It is hard to believe Fozzy has been together for close to 20 years. I remember when they came on the scene and I wasn’t overly impressed. It was more of a cover band and this WWE wrestler, Chris Jericho, was the lead singer. Being a wrestler didn’t give him much street cred in my book. But over time, the band moved from a cover band to a real rock & roll band. Now with their seventh studio album, ‘Judas’, I think Fozzy have created their masterpiece.
The songs are guitar heavy, modern and so damn catchy. I would describe it as Pop Metal for the fact it is so melodic and every song is radio friendly. The opening track and title track, “Judas”, is the perfect first single. If you like this song, the album is a slam dunk. You than go into “Drinkin’ With Jesus” with its great guitar solo, “Painless”, which is almost a power ballad but has a little more punch and than straight into “Weight of My World” which is the catchiest damn song on the whole album. It is one of my favorite songs on the album despite it being a little repetitive…that repetitiveness works!!
The next couple of songs “Wordsworth Way” and “Burn Me Out” don’t slow things down. “Wordsworth Way” is such a great production and a great guitar solo even as brief as it is (it still a guitar solo – me like those). “Burn Me Out” doesn’t offer up much for me. It is a little forgettable.
Can you believe we are in November already. Christmas is just around the corner and with all the new releases today, what might be on your Christmas list? I don’t really have anything from these releases that I am dying to have, but there are a couple I will give a listen to. Not much in the rock world for me, it is all Pop. The ones I am interested in at least listening to are highlighted in Blue as always.
If you want to buy any of the albums, I have tried to make it easy for you. Click on the link after each album and it will take you to iTunes and you can download the release with just a few clicks.
Maroon 5 – Red Pill Blues – (222 Records/Interscope): Maroon 5 brings us another record, but with the over saturation of Adam Levine on TV with the Voice and the lack of greatness from the singles so far I am not overly excited. However, I have been a huge fan since the beginning so it will get listened to. I hope there are songs that only feature the band. I am sick and DAMN!!! Tired of the releases for this album so far that feature another artist. Why do songs today on Pop Radio have to be with someone else. I don’t get and this is a topic for another time. I do like “Cold” though.
Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All – (Capitol Records): Finally the voice of Sam Smith is back with some new music. I know my oldest loves him and I have to admit he has a nice voice. I will give it a spin and see what he has to offer. The first two promotional songs have been good.
Welcome to the last Friday of October and the last set of new releases for the month. Halloween is coming up in a few days and maybe there is something on here that will be a treat for you…or maybe you buy it, it sucks and then it is a trick…either way I hope there is something for you. The ones I am interested in are highlight in Blue.
Stereophonics – Scream Above the Sounds – (Stereophonics / Parlophone): These Welsh boys are back with another new album. After 20 years together, they haven’t missed a beat. They are on a steady diet of one new album every two years and without fail, he were are with their latest. If you don’t know them, check them out and see why they are top of my list this week.
Red – Gone – (Provident Label Group): This Christian metal band is straying from their Christian roots with this album and delivering a mainstream rock record. They even do a Sia cover on the album. This could be interesting. I will definitely cue this one up as well,
Back in 2013, Richie Sambora met Orianthi and sparks flew, apparently. The two are an item and now they are putting out music for the masses and it is about time. I had heard back last year, I believe, that they were working together and going to put out an album. Well, we finally got one; however, it is only an E.P. with only 5 songs. Now, I am not greedy, but I would have preferred a whole album.
Now when I heard we were getting music from the two, I was excited. I love Richie’s vocals and his bluesy, rock style plus he can play the guitar (have you heard of Bon Jovi). Orianthi is also one helluva a guitar player herself and she can sing with the best of them. She has played for Michael Jackson and for Alice Cooper as well as her own solo work. The two together, I was expecting a bluesy rock album with some amazing guitar work.
What I was expecting and what we actually have are not quite the same thing. Apparently, the two of them wanted to deliver an album that was not what people expected. They wanted to give something that shows that they can do something more than play guitar. Message received loud and clear.
After 15 years since her last studio album, Shania Twain is finally back with a brand new album called ‘Now’. My love for Shania dates back to the 90’s with her smash hit album, ‘The Woman in Me’. From there on, I was hooked. The deathly good looks and that amazing voice was a combination I couldn’t resist.
She has been through a lot since her last album…a divorce from her partner in music crime, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, to vocal problems resulting from Lyme Disease and dysphonia. She has persevered and is now back on to the music scene.
Two years ago she embarked on a comeback tour even though she didn’t have an album. My wife and I were able to see her on that tour and her show was spectacular. My wife and I are such big fans, we even had the song “From this Moment” played at our wedding. So, a new album from her is more than welcomed in my family.
Well, that was until we heard the first single, “Life’s About to Get Good”. To say this song is bad, would be mean. To say this song was good, would be lying. It lies somewhere in between. As much as I dislike this song, sadly, it is one of the better songs on the album. If you like old Shania and don’t want her to change, then you might like this song. For me, it was boring and lyrically awful. The song has a real CHESSE factor to it. I will give her this song and I won’t delete it only because it is better than most and she did release it as a single. The song hasn’t been performing very well since its release proving a little of how I feel might be what other people think as well.
There are a couple good songs on the album, the next one being her latest release and the opening track “Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed”. This is classic Shania, yet in a good way. This one is definitely Country tinged and is everything you love about her. It is not my favorite song on the album, but it is pretty darn close.
My favorite song on the album is “Roll Me On the River”. What I like about this song is its difference from everything else on the album. It is the most original and takes Shania in a different path which is the approach this album should have taken for the whole thing as we are 15 years later and she is basically trying to do the same thing she did then “now”. The album is titled “NOW”, shouldn’t the songs feel like they are now in the present day. There is a heavy drum beat and takes on a darker tone musically. She delivers the lyrics slower and more deliberately. This song is what the album title reflects. It is a modern song. It isn’t country, it is a little more rock.
One thing this album was going to show me was if the myth about Mutt being the puppet master, pulling her strings on her albums as he produced and help write her three biggest albums, was true. After spending a little time with the album, I feel that myth was warranted. The songs on this album lack any lyrical development and good production. Mutt was a master at developing lyrical phrasing. Go back and listen to her earlier albums and even go back and listen to Def Leppard interview about Mutt. He felt the way the words sounded were more important than the words themselves. They definitely don’t take this approach with the lyrics on this album.
One prime example is the song “Poor Me”. The song is a play on the words of her life being so hard and she went through so much…oh poor me! And then Pour Me a drink. In theory, this song is brilliant play on those two sayings. Execution is completely different. Lyrically the song is a complete miss. What could have been turned into a big hit with Mutt just kinda whimpers out into forgettable and boring.
Since I was listening to the deluxe edition and there are 16 songs, I won’t go through all of them. I have highlighted the ones I like above and I don’t feel there is any need to go through each individual song as they all fall under the same category as boring, cheesy and lyrically lacking. The songs aren’t overly varied as they will hint mostly towards country and pop. You get some upbeat tunes and some slower ballads, but they are all missing that pop, that right production and memorable & clever lyrics.
My wife and I even listened to the album together and when the album, she turned to me and went…ehh! Which spoke volumes to me. That is when I went and went through the album several more times on my own to see if it gets better with each listen, but it didn’t. I because more difficult with the exception a few songs I already mentioned. Here is where I stand on whether a song is a Keeper or needs to be deleted.
Track Listing:
“Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed” – Keeper
“Home Now” – Delete
“Light of My Life” – Delete
“Poor Me” – Delete
“Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl” – Delete
“More Fun” – Delete
“I’m Alright” – Delete
“Let’s Kiss and Make Up” – Delete
“Where Do You Think You’re Going” – Delete
“Roll Me On the River” – Keeper
“We Got Something They Don’t” – Delete
“Because of You” – Delete
“You Can’t Buy Love” – Delete
“Life’s About to Get Good” – Keeper
“Soldier” – Delete
“All in All” – Delete
3 keepers out 16 songs – 19% (1 out 5 stars) As much as I have loved Shania, this was hard for me to listen to and to write about. I was so hoping for a grand return. I believe what I realized about the album is it is missing the FUN of her previous albums. It is like your crazyass best friend in college went and grew up and became a boring adult.
Go listen for yourself and you judge. My expectations might have been too high and so anything would be a let down…but I don’t think that is the case. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
October is flying by and there are a bunch of new ones available this week…even Christmas albums if you are so inclined. There are some brand new bands, some old favorites and some fabulous reissues/deluxe editions. My choices are highlighted in Blue. Let me know which ones you are interested in with a comment below. Thanks and have a great weekend.
Sons of Apollo – Pyschotic Symphony – (Inside Out Music): Another supergroup and another one featuring Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy. If you liked in The Winery Dogs, this is not the Winery Dogs. This is a much heavier band with Jeff Scott Soto on lead vocals rather than Richie Kotzen. Also on the record is Bumblefoot on guitar and Derek Sherinian that make this a massive group with a massive sound. Can’t wait to dive into this one.
Europe – Walk the Earth – (Silver Lining Music): Europe is still putting out quality albums after 35+ years in the business. The took most of the 90’s off, but came roar back in the 2000’s and have been non-stop ever since. I have held off from listening to anything on this one yet as I want to take it in all at once.
On September 29, 1992, the debut album ‘Core’ by the band Stone Temple Pilots was released to great fanfare. The album kicked off the career of what would become one of the best bands to come out of the 90’s. Well, on September 29, 2017, Stone Temple Pilots commemorated the 25th Anniversary of their stellar debut with a spectacular re-release of their debut album. I love how they were able to release on the same day as the original. And yes, I already had a copy, but now I have it again, but this time there is so much more.
What all do you get? Well, I am glad you asked. The set I bought was the Deluxe Edition. You can get a Super Deluxe Edition which had a T-Shirt and 16″x20″ Litograph, but I didn’t see that offered on Amazon as that might have been a STP website only purchase. The Deluxe had everything you see above which is as follows:
Here we are on another Friday and another week of great releases. But before I get into that I just noticed that this is my 400th post since I started. Crazy to think it I have been able to think of that many things to write about and that people still come to check out the site. Pretty cool.
Okay back to the post…If you like rock, there is a plethora of new music. There is probably a little something for everyone. My choices are highlighted in Blue. Let me know what you are looking to pick up. I hope you find something. Have a great weekend.
Revolution Saints – Light in the Dark – (Frontiers Records): Frontiers Records has a knack for putting together little supergroups. Most of the time those supergroups only last one album. Thankfully, Revolution Saints are back with record number two!! Who is in Revolution Saints you may ask (please ask)? Well, I am glad you asked…you get Jack Blades (Night Ranger and Damn Yankees), Deen Castronovo (Journey and Ozzy) and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, Dead Daisies). The first album was spectacular and expect more of the same greatness.
Fozzy – Judas – (Century Media): When you hear the name Chris Jericho, what is the first thing you think of??? Wrestling?? No, Heavy Metal Music. Chris has been lead singer of Fozzy for 18 years and they are now on their seventh album with ‘Judas’. As I always, I look forward to hearing what they bring to the table each time and this time is no different.
The band that brought us “Cult of Personality” back in 1988 is back after an 8 year hiatus from their last album. Living Colour released their new album, ‘Shade’ on September 8th 2017 and it sounds like this band has a lot to say. Their social commentary on today’s society is definitely worth listening to and not only will it open your eyes to life today, it will open your ears to some damn fine music.
The title of the album, ‘Shade’, has many different meanings for this album. It could be referring to the many shades of color the album brings in its different styles and sounds. Or is the band throwing ‘Shade’ at America and all that has been happening over the years. I think it is both, but you should listen and decide for yourself.
What I really love about this album is the variety of the songs. You, of course, get some hard rock, some funk, some blues and some hip hop and when they mix them up together in the song it gets even better. Corey Glover sounds amazing throughout as does Vernon Reid with his kick ass solos, Doug Wimbash’s bass thumping and Will Calhoun’s drum keep the timing set perfectly.
Welcome to October and of course, I have a list of new releases for you to check out. There are definitely some I am getting this week and I will talk about those as they will be highlighted in Blue. There are not a ton, but hopefully you will find something. I know I have.
Whitesnake – Whitesnake (30th Anniversary Edition) – (Parlophone Records): Duh!! No Brainer!!! I can’t believe it has been 30 years since this album was released. I have it on Vinyl, but I want this CD see. With classics like “Still of The Night”, “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love” you can’t go wrong with this one. The only downside is the Super Deluxe Edition, which I ordered, is on hold until October 27th. Oh well, still can’t wait to get ahold of it.
The Darkness – Pinewood Smile – (Canary Dwarf Ltd): The glam metal band that glorifies the excess of 80’s rocks brings us their new album. After 5 albums has the schtick gotten old? We will see.
