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.
In my producer extraordinaire series, this is the 3rd producer who helped create some of my favorite albums. The first post in the series was for Robert John “Mutt” Lange and then second post was for Brendan O’Brien. Both legendary producers.
Bruce Fairbairn didn’t have as long as career as the first two guys due to his untimely death back in 1999. However, during his brief time, he crafted some of the most memorable albums of the 80’s & 90’s and the albums sold well over 65 million copies if you just count the platinum and gold albums.
It all started in back in Canada in the late 70’s when he started out producing for a band called Prism. Prism had moderate success in Canada, but not much internationally. In 1980, Bruce started production on the debut album for another Canadian band called Loverboy. Loverboy opened the doors for Bruce with the bands international appeal. He produced 4 albums with Loverboy in the 80’s. They were as follows:
‘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.
The jazz great Al Jarreau, dies today at age 76. He was such an awesome singer and even won 7 Grammy awards. He had so many great songs including, “Mornin'” and my personal favorite “We’re In This Love Together” to name just a few. I remember him most for the theme from the TV show “Moonlighting” that starred Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd.
He was born in Milwaukee back on March 12, 1940 and his real name was Alwyn Lopez Jarreau. His greatest success was during the 80’s, but his music is so timeless and even now listening to some of his songs you remember how amazing he was. I keep seeing he was nicknamed the “Acrobat of Scat” for his vocal stylings and I can say there were not many like him and probably never will be again.
Now before I get into the album review, let me preface this with that I am a fan of Michael Bolton’s earlier work starting with his 1983 release ‘Michael Bolton’ which had “Fool’s Game” up until ‘Time, Love & Tenderness’ in 1991. After that it started to go down hill for me as he was doing way too many covers. More covers than originals, which is disappointing. He was also getting further and further from his original rock roots (listen to his early releases and you will hear what I am talking about).
Several months back, I heard Michael was signing with Frontiers Records Srl and I was actually excited to hear that as Frontiers is a great record label and they are a ROCK record label. They have brought back many bands of my youth and signed them including Night Ranger and Stryper and now Michael Bolton.
Imagine my utter disappointment when I heard the new Michael Bolton album was a cover album of movie songs called ‘Songs of Cinema’. Wow!! It is just what I wanted (heavy, heavy sarcasm)! I told myself going into it, I would keep an open mind and give it a solid listen…which I feel I did for about 30 seconds.
What songs did he cover? I will tell you.
It starts off with “When A Man Loves A Woman”. Hasn’t he done that one before? Why yes he has, but this one is different…it is the 2017 Version. Oh yeah, that is right…I am supposed to keep an open mind. I am sorry, but I can’t. That ship has sailed. When the first song is a rehash of an old song that you have already covered, you lost me. The original one he did back in 1991 was so much better.
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.
The year is already flying by as we are now in February in what seems like a blink of the eye. I am still getting through all of last week’s releases so luckily there are only 2 I find intriguing this week. They are highlighted in Blue.
Black Star Riders – Heavy Fire – (Nuclear Blast): Black Star Riders returns with their third album. The band is basically Thin Lizzy but they are not using the name. Not sure why, but regardless, I love the new material. The first two albums were great and I feel they are just getting warmed up. High hopes for the new release.
Judas Priest – Turbo (30th Anniversary 3CD set) – (Sony Legacy): Wow! 30 years since the release of Turbo. I am looking forward to revisiting this classic Judas Priest album and eager to hear what special they might have added to this addition. Here is the original video to “Turbo Lover” and the video was awful…sorry.
I have been wanting this box set since the day it was announced. I finally was able to get my hands on a copy and couldn’t be happier. Well, almost. Let’s first talk about what is wrong with this box set. There is a HUGE OMISSION of several albums. The albums ‘Motley Crue’, ‘Generation Swine’ and ‘New Tattoo” are for some strange, f**king reason are not included in this box set. I am sure they had a reason, but a good reason it was absolutely not!
Now that I got that out of the way…the Motley Crue Box Set is to commemorate the 35 years of the band. The set goes through their final show on December 31st, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Motley Crue were
Vince Neil – Vocals
Nikki Sixx – Bass
Mick Mars – Guitar
Tommy Lee – Drums
I mentioned briefly what was wrong, now let’s go through what was included in the box set and what they did get right.
The Case: As you can see from the featured image, the case is actually quite large. It is a grave headstone marking the death (or ‘The End’) of Motley Crue. My youngest daughter thought that it was weird, but it is actually quite fitting for the occasion. When full, the case is rather heavy and seems durable enough for its purpose. The only down side is it won’t fit in my LP cabinet as you can see from the picture as well. However, it is nice enough to be a nice accent to the cabinet when I place it on top.
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.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 