You Pick It! – What Album to Review in January?

You, my reader, are going to pick an album for me to review each month.  It is really simple…first, I will give you 5 albums to choose from and second, you will tell me which one of those you would like to see reviewed on the site.  See…simple! Now, if you want to cast more than one vote, comment on the Twitter and Facebook post and you could get up to 3 votes on your favorite pick.

There are no longer rules for my selections, maybe themes.  I’m just picking albums in my collection and this time they are all from my favorite era of music…The 80’s. We’ve done one with the 80’s rock scene now let’s go to the 80’s Pop scene and what was riding the charts. What are the 5 albums you ask?  I have them right here…

   U2 – ‘The Joshua Tree’

   Prince – ‘Purple Rain’

   Genesis – ‘Invisible Touch’

   The Cars – ‘Heartbeat City’

   Bryan Adams – ‘Reckless’

Let me know which one you would like to see and sometime in January, I will post a review of the album that gets the most votes. You have one week to decide and from there I will start listening to the album and do a review.

Thanks for participating!!

Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On’ E.P. (2002) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)

Jeff Scott Soto was ready to call it quits with The Boogie Nights as doing some solo work was starting to appeal to him as it had been years since his debut solo album. He thought about signing with Z-Records, but due to the problems with his band Humanimal, that was quickly nixed. He wound up with an Italian label called Frontiers Records. The deal included re-releasing his debut solo album ‘Love Parade’ as well as new material which was already in the works and would be released in late 2002.

I am not sure the actual release date of this E.P., but I am guessing it is prior to the album. The E.P. consists of the first single from his upcoming solo album ‘Prism’ called “Holding On”. It also includes a previously unreleased track and 2 live songs plus a re-release of a song from his debut solo album ‘Love Parade’. It is a great E.P. to have.

Continue reading “Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On’ E.P. (2002) – Album Review (The Jeff Scott Soto Series)”

Friday New Releases – July 30, 2021

We are at the end of July already and dang the releases are still heating up and this week is a scorcher!! There is a battle going on in my house as one of my favorite bands is releasing and album and one of kids favorite artists is as well so it will be a fight on who plays what in the car. The girls will win because they have me wrapped around every finger!! I will go ahead and admit defeat. My choices this week are in Blue and I am sure there will be something for you as well as there are around 40 releases to choose. Let me know what you want to hear and what I may have missed so everyone knows it as well. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

  • 81hSQL7GTfS._SS500_  Needtobreathe – Into the Mystery – (Elektra Records): If you follow this site at all then you know Needtobreathe is one of my favorite bands of all time!! While in Quarantine in 2020, they couldn’t tour so they made a new album…hell, why not!! Can’t wait to see where their heads were on this one and glad we got one so much sooner than we probably would have. I guess Covid was good for something!!
  • 91L7BkHtcsS._SL1500_  Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever – (Darkroom / Interscope Records): Unless you’ve been under a rock the last few years, you know Billie Eilish is like the Big Cheese!! My kids love her and I will admit she has some great songs and teamed up with her brother who writes a lot of it, they are a pretty dynamic duo right now. I did really enjoy the single “Therefore I Am” so hoping the rest is as good.
Continue reading “Friday New Releases – July 30, 2021”

You Pick It! – Which Album to Review in November?

You, my reader, are going to pick an album for me to review each month.  It is really simple…first, I will give you 5 albums to choose from and second, you will tell me which one of those you would like to see reviewed on the site.  See…simple!

There are a few simple rules I have put in to place in my selections.  They are…

  • One has to be a new release (within the last month)
  • One has to be one I have never heard before (new releases don’t count for this one)
  • One has to be from a genre I don’t normally listen to at all or very often
  • And the last two are choices from my collection that I haven’t reviewed before

What are the 5 albums you ask?  Funny you should ask because I have those right here…

  New Release – The Struts – ‘Strange Days’

  Never Heard Before – Patti Smith – ‘Horses”

Not My Normal Genre – Lauryn Hill – ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’

  From My Collection – Prince & the Revolution – ‘Purple Rain’

  From My Collection – The Police ‘Synchronicity’

Let me know which one you would like to see and sometime in November, I will post a review of the album that gets the most votes. You have one week to decide and from there I will start listening to the album and do a review.

Thanks for participating!!

Friday New Releases – May 29th

FINALLY!!  A Massive Week of new releases.  I mean this is the biggest week since this whole Corona outbreak started and thank goodness.  We need this!!  There a lot on my list this week…a whole lot.  They are highlighted in Blue as usual.  What interests you, what did I miss, what what what???  Please let me know.  I hope you have a great weekend and you know what I’ll be doing!!!  Thanks for stopping by.

  • 81Pgg8+JYdL._SS500_  Def Leppard – Hits Vegas (Live) – (Bludgeon Riffola Ltd):  Def Leppard has two out this week…that is right…TWO!!  You can also get it as one BluRay or DVD set that has both albums on CD and in Video format which I have the BluRay version coming to me.  This is the disc I am more excited about, the Vegas Residency Show as they tend to play a lot of DEEP DEEP CUTS and that is what the collector in me wants.

  • 81l398mT5qL._SS500_  Def Leppard – Hysteria at the O2 (Live) – Bludgeon Riffola Ltd):  Release #2 is for the London gig where they played the Hysteria album in its entirety which I already have from the Viva! Hysteria Vegas show years back, but the completist in me has to have this one too.

Continue reading “Friday New Releases – May 29th”

The Best & Coolest Microphone Stands in Music

We see lists all the time of the best guitar, the best drum set, the best of whatever you can think of.  Well, I thought, what are the best and the coolest microphone stands in Music?  I did a lot of digging and it was not the easiest thing to find.  When you google best microphone stands, you get pictures of the industries best microphone stands.  Not the coolest or most badass, but basic advertisements selling really good mic stands. I don’t want that.  So, I kept digging and digging and I have now come up with some of the coolest microphone stands in music.

We will start with the most obvious….Steven Tyler.  Steven is known for walking this way with a mic stand draped in scarves and a lot of them.  It is simple, but it is easily recognizable as Steven Tyler’s microphone stand.

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Next up, we will go to the pop world with Brendan Urie of Panic at the Disco.  It isn’t really cool or awe inspiring, it is kind of quirky.  It is a microphone stand of a hand holding a mic…but at least it is not the typical stand.

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Now we are going to dive in to the Country world with one of the hottest women in Country music…Miranda Lambert.  Her microphone stand is a country as it gets. It is a Shotgun!!!  Perfect!! Continue reading “The Best & Coolest Microphone Stands in Music”

My Sunday Song – “Them Blues” by Collective Soul

For My Sunday Song #177, we are discussing a new song from Collective Soul called “Them Blues” from the 2019 album ‘Blood’.  The album finds the band still hitting on all cylinders even after over 25 years together.  “Them Blues” is a mature band with serious topics still showing they can pull brilliance out when most bands are passed their prime.

Musically, the song was inspired by Prince’s album “Purple Rain” as Ed Roland loved the chord progression and when he was tinkering around with it on the piano while listening to that song,  “Them Blues” developed from there. Lyrically, the theme is about life and what was going on in his families life as his wife was going through some hard times.  The song was for her and to let her know that this too shall pass and though it is hard now, it will get better.  A rather touching song.

The song turned into a piano-based song that is very blues influenced and takes a more serious tone.  I love the slow opening piano notes and then a really cool and short guitar riff.  Ed’s (or E as he likes to be called…WTF??) vocals are great, the style switch is a nice change of pace and it seems to take the band into a more serious realm as they captured the emotions nicely.  The best part is the super long guitar solo by Jesse Triplett to end the album…it is killer.  It lifts the song when it needing lifting and it made you feel all was going to be right with the world.  It is a time where lyrically and musically, everything that they wanted you to take away from the song comes across loud and clear.

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Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “Them Blues” by Collective Soul”

Friday New Releases – November 15th

As were are starting to get closer the Holidays, the new releases become fewer and fewer.  There might be one more big week, sadly this is not one of them.  I barely have enough to fill the 6 panels of pictures above.  My choices are limited so I apologize, but maybe there is something for you.  We have Country, R&B, Emo, Classic Rock, 50’s Rock and Pop…that’s it…one for each.  My choices are highlighted in Blue.  Let me know what you want to hear or if there is something I missed that you want to mention.  Thanks for stopping by and have a Great Weekend!!

  • 919hw6IaWZL._SX522_.jpg  Lady Antebellum – Ocean – (Big Machine):  I diss Country a lot, but there a few artists/groups I like and this is one of them.  They are band my wife and I enjoy together and I love when we have someone we both like.  They have been around awhile and usually they deliver and I expect nothing less this time.  It is usually a softer side of Country, but man these guys/gals can sing.

  • 81SKw7E7vlL._AC_UL115_.jpg  Prince – 1999 (Super Deluxe Edition) – (Warner Records):  Prince’s estate is emptying the vaults at an alarmingly fast rate and now 1999 is getting the Super Deluxe Edition. The album was unbelievable the way it was, but having all this bonus material is going to be a blast going through.  I could spend a lot of time with this one.

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Friday New Releases – September 13th

Welcome to Friday new releases on this Friday the 13th.  And let me tell you this is a lucky Friday…no bad news here.  There are an abundance of releases this week that I am excited about and it might be the best week in quite a long time or even all year.  There are over 25 on this list and maybe 1/2 I am interested in at listening to once. How long is that going to take…it could be next September.  My choices will be highlighted in Blue.  Let me know what you see that you like and what I might be missing (could there be anything???).  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

The most important…

  • 717mqiZN3dL._SX522_  The Defiants – Zokusho – (Frontiers Records):  Man, I am super excited about this one.  Paul Laine and the Danger Danger boys are back with their second release and if it is half as good as the debut, then we are in for a treat.  The first 3 songs they have previewed are sensational!!  So expectations are HIGH!!  I don’t usually listen to songs that are previewed on albums I am anxious about, but I could wait.  If you like 80’s brand rock with modern productions, you will be in for a treat.

  • A1EaP+943DL._SX522_.jpg  Tom Keifer – Rise – (Cleopatra Music): The voice of Cinderella is back with his 2nd solo album.  His first was fantastic and nothing less is expected on this one.  His blues rock and the gravely voice is just what the doctor ordered so grab a copy and crank it up.  A great weekend is ahead.

Continue reading “Friday New Releases – September 13th”

Friday New Releases – June 21st

Welcome to a very busy Friday of releases.  There are a bunch of releases I am interested in getting, but only one I am buying as that one is so expensive, I can’t afford anything else.  As Summer keeps getting hotter, so does the new music.  My choices are highlighted in Blue. What are you interested in getting? Let me know what you want and what I missed and most of all…enjoy all the music.  Have a great weekend.

  • 71014pEYJEL._SX522_.jpg  Def Leppard – Box Set Volume Two – (Mercury):  Finally!!! Volume Two is upon us.  Volume One was so awesome, now Def Leppard bring us the next set with the albums Adrenalize, Retroactive, Slang and Euphoria all on vinyl (or CD is you want).  I don’t have any of these on vinyl so this is an absolute MUST!!! You also get 4 Vinyl full of Bonus tracks, rarities and live songs that is right…FOUR!!!.  What is extra cool about this is that a friend of mine was asked for songs from his collection to go on this set and there of 7 songs of his (live shows, I believe) that are on here and he is credited!! Way to go Mike Ladano!!!

  • A1ZmIUwu8gL._SX522_  Collective Soul – Blood – (Fuzze Flex Records):  I am excited about this one as well.  Collective Soul bring us album #10!!  I am glad they are still going strong and they keep getting better along with it.  I haven’t heard anything off this one yet as I want to take it all in at once.  These Georgia boys don’t usually disappoint so it should be great.

Continue reading “Friday New Releases – June 21st”