Happy Friday! I hope there are some new releases here that you might like. There is not a whole lot coming out, but a few will be on my list to listen to during the week. I will highlight those in Blue. You will see something from the Jerry Garcia Band for you Deadheads and if you liked Soft Cell from the 80’s there is a greatest hits package from Marc Almond. There is an album by the great country artist Marty Stuart that actually might be worth a listen, but isn’t first up on my list. I will eventually get to that one.
Chickenfoot – Best + Live – (Chickenfoot LLC & Entertainment One): I am not sure how you have a Best of album after only 2 studio albums, but Chickenfoot seems to think they need one. I am thinking it is a contractual obligation they have to fulfil. I will be glad for the Live songs and the one new single “Divine Termination”. No matter what, when you have Sammy, Joe, Chad & Michael together, you are in for a good time.
Bush – Black and White Rainbows – (Zuma Rock Records): Bush is still going strong. This is the first album for Gavin Rossdale since his well publicized divorce from Gwen Stefani. It will be interesting to see how that impacted his song writing for this album. Can’t wait to hear this one regardless of that fact.
Ed Sheeran’s album came out on Friday and my oldest daughter couldn’t be happier. She has been streaming the album almost non-stop since. I am sure I will have to go out and get her the vinyl real soon which I am okay with because I would listen to it as well.
Sheeran’s new album is called Divide (÷) and is his third album in his young career. Ed isn’t like all the other pop artist on the radio. He actually writes his songs and plays his instruments as well. I would even go as far as saying he is a musician and not just a prop for someone else’s songs.
The album has been breaking Spotify streaming records and is getting a lot of press. As a result, going into this record I had pretty high expectations. His first single, “Shape of You” is outstanding and has been blowing up the charts. It is a pop, dance song about new love and the song currently is still my favorite song on the album, but some others are catching up as I keep hitting repeat on the album myself.
The album opens with “Eraser” and has Ed Sheeran doing a little rapping which comes as no surprise since he has done it before and he is a huge hip hop fan. The song talks about his struggles with fame which he doesn’t expect you to feel sorry for him. I could imagine how hard fame really can be and understand the way he feels. It would be hard to have success so fast and all sense of privacy being stripped away. The song is great start to the album.
I can’t believe it is March already. Damn, time flies. Another Friday of great new releases. Finally, Ed Sheeran is gracing us with his presence and a new release. My oldest daughter could not be more excited. I hope there is something on the list for you. My most anticipated are highlighted in Blue.
Ed Sheeran – Divide – (Asylum Records): Yes, after a long wait we now have new Ed Sheeran music. The kids is super talented and one of the few pop solo artist I will go out an get without hearing anything. I looking forward to exploring this one for a long while and if the new song, “Shape of You” is any indication of what is to come, this will be great.
Tokio Hotel – Dream Machine – (Believe Digital): I am not sure when or why I stumbled across this German band, but I am glad I did. What I like about them is how their style changes a little with each album. They never keep it stale and boring. It is always interesting.
If you are expecting Stephen Pearcy’s ‘Smash’ to sound like Ratt, You’re In Trouble. This Collage of songs is definitely not Ratt and the first two songs, “I Know I’m Crazy” & “Ten Miles Wide”, proves that it is his own album.
Stephen’s screaming of MuthaFucka at the beginning of “Dead Roses” is the Detonator that is set off on this explosion of rock. They Lay It Down on the blues sounding “Shut Down Baby”. I’m Insane for the rockers “Passion Infinity” & “I Can’t Take It” as they would fit nicely on any Ratt album.
It’s a Shame, Shame, Shame, but a few songs don’t hold up. It feels like he pulled “Summer’s End”Out of the Cellar as it is a stale ballad. The song “Jamie” completely rips off the chorus on the Ratt song “Can’t Wait On Love” and it Drives Me Crazy. Lastly, the childish sounding “Lollipop” had me screaming Enough is Enough!
There is a lot of Rock albums out today and I am super excited and hope I can get through them all. Frontiers Records normally does 4 albums every month but today they bring us 5 albums that could keep me very busy. I have highlighted in Blue the ones I am most excited about. I am sure there is something this week for everyone.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana – (Flightless Records): King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are back after only one year and now they are top on my list. I had never heard of them until I did a music challenge where I pick an album to listen to based solely on the band name, the album name or the album cover and I picked them. Read about it here. I found that album to be stellar and now they will be the first thing I listen to on this day out of all the new releases. They are a very unique band and probably an acquired taste and the song “Rattlesnake” makes me a little worried about this release, but I will still listen.
Mike Tramp – Maybe Tomorrow – (Target Records): Mike Tramp keeps pumping out the solo music and he brings us a new one to enjoy. The former lead singer of 80’s rock band, White Lion, has carved path in his solo work that is nothing like his former band and that is okay. He never disappoints.
‘Heavy Fire’ is Black Star Riders third album in just 4 years and they keep getting better. For those that don’t know Black Star Riders, the band is really made up of the current members of Thin Lizzy. They wanted to release some new songs, but they didn’t want to release them as Thin Lizzy so they created Black Star Riders.
I think I understand why they did it. If you think about it, was anyone looking to hear new music from Thin Lizzy…No, probably not. This was actually a brilliant move as it caused a lot of buzz around the original release and here they are 4 years later getting better and better.
The band members are as follows:
Ricky Warwick – vocals
Scott Gorham – lead guitar
Damon Johnson – lead guitar
Robbie Crane – bass
Jimmy DeGrasso – drums
The album is a guitar heavy, hard rock release and you wouldn’t expect anything less when you have two lead guitarists. The opening track and title track, “Heavy Fire”, comes screaming in with the guitars and a nice heavy sound. Ricky sounds fantastic and they deliver a shot that resonates throughout the album.
The first single, “When the Night Comes In”, keeps up with the opening track and now you are completely invested in this album. I love guitar rock and they bring it even more on this song. “Dancing With the Wrong Girl” is a little more pop sound, but that doesn’t take away from anything, but actually adds to its charm. Jimmy’s drums on this one are perfect. They aren’t over powering and just enough that set perfectly in the song.
The heaviest and baddest song on the album is “Who Rides the Tiger”. The song is a full on attack of your senses and even the lyrics are a blast. They guitar solo was amazing and I don’t think I will ever tire of this duo of Scott & Damon. This is probably my favorite song they have ever done.
“Cold War Love” is next up, but this is one song that I could never connect with. It is a nice slow ballad, but I wasn’t feeling it. Hopefully you can connect with it and enjoy it. Luckily, the next song was their current single, “Testify or Say Goodbye”. The song picks the tempo back up and gives us more of the what you love from this album. The classic rock sound, the vocals and all around musicianship make it another standout on the album.
“Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed” gives us a little more darker sound and is a nice change of pace for the album without losing the flow of the album. “True Blue Kid” is another song that misses the mark for me. I can’t pinpoint what it is about the song, but I found myself skipping it which is never a good sign.
“Ticket to Rise” brings me back to the enjoyment with another solid guitar heavy song with a great solo. Keep it coming and I won’t tire of it. “Letting Go of Me” is the only song on the album not co-written by Damon Johnson and yet it is still a great song. This one was a fun song with a faster tempo.
The final track, “Fade”, is considered a bonus track but it is too good and fits nicely with the overall album. It doesn’t have the bonus track feel. It is a slower song and actually kept my interest. I usually like albums to end with a bang, but this worked for me nonetheless. A nice way to end the album.
Track Listing:
“Heavy Fire” – Keeper
“When The Night Comes In” – Keeper
“Dancing With the Wrong Girl” – Keeper
“Who Rides the Tiger” – Keeper
“Cold War Love” – Delete
“Testify or Say Goodbye” – Keeper
“Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed” – Keeper
“True Blue Kid” – Delete
“Ticket to Rise” – Keeper
“Letting Go of Me” – Keeper
“Fade” – Keeper
9 keeper out 11 songs – 82%(4.1 out 5 stars). The Black Star Riders are killing it on this album. I always talk about how rock today seems to be missing the guitar rock sound and these guys are not missing anything. The guitars are outstanding and take me back to when guitars were king. Nobody wanted to be a DJ, they wanted to play guitar. For that alone this album is worth it, but it has so much more to offer. Go grab a copy and get ready to have your ears blasted with what rock should sound like.
Happy Friday. Welcome to the end of another long work week and hopefully something released today will fit your needs. Not much out this week, but a couple to look forward to for me. They are highlighted in Blue.
Alison Krauss – Windy City – (Hokker, Inc): Hard to believe that this is her first solo release in 18 years. Sadly it is only a covers album and not original material. I will take what I can get from this bluegrass/country superstar.
Ryan Adams – Prisoner – (PaxAmericana Recordings): Ryan hasn’t waited 18 years for his next solo release. He has only waited about 3 years. For him, this is his 16th studio album. That seems crazy, but he does put out a lot of albums as he averages about 1 album a year. I am sure it will be interesting as his usually are.
Welcome to another Friday! It is time for more new releases and I hope you have some money saved up because one of these is quite pricey. I know I won’t be getting it anytime soon…if ever. Not a lot this week, but one I am getting for sure…My picks are in Blue. And that is The Michael Bolton you see on the list.
Def Leppard – And There Will Be A Next Time…Live From Detroit (Blue-Ray/DVD/CD) – (Eagle Rock Entertainment): Def Leppard is back with another live concert DVD and CD. Mine has been on pre-order for a couple weeks and should be at my house when I get home. Can’t wait for this one.
Bon Jovi – Vinyl Box Set (24 LPs) – (Universal Records): At over $400 this set is for the diehard fan. I am no longer diehard, but there are 2 albums in here I want that have never been on vinyl before…’Keep the Faith’ and ‘These Days’. Two of their best albums that I will pick up sometime soon. Here is a video from their newest album which is included in this set.
Train has found a niche in the pop world. They bring a fun, summer song feel to their albums and are firmly fitted in the Adult Contemporary world. They have found their formula and they are sticking to it. However, they are starting to show signs of a disease called BonJovitis. What is BonJovitis? Well here is the clinical definition:
BonJovitis – a disease caused by repeating the same song formula without ever changing anything other than the words. It causes dull, lifeless and completely uninspiring albums and puts your fans and listeners to sleep. Ultimately the disease will cause your album sales to drop and fans to leave and search elsewhere for music. (See Bon Jovi as a perfect example).
All their albums are starting to sound the same, but it isn’t as bad for me as how Bon Jovi does it. If you are a regular reader of my site, you know Train holds a special place in my families heart. That is the only reason they don’t have full blown BonJovitis in my eyes…YET!!!
All joking aside, Train has delivered another solid album. I even think the album cover is actually quite beautiful. It has the ocean, a beautiful girl, a boat and the American flag. I don’t see a bottle though.
As Lions’ debut is the incredible ‘Selfish Age’. There is a lot of buzz around this band and not only because Bruce Dickinson’s son, Austin Dickinson, is the lead singer, but also because these kids are super talented and understand how hard rock should sound. The new face of rock is upon and us and I am given hope that we are in good hands.
First off, It is pretty brave for the kid of a famous singer or musician to go the same route as their famous parent, but there is no comparison needed. They are two very different singers and two very different bands. The only other thing to say about the subject is that Bruce must be one proud father because this kid and this band are incredible.
The Band:
Austin Dickinson – Vocals
Conor O’Keefe – Guitar
Will Homer- Guitar
Stefan Whiting – Bass
Dave Fee- Drums
The opening track, “Aftermath”, immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album. From this song, you hear great production, great song structure, a melodic sound and intelligent lyrics. You will get this from every song on the album; however, every song is different.
Chickenfoot – Best + Live – (Chickenfoot LLC & Entertainment One): I am not sure how you have a Best of album after only 2 studio albums, but Chickenfoot seems to think they need one. I am thinking it is a contractual obligation they have to fulfil. I will be glad for the Live songs and the one new single “Divine Termination”. No matter what, when you have Sammy, Joe, Chad & Michael together, you are in for a good time.
Bush – Black and White Rainbows – (Zuma Rock Records): Bush is still going strong. This is the first album for Gavin Rossdale since his well publicized divorce from Gwen Stefani. It will be interesting to see how that impacted his song writing for this album. Can’t wait to hear this one regardless of that fact.
