The Defiants – The Defiants – Album Review – 82%

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Paul Laine, Rob Marcello and Bruno Ravel all make up the new band The Defiants.  If those names sound familiar to you than you are obviously a fan of Danger Danger as all three were once a part of that great band.

Frontiers Music SRI brought these 3 back together again to bring us a rock masterpiece.  Okay, I am being a little overly dramatic.  But it is really, really great! If you were a fan of  Danger Danger or just a fan of Paul Laine’s vocals, be prepared for some of his best vocal performances.  The band has such a cohesive sound and this is the album that Danger Danger should have made years ago.

As much as I enjoyed Ted Poley as the lead singer of Danger Danger, when he left and Paul Laine took over vocals, the band’s dynamic changed and I feel for the better.  Years later when Ted Poley reunited with Danger Danger and Paul was no longer a member, I yearned for more music from his version of the band.  Now I have it.

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Friday New Releases – April 22nd

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Friday is my favorite day of the week for many reasons.  One – it is the last day of the work week, obviously.  Two, it is the day new releases come out and I always get excited to get new music.

This week there are 4 releases that I am excited about:

61NI6pypL1L._AA160_  Jordan Feliz – The River

I haven’t been this excited about a release in a long time.  From what I have heard so far, he is nothing short of amazing.  I have high hopes and don’t think I will be disappointed.  I have posted this one before, but worth another listen.

 

phil wickham  Phil Wickham – Children of God

He is one of the shining spots in Christian Music.  His albums are consistently good and he always has a few gems on each of his releases.  Based of the song below, I am sure there will be more gems on this release as well.

 

candlebox  Candlebox – Disappearing in Airports

I have enjoyed them for years and glad to have some new music.  Like this song on the video below for “Vexatious”.  Looking forward to the album.

 

texashippiedarksidecd  Texas Hippie Coalition – Dark Side of Black

I don’t know what it is about these guys, maybe it is just the straight-up, in your face, rock & roll, but I can’t get enough of them.

What new releases are you excited about today?

 

#TBT – Def Leppard – Slang

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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

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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

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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

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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.

james_bay_282102865340829
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

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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

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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%

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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

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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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