#TBT – Def Leppard – Slang

For my first Throwback Thursday, I thought I would go with the most underrated album from my favorite band – Def Leppard’s “Slang”.  The album came out in 1996 and the band knew that their signature sound was no longer popular on the radio. They completely took a left turn and changed up their sound.

“Slang” was such a departure that I was stunned when I first heard the album. After the first listen, I wasn’t sure what I had heard.  I listened to it again and again. After several listens, I started to get it and I started to really like it.  “Work It Out” and the album title song “Slang” were the first songs that were standouts for me.

There were several slower songs that were not the typical Def Leppard ballads – “Breathe A Sigh”, “Where Does Love Go When It Dies” and “Blood Runs Cold”.  They were a little darker and very powerful.

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Ace Frehley – Origins, Vol. 1

I have never been a huge fan of cover albums.  I don’t mind if an artist does a cover that is included on their album, but a whole album of covers…come on!!  However, it is Ace Frehley and he can do whatever he wants.

I was such a huge Kiss fan growing up and just loved Ace and hated to see him leave the band.  I have enjoyed most everything he has done since he left Kiss and can’t wait for anything new he puts out.

I wanted to give you a taste of the album if you haven’t heard it yet, and if you are an Ace fan, I recommend it.  Not all the songs on the album are good, but there are definitely some standouts.

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Favorite Christian Songs – Playlist

Over the last 10 years, the quality of Christian Music is a vast improvement over where it had been.  There are so many great bands and artists now that wear the Christian Music label.

Many of the songs could be and should be played on mainstream radio, but sadly will not.  There are so many different musical styles and Christian Music has them all pop, rock, metal, singer/songwriter, hip-hop, dance and indie.

As I get older, the Christian Music genre gets to be more important in my life and tends to hold more meaning for me.  I follow bands out of this genre just as passionately as I do any other type of music.  If I like it, I am going to listen to it…it doesn’t matter what style or message the music might be expressing.

Below are my favorite songs by Christian artists:

Sanctus Real – “Lead Me” – This song is so powerful and the lyrics are so moving.  I listen to it and I want to be a better man.

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James Bay – Tour Dates

Is a parent supposed to like the same artist that their child likes?  I am not sure that falls in the natural order of things.  However, I think this kid is incredible and my daughter agrees.

He just announced his tour dates for the Fall and you should go check him out.  I know we will.  His debut album “Chaos and the Calm” is out now on Republic.  Two of the great songs on the album are “Let It Go” and “Hold Back the River”.  He is an unbelievable talent.

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By InfoGibraltar (James Bay 01) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Concert Dates:

Sept 19th -Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL

Sept 21st -The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater – Miami Beach, FL

Sept 23rd – Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN

Sept 25th – The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC

Sept 28th – State AE in Pittsburgh, PA

Sept 30th – Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY

Oct 1st – Blue Hills Bank Pavillion in Boston, MA

Oct 4th – The Fillmore in Detroit, MI

Oct 7th – The Pageant in St. Louis, MO

The Defiants – self titled debut

The Defiants just released their self-titled debut last Friday. I have been playing it quite a bit since the release and it just gets better.

If you are a fan of Danger Danger or Paul Laine, then this release is right up your alley.  It has a late 80’s rock sound and some great guitar work.  Take and listen and check it out.  My review will be coming soon.

Music Challenge – Jordan Feliz & Frightened Rabbit

Music streaming makes this challenge so much easier. In the old days, if you wanted to “Take A Chance” on an album, you had to shell out money. Now, you just click on the album and it starts playing.

So the challenge is to go to a streaming service and look for an album cover that you like or is so bad that you have to listen to the album or just pick an artist that you have never heard that seems intriguing. Click on it and give it a listen.

In the comments below, let me know what album you listened to and tell me what you thought. I have done this twice over the last few weeks and have been pleasantly surprised.

Jordan Feliz

The first artist I clicked on was Jordan Feliz.   I picked because of the album cover. It was a picture of Jordan in a cool hat and I thought he had this singer/songwriter vibe going.

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The Wild Feathers – Lonely Is A Lifetime – Album Review – 91%

Are you ready for a retro ride back to the 70’s with a wonderful classic rock sound and a modern twist? Then put on your bell bottom jeans and your headphones. You better have a joint in one hand and a needle in the other. The needle is of course a turntable needle. Drop it on the vinyl and sit back and enjoy the journey that is the Wild Feathers.

Their first album, the self-titled The Wild Feathers, had a retro classic rock sound but much heavier than this one. The new album is still a classic rock sound but toned down to a softer edge like they have a wonderful buzz going.

The band consists of Joel King on bass/vocals, Ricky Young on guitar/vocals, Taylor Burns on guitar/vocals and Ben Dumas on drums. They were formed back in 2010 in Nashville, TN. They are signed to Warner Brothers Records.  With two great albums, I hope they are around for a long time.

A lot of albums have the first half with the strongest songs, but this album is strong the whole way through. I get a nice buzz from just listening to it. Nothing else needed.

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Apple Music vs. Amazon Prime Music

Apple Music vs. Amazon Prime Music

 The ability to stream music has really changed the whole music industry and how people consume music. There are so many streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music and many more. I am going to focus on the two that I am familiar with and that I use personally.   I currently use both Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music services. As my 3 free months with Apple Music has ended, I felt it was a perfect time to write how I feel about this service and compare it to Amazon’s service as I have been using that one for about 6 months.

There are definite differences between the two and one is by far superior to the other, but I have found a use and a reason to have both and I will discuss that later. First, lets talk about what each service offers and which is the better service for that item.

Music Selection

There are two features that I think are the most important. The first feature is music selection. What artists and songs does each service offer? Are they artist I like? Is the selection enough to satisfy me? Here is what I have found:

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Bands I Discovered Through Internet Radio – Playlist

Have you discovered great bands by listening to Internet Radio? There are so many bands that I would hear just one song by that band and instantly become a fan. Below is a list of some bands that I now listen to just because I heard one song while listening to Internet Radio stations. The song on the list is that one song that turned me on to the band. Enjoy!

Will Hoge – “Not That Cool”

My Darkest Days – “Porn Star Dancing”

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Adelitas Way – Getaway – Album Review – 64%

The new album, Getaway, was released in February 2016 by The Vegas Syn/The Fuel Music. Adelitas Way is from Las Vegas and formed back in 2006. The band consists of Rick DeJesus on lead vocals, Robert Zakaryan on lead guitar, Andrew Cushing on bass and Trevor Stafford on drums. They have consistently released solid albums and this one is no exception.

Their fourth release is a straight-up rock album with some great guitar riffs and I feel is the backbone of this album. Robert Zakaryan is definitely the standout. His sound goes great with DeJesus vocals.

The first half of this album is exactly what you would expect and rocks out.   All the radio hits will probably come from this half. The back half for me, however, starts to feel like a bunch of filler and not enough solid songs. I will give them credit for changing it up a bit. All-in-all, this is a strong album and worth the price.

Tracks:

“Bad Reputation”Keeper – Great start to this album. The guitar sound is hard and heavy and what you would want for a hard rock song.

“Getaway”Keeper – They keep the fast driving pace up with this song.  Chorus is memorable which is what you want in a song.

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