisable Eric Martin.
The voice of the Mr Big front man works well in complementary contrast to that of JSS, while the rockin’ Talisman track features another impressive guitar solo.
The proto Van Halen meets Journey of 'Believe in Me' features the inglorious ego of Nathan James before the Steve Perry-esque voice of Deen Castronovo joins JSS for Soul SirkUS ballad 'Coming Home.'
A foil to the rockier edge of the JSS canon, 'Coming Home' drifts along in pleasant, soft-sweeping AOR fashion led by two extremely good vocal performances.
Alrioto Nietto then contributes to Bon Jovi pastiche 'I’ll Be Waiting' (the impressive guitar histrionics brighten up proceedings however) before the album hits a bump in the re-recorded road with Eyes number 'Calling All Girls,' where Russell Allan and JSS try to convince of their "I love your sexy ways!" machismo.
Of its hair metal and crotch thrusting time, might be the kindest comment to bestow.
Rentan Zonta is co-singer on 'Colour My XTC' but there isn’t too much musical ecstasy (geddit?) in Talisman’s less-than-subtle copulation rocker (saved slightly by the underpinning rumbling bass line and yet another tasty, fret-licking guitar solo).
Hardline’s Jonny Gioeli features on the assassin-metal of Axel Rudi Pell number 'Warriors' (JSS & Gioeli’s throatier performances perfectly fitting the tone of the song) before contrast is provided via the theatrically framed ballad 'Holding On,' featuring a great performance from JSS and vocal support from SOTO guitarist/ keys player, BJ.
Mats Leven then steps up to the mic as co-vocalist for modern rock-metal number (with a touch of funk) 'Again 2 B Found;' the Humanimal song brings the album to a snarling, weighty conclusion.
There are more cohesive JSS albums to choose from but The Duets Collection offers a rare opportunity to hear some of the best vocalists in rock getting involved in some Soto Rock.
Until Volume 2, obviously.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
For the hard-core JSS fan, every song can be time-stamped back to its original source, whether that be a solo work or as part of a band projects (Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Talisman, Soul SirkUS, to name but three) but the
re-recorded and vocally accompanied approach taken on The Duets Collection : Volume 1 mean each song has a newly performed lease of life, producing a fresh take on the "Best Of" format.
Opener 'Livin’ the Life,' all pacey, palm-muted riffs and pinch harmonics, is well delivered by not just JSS and Erik Martensson but the musicians involved (the album features SOTO rhythm section Edu Cominato (drums) & Tony Dickinson (bass) along with guitarists Jorge Salan (also of SOTO), Howie Simon and Leo Mancin).
A real album highlight is the metal-shorn 'Don’t Let it End' featuring Dino Jelusick, one of the best of the current crop of rock vocalists.
An improvement on the Rising Force original, the revamped, bigger production version features a stronger acoustic opening before building to an epic chorus (and a very Yngwie-type solo, natch).
Following number 'Mysterious' features the instantly recognisable Eric Martin.
The voice of the Mr Big front man works well in complementary contrast to that of JSS, while the rockin’ Talisman track features another impressive guitar solo.
The proto Van Halen meets Journey of 'Believe in Me' features the inglorious ego of Nathan James before the Steve Perry-esque voice of Deen Castronovo joins JSS for Soul SirkUS ballad 'Coming Home.'
A foil to the rockier edge of the JSS canon, 'Coming Home' drifts along in pleasant, soft-sweeping AOR fashion led by two extremely good vocal performances.
Alrioto Nietto then contributes to Bon Jovi pastiche 'I’ll Be Waiting' (the impressive guitar histrionics brighten up proceedings however) before the album hits a bump in the re-recorded road with Eyes number 'Calling All Girls,' where Russell Allan and JSS try to convince of their "I love your sexy ways!" machismo.
Of its hair metal and crotch thrusting time, might be the kindest comment to bestow.
Rentan Zonta is co-singer on 'Colour My XTC' but there isn’t too much musical ecstasy (geddit?) in Talisman’s less-than-subtle copulation rocker (saved slightly by the underpinning rumbling bass line and yet another tasty, fret-licking guitar solo).
Hardline’s Jonny Gioeli features on the assassin-metal of Axel Rudi Pell number 'Warriors' (JSS & Gioeli’s throatier performances perfectly fitting the tone of the song) before contrast is provided via the theatrically framed ballad 'Holding On,' featuring a great performance from JSS and vocal support from SOTO guitarist/ keys player, BJ.
Mats Leven then steps up to the mic as co-vocalist for modern rock-metal number (with a touch of funk) 'Again 2 B Found;' the Humanimal song brings the album to a snarling, weighty conclusion.
There are more cohesive JSS albums to choose from but The Duets Collection offers a rare opportunity to hear some of the best vocalists in rock getting involved in some Soto Rock.
Until Volume 2, obviously.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Starlite Campbell Band – The Language Of Curiosity
Blues award nominees the Starlite Campbell Band, based around husband and wife duo Suzy Starlite (bass guitars, vocals) and Simon Campbell (vocals, guitars) made quite the impact in 2017 with debut album Blueberry Pie.
(The late 60s/ early 70s British rock & blues inspired album was a European Blues Award nominated, critically acclaimed release).
Four years on comes The Language of Curiosity, which takes its lead from Blueberry Pie but adds a few more sprinkles and flavours to present an even tastier delight.
(The album again features the talents of drummer Steve Gibson and Hammond B3 & keyboardist Jonny Henderson, with appearances from pianist & organist Gabriele Del Vecchio and castanet player Maria Saalfeld Reis).
Nor does it hurt that Suzy Starlite & Simon Campbell are multi-instrumentalists (you’ll also hear a Philips Philicorder, mellotron, Moog Minitaur, theremin & E1-M guitar in the mix) and very much of the old-school.
(The album was primarily recorded on their 48 channel analog mixing console along with vintage gear such as an original 1970s Echoplex tape echo machine, valve amplifiers and vintage microphones).
Guitar-led melodic blues rock opener 'Distant Land' is a case in audio point; it sounds like it could have been recorded in the early 70s but musically carries a very contemporary groove and swagger (and topical lyrical theme relating to the global refugee crisis).
'Gaslight,' on the other rock and roll hand, is decidedly Stones-y with a side of Faces; slide guitar and Wurlitzer electric piano share space on a sharp-edged song about selling lies and manipulation for your own, non-factual ends ("You’re a gangster talking glory, a front-page headline story").
The title track, featuring Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell in perfect vocal harmony, manages to encompass both 60s pop and beat-pop Blondie.
The result is the most interesting song on the album, with dream-pop stylings and equally dreamy lyricism ("Hugged a stranger in a neon-lit café, hooked a ride with a billionaire cowboy").
The lyrical language of curiosity, indeed.
The melodically charming pop-blues of 'Bad Sign' is another with dreamier qualities, here within a Middle 8 that features a Suzy Starlite vocal and Spanish guitar from Simon Campbell (a nod here also to Gabriele Del Vecchio on upright piano).
'Take Time To Grow Old' is a delightful Beatles meets melodic blues number that lyrically reflects and advises on the song’s title before Simon Campbell’s slightly fuzzed and nicely weighted guitar solo takes centre stage.
Campbell's guitar then gives way to a short but poignant piano outro.
Simon Campbell then gets his full fuzz on for the rockin’ 'Said So.'
Leading with a riff and rhythm that doesn’t so much nod as deeply bow to the Smokey Robinson penned classic 'Get Ready,' 'Said So' then kicks in to a bass driven, psychedelic guitar adorned instrumental section before it returns to its opening riffology.
Suzy Starlite, on her Fylde acoustic bass, takes lead vocal (and her own, beautifully blended harmonies) on another dreamy outing, the slow and rhythmic 'It Ain't Right.'
'Stone Cold Crazy' then returns to the early 70s rock and bluesy, Free-style roll the Starlite Campbell Band do so well.
The starker 'Lay It Out On Me,' featuring an exposed, soul-baring vocal from Simon Campbell atop piano and plaintive, Peter Green-esque guitar remarks, provides eerie slow blues contrast before the up-tempo, soul groove rhythm of 'Ride On Cowboy' (Suzy Starlite lyrically commentating on casual sex in the 2020s – "It don’t mean a thing, and it don’t cost a thing") closes out the album.
The Language Of Curiosity? Try The Musical Language Of Crossover Blues Appeal.
It’s also an album that deserves to turn those Blues Award nominations into Blues Award wins.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
(The late 60s/ early 70s British rock & blues inspired album was a European Blues Award nominated, critically acclaimed release).
Four years on comes The Language of Curiosity, which takes its lead from Blueberry Pie but adds a few more sprinkles and flavours to present an even tastier delight.
(The album again features the talents of drummer Steve Gibson and Hammond B3 & keyboardist Jonny Henderson, with appearances from pianist & organist Gabriele Del Vecchio and castanet player Maria Saalfeld Reis).
Nor does it hurt that Suzy Starlite & Simon Campbell are multi-instrumentalists (you’ll also hear a Philips Philicorder, mellotron, Moog Minitaur, theremin & E1-M guitar in the mix) and very much of the old-school.
(The album was primarily recorded on their 48 channel analog mixing console along with vintage gear such as an original 1970s Echoplex tape echo machine, valve amplifiers and vintage microphones).
Guitar-led melodic blues rock opener 'Distant Land' is a case in audio point; it sounds like it could have been recorded in the early 70s but musically carries a very contemporary groove and swagger (and topical lyrical theme relating to the global refugee crisis).
'Gaslight,' on the other rock and roll hand, is decidedly Stones-y with a side of Faces; slide guitar and Wurlitzer electric piano share space on a sharp-edged song about selling lies and manipulation for your own, non-factual ends ("You’re a gangster talking glory, a front-page headline story").
The title track, featuring Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell in perfect vocal harmony, manages to encompass both 60s pop and beat-pop Blondie.
The result is the most interesting song on the album, with dream-pop stylings and equally dreamy lyricism ("Hugged a stranger in a neon-lit café, hooked a ride with a billionaire cowboy").
The lyrical language of curiosity, indeed.
The melodically charming pop-blues of 'Bad Sign' is another with dreamier qualities, here within a Middle 8 that features a Suzy Starlite vocal and Spanish guitar from Simon Campbell (a nod here also to Gabriele Del Vecchio on upright piano).
'Take Time To Grow Old' is a delightful Beatles meets melodic blues number that lyrically reflects and advises on the song’s title before Simon Campbell’s slightly fuzzed and nicely weighted guitar solo takes centre stage.
Campbell's guitar then gives way to a short but poignant piano outro.
Simon Campbell then gets his full fuzz on for the rockin’ 'Said So.'
Leading with a riff and rhythm that doesn’t so much nod as deeply bow to the Smokey Robinson penned classic 'Get Ready,' 'Said So' then kicks in to a bass driven, psychedelic guitar adorned instrumental section before it returns to its opening riffology.
Suzy Starlite, on her Fylde acoustic bass, takes lead vocal (and her own, beautifully blended harmonies) on another dreamy outing, the slow and rhythmic 'It Ain't Right.'
'Stone Cold Crazy' then returns to the early 70s rock and bluesy, Free-style roll the Starlite Campbell Band do so well.
The starker 'Lay It Out On Me,' featuring an exposed, soul-baring vocal from Simon Campbell atop piano and plaintive, Peter Green-esque guitar remarks, provides eerie slow blues contrast before the up-tempo, soul groove rhythm of 'Ride On Cowboy' (Suzy Starlite lyrically commentating on casual sex in the 2020s – "It don’t mean a thing, and it don’t cost a thing") closes out the album.
The Language Of Curiosity? Try The Musical Language Of Crossover Blues Appeal.
It’s also an album that deserves to turn those Blues Award nominations into Blues Award wins.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat (45th Anniversary Limited Edition 3CD/DVD Box Set)
Let’s get the elephant in the room or, rather, the cat that’s been out the bag these last four-and-a-half decades, addressed before we venture toward a 45th Anniversary Edition album review.
The song 'Year Of The Cat' is not just Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart’s most famous, well-loved and successful song (Top 10 US Billboard & Canadian hit, successful single in Europe & the UK), it’s arguably
(many will say undisputedly) his finest, creative achievement.
But such is the song’s enduring quality it’s easy to forget it’s also the title track of Al Stewart’s seventh solo album.
Released in 1976 Year Of The Cat is cited as one of Al Stewart’s finest offerings and, for many a fan and critic, his best ever album (if 'Year Of The Cat' had never been written it would still have been a very good album; as it is, with its inclusion, Year Of The Cat becomes an excellent one).
It's also interesting to musically note it's the only song on the album not written solely by Al Stewart.
Co-written with keyboardist Peter Wood, 'Year Of The Cat' was born out of a tune Wood would play when the Al Stewart Band were sound checking during Stateside shows in 1975.
Following a long gestation period and a number of lyrical rewrites (the first set of lyrics were written about the late, great and troubled British comedian, Tony Hancock) the final, as recorded version (set in North Africa with references to the movie Casablanca), it became the near seven minute, melodic folk-rock song that’s so loved and revered today.
Sitting as part of the album however, 'Year Of The Cat' becomes one of nine well-crafted songs that make up the US platinum selling platter, here given a fully remastered makeover (from the original master tapes) as overseen by album producer Alan Parsons.
A tenth, newly mixed track, 'Belsize Blues,' recorded during the Year Of The Cat sessions but unused, is also included, as is a new 5.1 Surround mix by Alan Parsons, from the original multi-track tapes.
Having evolved from his late 60s British folk beginnings to a storytelling musical troubadour a few albums and years later (first heard to fine effect on 1973’s Past, Present & Future) Al Stewart excelled himself on Year Of The Cat, lyrically and musically.
From slow, full-bodied folk-rock opener 'Lord Grenville' (a nautical tale based around a 16th century naval battle) and up-tempo, Spanish affected 'On the Border,' through to the folk-pop charm of 'Sand in Your Shoes' and Dylan meets early Springsteen style of 'If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It' and on to the treading in the ghostly footsteps atmosphere of 'One Stage Before,' Year Of The Cat deserves to be held up against 70s singer-songwriter classics such as Gerry Rafferty’s City To City.
Indeed there’s even a highly impacting similarity between 'Year Of The Cat' and Gerry Rafferty’s own uber-classic, 'Baker Street' – both feature saxophone solos that you cannot conceive of the songs being without, yet in the case of the former (played by Phil Kenzie) Al Stewart wasn’t, initially, convinced (one of many interesting anecdotes to be found within the accompanying 68 page booklet).
Enhancing an album that has more than stood the test of four-and-a-half decades of time is a never before released, 2CD live show from Seattle in 1976, featuring six songs from Year Of The Cat – including a gorgeous and captivating title track you might just have heard of.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The song 'Year Of The Cat' is not just Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart’s most famous, well-loved and successful song (Top 10 US Billboard & Canadian hit, successful single in Europe & the UK), it’s arguably
(many will say undisputedly) his finest, creative achievement.
But such is the song’s enduring quality it’s easy to forget it’s also the title track of Al Stewart’s seventh solo album.
Released in 1976 Year Of The Cat is cited as one of Al Stewart’s finest offerings and, for many a fan and critic, his best ever album (if 'Year Of The Cat' had never been written it would still have been a very good album; as it is, with its inclusion, Year Of The Cat becomes an excellent one).
It's also interesting to musically note it's the only song on the album not written solely by Al Stewart.
Co-written with keyboardist Peter Wood, 'Year Of The Cat' was born out of a tune Wood would play when the Al Stewart Band were sound checking during Stateside shows in 1975.
Following a long gestation period and a number of lyrical rewrites (the first set of lyrics were written about the late, great and troubled British comedian, Tony Hancock) the final, as recorded version (set in North Africa with references to the movie Casablanca), it became the near seven minute, melodic folk-rock song that’s so loved and revered today.
Sitting as part of the album however, 'Year Of The Cat' becomes one of nine well-crafted songs that make up the US platinum selling platter, here given a fully remastered makeover (from the original master tapes) as overseen by album producer Alan Parsons.
A tenth, newly mixed track, 'Belsize Blues,' recorded during the Year Of The Cat sessions but unused, is also included, as is a new 5.1 Surround mix by Alan Parsons, from the original multi-track tapes.
Having evolved from his late 60s British folk beginnings to a storytelling musical troubadour a few albums and years later (first heard to fine effect on 1973’s Past, Present & Future) Al Stewart excelled himself on Year Of The Cat, lyrically and musically.
From slow, full-bodied folk-rock opener 'Lord Grenville' (a nautical tale based around a 16th century naval battle) and up-tempo, Spanish affected 'On the Border,' through to the folk-pop charm of 'Sand in Your Shoes' and Dylan meets early Springsteen style of 'If It Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It' and on to the treading in the ghostly footsteps atmosphere of 'One Stage Before,' Year Of The Cat deserves to be held up against 70s singer-songwriter classics such as Gerry Rafferty’s City To City.
Indeed there’s even a highly impacting similarity between 'Year Of The Cat' and Gerry Rafferty’s own uber-classic, 'Baker Street' – both feature saxophone solos that you cannot conceive of the songs being without, yet in the case of the former (played by Phil Kenzie) Al Stewart wasn’t, initially, convinced (one of many interesting anecdotes to be found within the accompanying 68 page booklet).
Enhancing an album that has more than stood the test of four-and-a-half decades of time is a never before released, 2CD live show from Seattle in 1976, featuring six songs from Year Of The Cat – including a gorgeous and captivating title track you might just have heard of.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jason Sweeney – Unknown Direction EP
To paraphrase the old song, Scottish singer Jason Sweeney is a little bit county but he’s more than a little bit rock and roll.
In early 2020, just as the Covid blues came calling, Jason Sweeny released the one-off single 'The Glasses on the Table,' a well-written nod (both musically and through its glass half full or empty relationship lyricism) to the soft spot he has for Nashville country.
However his first and true musical love – hard melodic rock (as heard to fine effect with The King Lot, especially on their excellent second album A World Without Evil) – is up front and centre on new 5-track EP, Unknown Direction.
The questioning title of the EP also manages to cleverly double as a pointer to a still uncertain, post-pandemic future and the fact, as the country and rock sides of Jason Sweeney’s musical life testifies to, the singer and high-quality songwriter has a decision to make as regards his own future.
The weighty title track (which carries a throatier, edgier vocal on the verses and, musically, shades of The Cult; never a bad thing) and following number, the mid-tempo swagger and celebratory, sing-a-long vibe of 'This is My Tribe' (a tribute to both his own, and wider, rock music supporting fanbase) Jason Sweeney presents his rock credentials in pretty impressive fashion.
However the singer’s love for old-school melodic rock (his own variant sits somewhere between classic era Bryan Adams and the harder-edged stylings of the late 80s/ early 90s) is best exemplified by the next two tracks, 'My Wasted Heart' and She’s a Fighter.'
The former, an up-beat slice of heavy power-pop meets melodic rockin' fun, has a ridiculously infectious earworm chorus (a Jason Sweeny songwriting trait); the latter, a mid-tempo and melodically charged testimony to girl power, would, in a different musical time & space, never have been off US Rock / AOR radio.
Fifth and final song, 'Watch This Grow,' is another strength of Jason Sweeney’s, that of the well-written (including his most personal lyric to date) and well sung piano-led power ballad – pretty much mandatory for any discerning melodic rock artist/ vocalist.
(Sweeney also has a knack for reinterpreting very different songs in just such atmospheric/ balladeering fashion, as his piano & vocal cover of 'Wash it All Away' by Five Finger Death Punch unequivocally proves).
Unknown Direction is a fine offering from a fine singer and songwriter (Jason Sweeny holds a 1st Class Honours degree in music and a Masters Degree in songwriting).
It’s also an EP that offers itself up as a musical calling card between previous The King Lot endeavours and Jason Sweeney’s next full-length adventure.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Unknown Direction can be purchased at: https://jasonsweeney.bigcartel.com/
In early 2020, just as the Covid blues came calling, Jason Sweeny released the one-off single 'The Glasses on the Table,' a well-written nod (both musically and through its glass half full or empty relationship lyricism) to the soft spot he has for Nashville country.
However his first and true musical love – hard melodic rock (as heard to fine effect with The King Lot, especially on their excellent second album A World Without Evil) – is up front and centre on new 5-track EP, Unknown Direction.
The questioning title of the EP also manages to cleverly double as a pointer to a still uncertain, post-pandemic future and the fact, as the country and rock sides of Jason Sweeney’s musical life testifies to, the singer and high-quality songwriter has a decision to make as regards his own future.
The weighty title track (which carries a throatier, edgier vocal on the verses and, musically, shades of The Cult; never a bad thing) and following number, the mid-tempo swagger and celebratory, sing-a-long vibe of 'This is My Tribe' (a tribute to both his own, and wider, rock music supporting fanbase) Jason Sweeney presents his rock credentials in pretty impressive fashion.
However the singer’s love for old-school melodic rock (his own variant sits somewhere between classic era Bryan Adams and the harder-edged stylings of the late 80s/ early 90s) is best exemplified by the next two tracks, 'My Wasted Heart' and She’s a Fighter.'
The former, an up-beat slice of heavy power-pop meets melodic rockin' fun, has a ridiculously infectious earworm chorus (a Jason Sweeny songwriting trait); the latter, a mid-tempo and melodically charged testimony to girl power, would, in a different musical time & space, never have been off US Rock / AOR radio.
Fifth and final song, 'Watch This Grow,' is another strength of Jason Sweeney’s, that of the well-written (including his most personal lyric to date) and well sung piano-led power ballad – pretty much mandatory for any discerning melodic rock artist/ vocalist.
(Sweeney also has a knack for reinterpreting very different songs in just such atmospheric/ balladeering fashion, as his piano & vocal cover of 'Wash it All Away' by Five Finger Death Punch unequivocally proves).
Unknown Direction is a fine offering from a fine singer and songwriter (Jason Sweeny holds a 1st Class Honours degree in music and a Masters Degree in songwriting).
It’s also an EP that offers itself up as a musical calling card between previous The King Lot endeavours and Jason Sweeney’s next full-length adventure.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Unknown Direction can be purchased at: https://jasonsweeney.bigcartel.com/
Sweet Oblivion feat. Geoff Tate – Relentless
The highly impacting debut from Sweet Oblivion was a Frontiers Records conceived collaboration of Italian musicians (featuring guitarist Simone Mularoni of Italian prog-metal giants DGM) and the voice of Geoff Tate; the results were an intentionally classic-era Queensrÿche sounding album that worked extremely well.
But Sweet Oblivion and, now, follow-up Relentless also highlight how Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate is as much a construct under the direction of Frontiers Records (as are many of their projects) as it is a band – on Relentless Geoff Tate worked with a different line-up of Italian musicians, but with the same modus operandi, to deliver a set of songs conceived, written and performed to carry that classic mid-80s to early 90s Queensrÿche vibe (albeit within a contemporary rock setting).
Opener 'Once Again One Sin' certainly fits the profile – atmospheric electronica/ keyboard intro, thick & gritty riff, darker edged chorus (with spoken word interjections), a piercing solo from featured guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Archon Angel).
The under five minutes opener also points to a noticeable difference between the first and second albums.
Relentless is more finely honed and concise than its 11 song, 52 minute predecessor (10 tracks across 42 minutes with no song venturing over five minutes long); the upshot is a tight and to be fair very accomplished performance by band and singer, but one that makes for an album that’s akin to a condensed version of all the best bits of Queensrÿche, housed within ten new songs.
Second number 'Strong Pressure' is a perfect example of just that; its hefty beat and melodically framed nature means it would sit comfortably as a highlight on any Queensrÿche album of the 80s (similarly the more atmospherically arranged brace of 'Wake Up Call' and 'Anybody Out There').
And therein lies the problem with, or success of, Relentless, depending on how you approach what is, frankly, the classic Queensrÿche sound performed under another name.
It’s either just that – a Geoff Tate led, new line-up of Queensrÿche under a different guise (for those wishing there could have been a continuation of a Tate led Queensrÿche, Relentless is so far up your street as to be knocking on your front door) or it’s a circle the Italian built wagons and defend a signature sound we’ve all heard before (thus, somewhat ironically, meaning it's devoid of any progression).
The other noticeable difference is while Geoff Tate is the focal and vocal point of Sweet Oblivion, a different band line-up, production and songwriting choice (Simone Mularoni was producer and primary songwriter on the debut; this time around those tasks fell to Aldo Lonobile, with writing contribution from Tate) means, inevitably, some sonic and songwriting variation.
On Relentless the songs are predominately more (but not exclusively) metal edged, while still carrying light and shade; mid-tempo beats and rhythms frame the thicker guitar sound, sharper production and equally sharper soloing (Aldo Lonobile is a fluid, shred-styled soloist; Simone Mularoni’s has a more melodically phrased style).
Indeed, rather title fittingly, some of it is Relentless, but contrast comes by way of ballad 'I’ll Be the One' (with tasteful solo from Aldo Lonobile) the atmospheric metal rise and downtempo fall of 'Let It Be' and 'Aria,' the latter a contemporary rock-metal number drafted for Geoff Tate by Aldo Lonobile and sung by Tate in Italian.
('Aria' also features guitarists Walter Cianciusi and Dario Parente, now part of Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime live band).
Geoff Tate and Sweet Oblivion aren’t so much charting new musical Frontiers with that very label as boldly going back to where Mr Tate was before, in Relentless pursuit of that successful, revered signature sound.
And if that's what you're looking for, you've certainly come to the ryche place.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But Sweet Oblivion and, now, follow-up Relentless also highlight how Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate is as much a construct under the direction of Frontiers Records (as are many of their projects) as it is a band – on Relentless Geoff Tate worked with a different line-up of Italian musicians, but with the same modus operandi, to deliver a set of songs conceived, written and performed to carry that classic mid-80s to early 90s Queensrÿche vibe (albeit within a contemporary rock setting).
Opener 'Once Again One Sin' certainly fits the profile – atmospheric electronica/ keyboard intro, thick & gritty riff, darker edged chorus (with spoken word interjections), a piercing solo from featured guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Archon Angel).
The under five minutes opener also points to a noticeable difference between the first and second albums.
Relentless is more finely honed and concise than its 11 song, 52 minute predecessor (10 tracks across 42 minutes with no song venturing over five minutes long); the upshot is a tight and to be fair very accomplished performance by band and singer, but one that makes for an album that’s akin to a condensed version of all the best bits of Queensrÿche, housed within ten new songs.
Second number 'Strong Pressure' is a perfect example of just that; its hefty beat and melodically framed nature means it would sit comfortably as a highlight on any Queensrÿche album of the 80s (similarly the more atmospherically arranged brace of 'Wake Up Call' and 'Anybody Out There').
And therein lies the problem with, or success of, Relentless, depending on how you approach what is, frankly, the classic Queensrÿche sound performed under another name.
It’s either just that – a Geoff Tate led, new line-up of Queensrÿche under a different guise (for those wishing there could have been a continuation of a Tate led Queensrÿche, Relentless is so far up your street as to be knocking on your front door) or it’s a circle the Italian built wagons and defend a signature sound we’ve all heard before (thus, somewhat ironically, meaning it's devoid of any progression).
The other noticeable difference is while Geoff Tate is the focal and vocal point of Sweet Oblivion, a different band line-up, production and songwriting choice (Simone Mularoni was producer and primary songwriter on the debut; this time around those tasks fell to Aldo Lonobile, with writing contribution from Tate) means, inevitably, some sonic and songwriting variation.
On Relentless the songs are predominately more (but not exclusively) metal edged, while still carrying light and shade; mid-tempo beats and rhythms frame the thicker guitar sound, sharper production and equally sharper soloing (Aldo Lonobile is a fluid, shred-styled soloist; Simone Mularoni’s has a more melodically phrased style).
Indeed, rather title fittingly, some of it is Relentless, but contrast comes by way of ballad 'I’ll Be the One' (with tasteful solo from Aldo Lonobile) the atmospheric metal rise and downtempo fall of 'Let It Be' and 'Aria,' the latter a contemporary rock-metal number drafted for Geoff Tate by Aldo Lonobile and sung by Tate in Italian.
('Aria' also features guitarists Walter Cianciusi and Dario Parente, now part of Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime live band).
Geoff Tate and Sweet Oblivion aren’t so much charting new musical Frontiers with that very label as boldly going back to where Mr Tate was before, in Relentless pursuit of that successful, revered signature sound.
And if that's what you're looking for, you've certainly come to the ryche place.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Syrek – Story
"Once upon a time, in a land far away..."
That opening line, from 'Magic Lantern (Into the Woods)' narrated by Hollywood actor Keith Szarabajka, introduces Story, the fourth album from rock-metal guitar virtuoso Terry Syrek.
While such an opening is more likely to be heard in a Disney fairy-tale movie or read as a Children's bedtime tale, Story is also a fairy-tale of sorts; one where the imagery and scenes are left very much to the listeners imagination as the instrumental prog-metal shred & riff-fests take centre stage.
While each of the ten instrumental pieces feature impeccable playing and top-drawer musicianship (a core quartet of Terry Syrek - guitars, Marco Minnemann - drums, Lalle Larsson - keys, Mohini Dey - bass) this is, with only a couple of respites, an extremely intense and very long Story.
'Into the Woods' sets up the adventures of two little creatures who travel through, and witness, both perils and marvels; the narrative pieces are used very sparingly, acting more as short introductions to a few of the numbers and/ or quick-fire shouts from one of the creatures.
Musically, Story takes its lead from the likes of Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Fates Warning and some Rush at their most sonically bristling (no bad thing).
All the above come across on 'I Think it’s a Monster,' eight-and-half-minutes of lighting fast complexity, shifting time signatures, heavyweight staccato rhythms, blistering shredding and blasts of Rush at both super-speed and the more atmospheric (hints of both 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Cygnus X-1').
The even longer 'Balloon Ride Over a Jigsaw Map' (Rush meets jaunty, melodic prog-metal noodling) continues the journey before our adventurers land, at which point one of them cries "I Got a Lightning Bug!" (cue a bright (natch) and shimmering melodic-metal celebration of the find, featuring bassist Bryan Beller, who appears on three of the tracks).
'What the Owl Said' (who else would you expect to meet in a dangerous wood for wise old guidance?) drops the intensity a little (and features some wicked and poppin’ bass lines from Mohini Dey) before the intensity returns for 'Starcrowned,' albeit its ever-shifting time signatures assist in bringing some light and shade.
The little creatures then undertake 'The perilous Flight From Castle Albathria;' it’s a fast and furious escape that features equally fast and furious (but dextrously played) violin from Florian Cristea.
The near ten-minute 'Strange Machine' is a hybrid of, title fittingly, heavyweight prog-metal and back and forth synth and guitar solo passages; contrast and respite (both musically and for the creatures) then comes by way of the shorter, melodically-led Dandelion Sword.
'Gnomus Maleficus (Tea With the Angry Gnome)' is, indeed, an angry exchange (full of Dream Theater styled machinations) before the narrative of 'Promenade' sets up 'The End,' a bluesy guitar, keyboard backed ballad. The creature’s cry of "Let’s do it again!" to his little friend as they are in sight of 'The Home (Out Of the Woods)' brings their journey to a conclusion.
Story is exhilarating and impressive through top-notch (and at times breath-taking) musicianship yet also exhausting, due to its unnecessary 77 minute length (the longer tracks would have been far better served as more concise, tighter-formed 'chapter' pieces).
It’s also, ironically, given the complexity of the genre and technicality of the playing, too complex and technical for its own good – as Marco Minnemann said when describing the album and his role:
"It's like going to the gym and doing math at the same time."
If you love lengthy, instrumental flights of prog-metal fancy then this is a Story you may well thoroughly enjoy (and Terry Syrek is a ridiculously fluid/ clean shredder).
But had the Story been told in half the time you can’t help but think it would have had an even happier ending.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That opening line, from 'Magic Lantern (Into the Woods)' narrated by Hollywood actor Keith Szarabajka, introduces Story, the fourth album from rock-metal guitar virtuoso Terry Syrek.
While such an opening is more likely to be heard in a Disney fairy-tale movie or read as a Children's bedtime tale, Story is also a fairy-tale of sorts; one where the imagery and scenes are left very much to the listeners imagination as the instrumental prog-metal shred & riff-fests take centre stage.
While each of the ten instrumental pieces feature impeccable playing and top-drawer musicianship (a core quartet of Terry Syrek - guitars, Marco Minnemann - drums, Lalle Larsson - keys, Mohini Dey - bass) this is, with only a couple of respites, an extremely intense and very long Story.
'Into the Woods' sets up the adventures of two little creatures who travel through, and witness, both perils and marvels; the narrative pieces are used very sparingly, acting more as short introductions to a few of the numbers and/ or quick-fire shouts from one of the creatures.
Musically, Story takes its lead from the likes of Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Fates Warning and some Rush at their most sonically bristling (no bad thing).
All the above come across on 'I Think it’s a Monster,' eight-and-half-minutes of lighting fast complexity, shifting time signatures, heavyweight staccato rhythms, blistering shredding and blasts of Rush at both super-speed and the more atmospheric (hints of both 'La Villa Strangiato' and 'Cygnus X-1').
The even longer 'Balloon Ride Over a Jigsaw Map' (Rush meets jaunty, melodic prog-metal noodling) continues the journey before our adventurers land, at which point one of them cries "I Got a Lightning Bug!" (cue a bright (natch) and shimmering melodic-metal celebration of the find, featuring bassist Bryan Beller, who appears on three of the tracks).
'What the Owl Said' (who else would you expect to meet in a dangerous wood for wise old guidance?) drops the intensity a little (and features some wicked and poppin’ bass lines from Mohini Dey) before the intensity returns for 'Starcrowned,' albeit its ever-shifting time signatures assist in bringing some light and shade.
The little creatures then undertake 'The perilous Flight From Castle Albathria;' it’s a fast and furious escape that features equally fast and furious (but dextrously played) violin from Florian Cristea.
The near ten-minute 'Strange Machine' is a hybrid of, title fittingly, heavyweight prog-metal and back and forth synth and guitar solo passages; contrast and respite (both musically and for the creatures) then comes by way of the shorter, melodically-led Dandelion Sword.
'Gnomus Maleficus (Tea With the Angry Gnome)' is, indeed, an angry exchange (full of Dream Theater styled machinations) before the narrative of 'Promenade' sets up 'The End,' a bluesy guitar, keyboard backed ballad. The creature’s cry of "Let’s do it again!" to his little friend as they are in sight of 'The Home (Out Of the Woods)' brings their journey to a conclusion.
Story is exhilarating and impressive through top-notch (and at times breath-taking) musicianship yet also exhausting, due to its unnecessary 77 minute length (the longer tracks would have been far better served as more concise, tighter-formed 'chapter' pieces).
It’s also, ironically, given the complexity of the genre and technicality of the playing, too complex and technical for its own good – as Marco Minnemann said when describing the album and his role:
"It's like going to the gym and doing math at the same time."
If you love lengthy, instrumental flights of prog-metal fancy then this is a Story you may well thoroughly enjoy (and Terry Syrek is a ridiculously fluid/ clean shredder).
But had the Story been told in half the time you can’t help but think it would have had an even happier ending.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Taller Than - Lay it Bare
For the uninitiated or those not overly familiar with the sadly short-lived history of late 90s rock blues trio Taller Than, they featured the talents of singer-guitarist-songwriter Mike Ross and a hard-hitting rhythm section of Mike’s brother Graeme Ross (bass, backing vox) & Mick Kelly (drums, percussion).
Mike Ross, both as a solo performer and with full electric band, has since established himself at the British blues rock table with a tasty little piece of that blues rock pie (his recent and acclaimed albums The Clovis Limit Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 are his strongest and most all-encompassing works to date).
But Lay it Bare is a valuable look back to Ross’s not unimpressive past and reminds that Taller Than was a band that had something to offer – unfortunately they were also a classic case of wrong place wrong time.
(A blues rock trio with a late 60s/ early 70s sound in a 90s music world? What could possibly go wrong?).
Good news then that a successful crowd funding campaign has seen the band’s unreleased/ never fully completed 1998 album dusted down, restored, mixed and given a new lease of life.
Taller Than’s late 60s/ early 70s rock vibe declares itself immediately with The Who-like power chords that open the album’s title track, before the song quickly settles in to a raunchier rock piece with melodic undertones; the tell it like it is lyricism does indeed 'Lay it Bare.'
The riffier 'Don’t Leave Pt 1' keeps up the intensity (and carries a similar retro/ throwback vibe) before 'Gotham Town' offers up a quicker tempo and a punchier style, the latter predicting the quick-fire riff and drum driven style of many a fast-paced, contemporary rock-blues trio (similarly the rhythm & blues on steroids of 'The Words That Change The World').
The downtempo 'Can Ocean Sand' changes the pace and melodic mood (with a soupçon of bluesy Hendrix within its southern harmonies appeal) while the funkier, fun vibe of 'Drowning' belies its questioning, time for a change lyric.
Even funkier is the bass bubbling and choppy guitar stylings of the up-tempo and feisty 'Woman Gonna Take The Fear Away.'
Other Lay it Bare highlights include the piano backed (and southern-styled) "why did I leave it all behind?" ballad 'Questions' and the slower, rugged bass line & guitar charged 'Nicotine Placebo.'
(A gritty, near six-minute slave-to-addiction rock-blues, 'Nicotine Placebo' is one of Mike Ross’s best, older songs).
The album closes on another near six-minute number, the melodically drifting and primarily instrumental (with short lyric section on the finale) 'Don’t Leave Pt 2' (the final "don’t leave" plea following the angrier 'Pt 1').
Further good news is this is not the last to be heard of Taller Than.
Another four Taller Than songs look set to appear on the forthcoming Origin Story (another successfully crowd funded project), featuring rerecords of rare tracks from Mike Ross’s 1990s career history including his time in Afterglow and Mother Sugar.
If that’s not enough (Mike Ross may well be in line for a Most Productive Artist in the Studio During Lockdowns award) there’s The Clovis Limit : Tennessee Transition (an acoustic companion piece to The Clovis Limit brace of albums) and news that Mike Ross is currently working on an instrumental album entitled Peach Jam, scheduled for January 2022.
Many a band and artist has an archive of interesting, rare and unreleased archive material but that of Mike Ross stands Taller Than most.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Mike Ross, both as a solo performer and with full electric band, has since established himself at the British blues rock table with a tasty little piece of that blues rock pie (his recent and acclaimed albums The Clovis Limit Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 are his strongest and most all-encompassing works to date).
But Lay it Bare is a valuable look back to Ross’s not unimpressive past and reminds that Taller Than was a band that had something to offer – unfortunately they were also a classic case of wrong place wrong time.
(A blues rock trio with a late 60s/ early 70s sound in a 90s music world? What could possibly go wrong?).
Good news then that a successful crowd funding campaign has seen the band’s unreleased/ never fully completed 1998 album dusted down, restored, mixed and given a new lease of life.
Taller Than’s late 60s/ early 70s rock vibe declares itself immediately with The Who-like power chords that open the album’s title track, before the song quickly settles in to a raunchier rock piece with melodic undertones; the tell it like it is lyricism does indeed 'Lay it Bare.'
The riffier 'Don’t Leave Pt 1' keeps up the intensity (and carries a similar retro/ throwback vibe) before 'Gotham Town' offers up a quicker tempo and a punchier style, the latter predicting the quick-fire riff and drum driven style of many a fast-paced, contemporary rock-blues trio (similarly the rhythm & blues on steroids of 'The Words That Change The World').
The downtempo 'Can Ocean Sand' changes the pace and melodic mood (with a soupçon of bluesy Hendrix within its southern harmonies appeal) while the funkier, fun vibe of 'Drowning' belies its questioning, time for a change lyric.
Even funkier is the bass bubbling and choppy guitar stylings of the up-tempo and feisty 'Woman Gonna Take The Fear Away.'
Other Lay it Bare highlights include the piano backed (and southern-styled) "why did I leave it all behind?" ballad 'Questions' and the slower, rugged bass line & guitar charged 'Nicotine Placebo.'
(A gritty, near six-minute slave-to-addiction rock-blues, 'Nicotine Placebo' is one of Mike Ross’s best, older songs).
The album closes on another near six-minute number, the melodically drifting and primarily instrumental (with short lyric section on the finale) 'Don’t Leave Pt 2' (the final "don’t leave" plea following the angrier 'Pt 1').
Further good news is this is not the last to be heard of Taller Than.
Another four Taller Than songs look set to appear on the forthcoming Origin Story (another successfully crowd funded project), featuring rerecords of rare tracks from Mike Ross’s 1990s career history including his time in Afterglow and Mother Sugar.
If that’s not enough (Mike Ross may well be in line for a Most Productive Artist in the Studio During Lockdowns award) there’s The Clovis Limit : Tennessee Transition (an acoustic companion piece to The Clovis Limit brace of albums) and news that Mike Ross is currently working on an instrumental album entitled Peach Jam, scheduled for January 2022.
Many a band and artist has an archive of interesting, rare and unreleased archive material but that of Mike Ross stands Taller Than most.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Eddie Tatton – Canons Under Flowers
Emotively-styled soundscape guitarist Eddie Tatton may not be a household name, but he certainly deserves to be cited as an artist and not just a musician, in any household he does happen to be subsequently heard, played, or embraced in via debut album Canons Under Flowers.
And that’s because Tatton, who Guitar Magazine stated as having "played practically every gig you can imagine, amassing along the way a guitar, amp and pedal collection every bit as enviable as his stellar playing abilities" is just that – a sonically creative artist who doesn't so much compose songs as sculpt audio images.
Eight minute opener 'Small Voice' starts as its title suggests, with delicate guitars over a simple rhythm (you’re almost expecting a 'Chain' styled Fleetwood Mac adventure to ensue), before developing into a slightly bigger soundscape with a lead vocal from Osmond Wright (aka Mozez). The song retains the rhythmic simplicity of its opening however, backed by fleeting yet carefully placed guitar remarks from Eddie Tatton before a plaintive flurry of lead lines herald in the finale.
The equally atmospheric but slightly more Floyd-ish 'Rise' features the voices of Lynne Jackaman (who appears on four of the five vocal tracks), James Manners and Bennett Holland (whose keyboard skills grace five songs) and the double bass of Daniel Humphries, while Eddie Tatton accompanies with what are almost country-meets-Gilmour accentuations (a neat trick in itself) and a short, crying rock guitar sequence.
'Namaste' is as delicate and sweet a greeting as its title suggests (Lynne Jackaman singing in unison with Eddie Tatton’s harmony guitar lines) before getting slightly funkier in its groove, followed by a trumpet (from Adam Linsley) and guitar led second half.
The plaintive but uplifting guitar instrumental 'Hope' acts as a nice, short interlude before the decidedly bluesy seven minutes of 'Tempest' blows in, James Manners taking vocal lead atop Eddie Tatton’s southern rock meets fusion licks. Melodic Nashville blues prog, baby.
The instrumental title-track is a showcase for just what Eddie Tatton is all about; a sonically shape shifting, scale-defying six-minute piece that starts delicately but gets weightier with elements of blues, rock, fusion and prog all making their interwoven mark.
The best is left to last however with the album’s ten minute closing piece (segued across three parts).
'Left to Our Own Devices,' with Lynne Jackaman backed by sympathetic, Gary Moore-esque six-string cries, is a slow ballad warning shot of where we might yet be headed ("What has just begun, what will be become, when we are left to our own devices”) before the darkly sinister '11:59' heralds in that ominous final minute before the guano hits the air ventilator.
Offering salvation however is the airy (and hopefully) clear skies of 'Glory,' acoustic and echoing electric guitars in perfect harmony.
Written and produced by Eddie Tatton with production assistance (and another fine mixing & mastering job) from Wayne Proctor (who also lays down the percussive grooves throughout)' Canons Under Flowers proves unequivocally that you don’t have to shred or play dozens of notes in one bar of music to be a good guitarist.
Or, in this case, an exceptional one.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
And that’s because Tatton, who Guitar Magazine stated as having "played practically every gig you can imagine, amassing along the way a guitar, amp and pedal collection every bit as enviable as his stellar playing abilities" is just that – a sonically creative artist who doesn't so much compose songs as sculpt audio images.
Eight minute opener 'Small Voice' starts as its title suggests, with delicate guitars over a simple rhythm (you’re almost expecting a 'Chain' styled Fleetwood Mac adventure to ensue), before developing into a slightly bigger soundscape with a lead vocal from Osmond Wright (aka Mozez). The song retains the rhythmic simplicity of its opening however, backed by fleeting yet carefully placed guitar remarks from Eddie Tatton before a plaintive flurry of lead lines herald in the finale.
The equally atmospheric but slightly more Floyd-ish 'Rise' features the voices of Lynne Jackaman (who appears on four of the five vocal tracks), James Manners and Bennett Holland (whose keyboard skills grace five songs) and the double bass of Daniel Humphries, while Eddie Tatton accompanies with what are almost country-meets-Gilmour accentuations (a neat trick in itself) and a short, crying rock guitar sequence.
'Namaste' is as delicate and sweet a greeting as its title suggests (Lynne Jackaman singing in unison with Eddie Tatton’s harmony guitar lines) before getting slightly funkier in its groove, followed by a trumpet (from Adam Linsley) and guitar led second half.
The plaintive but uplifting guitar instrumental 'Hope' acts as a nice, short interlude before the decidedly bluesy seven minutes of 'Tempest' blows in, James Manners taking vocal lead atop Eddie Tatton’s southern rock meets fusion licks. Melodic Nashville blues prog, baby.
The instrumental title-track is a showcase for just what Eddie Tatton is all about; a sonically shape shifting, scale-defying six-minute piece that starts delicately but gets weightier with elements of blues, rock, fusion and prog all making their interwoven mark.
The best is left to last however with the album’s ten minute closing piece (segued across three parts).
'Left to Our Own Devices,' with Lynne Jackaman backed by sympathetic, Gary Moore-esque six-string cries, is a slow ballad warning shot of where we might yet be headed ("What has just begun, what will be become, when we are left to our own devices”) before the darkly sinister '11:59' heralds in that ominous final minute before the guano hits the air ventilator.
Offering salvation however is the airy (and hopefully) clear skies of 'Glory,' acoustic and echoing electric guitars in perfect harmony.
Written and produced by Eddie Tatton with production assistance (and another fine mixing & mastering job) from Wayne Proctor (who also lays down the percussive grooves throughout)' Canons Under Flowers proves unequivocally that you don’t have to shred or play dozens of notes in one bar of music to be a good guitarist.
Or, in this case, an exceptional one.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stephen W Tayler – Da Capo
Mixer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Stephen W Tayler isn’t a household name but there are very few households with a love of classic rock, prog or well-crafted pop that won’t have Stephen W Tayler somewhere within.
Tayler, primarily as a sought-after sound engineer, has worked with the luminary likes of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Rush, Suzanne Vega, Judy Tzuke and Stevie Nicks to name but six of many.
He is also the go-to mixing guru on many a reissue project including the recent Be Bop Deluxe boxset series and, dovetailing with the release of his instrumental solo album Da Capo, the lavish Van Der Graaf Generator : The Charisma Years 1970-1978 boxset, which has already garnered plaudits for his excellent new stereo and surround mix work.
Indeed such is his mixing mastery and audio skills that Stephen W Tayler is likely to continue to get more recognition for his "other artists" work than Da Capo or previous solo album, 2012’s Ostinato (a lovely mix of softer atmospheres and percussive, electro ambience).
However Da Capo will hopefully be heard (and seen) for what it is – a beautifully sculpted suite of ambient, sonic textures and layered soundscapes that are personal to Stephen W Tayler (musical snapshots of moments in time coupled with the loss of a number of close friends); yet it can be heard and conceived by the listener as a reflective soundtrack to their own lives or journey through time.
One such poignant and atmospheric example, following the scene-setting title track (built on a rhythmic cadence and piano and keyboard textures) is 'Sunday 5.44pm.'
The time-ticking, melancholic piece represents Sunday afternoons of alone-ness that most of us have felt at one time or another, while sounds of background life slip by almost unnoticed.
By contrast the Phillip Glass-esque 'Crosstalk on the Crosswalk' is as upbeat, busy and vibrant as its title suggests while 'Time Stood Still' is an eerier, synth-textured affair that does indeed impose a sense of timelessness and/ or meditative contemplation.
Similarly title-scene-setting is 'Water Under the Bridge,' a reflective times past piece that is both delicate and fuller sounding (background vocalisations and sonically skewed guitars flitting in and out of eastern flavoured passages).
Further contrast is provided by 'The Forgetting Curve' and 'Four Ways to Fiveways.'
The former’s atmospheres seem to conjure foggy reminisces of memories perhaps lost while the latter’s delightful repeating refrain is damn near danceable (even more hip to the electro-beat is the rock guitar & synth-pop pulse of 'Coda Capo').
There’s an added personal touch to 'Verum Mundi (Revisited)' where Stephen W Tayler’s boy chorister voice (as captured on 'Hymn to St Peter') is featured and closing track 'Al Fine,' which Tayler was working on when his friend and renowned producer/ musician Rupert Hine passed away.
As such 'Al Fine' doubles as a short, plaintive In Memoriam piece.
Da Capo is as ambitious in its presentation as it is in audio gorgeousness.
The "and seen" reference earlier refers to the fact Stephen W Tayler has tailored the album to be both an audio and visual experience; the music CD (with the stereo mixes optimised for headphones and earbuds) comes with a DVD featuring the album’s music in 5.1 surround with accompanying, visual "tone poems" for each piece.
Da Capo – emotive, multi-layered minimalism from a true sound musician.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tayler, primarily as a sought-after sound engineer, has worked with the luminary likes of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Rush, Suzanne Vega, Judy Tzuke and Stevie Nicks to name but six of many.
He is also the go-to mixing guru on many a reissue project including the recent Be Bop Deluxe boxset series and, dovetailing with the release of his instrumental solo album Da Capo, the lavish Van Der Graaf Generator : The Charisma Years 1970-1978 boxset, which has already garnered plaudits for his excellent new stereo and surround mix work.
Indeed such is his mixing mastery and audio skills that Stephen W Tayler is likely to continue to get more recognition for his "other artists" work than Da Capo or previous solo album, 2012’s Ostinato (a lovely mix of softer atmospheres and percussive, electro ambience).
However Da Capo will hopefully be heard (and seen) for what it is – a beautifully sculpted suite of ambient, sonic textures and layered soundscapes that are personal to Stephen W Tayler (musical snapshots of moments in time coupled with the loss of a number of close friends); yet it can be heard and conceived by the listener as a reflective soundtrack to their own lives or journey through time.
One such poignant and atmospheric example, following the scene-setting title track (built on a rhythmic cadence and piano and keyboard textures) is 'Sunday 5.44pm.'
The time-ticking, melancholic piece represents Sunday afternoons of alone-ness that most of us have felt at one time or another, while sounds of background life slip by almost unnoticed.
By contrast the Phillip Glass-esque 'Crosstalk on the Crosswalk' is as upbeat, busy and vibrant as its title suggests while 'Time Stood Still' is an eerier, synth-textured affair that does indeed impose a sense of timelessness and/ or meditative contemplation.
Similarly title-scene-setting is 'Water Under the Bridge,' a reflective times past piece that is both delicate and fuller sounding (background vocalisations and sonically skewed guitars flitting in and out of eastern flavoured passages).
Further contrast is provided by 'The Forgetting Curve' and 'Four Ways to Fiveways.'
The former’s atmospheres seem to conjure foggy reminisces of memories perhaps lost while the latter’s delightful repeating refrain is damn near danceable (even more hip to the electro-beat is the rock guitar & synth-pop pulse of 'Coda Capo').
There’s an added personal touch to 'Verum Mundi (Revisited)' where Stephen W Tayler’s boy chorister voice (as captured on 'Hymn to St Peter') is featured and closing track 'Al Fine,' which Tayler was working on when his friend and renowned producer/ musician Rupert Hine passed away.
As such 'Al Fine' doubles as a short, plaintive In Memoriam piece.
Da Capo is as ambitious in its presentation as it is in audio gorgeousness.
The "and seen" reference earlier refers to the fact Stephen W Tayler has tailored the album to be both an audio and visual experience; the music CD (with the stereo mixes optimised for headphones and earbuds) comes with a DVD featuring the album’s music in 5.1 surround with accompanying, visual "tone poems" for each piece.
Da Capo – emotive, multi-layered minimalism from a true sound musician.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Grafenberg Disciples – Johnny on the Spot
Californian bassist, songwriter & producer Bob Madsen, best-known as co-founder of progressive bands 41POINT9 and Operation: Paperclip (who also feature Tony Carey), along with guitarist Chad Quist, had originally written material for the aforementioned Operation: Paperclip.
Tony Carey, to his credit, immediately realised how good the material was but that it should be associated with a brand new project/ band/ album.
After some deliberation, Messrs Madsen and Quist agreed.
They called in noted Sacramento soul singer Hans Eberbach to front the new band, added drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Jerry Merrill, and The Grafenberg Disciples were born.
Right from the off and the soul-powered, up-tempo optimism of progadelic funk (or funkadelic prog, ether works) opener 'Dying to Live,' The Grafenberg Disciples are playing at the altar of those very genres along with a splash of jazz and pop and a huge dollop of genuine commercial appeal (just about every song here, or edited versions of same, has jazz, pop, soul or mainstream airplay potential).
Nor does it hurt that Bob Madsen has that Mark King/ Level 42 slap-bass down pat – there’s a quick-fire slice of echoing bass to open 'Dying to Live' for example while Madsen and his instrument also introduce, then slap-funk behind the rhythm, of following number 'The Man Who Would Be King' (the adopted song-child of Level 42, Men At Work and Go West, with Marvin Gaye as 'soul' Godfather).
The atmospheric 'No Words' (proggin’ out at eight-and-a-half minutes via piano soundscapes, rhythmic textures and a lead guitar/ crescendo ending) is, as the title suggests, more about what something or someone can mean in life and loss than words can ever say.
The song becomes even more poignant when you realise it’s a lyrical (and percussive – nice work Mr Bissonette)) homage to the late Neil Peart and that all proceeds from the song and Official Music Video
(which includes never-before-seen photographs of Neil Peart on his motorcycle travels across the US) go to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – Neil Peart Brain Tumor Research Fund.
The other eight-and-a-half minute plus number on the nine track album is the soft, slow and sadness-tinged story of 'The Girl With the Broken Smile;' it’s swaying, soulful jazz stylings act as the perfect framework for Hans Eberbach’s best vocal of the entire album.
The band then get a little jazz-bluesy for 'She Lay Sleeping' (Hans Eberbach and Chad Quist getting their respective vocal and six-string soul-grooves on mid-song), while the more up-tempo 'A Madman’s Lullaby' manages to mix contemporary folk, prog and the spirit (or beer) of "one more drink!" sing-a-longs to very fine effect.
Elsewhere there’s the dancefloor fun of 'In a Moment,' a piece of eighties based rhythmic bass-pop that again recalls English pop duo Go West (with funkier overtones and a wicked little solo from Chad Quist); the even funkier 'Fields of Sky-Blue Pink' returns to the Book of Level 42 with some Steely Dan, contemporary prog and rock guitar twists.
The album closes out with 'Music on the Wind (For S.O.B.),' a lovely In Memoriam song that sits somewhere between Bruce Hornsby and Cat Stevens.
Not only do The Grafenberg Disciples have one of the best names (and album title, if you get both the connection and the spot that, truthfully, most of us males have never managed to hit) they have one of the most unique, multi-influenced sounding debuts of 2021, or any recent year.
Funking excellent work, gents.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tony Carey, to his credit, immediately realised how good the material was but that it should be associated with a brand new project/ band/ album.
After some deliberation, Messrs Madsen and Quist agreed.
They called in noted Sacramento soul singer Hans Eberbach to front the new band, added drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Jerry Merrill, and The Grafenberg Disciples were born.
Right from the off and the soul-powered, up-tempo optimism of progadelic funk (or funkadelic prog, ether works) opener 'Dying to Live,' The Grafenberg Disciples are playing at the altar of those very genres along with a splash of jazz and pop and a huge dollop of genuine commercial appeal (just about every song here, or edited versions of same, has jazz, pop, soul or mainstream airplay potential).
Nor does it hurt that Bob Madsen has that Mark King/ Level 42 slap-bass down pat – there’s a quick-fire slice of echoing bass to open 'Dying to Live' for example while Madsen and his instrument also introduce, then slap-funk behind the rhythm, of following number 'The Man Who Would Be King' (the adopted song-child of Level 42, Men At Work and Go West, with Marvin Gaye as 'soul' Godfather).
The atmospheric 'No Words' (proggin’ out at eight-and-a-half minutes via piano soundscapes, rhythmic textures and a lead guitar/ crescendo ending) is, as the title suggests, more about what something or someone can mean in life and loss than words can ever say.
The song becomes even more poignant when you realise it’s a lyrical (and percussive – nice work Mr Bissonette)) homage to the late Neil Peart and that all proceeds from the song and Official Music Video
(which includes never-before-seen photographs of Neil Peart on his motorcycle travels across the US) go to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center – Neil Peart Brain Tumor Research Fund.
The other eight-and-a-half minute plus number on the nine track album is the soft, slow and sadness-tinged story of 'The Girl With the Broken Smile;' it’s swaying, soulful jazz stylings act as the perfect framework for Hans Eberbach’s best vocal of the entire album.
The band then get a little jazz-bluesy for 'She Lay Sleeping' (Hans Eberbach and Chad Quist getting their respective vocal and six-string soul-grooves on mid-song), while the more up-tempo 'A Madman’s Lullaby' manages to mix contemporary folk, prog and the spirit (or beer) of "one more drink!" sing-a-longs to very fine effect.
Elsewhere there’s the dancefloor fun of 'In a Moment,' a piece of eighties based rhythmic bass-pop that again recalls English pop duo Go West (with funkier overtones and a wicked little solo from Chad Quist); the even funkier 'Fields of Sky-Blue Pink' returns to the Book of Level 42 with some Steely Dan, contemporary prog and rock guitar twists.
The album closes out with 'Music on the Wind (For S.O.B.),' a lovely In Memoriam song that sits somewhere between Bruce Hornsby and Cat Stevens.
Not only do The Grafenberg Disciples have one of the best names (and album title, if you get both the connection and the spot that, truthfully, most of us males have never managed to hit) they have one of the most unique, multi-influenced sounding debuts of 2021, or any recent year.
Funking excellent work, gents.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Outlaw Orchestra – Makin' Tracks
The Outlaw Orchestra made quite the Dixie, Cajun and band-coined "heavygrass" impact (and not a little humour – ‘Chicken Fried Snake’ anyone?) on 2020’s full-length debut, Pantomime Villains.
The debut album was also well-named.
There was (and indeed remains) an air of pantomime and cheeky smiled comic villainy about the band – now honed to a three-piece core of Dave Roux (lead vocals, guitars), Ryan Smith (drums, percussion, vocals) and Pete Briley (lap steel, banjo, vocals) – but they are also extremely serious about their countrified craft.
As it turns out Makin’ Tracks is also well named.
Indeed their second full-length album could have been titled Makin' Even More Tracks, given it was preceded earlier this year by, first, "unplugged" mini-album Powercut followed by the 6-track EP Under The Covers (Moonshine blues versions of classics such as 'House of the Rising Sun' and Dolly’s '9 to 5'? Believe it, y’all).
While Makin’ Tracks is the dovetailing, full-length follow-up to Pantomime Villains it also carries a subtle shift in direction and song craft.
This time around the songs are more finely honed and carry more maturity (don’t worry, there’s still that Outlaw humour and a can’t-help-but-smile number or two); around half of the songs also carry a distinctly Nashville or Western US coastal vibe.
Those latter traits are reinforced by having the Outlaw trio joined by guest musicians from Nashville and Long Beach (plus the addition of keys on a number of the songs).
That more mature approach is heard on opening track 'Done My Time,' an "Arizona desert" chain-gang chant stomp that benefits from male & female (in full blues wail) backing vocals.
The Outlaw Orchestra’s penchant for a dirty riff, quirky rock-country blues and a dash of delicate lap steel is then heard to fine effect on following number, 'Red Rag.'
The banjo and guitar picking 'Rollin’ Stone' is akin to what Buckingham & Nicks may have sounded like if they had pursued a country-rock path and never heard of Fleetwood Mac (the use of harmony and backing vocals work well here, as they do elsewhere on the album) while the hoedown fun of 'Enough About Me' returns to the thigh-slappin' fun side of the band.
The country raunch and roll of 'Back in the Game,' with plucking banjo backing rock guitar, is another winner, while the contrasting 'Got it Made' is the band’s Nashville country moment (including verses that come across as slow waltz variants of 'Islands in the Stream').
Adding acoustic, fiddle and piano backed reflection to proceedings is drink-hazed folk ballad 'Sea Legs' (a fitting title for a band from Southampton), from which comes the best line of the album - "spinning yarns in spinning rooms with all of you." I'll drink to that.
It’s good to see, or rather hear, an 'Over Proof' (more electrified) rendition of Powercut number 'Rattlesnake Sour' make the track list; Powercut's country-boogie drinking song dovetails perfectly with the more ZZ Top-ified 'There’s No Easy Way to Say This' (the latter scuppered only by its slight over-use of the title-repeat).
A true highlight however follows via the late 60s/ early 70s western plains styled number, 'Blame it On the Horse.'
The strongest and most impressive song the band have yet written & recorded, the near seven minute blame-everyone-else western blues is an atmospheric track with widescreen appeal (and some understated yet truly evocative guitar moments).
Bowing out on the acoustic vignette 'End of the Line,' Makin' Tracks is a varied yet highly accomplished work.
And the best offering yet from The Outlaw Orchestra.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The debut album was also well-named.
There was (and indeed remains) an air of pantomime and cheeky smiled comic villainy about the band – now honed to a three-piece core of Dave Roux (lead vocals, guitars), Ryan Smith (drums, percussion, vocals) and Pete Briley (lap steel, banjo, vocals) – but they are also extremely serious about their countrified craft.
As it turns out Makin’ Tracks is also well named.
Indeed their second full-length album could have been titled Makin' Even More Tracks, given it was preceded earlier this year by, first, "unplugged" mini-album Powercut followed by the 6-track EP Under The Covers (Moonshine blues versions of classics such as 'House of the Rising Sun' and Dolly’s '9 to 5'? Believe it, y’all).
While Makin’ Tracks is the dovetailing, full-length follow-up to Pantomime Villains it also carries a subtle shift in direction and song craft.
This time around the songs are more finely honed and carry more maturity (don’t worry, there’s still that Outlaw humour and a can’t-help-but-smile number or two); around half of the songs also carry a distinctly Nashville or Western US coastal vibe.
Those latter traits are reinforced by having the Outlaw trio joined by guest musicians from Nashville and Long Beach (plus the addition of keys on a number of the songs).
That more mature approach is heard on opening track 'Done My Time,' an "Arizona desert" chain-gang chant stomp that benefits from male & female (in full blues wail) backing vocals.
The Outlaw Orchestra’s penchant for a dirty riff, quirky rock-country blues and a dash of delicate lap steel is then heard to fine effect on following number, 'Red Rag.'
The banjo and guitar picking 'Rollin’ Stone' is akin to what Buckingham & Nicks may have sounded like if they had pursued a country-rock path and never heard of Fleetwood Mac (the use of harmony and backing vocals work well here, as they do elsewhere on the album) while the hoedown fun of 'Enough About Me' returns to the thigh-slappin' fun side of the band.
The country raunch and roll of 'Back in the Game,' with plucking banjo backing rock guitar, is another winner, while the contrasting 'Got it Made' is the band’s Nashville country moment (including verses that come across as slow waltz variants of 'Islands in the Stream').
Adding acoustic, fiddle and piano backed reflection to proceedings is drink-hazed folk ballad 'Sea Legs' (a fitting title for a band from Southampton), from which comes the best line of the album - "spinning yarns in spinning rooms with all of you." I'll drink to that.
It’s good to see, or rather hear, an 'Over Proof' (more electrified) rendition of Powercut number 'Rattlesnake Sour' make the track list; Powercut's country-boogie drinking song dovetails perfectly with the more ZZ Top-ified 'There’s No Easy Way to Say This' (the latter scuppered only by its slight over-use of the title-repeat).
A true highlight however follows via the late 60s/ early 70s western plains styled number, 'Blame it On the Horse.'
The strongest and most impressive song the band have yet written & recorded, the near seven minute blame-everyone-else western blues is an atmospheric track with widescreen appeal (and some understated yet truly evocative guitar moments).
Bowing out on the acoustic vignette 'End of the Line,' Makin' Tracks is a varied yet highly accomplished work.
And the best offering yet from The Outlaw Orchestra.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Toe Fat – Bad Side of The Moon : An Anthology 1970-1972
For rock fans of a certain vintage The Gods, Toe Fat and The National Head Band were vehicles for the bigger and better things that would later befall Ken Hensley, John Glascock and Lee Kerslake, but that does a disservice to all three aforementioned, albeit short-lived, bands.
Toe Fat for example, formed in 1969 by former Rebel Rouser and gravel-blues vocalist Cliff Bennett, delivered two albums worthy of attention for more than just the fact the original line-up also featured Messrs Hensley, Glascock and Kerslake (who had all been part of The Gods at one time or another).
Following the self-titled debut album however Ken Hensley left to join Uriah Heep and Lee Kerslake departed for The National Head Band before joining Hensley in Uriah Heep some eighteen months later (John Glascock, who remained with Toe Fat until they disbanded in 1972, would later join Jethro Tull).
Guitarist Alan Kendall and drummer Brian Glascock replaced Hensley and Kerslake for the band’s second album, simply entitled Two.
Both albums are represented in full on Bad Side of the Moon, a 2CD anthology that has been remastered (and very well at that) from the original master tapes.
The set also includes a rare single for the completist and the added bonus of a new essay and interview with Cliff Bennett.
The debut album, first released in May 1970, kicks off with 'That’s My Love for You' and the titular (for this collection) 'Bad Side of the Moon,' an early composition from then new songwriting team, Bernie Taupin & Elton John.
What’s particularly interesting is the opening track could be described as proto Demons and Wizards era Uriah Heep with its riff-driven arrangement, vocal harmonies and keyboard ornamentation, highlighting Ken Hensley’s influence on both bands (similarly the rockier, Hensley-fied arrangement of the Taupin-John number).
'Nobody' and 'The Wherefors and the Whys' are, respectively, a solid mid-paced rocker and nice reflective piece featuring harmonies and acoustic guitar, while 'But I’m Wrong' is a more typical slice of early 70s blues/rock that stands up well.
By contrast 'Just Like Me' has not aged well, hamstrung by the use of children’s nursery rhymes ('Mary Had a Little Lamb,' 'Humpty Dumpty' et al) as the verse lyrics.
Even the fictional/ original late 60s Spinal Tap would have rejected this ‘un.
'Just Like All the Rest' is a decent boogie number but suffers rather than benefits from the inclusion of a somewhat incongruous flute sharing space with the more fitting harmonica.
The closing trio of the pacey 'I Can’t Believe,' Bo Diddley-esque 'Working Nights' and boogie shuffling 'You Tried to Take it All' provide redemption however.
Two, originally released in November 1970, opens with ukulele before reverting to the big riffs for 'Stick Heat,' which makes for a very strong start.
Short instrumental 'Indian Summer' however is very much of its time (more Afghan coat and patchouli oil than South Asia) but it quickly gives way to the pacey and impressive riff-rock of 'Idol' followed by the slow blues of 'There’ll Be Changes' (the latter including some tasteful wah guitar from Alan Kendall).
'A New Way' builds from instrumental noodling (you can almost smell the patchouli oil again) to a more purposeful, psychedelic-tinged rock piece while the rockin’ roll of 'Since You’ve Been Gone' (no, not that one) makes for an album highlight.
The bluesier rock of closing brace 'Three Time Loser' and 'Midnight Sun' keep up the higher standard with strong vocal performances from Cliff Bennett and inventive guitar parts from Alan Kendall.
Bonus tracks 'Brand New Band' and 'Can’t Live Without You' (more commercial, piano-driven A&B sides of the band’s 1972 single), are worthwhile inclusions, given they illustrate another side of Toe Fat and where they could have headed.
Bad Side of the Moon is an interesting and well-put together retrospective of a band that was never destined for greatness but certainly had something to say in the rock world of the early 70s.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Toe Fat for example, formed in 1969 by former Rebel Rouser and gravel-blues vocalist Cliff Bennett, delivered two albums worthy of attention for more than just the fact the original line-up also featured Messrs Hensley, Glascock and Kerslake (who had all been part of The Gods at one time or another).
Following the self-titled debut album however Ken Hensley left to join Uriah Heep and Lee Kerslake departed for The National Head Band before joining Hensley in Uriah Heep some eighteen months later (John Glascock, who remained with Toe Fat until they disbanded in 1972, would later join Jethro Tull).
Guitarist Alan Kendall and drummer Brian Glascock replaced Hensley and Kerslake for the band’s second album, simply entitled Two.
Both albums are represented in full on Bad Side of the Moon, a 2CD anthology that has been remastered (and very well at that) from the original master tapes.
The set also includes a rare single for the completist and the added bonus of a new essay and interview with Cliff Bennett.
The debut album, first released in May 1970, kicks off with 'That’s My Love for You' and the titular (for this collection) 'Bad Side of the Moon,' an early composition from then new songwriting team, Bernie Taupin & Elton John.
What’s particularly interesting is the opening track could be described as proto Demons and Wizards era Uriah Heep with its riff-driven arrangement, vocal harmonies and keyboard ornamentation, highlighting Ken Hensley’s influence on both bands (similarly the rockier, Hensley-fied arrangement of the Taupin-John number).
'Nobody' and 'The Wherefors and the Whys' are, respectively, a solid mid-paced rocker and nice reflective piece featuring harmonies and acoustic guitar, while 'But I’m Wrong' is a more typical slice of early 70s blues/rock that stands up well.
By contrast 'Just Like Me' has not aged well, hamstrung by the use of children’s nursery rhymes ('Mary Had a Little Lamb,' 'Humpty Dumpty' et al) as the verse lyrics.
Even the fictional/ original late 60s Spinal Tap would have rejected this ‘un.
'Just Like All the Rest' is a decent boogie number but suffers rather than benefits from the inclusion of a somewhat incongruous flute sharing space with the more fitting harmonica.
The closing trio of the pacey 'I Can’t Believe,' Bo Diddley-esque 'Working Nights' and boogie shuffling 'You Tried to Take it All' provide redemption however.
Two, originally released in November 1970, opens with ukulele before reverting to the big riffs for 'Stick Heat,' which makes for a very strong start.
Short instrumental 'Indian Summer' however is very much of its time (more Afghan coat and patchouli oil than South Asia) but it quickly gives way to the pacey and impressive riff-rock of 'Idol' followed by the slow blues of 'There’ll Be Changes' (the latter including some tasteful wah guitar from Alan Kendall).
'A New Way' builds from instrumental noodling (you can almost smell the patchouli oil again) to a more purposeful, psychedelic-tinged rock piece while the rockin’ roll of 'Since You’ve Been Gone' (no, not that one) makes for an album highlight.
The bluesier rock of closing brace 'Three Time Loser' and 'Midnight Sun' keep up the higher standard with strong vocal performances from Cliff Bennett and inventive guitar parts from Alan Kendall.
Bonus tracks 'Brand New Band' and 'Can’t Live Without You' (more commercial, piano-driven A&B sides of the band’s 1972 single), are worthwhile inclusions, given they illustrate another side of Toe Fat and where they could have headed.
Bad Side of the Moon is an interesting and well-put together retrospective of a band that was never destined for greatness but certainly had something to say in the rock world of the early 70s.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Trope – Eleutheromania
Los Angeles band Trope describe themselves as an alternative rock band with progressive elements.
That automatically puts them in a niche musical market but also, more positively, given they are built around the angst to atmospheric voice of singer Diana Studenberg, means they have a sonic identity and an individualistic sound.
All the above comes to the fore on debut album Eleutheromania, which got a bit of a head start on itself in 2020 courtesy of the band’s atmospheric cover of Tears For Fears 80s classic 'Shout.'
That single caught attention well outside of the alt-prog fraternity and gave a flavour of what Trope are all about.
(While always risky covering mega-hits, Trope had enough originality in their interpretation of 'Shout' to pull it off).
The band’s other previous singles 'Pareidolia' and 'Lambs' are also included on Eleutheromania.
Both songs are strong statements of Trope intent; the former is stylistically reminiscent of System of a Down while the slow-burning latter, which opens the album, takes the quiet/ sparse verse, loud chorus approach.
Second number 'Breach,' which employs a similar quiet-loud-quiet framework, has a very effective chorus that suggests it could be another, future single.
'Surrogate' and 'Planes' are mid-tempo numbers that suggest structures favoured by bands such as Alter Bridge and Creed; that of reflective verses followed by bone-crunching rifferama choruses.
Trope deliver such numbers very well, assisted by some unexpected accents and sound effects (the band’s arrangements have some innovative elements that help hold the interest of the listener).
The more up-tempo 'Privateer' is another with an unusual time signature and some excellent, oft-kilter riffing. 'Plateau,' which follows, returns the band to their mid-tempo mode of musical transport but with another big, epic chorus.
'Hyperextend' is slightly more experimental albeit still within the quiet-loud-quiet template; the song incorporates some interesting vocal effects while developing towards an impressive dose of riffing as the song heads to its conclusion.
Final number 'Seasons Change' sees the band in more traditional territory; the song is in (brace yourselves) 4/4 but works well, partly because it acts as a contrast to the rest of the album (and is quite dreamy by comparison).
Outside of 'Seasons Change' the rhythmic structures and different time signatures employed by Trope draws parallels to bands such as the female fronted Jinjer; however Trope are far less brutal than the metalcore Ukrainians and Diana Studenberg doesn’t, thankfully, come vocally close to ever considering death growls.
(Studenberg is more vocally akin to Amy Lee of Evanescence, which should increase Trope’s potential crossover appeal).
Trope are a good band who have delivered a very promising debut album; one that gives them a strong platform to build from and develop beyond the slightly over-used quiet-loud template.
Given also that Diana Studenberg’s tool for dealing with an uncertain world is artistic creativity and expression, her own Eleutheromania (a zeal or passion for freedom) is well on the musical way.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That automatically puts them in a niche musical market but also, more positively, given they are built around the angst to atmospheric voice of singer Diana Studenberg, means they have a sonic identity and an individualistic sound.
All the above comes to the fore on debut album Eleutheromania, which got a bit of a head start on itself in 2020 courtesy of the band’s atmospheric cover of Tears For Fears 80s classic 'Shout.'
That single caught attention well outside of the alt-prog fraternity and gave a flavour of what Trope are all about.
(While always risky covering mega-hits, Trope had enough originality in their interpretation of 'Shout' to pull it off).
The band’s other previous singles 'Pareidolia' and 'Lambs' are also included on Eleutheromania.
Both songs are strong statements of Trope intent; the former is stylistically reminiscent of System of a Down while the slow-burning latter, which opens the album, takes the quiet/ sparse verse, loud chorus approach.
Second number 'Breach,' which employs a similar quiet-loud-quiet framework, has a very effective chorus that suggests it could be another, future single.
'Surrogate' and 'Planes' are mid-tempo numbers that suggest structures favoured by bands such as Alter Bridge and Creed; that of reflective verses followed by bone-crunching rifferama choruses.
Trope deliver such numbers very well, assisted by some unexpected accents and sound effects (the band’s arrangements have some innovative elements that help hold the interest of the listener).
The more up-tempo 'Privateer' is another with an unusual time signature and some excellent, oft-kilter riffing. 'Plateau,' which follows, returns the band to their mid-tempo mode of musical transport but with another big, epic chorus.
'Hyperextend' is slightly more experimental albeit still within the quiet-loud-quiet template; the song incorporates some interesting vocal effects while developing towards an impressive dose of riffing as the song heads to its conclusion.
Final number 'Seasons Change' sees the band in more traditional territory; the song is in (brace yourselves) 4/4 but works well, partly because it acts as a contrast to the rest of the album (and is quite dreamy by comparison).
Outside of 'Seasons Change' the rhythmic structures and different time signatures employed by Trope draws parallels to bands such as the female fronted Jinjer; however Trope are far less brutal than the metalcore Ukrainians and Diana Studenberg doesn’t, thankfully, come vocally close to ever considering death growls.
(Studenberg is more vocally akin to Amy Lee of Evanescence, which should increase Trope’s potential crossover appeal).
Trope are a good band who have delivered a very promising debut album; one that gives them a strong platform to build from and develop beyond the slightly over-used quiet-loud template.
Given also that Diana Studenberg’s tool for dealing with an uncertain world is artistic creativity and expression, her own Eleutheromania (a zeal or passion for freedom) is well on the musical way.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Robin Trower • Maxi Priest • Livingstone Brown - United State of Mind (CD edition)
On the musical face of it Robin Trower, Maxi Priest and Livingstone Brown might seem a musically disparate trio.
But although Maxi Priest and Robin Trower are from backgrounds of reggae and rock/ blues, they share influences of soul and gospel music.
Livingstone Brown, a multi-genre musician, producer, mix engineer and songwriter, has worked with Trower in the past, all of which helps explain why this get-together isn’t so surprising as may first be thought.
As the title of their collaborative album suggests, the trio’s United State of Mind has produced a unified album that sits four (make that three) square in mid-tempo R&B soul territory with a commercial pop sensibility.
There’s also a clearly intentional late night/ early hours, retro 70s soul feel throughout, enhanced by lush strings or orchestration.
Lead-off single 'United State of Mind' is an understated but assured slice of soul-funk featuring Maxi Priest’s classy vocals and some tasteful guitar licks (and song-suitable restrained solo) from the Godfather of Tone.
Following number 'Are We Just People,' with echoes of the Isley Brothers, has a mellifluous feel to it; Robin Trower’s trademark use of wah-wah (and another tastefully bluesy solo) suit it perfectly.
'A Fire Like Zsa Zsa,' one of the few up-tempo numbers, is reminiscent of Jamiroquai in funk quotient.
The song also features another great solo from Robin Trower, stirring orchestration and a top notch vocal from Maxi Priest.
'Walking Wounded' then slows the tempo right down, slipping soulfully into orchestrated blues territory to showcase another masterful, restrained solo from Robin Trower (while channelling his inner Jeff Beck).
'Sunrise Revolution,' with its Univibe guitar intro, hints at reggae but reshapes into a rock-soul protest song that benefits from another good vocal performance and restrained but emotional guitar solo.
(A word at this stage too for the rhythm section who are unobtrusive but on the money throughout).
'Hands to the Sky' offers up a horns 'n' groove slice of feel-good funk before 'Bring it All Back to You' returns to the blues.
Maxi Priest delivers another fine vocal performance on the latter and Robin Trower is, again, the model of restraint (while such restraint fits the slow and soulful profile of the album, you’re also hoping Trower might cut loose a bit more than he does).
'It’s a Good Day,' another groove driven funk number with a feel-good vibe, could easily be a single while 'Where Our Love Came From' makes for a tasteful blues-soul closer.
The latter is another fine example of less is more, courtesy of the understated but highly effective vocal and guitar deliveries from Messrs Priest and Trower.
United State of Mind is just that from three seasoned pros.
However while their pedigree and polished performances are not in question, who the audience is for this album might well be.
Seasoned 70s soul fans will have heard this before (in the 70s, natch), the rock fraternity will probably want more Trower guitar and the reggae audience may bemoan the lack of Maxi Priest’s R&B/ pop sounds.
But if you are looking for a seriously well performed album with cool, coastal drive appeal and a bucketful of smooth ‘n’ silky, soul-funk-blues, you may well have found the answer.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
But although Maxi Priest and Robin Trower are from backgrounds of reggae and rock/ blues, they share influences of soul and gospel music.
Livingstone Brown, a multi-genre musician, producer, mix engineer and songwriter, has worked with Trower in the past, all of which helps explain why this get-together isn’t so surprising as may first be thought.
As the title of their collaborative album suggests, the trio’s United State of Mind has produced a unified album that sits four (make that three) square in mid-tempo R&B soul territory with a commercial pop sensibility.
There’s also a clearly intentional late night/ early hours, retro 70s soul feel throughout, enhanced by lush strings or orchestration.
Lead-off single 'United State of Mind' is an understated but assured slice of soul-funk featuring Maxi Priest’s classy vocals and some tasteful guitar licks (and song-suitable restrained solo) from the Godfather of Tone.
Following number 'Are We Just People,' with echoes of the Isley Brothers, has a mellifluous feel to it; Robin Trower’s trademark use of wah-wah (and another tastefully bluesy solo) suit it perfectly.
'A Fire Like Zsa Zsa,' one of the few up-tempo numbers, is reminiscent of Jamiroquai in funk quotient.
The song also features another great solo from Robin Trower, stirring orchestration and a top notch vocal from Maxi Priest.
'Walking Wounded' then slows the tempo right down, slipping soulfully into orchestrated blues territory to showcase another masterful, restrained solo from Robin Trower (while channelling his inner Jeff Beck).
'Sunrise Revolution,' with its Univibe guitar intro, hints at reggae but reshapes into a rock-soul protest song that benefits from another good vocal performance and restrained but emotional guitar solo.
(A word at this stage too for the rhythm section who are unobtrusive but on the money throughout).
'Hands to the Sky' offers up a horns 'n' groove slice of feel-good funk before 'Bring it All Back to You' returns to the blues.
Maxi Priest delivers another fine vocal performance on the latter and Robin Trower is, again, the model of restraint (while such restraint fits the slow and soulful profile of the album, you’re also hoping Trower might cut loose a bit more than he does).
'It’s a Good Day,' another groove driven funk number with a feel-good vibe, could easily be a single while 'Where Our Love Came From' makes for a tasteful blues-soul closer.
The latter is another fine example of less is more, courtesy of the understated but highly effective vocal and guitar deliveries from Messrs Priest and Trower.
United State of Mind is just that from three seasoned pros.
However while their pedigree and polished performances are not in question, who the audience is for this album might well be.
Seasoned 70s soul fans will have heard this before (in the 70s, natch), the rock fraternity will probably want more Trower guitar and the reggae audience may bemoan the lack of Maxi Priest’s R&B/ pop sounds.
But if you are looking for a seriously well performed album with cool, coastal drive appeal and a bucketful of smooth ‘n’ silky, soul-funk-blues, you may well have found the answer.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Trucker Diablo - Tail End Of a Hurricane
Before you’ve heard so much as the opening bars of the new album from Irish rockers Trucker Diablo (in this case the Metallica-tinged "hell yeah!" road warrior stomp of 'BTKOR') you pretty much know what you are going to get and hear.
And that, hard rock ladies and "raise that beer!" gents, is a big, beefy guitar driven sound that merges heavyweight riffs (and singer/ guitarist’s Tom Harte’s bellowing vocal) with hook-laden choruses from a quartet completed by Simon Haddock (guitar, backing vocals), Jim McGurck (bass, backing vox) and Terry Crawford (drums), exemplified by the pacey 'Set the Night On Fire' and its heavy power-pop chorus, short 'n' sharp love or lust number 'Slow Dance' and the riffy rock and gritty roll of the southern tinged title track.
As the previously highlighted songs suggest, Trucker Diablo aren’t in any danger of reinventing the rock and roll wheels of their heavy goods vehicle but that has never been the point, or emphasis, of what this band are all about.
For Trucker Diablo it’s about having a bloody good time while being musically entertaining, coupled with a hit the stage then hit the bar approach to music life (the tongue in alcohol soaked cheek of earlier album/ fan favourite songs 'Drink Beer, Destroy' and 'Party Like They Stared the End of the World' boisterously underline the musical modus operandi of the band).
Tail End Of a Hurricane then is primarily more of the same but over the last couple of albums Trucker Diablo have added a few new parts to their engine – while their first two albums were more rough than ready, following brace Rise Above the Noise and previous album, Fighting For Everything, were turbo-charged with a better sound and far stronger songs that dipped into bluesier rock, a sincerely lyricised ballad or two and earworm, melodic rock.
Album number five retains that full-bore, firing on all four musical cylinders sound but with further twists.
'Rock Kids of the 80s' for example does exactly what it says on the title and then some; not only does it lyrically reference the likes of 'Jessie’s Girl' and 'Rebel Yell' it also does a clever job of emulating the sound of those very songs as well as nodding to the legacy of that melodically rocking decade.
By current times contrast 'I Am Still Alive' is a huge slice of melodically charged optimism and resilience that lyrically documents the Covid-19 pandemic; another Trucker gear-shift comes by way of the mid-tempo melodic rock of 'The Edge of Tonight,' the album’s heavy AOR moment.
Adding further diversions on the road are the pedal to the punk metal of 'Insects' (a social commentary on the feeding of the corporate machine), the tempo-shifting and lyrically hard hitting southern blues affected 'Trade' and the reflective rock and roll of 'Woodstock to Vietnam,' which lyrically charts the very different paths taken by two friends in the sixties.
'Bury The Ocean' makes for a fine, five-and-a-half minute closing track.
A slow-build, mid-tempo blues rock number that culminates in a Lizzy-esque instrumental outro, 'Bury the Ocean' is a song of "rise up" optimism against the tougher times of the present.
The Big Truck Keeps On Rolling.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
And that, hard rock ladies and "raise that beer!" gents, is a big, beefy guitar driven sound that merges heavyweight riffs (and singer/ guitarist’s Tom Harte’s bellowing vocal) with hook-laden choruses from a quartet completed by Simon Haddock (guitar, backing vocals), Jim McGurck (bass, backing vox) and Terry Crawford (drums), exemplified by the pacey 'Set the Night On Fire' and its heavy power-pop chorus, short 'n' sharp love or lust number 'Slow Dance' and the riffy rock and gritty roll of the southern tinged title track.
As the previously highlighted songs suggest, Trucker Diablo aren’t in any danger of reinventing the rock and roll wheels of their heavy goods vehicle but that has never been the point, or emphasis, of what this band are all about.
For Trucker Diablo it’s about having a bloody good time while being musically entertaining, coupled with a hit the stage then hit the bar approach to music life (the tongue in alcohol soaked cheek of earlier album/ fan favourite songs 'Drink Beer, Destroy' and 'Party Like They Stared the End of the World' boisterously underline the musical modus operandi of the band).
Tail End Of a Hurricane then is primarily more of the same but over the last couple of albums Trucker Diablo have added a few new parts to their engine – while their first two albums were more rough than ready, following brace Rise Above the Noise and previous album, Fighting For Everything, were turbo-charged with a better sound and far stronger songs that dipped into bluesier rock, a sincerely lyricised ballad or two and earworm, melodic rock.
Album number five retains that full-bore, firing on all four musical cylinders sound but with further twists.
'Rock Kids of the 80s' for example does exactly what it says on the title and then some; not only does it lyrically reference the likes of 'Jessie’s Girl' and 'Rebel Yell' it also does a clever job of emulating the sound of those very songs as well as nodding to the legacy of that melodically rocking decade.
By current times contrast 'I Am Still Alive' is a huge slice of melodically charged optimism and resilience that lyrically documents the Covid-19 pandemic; another Trucker gear-shift comes by way of the mid-tempo melodic rock of 'The Edge of Tonight,' the album’s heavy AOR moment.
Adding further diversions on the road are the pedal to the punk metal of 'Insects' (a social commentary on the feeding of the corporate machine), the tempo-shifting and lyrically hard hitting southern blues affected 'Trade' and the reflective rock and roll of 'Woodstock to Vietnam,' which lyrically charts the very different paths taken by two friends in the sixties.
'Bury The Ocean' makes for a fine, five-and-a-half minute closing track.
A slow-build, mid-tempo blues rock number that culminates in a Lizzy-esque instrumental outro, 'Bury the Ocean' is a song of "rise up" optimism against the tougher times of the present.
The Big Truck Keeps On Rolling.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Turbulence – Frontal
The fact that Turbulence are from Lebanon and ply their trade in the progressive metal genre ("Prog-metal? From Lebanon? Really?) will probably alienate as many rock fans as it interests.
But the Levant meets progressive metal reality is there are some very interesting ideas at play on the band’s second album, Frontal, bolstered by very impressive production values and solid musicianship from Alain Ibrahim (guitars), Mood Yassin (keys), Omar El Hage (lead vocals), Sayed Gereige (drums) and Anthony Atwe (bass).
Opening number 'Inside the Gage' weighs in at over eleven minutes long but there are enough musical shifts and interesting and original ideas in this one number to validate its length.
The virtuoso displays will draw obvious comparisons to Dream Theater but there is genuine substance to this band – you immediately get the impression a great deal of thought has gone into this project with no pointless soloing for the sake of it. Song context is primary.
'Madness Unforeseen' ups the metal content with a repeating keyboard figure and heavy guitar counterpoint.
There’s also plenty of light and shade to this number with a particularly effective sequence toward the end where a dream-like atmosphere is punctuated by some furious, oft-kilter riffing before soaring towards the closing anthem-like chorus (featuring a strong vocal performance from Omar El Hage) and a return to the opening riff.
The atmospheric and short 'Dreamless' slowly builds to segue to the complex time signatures of 'Ignite,' which opens with intensity and a (thankfully brief) "Pig vocal" that seems to be an unnecessary attempt to garner support from another genre.
More dynamics demonstrate the versatility of this band as the furious beginning of 'Ignite' subsides to a section reminiscent of Yes before exploding in further intensity; a drop in tempo and attack then sets up an excellent outro guitar solo from Alain Ibrahim.
The keyboard work from Mood Yassin on this number is also very impressive.
'A Place I Go to Hide' has some similarities to mid-period Porcupine Tree with the opening riffing giving way to more reflective sections.
However, that description is only to provide context; this is an original band with unique compositional skills.
That, following another intense passage, they have the ability and confidence to finish this number with a swing section, underlines that individualistic point.
'Crowbar Case' lulls you into a false sense of security with a lovely piano part before a menacing riff piles in and then falls away to another reflective section (and a bit of reggae) before upping the more intense ante once again.
Following number, 'Faceless Man,' is gentlest number on the album but builds nicely to showcase another fine vocal performance from Omar El Hage and another excellent solo from Alain Ibrahim.
Closing number 'Perpetuity' is the only disappointment on the album as it sounds slightly forced as the big finale and a little overblown.
As such it falls into the trap of prog pomposity, sitting uncomfortably close to a big theatrical number from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with the addition of heavy guitars and synth solos.
That said 'Perpetuity' isn't a bad song (it's also another that showcases the band’s musical abilities) and considering what has gone before, it can be forgiven.
Given the musical complexity and sonic intensity of much of the album, it’s probably fair to say this is prog-metal marmite – but if this be your bag then you absolutely need to give it the full Frontal.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
But the Levant meets progressive metal reality is there are some very interesting ideas at play on the band’s second album, Frontal, bolstered by very impressive production values and solid musicianship from Alain Ibrahim (guitars), Mood Yassin (keys), Omar El Hage (lead vocals), Sayed Gereige (drums) and Anthony Atwe (bass).
Opening number 'Inside the Gage' weighs in at over eleven minutes long but there are enough musical shifts and interesting and original ideas in this one number to validate its length.
The virtuoso displays will draw obvious comparisons to Dream Theater but there is genuine substance to this band – you immediately get the impression a great deal of thought has gone into this project with no pointless soloing for the sake of it. Song context is primary.
'Madness Unforeseen' ups the metal content with a repeating keyboard figure and heavy guitar counterpoint.
There’s also plenty of light and shade to this number with a particularly effective sequence toward the end where a dream-like atmosphere is punctuated by some furious, oft-kilter riffing before soaring towards the closing anthem-like chorus (featuring a strong vocal performance from Omar El Hage) and a return to the opening riff.
The atmospheric and short 'Dreamless' slowly builds to segue to the complex time signatures of 'Ignite,' which opens with intensity and a (thankfully brief) "Pig vocal" that seems to be an unnecessary attempt to garner support from another genre.
More dynamics demonstrate the versatility of this band as the furious beginning of 'Ignite' subsides to a section reminiscent of Yes before exploding in further intensity; a drop in tempo and attack then sets up an excellent outro guitar solo from Alain Ibrahim.
The keyboard work from Mood Yassin on this number is also very impressive.
'A Place I Go to Hide' has some similarities to mid-period Porcupine Tree with the opening riffing giving way to more reflective sections.
However, that description is only to provide context; this is an original band with unique compositional skills.
That, following another intense passage, they have the ability and confidence to finish this number with a swing section, underlines that individualistic point.
'Crowbar Case' lulls you into a false sense of security with a lovely piano part before a menacing riff piles in and then falls away to another reflective section (and a bit of reggae) before upping the more intense ante once again.
Following number, 'Faceless Man,' is gentlest number on the album but builds nicely to showcase another fine vocal performance from Omar El Hage and another excellent solo from Alain Ibrahim.
Closing number 'Perpetuity' is the only disappointment on the album as it sounds slightly forced as the big finale and a little overblown.
As such it falls into the trap of prog pomposity, sitting uncomfortably close to a big theatrical number from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with the addition of heavy guitars and synth solos.
That said 'Perpetuity' isn't a bad song (it's also another that showcases the band’s musical abilities) and considering what has gone before, it can be forgiven.
Given the musical complexity and sonic intensity of much of the album, it’s probably fair to say this is prog-metal marmite – but if this be your bag then you absolutely need to give it the full Frontal.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Unknown Refuge – From The Darkness
The debut album from Bolton-based rock-metal quartet Unknown Refuge has been four years in the making, but the band has been gigging whenever and wherever possible throughout that time (although not the pandemic ridden 2020) while writing the ten songs that now feature on From the Darkness.
The above is made all the more impressive when you consider this was accomplished while the band were still in their teenage years, which they are only now stepping out of.
That said, while there is an incessant energy and unexpected maturity in the way they have approached the rock genre, there is also a youthful but forgivable and understandable) naivety in some of the lyrical content.
(The more impacting lyrical moments feature on songs that reflect lead vocalist & bassist Alex Mancini’s teenage life and experiences).
Unknown Refuge also manage to mix a sound that’s an amalgam of contemporary rock-metal, youthful exuberance and NWOBHM, the latter in the sonic shape of a proto-Saxon (similarly Saxon-ish are the mythology and war lyrical representations, here alongside the aforementioned tales of teenage angst).
The album opens with the short, piano-led 'Into the Darkness' (a great intro for live gigs) before hitting you between the eyes with the full-on rifferama of 'To the Light,' 'Kicked to the Floor' and 'Battle Hymn,' the latter carrying a big chorus and a monstrous instrumental bridge.
The opening trio also confirm that Unknown Refuge have great guitar sounds (courtesy of feisty lead player Jack Tracey and rhythm guitarist Harry Skinner) and a thunderous rhythm section (Alex Mancini and drummer Morgan Deveney).
The huge riff and big beat of the Metallica-esque 'Shadows' and power-metal of 'Palace Walls' carry serious mid-tempo weight (both also show the band can write good melodies) before 'Wall of Lies' picks up the pace on its choruses.
'If the Gods be Good' manages to marry "woah-oh-oh" interjections with Dio-esque riffery and lyrical imagery ("the fires of hell" and "dragon breath" in Bolton – who knew?) while penultimate number 'I’m Not a Bad Guy' is so Metallica it could be a homage. Either way the band pull it off in spades.
Album closer 'The Journey' riffs and gallops itself home in fine Judas Priest meets Iron Maiden style (with a soupçon of a metal-shod Thin Lizzy).
Unknown Refuge are not the most original band you’ll ever hear but they do what they do very well – to the degree that, with the benefit of experience and some progression, they could be serious contenders.
And don’t expect long rambling guitar solos and quasi-operatic vocals like their forefathers; this is a modern rock-metal band with classic rock-metal influences who sound like they are having a great time playing the material.
Unknown Refuge have done more things right than wrong on From The Darkness, making for an early statement of intent from a young, musically enthused band.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The above is made all the more impressive when you consider this was accomplished while the band were still in their teenage years, which they are only now stepping out of.
That said, while there is an incessant energy and unexpected maturity in the way they have approached the rock genre, there is also a youthful but forgivable and understandable) naivety in some of the lyrical content.
(The more impacting lyrical moments feature on songs that reflect lead vocalist & bassist Alex Mancini’s teenage life and experiences).
Unknown Refuge also manage to mix a sound that’s an amalgam of contemporary rock-metal, youthful exuberance and NWOBHM, the latter in the sonic shape of a proto-Saxon (similarly Saxon-ish are the mythology and war lyrical representations, here alongside the aforementioned tales of teenage angst).
The album opens with the short, piano-led 'Into the Darkness' (a great intro for live gigs) before hitting you between the eyes with the full-on rifferama of 'To the Light,' 'Kicked to the Floor' and 'Battle Hymn,' the latter carrying a big chorus and a monstrous instrumental bridge.
The opening trio also confirm that Unknown Refuge have great guitar sounds (courtesy of feisty lead player Jack Tracey and rhythm guitarist Harry Skinner) and a thunderous rhythm section (Alex Mancini and drummer Morgan Deveney).
The huge riff and big beat of the Metallica-esque 'Shadows' and power-metal of 'Palace Walls' carry serious mid-tempo weight (both also show the band can write good melodies) before 'Wall of Lies' picks up the pace on its choruses.
'If the Gods be Good' manages to marry "woah-oh-oh" interjections with Dio-esque riffery and lyrical imagery ("the fires of hell" and "dragon breath" in Bolton – who knew?) while penultimate number 'I’m Not a Bad Guy' is so Metallica it could be a homage. Either way the band pull it off in spades.
Album closer 'The Journey' riffs and gallops itself home in fine Judas Priest meets Iron Maiden style (with a soupçon of a metal-shod Thin Lizzy).
Unknown Refuge are not the most original band you’ll ever hear but they do what they do very well – to the degree that, with the benefit of experience and some progression, they could be serious contenders.
And don’t expect long rambling guitar solos and quasi-operatic vocals like their forefathers; this is a modern rock-metal band with classic rock-metal influences who sound like they are having a great time playing the material.
Unknown Refuge have done more things right than wrong on From The Darkness, making for an early statement of intent from a young, musically enthused band.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
VEGA – Anarchy And Unity
In 2020 British melodic rockers VEGA released their sixth studio album, Grit Your Teeth; although well-received, touring plans in support of the album were thrown into disarray due to Covid-19.
Fair to say VEGA made the most of the unforeseen hiatus from touring however.
With a couple of line-up changes – joining Nick Workman (lead vocals), Marcus Thurston (guitars) and brothers James (keys) and Tom Martin (bass) are guitarist Billy Taylor (ex-Inglorious) and drummer Pete Newdeck (Nitrate, Midnite City) – the re-energised band headed to the studio to write and record Anarchy And Unity, an album that showcases a heavier VEGA and sports an extremely good production/ sound.
Proving both points are opening brace 'Beautiful Lie' and 'Sooner or Later,' a pair of hard melodic rock riff-fests with huge, memorable choruses and great vocal performances.
Both songs will also translate well to a live setting, given their high-energy deliveries, up-tempo pace ('Sooner or Later' sits right on the cusp of melodic metal) and obligatory for the genre "woah -oh-oh!" moments.
'End of the Fade' provides atmospheric contrast from the slabs of power chords that preceded it; the purposeful, mid-tempo number includes space for the song to breathe while still bristling with sonic energy.
Following number, the pacier and edgier 'Ain’t Who I Am,' similarly shows some control of dynamics and includes another memorable chorus.
The slower 'Welcome to Wherever' drops the tempo slightly but maintains the high standard of the preceding tracks (mid-tempo Euro-rock with light and shade dynamics); 'Bring the Riot' then lives up to its name by rockin’ out in fairly riotous terms and sporting a fittingly feisty guitar solo.
As edgy and high-energy as much of the album is, it wouldn’t be a VEGA album without an AOR ballad/ crowd waving arms in unison moment (take a slightly over-theatrical bow, 'Live For Me') and a more Bon Jovi-esque four minutes, in this case 'Kneel to You' (which is, unfortunately, far too Bon Jovi, and derivative).
However that’s the only blip, or dip, in proceedings, as VEGA redeem themselves in fine fashion across the final four songs.
'Glow' draws the listener in with its staccato start before exploding into an impressive, mid-tempo rocker with another top chorus and an excellent guitar solo; from left field we then get a short, jazz clicking start to 'C’mon,' a punchy little number that develops into one of the best songs on the album.
('C’mon,' which includes some clever production ideas, also illustrates VEGA are at their best when less of a template is followed).
Closing numbers 'Had Enough' and '2Die4' both sound like they will become staples of VEGA’s live set and indeed may well have been written for just that purpose.
The seriously muscly yet melodic former (ABBA meets heavy rock) is guaranteed to invite a few fists in the air while the latter, which carries a distinct air of early 70s Queen (complete with Brian May-esque solo) makes for a great album closer.
This time around, with gigs and tours starting to make a less-restricted comeback, VEGA should be able to un-grit those teeth and deliver Anarchy And Unity in the UK with what is their best album to date.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Fair to say VEGA made the most of the unforeseen hiatus from touring however.
With a couple of line-up changes – joining Nick Workman (lead vocals), Marcus Thurston (guitars) and brothers James (keys) and Tom Martin (bass) are guitarist Billy Taylor (ex-Inglorious) and drummer Pete Newdeck (Nitrate, Midnite City) – the re-energised band headed to the studio to write and record Anarchy And Unity, an album that showcases a heavier VEGA and sports an extremely good production/ sound.
Proving both points are opening brace 'Beautiful Lie' and 'Sooner or Later,' a pair of hard melodic rock riff-fests with huge, memorable choruses and great vocal performances.
Both songs will also translate well to a live setting, given their high-energy deliveries, up-tempo pace ('Sooner or Later' sits right on the cusp of melodic metal) and obligatory for the genre "woah -oh-oh!" moments.
'End of the Fade' provides atmospheric contrast from the slabs of power chords that preceded it; the purposeful, mid-tempo number includes space for the song to breathe while still bristling with sonic energy.
Following number, the pacier and edgier 'Ain’t Who I Am,' similarly shows some control of dynamics and includes another memorable chorus.
The slower 'Welcome to Wherever' drops the tempo slightly but maintains the high standard of the preceding tracks (mid-tempo Euro-rock with light and shade dynamics); 'Bring the Riot' then lives up to its name by rockin’ out in fairly riotous terms and sporting a fittingly feisty guitar solo.
As edgy and high-energy as much of the album is, it wouldn’t be a VEGA album without an AOR ballad/ crowd waving arms in unison moment (take a slightly over-theatrical bow, 'Live For Me') and a more Bon Jovi-esque four minutes, in this case 'Kneel to You' (which is, unfortunately, far too Bon Jovi, and derivative).
However that’s the only blip, or dip, in proceedings, as VEGA redeem themselves in fine fashion across the final four songs.
'Glow' draws the listener in with its staccato start before exploding into an impressive, mid-tempo rocker with another top chorus and an excellent guitar solo; from left field we then get a short, jazz clicking start to 'C’mon,' a punchy little number that develops into one of the best songs on the album.
('C’mon,' which includes some clever production ideas, also illustrates VEGA are at their best when less of a template is followed).
Closing numbers 'Had Enough' and '2Die4' both sound like they will become staples of VEGA’s live set and indeed may well have been written for just that purpose.
The seriously muscly yet melodic former (ABBA meets heavy rock) is guaranteed to invite a few fists in the air while the latter, which carries a distinct air of early 70s Queen (complete with Brian May-esque solo) makes for a great album closer.
This time around, with gigs and tours starting to make a less-restricted comeback, VEGA should be able to un-grit those teeth and deliver Anarchy And Unity in the UK with what is their best album to date.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
W.E.T. - Retransmission
Following their contemporary meets classic melodic rock self-titled debut album of 2009 W.E.T., featuring the talents of noted rock & metal vocalist Jeff Scot Soto, Eclipse member Erik Mårtensson (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Work Of Art’s Robert Såll (keyboards, guitars), delivered the melodically rocking goods again on 2013’s Rise Up before upping the ante on 2018’s heavier, and best of the melodically charged trio, Earthrage.
Retransmission, the band’s fourth studio album, is something of a hybrid of its edgier and slightly weightier predecessor and those earlier W.E.T. and Rise Up moments that share DNA with later, harder 80s melodic rock (albeit with W.E.T.’s modern twist and 21st century sonic shimmer).
Opening track, the raucous 'Big Boys Don’t Cry,' is a pacey mix of rockin' and raunchy guitars, purposeful Jeff Scot Soto vocal and a ridiculously catchy Euro-pop styled chorus; following number, 'The Moment of Truth,' is a bristling piece of hard melodic rock driven by a pounding rhythm (courtesy of drummer Robban Bäck and bassist Andreas Passmark) and a huge chorus.
It also features a wicked little solo from W.E.T. guest lead guitarist of choice, Magnus Henriksson (Erik Mårtensson’s band-mate in Eclipse).
'The Call of the Wild' keeps up the pace, fist-pumping chorus appeal and power-rock pressure (veering toward metal when at its riffiest) with a relentlessness that’s also joyous.
'Got to Be About Love' then drops the tempo (but not the hooks) to deliver the first of two hands-in-the-air, sing-a-long moments (the title is a giveaway in itself).
It's also the sort of song that will, depending on your take on classic AOR anthem-ery, have you tagging this as one of your favourite, on repeat-play tracks or hitting the skip button/ deleting it from your playlist before the chorus comes back around.
Similarly, the "woah-oh-oh" laden melodic rock ballad 'What Are You Waiting For' (with some nice Journey/ Schon-esque licks on the outro).
In stereotypical of the genre defence however W.E.T. do these sorts of songs as well as any, and better than most.
'Beautiful Game' then kicks the gears up once again (Jeff Scott Soto in his rock vocal element) before 'How Far to Babylon' makes a serious impression by being the most individualistic, and rhythmic (underpinned by bassist Andreas Passmark’s rattling bass line) song on the album, before upping the tempo for a pounding finish and short, atmospheric outro.
The hard AOR radio rock of 'Coming Home' and the Euro(pe)-rock of 'You Better Believe It' add to the melodically faceted W.E.T. profile before the band close out the album in as fine a style as it started.
The mid-tempo How Do I Know mixes late 80s Heart with W.E.T.’s contemporary, high-energy power rock before One Final Kiss melodically rocks in, to melodically rock out, as the big chorus and guitars blazing book-end complement to opener Big Boys Don’t Cry.
Retransmission heard and gratefully received.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Retransmission, the band’s fourth studio album, is something of a hybrid of its edgier and slightly weightier predecessor and those earlier W.E.T. and Rise Up moments that share DNA with later, harder 80s melodic rock (albeit with W.E.T.’s modern twist and 21st century sonic shimmer).
Opening track, the raucous 'Big Boys Don’t Cry,' is a pacey mix of rockin' and raunchy guitars, purposeful Jeff Scot Soto vocal and a ridiculously catchy Euro-pop styled chorus; following number, 'The Moment of Truth,' is a bristling piece of hard melodic rock driven by a pounding rhythm (courtesy of drummer Robban Bäck and bassist Andreas Passmark) and a huge chorus.
It also features a wicked little solo from W.E.T. guest lead guitarist of choice, Magnus Henriksson (Erik Mårtensson’s band-mate in Eclipse).
'The Call of the Wild' keeps up the pace, fist-pumping chorus appeal and power-rock pressure (veering toward metal when at its riffiest) with a relentlessness that’s also joyous.
'Got to Be About Love' then drops the tempo (but not the hooks) to deliver the first of two hands-in-the-air, sing-a-long moments (the title is a giveaway in itself).
It's also the sort of song that will, depending on your take on classic AOR anthem-ery, have you tagging this as one of your favourite, on repeat-play tracks or hitting the skip button/ deleting it from your playlist before the chorus comes back around.
Similarly, the "woah-oh-oh" laden melodic rock ballad 'What Are You Waiting For' (with some nice Journey/ Schon-esque licks on the outro).
In stereotypical of the genre defence however W.E.T. do these sorts of songs as well as any, and better than most.
'Beautiful Game' then kicks the gears up once again (Jeff Scott Soto in his rock vocal element) before 'How Far to Babylon' makes a serious impression by being the most individualistic, and rhythmic (underpinned by bassist Andreas Passmark’s rattling bass line) song on the album, before upping the tempo for a pounding finish and short, atmospheric outro.
The hard AOR radio rock of 'Coming Home' and the Euro(pe)-rock of 'You Better Believe It' add to the melodically faceted W.E.T. profile before the band close out the album in as fine a style as it started.
The mid-tempo How Do I Know mixes late 80s Heart with W.E.T.’s contemporary, high-energy power rock before One Final Kiss melodically rocks in, to melodically rock out, as the big chorus and guitars blazing book-end complement to opener Big Boys Don’t Cry.
Retransmission heard and gratefully received.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ