Z IS FOR THE ZUTONS “WHO KILLED THE ZUTONS”

BLOGGING A TO Z CHALLENGE APRIL 2011



Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.


In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. I guess that’s work.


But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.


If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.


Links to soundbytes or video clips are highlighted in red.

I saw The Zutons on a cable music show (Live From Abbey Road, I think), and liked what I heard, so I purchased this disc.

'Who Killed The Zutons?' is quite possibly the best debut album to arrive from Liverpool since the La's proved there was more to the city than Lennon & McCartney. It’s energetic, inventive & constantly surprising, and does not disappoint.


The Zutons start the album with their Monkees-styled theme tune "Zuton Fever", and proceed to crank out songs laden with British invasion R&B and vintage soul coupled with psychedelia, and add on some surf guitars and top it off with some sax, and it works.

This is one of the freshest new CD’s I have heard in a long time. Their sound is hard to describe or categorize, a raw sound that makes you want to sing along, seemingly combining Rock, Soul, Funk, Ska and Country into one big musical gumbo.

Highly recommended.

Watch Pressure Point
 
Watch Confusion
 
Watch You Will You Won't
 
A TO Z POST-MORTEM
 
Well there you have it. One album review for every letter of the alphabet. I hope you found something of interest and purchased a new record over the last month.
 
Was this whole thing really necessary?
 
Probably not, but kudos to Arlee and Alex and their usual band of suspects for hosting and promoting this blogfest.
 
Stick around, as I'll still post new music reviews frequently, just not at this pace!

And before I forget-happy birthday Mom!

Y IS FOR YUSUF “AN OTHER CUP”

As one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the 1970s, Cat Stevens achieved fame with a series of wistful, tuneful albums. His contribution to the cult film Harold and Maude, and hit singles such as "Wild World," "Morning Has Broken," and "Peace Train" helped make Stevens a household name. By the end of the decade he'd rejected both his given name and pop-star moniker, dropped out of pop music and converted to the Muslim faith, calling himself Yusuf Islam.


Yusuf Islam’s appearances in the press for many years were restricted to various controversies relating to his religion. He had been recording material throughout his apparent silence – music with Muslim themes which he felt was in accordance with the teachings of his faith. However, by the new millennium he was encouraged from within the Muslim world to relax his personal restrictions, and eventually he saw fit to release a long-awaited album of new material.

An Other Cup is that album, and in many ways it picks up where Back To Earth left off, some three decades before.

The tender voice is the same, as is the style, and it is as if the muse had never left. Always one to dip into spiritual themes, Yusuf remains masterfully adept at blurring distinctions between the spiritual and romantic while evoking idealism. Fans of his vintage catalog will find intriguing riches outside the more spiritually focused works, and will enjoy the production that leans towards the spare and shrewdly contemporary while being reminiscent of the classic Cat Stevens sound.

Considering the length of time between albums, it's a remarkably strong effort, and surprisingly, one that's comfortably familiar.

Watch video for Midday

X IS FOR XTC “SKYLARKING”

XTC are an English new wave band whose career lasted 20 years. Although they have rarely troubled the charts, many of their albums have been critically accaimed, and they have a sizeable and keen fanbase.


"Skylarking" is the Holy Grail of lost treasures of 1980s music, a song cycle which depicts a young man's rite of passage through the seasons of love into heartbreak and eventually disillusionment.

Producer Todd Rundgren is the cement that keeps "Skylarking" from imploding under the weight of its big ideas, with some vocal tracking that rivals some of Brian Wilson's most inspired harmony mixes of the "Pet Sounds/Smiley Smile" era, but manages to still capture the esessence of XTC's eccentric pantheistic vision.

The original album as it appeared back in 1986 did not include Dear God, a B-side to the Grass single that became a college radio hit in the U.S. That resulted in a U.S. release that included Dear God at the expense of Mermaid Smiled. The 2002 remaster CD includes both tracks.

Skylarking stands out from all their other albums, due to the marriage of Rundgren's production techniques ad the writing skills of Partridge and Moulding. There was the inevitable clash of egos between Partridge and Rundgren, but years later Partridge admitted that the album was better for Todd’s involvement.

Reluctant concept album?

XTC's Sgt. Pepper?

Whatever the label, this one is a no-brainer!


Watch Dear God

W IS FOR WENSDAY “TORCH ROCK”

Todd Rundgren played Phoenix, Arizona on Friday July 11, 2008, touring his forthcoming "Arena" album (shameless plug intended)-but more on that for another blog. The ticket said, plus special guest Wensday. "Wensday?"


My first thought was, "these guys can't spell." For some reason, I was expecting a folk singer. When the band took the stage, and a sultry rocker took the stage, I was a bit surprised. Then she began to sing, and I was blown away.

THIS YOUNG LADY HAS GOT SOME PIPES (AND SHE ROCKS)!

A chanteuse one minute and a metal vixen the next, singer/songwriter Wensday's debut album, "Torch Rock," suffers from multiple personalities in a great way. She effortlessly slips between genres, invoking elements of rock, jazz, blues, country-you name it-into an album that defies categorization.

Produced by songwriter and guitarist Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Kiss, Aerosmith, among many others), who also wrote or co-wrote all 13 tracks, the CD features a who's-who of musicians from various genres . The guest list includes Nils Lofgren who has amassed a fairly impressive solo catalog, played with Neil Young and spent a few years in something called the E Street Band, and puts Wensday in some very distinguished company.

A highlight of both the CD and the live show is Wensday's heartfelt rendition of Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," with its message of ending domestic violence.

At the end of the first song, I ran out to the lobby to buy her CD, as I wanted to make sure I got my mitts on a copy. Sadly, to do so, I missed half of the second song.

But I got one.

You should, too.

This album is very, very good, and I recommend it highly, but you've got to hear this lady live to fully appreciate her voice. So if she's playing near you, go see her.

OFFICIAL SITE

Watch Only Women Bleed

Watch Bulldog Blues

Watch A Bullet For A Kiss

Watch Be My Lover

Record Label

ORDER THE CD

5/3/11  I wanted to add a comment to this post. Dick Wagner, the producer of this gem, posted a comment (so now I have industry credibility-ya hear that Billboard?) that reminded me that Wensday was considered for 9 Grammy categories.

Not a bad Grammy showing for a debut album huh?

Also, no one noticed that I posted about Wensday on a Wednesday...

V IS FOR VELVET REVOLVER “LIBERTAD”

Was I the only one who didn't expect Velvet Revolver to make it a second album? Based on their prior histories of self-destruction, that was not a bad bet.


Well I'm happy to be wrong. "Libertad" is one of those sophomore albums that builds on the strengths of the first while offering enough of a new wrinkle to build on the band's legacy. Their bread and butter is still the big-chorus, big-riff rockers like the single, "She Builds Quick Machines" that provide a vehicle for Slash's guitar frenzy.

The band takes brief detours into soul and garage rock, and a hard left on a cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head." While the ELO cover is a bit of a miss, the rest of the CD hits the mark.

U IS FOR UTOPIA “RA”

BLOGGING A TO Z CHALLENGE APRIL 2011


Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.

In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. I guess that’s work.

But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.

If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.

Links to soundbytes or video clips are highlighted in red.

Didja really think you'd make it out of April and through 26 posts without a Todd Rundgren album review? Oh ye of little faith...

Ra was my introduction to Todd Rundgren’s music, played in tenth grade English class by TBW, a teacher who had a major impact on my life. Just introducing me to TR qualifies as a major impact, but there are other pieces of wisdom I learned from him that I still remember and am grateful for.


Offered as an example of a non-traditional short story, TBW played the cut “Singring And The Glass Guitar,” an eighteen minute epic that signaled the last piece of progressive music from the new lineup that had been stripped back from the earlier two albums.

The huge, electric "orchestra" present on the debut had been reduced to a four-piece comprised of Roger Powell (synthesizers, piano, organ, and vocals); Todd Rundgren (electric and acoustic guitars); Kasim Sulton (electric bass guitar and vocals); and John "Willie" Wilcox (drums percussion, and vocals). This lineup would endure for almost a decade, releasing eight more albums before calling it quits.

Todd Rundgren is very creative here, creating hypnotic synthesizer and guitar interplayby trading licks with Roger Powell. The four-part vocal harmonies that would become Utopia’s signature abound, and each band member is showcased both as lead vocalist on at least one track as well as on “Singring.”

The bottom line- RA is a great album, a perfect mix of pop (Eternal Love), rockers (Hiroshima), prog rockers (Communion With The Sun) and an epic prog-rock fairy tale (Singring). Perfect for proggers and fans of Todd more mainstream music, if you can only buy one Utopia CD, this is the one.

It's even one of Neal Morse's (ex-Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, new solo album next month) top five albums of all time! Don't believe me? Check out the liner notes on "V."

T IS FOR TESLA “REAL TO REEL”

Tesla said "Thank You" to their fans and their Rock and Roll heroes with the release of "Real To Reel," their 6th new album of studio recordings. The first 13 tracks REAL TO REEL-"Reel 1" were made available at retail outlets, while the second disc-"Reel 2," containing the remaining 12 songs were (for a limited time) only available along the band's tour route with the purchase of a concert ticket. Reel 1's packaging was designed to house the second disc. Since that summer tour, volume 2 has been released to retail.

Are you confused yet? Onto the music! There has been a trend among aging rock bands to release covers albums. Maybe they all saw how rich Rod Stewart was getting, or maybe they just don't write music anymore, but when rock poet Patti Smith is issuing a covers album, something's up.

TESLA first tested out some of their favorite rock classics with their fans in the summer of 2006 during the "Electric Summer Jam" tour (the first tour with guitarist Dave Rude, who replaced original guitarist Tommy Skeoch). While UFO's "Rock Bottom" went down like a storm to a standing, cheering, grandstand crowd of 10,000 in Milwaukee, Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" engaged 6,000 people in Lansing, Michigan so much that they refused to leave during a torrential rainstorm which lasted throughout the entire two-hour show. After getting such a positive reaction from their fans, the band went into the studio to record REAL TO REEL.

Now if you read my blog regularly, you already know I am not a huge fan of covers albums. Add to that the cardinal sin of covering a Peter Frampton song (it just does not work) and you may think I hate this album. But somewhere between their in-store appearance and concert in Phoenix back in June and repeated listenings, Tesla won me over. This is one darn fine rocking album, and the band does their influences proud. Although I still think no one should ever cover anything that came off of Frampton Comes Alive (just on principle).

Tesla does a good job of adding their style to these classics of yesteryear, and any fan of the band will like this album.
Before I saw an in-store performance at Best Buy in north Phoenix, all I really knew of Tesla was their live cover of "Signs" from a decade earlier. The in-store performance was so energized, I bought a ticket to their concert a week or so later. After that show, I was a convert.
 
If the band comes to your town, by all means go! These guys know how to rock the house!



Watch video for Thank You

Watch I've Got A Feeling from the Best Buy in-store performance

Watch Space Truckin' from the Best Buy in-store performance!
 

S IS FOR SOUL DOCTOR “THAT’S LIVE”

It's actually pure coincidence that this makes reviews of three live albums in a row. Really! But we're back to the not-so-mainstream with this one, as I doubt many of you have ever heard of this band.

Taking their name from a Foreigner song, the band was formed after the breakup of Fair Warning when singer Tommy Heart and guitarist Chris Lyne  found themselves wirting some new material for a project that would evolve into Soul Doctor, with a unique sound that perfectly reflects Heart’s and Lyne’s collective influences such as Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Bad Company.

After four successful and highly acclaimed releases, the time was right for a live album. This set features a total of 13 tracks that were recorded between 2005 and 2007.


Usually I think that live albums recorded at a single show come off a little better, but this approach allowed the band members to choose the best performances for each song, and the albums flows together rather well. "That's Live" includes versions of the best songs from their four studio albums.

Check out the limited edition that includes a bonus disc with 4 tracks from the archives, including alternate mixes and acoustic versions.

Watch a video clip here

And here

R IS FOR RUSH “SNAKES & ARROWS LIVE”

This one's for you, Alex!

Somehow, Rush manages to defy the marketplace trend. In a retail music world where physical sales are diminishing, and rock sales are shrinking, Rush pulls their trick of following up a studio release with yet another live album. As usual, it moved a respectable number of units.


Recorded in Rotterdam over two nights in October of 2007, this release spreads 27 tracks over two discs, with nine tracks from 2007's Snakes & Arrows (I love it when a band tours their new album instead of playing a greatest hits set). That doesn't mean that Rush ignores their staples-the classics are represented here as well.

Geddy Lee's voice has mellowed with age, and all three members are masters of their respective instruments. In fact, after seeing a Peart drum solo live, you really don't need to waste your time watching other drummers do their "bash the skins" solo. Neil kind of ruins all other drummers for you.

If you saw the tour, this makes quite a nice souvenir. If you didn't, here's what you missed-and you'll get another chance, as they're back on the road this year.

For Record Store Day 2011, Rush released a limited edition white vinyl 45 from their forthcoming album (Caravan b/w BU2B, digitally released last year). I got my copy-did you get yours?

Watch The Trees

Wathc The Limelight

Q IS FOR QUEENSRYCHE “MINDCRIME AT THE MOORE”

Queensryche is one of those bands (like Rush and Dream Theater) that must have managed to hold onto a following of loyal fans who actually (gasp) buy albums. Their trend has been new album, tour, live album and DVD for several cycles. I would imagine that the record companies would not continue in this vein if it were not profitable. As you can tell from the title of their new album, "Mindrime At The Moore," we are in the live album phase of the cycle.


This collection captures live performances of both acts of their "Operation: Mindcrime" saga, begun in 1988 with the essential "Operation: Mindcrime" release, and continued in 2006 with the cleverly titled "Operation: Mindcrime II"

Widely regarded as the band's masterpiece, the original Mindcrime was a concept album about disillusionment and revolution, with the obligatory tragic love story folded into the mix.

While not as good as the original (are sequels ever?), Mindcrime Deux was still better than you'd expect after 18 years and difficult to simply dismiss, but lacking the standout songs of the first album. MCII will always be overshadowed by it's predecessor, but there are still some good songs that give the sequel its own merits.

This live piece was recorded on Queensryche's 2006 tour, with actors and props helping to tell the story on stage, making the presentation more theatrical. The band is still there, rocking the house and doing Seattle proud, and there is even an appearance from the Seahawks Blue Thunder drum line-actually they take over the stage for one fo the coolest marching band bits ever. Casual fans would do well to purchase the two studio albums in addition (there is a story to follow here), but for the die hards this is a must-have.

Watch promo clip

Watch Operation Mindcrime

I still kick myself for missing this tour.

P IS FOR POPA CHUBBY “DELIVERIES AFTER DARK”

The mighty Popa Chubby returns with a new CD of hard-hitting rock ’n’ roll. Deliveries After Dark is a collection of blues-rock played with no apologies, with a few surprises thrown in. PC indulges his need for speed with the road-raging "Deliveries After Dark," and lays out his philosophy over a rockin’ riff im "Let The Music Set You Free." Fans will undoubtedly welcome this new collection of jet-fueled originals.


Born Ted Horowitz, Popa Chubby is a true native son of the Big Apple. He grew up in the neighborhood immortalized in Robert DeNiro’s film "A Bronx Tale." His early memories of hearing the jukebox in his parents’ candy store playing the hits of early Sixties soul and R&B and the neighborhood teens flocking around it made a lasting impression on him.

With Deliveries After Dark, Popa Chubby continues to rule the road with his high-octane ax work and uncompromising, in your face attitude, resulting in a supercharged mix that spits fire at every turn.

Listen to Delivery After Dark

O IS FOR OLD 97’S “BLAME IT ON GRAVITY”

BLOGGING A TO Z CHALLENGE APRIL 2011

Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.

In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. And adding sound bytes. I guess that’s work.

But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.

If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.

Links to soundbytes or video clips are highlighted in red.

O  IS FOR OLD 97’S “BLAME IT ON GRAVITY”
The Texas cult band, possibly best known for their appearance in 2006's "The Break Up," are back with their first studio set in four years.


This one kicks into gear rocking, with a mixed bag of pop rock along the lines of Big Star and later Replacements, and alt-country and Americana flavored tunes.

After nearly twenty years in the business, this band is still lingering on cult status, but this album does not disappoint, mixing up rave-up rockers, lonesome wail western tunes, and Rhett's own brand of Bowie-esque alt-country-pop.

Rhett and Murray seem to be healthily grounded in thoughts about ladies and mortality in equal measure, but never to the point of taking themselves too seriously to poke fun at just about everything under the sun, even their beloved native city of Dallas. Definitely worth a listen.

Listen to Question

Listen to Dance With Me

FAHRENHEIT 451

"Smoke is in the air now
It's been spreading just like wild-fire all over town
Everybody wants to get in on the latest thing
Going down to the bookstore - burn that mother down
Somebody has to do what's right
Fahrenheit four fifty-one
Burning black and white "

-Utopia

As Borders stores start closing across America, I can't help but wonder if the same thing that has happened to the music industry is happening to the book industry.

Namely, the replacement of the physical product with a digital product.

As the iPod killed the CD, will the reader kill the book?

Magazines and newspapers are hurting, and now bookstores are starting to feel the pinch.I'm curious how the writers who are participating in the A to Z blogfest feel about this.

As you know, I am very much against the idea of all-digital music, and a lot of iPod owners don't seem to get why.

I like the physican product-the packaging, the booklet.

I feel the same way about books-there's something about feeling the paper that a reader can't give me.

Don't get me wrong-iPods and readers have their value when it comes to portability.

But how would this group, as writers, feel if the only outlet for your words was digital?

I'd be interested in your thoughts.

N IS FOR NEW YORK DOLLS “CAUSE I SEZ SO”

On their second post-reunion album, the Dolls step right back into the glam-punk they invented some 35 years ago. This time, perhaps in an effort to recreate the original magic, they bring back Todd Rundgren, who besides being my all-time favorite artist and producer, sat behind the board on their 1973 self-titled debut.


As always, Rundgren’s production is masterful, and his influence is a little less obvious than usual for one of his productions. While I never mind hearing the hand of Todd on one of his productions, I have heard some people observe that he can be heavy-handed and that is not the case here.

So all in all, this one is worth a spin. Why? ‘Cause I sez so!


Listen to Cause I Sez So

M IS FOR MOUNTAIN “MASTERS OF WAR”

Another covers album-does ANYBODY write songs anymore? At least the Mountain album, "Masters Of War," has a (sort-of) theme-it's all Dylan covers.

I think I've documented my opinion of covers albums pretty well in past blog entries so I'll spare you fatihful readers. Come to think of it, do I have any faithful readers?


"America's first heavy metal band" has arguably applied a healthy dose of audacity to their entry in the seemingly endless wave of covers albums by aging artists, by recruiting Ozzy Osbourne (who recently completed his OWN covers album) to duet on the title track.

Now one might find the idea of Mountain covering Dylan to be somewhat of a mismatch.

The album finds Leslie West, Corky Laing and Richie Scarlet thumping and yelling their way through percussive, electric versions of Bob Dylan classics. In addition to the aggressive playing on the album, the production is big and powerful. The album is housed nicely in a digipak for you eco-sensitive listeners.

All in all, not bad for a covers disc.

Listen to Masters Of War
 
Listen to Blowin' In The Wind

L IS FOR TED LEONARD “WAY HOME”

Ted Leonard, the lead singer for progressive rock band Enchant, joins Neal Morse, former lead singer for progressive rock band Spock's Beard, in releasing an album reflective on his faith.


I will admit to being skeptical of many religious bands, as I've often found that the work does not stand up well as rock music (at least in my opinion). Neal Morse's work has been a very pleasant exception to that rule. The music is every bit as carefully crafted as the message.

"Way Home" is equally well-constructed and a welcome side project from Leonard's 'day job.'

Leonard has a great voice, and demonstrates excellent songwriting skills. The production is excellent, and the dynamic voice over the tasteful guitar movements combine to form a very listenable album that will not make the more secular among my readers feel like they're being preached to.

Like Ted's work with Thought Chamber, this makes the wait for a new Enchant CD a little more bearable.

Any word on that Enchant CD, Ted?

Listen to “Way Home”


Available at CD Baby

K IS FOR THE KEITH REID PROJECT “THE COMMON THREAD”

When I heard that Keith Reid was the driving force behind a new music project,  I was interested (as a Procol Harum fan). When I head that the list of singers included John Waite and John Lyon (Southside Johnny), it quickly moved onto my must-have list.


For those who may have forgotten, Keith co-founded Procol Harum with Gary Brooker in 1967 and together they created rock classics such as A Whiter Shade Of Pale. For this album, Keith has gathered together a highly impressive group of singers and songwriters around him, including Waite and Lyon , as well as Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann) and Chaz Jankel (Ian Dury), among others.

Since the album was an import only, I did the whole online-PayPal-take-it-in-the-shorts-on-the-currency-exchange order thing, and within a week the CD was in my greedy little mitts. Lemme tell ya, it does not disappoint.

The production tends to mimic the singer's catalog, which is not such a bad thing. The John Waite selections (especially "In God's Shadow") sound like they were lifted off of a JW solo effort-not so surprising, since John shares writing and arrangement credits. The Southside Johnny arrangements are very much in the Juke's style and could have been selections on his latest disc. Since I love both artists, this is not a bad thing for me, but if someone were to buy this album expecting "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" redux, they would be surprised.

The end product is an album of beautiful rock music that blends many diverse influences (blues, folk, Americana, Latin and Irish). Overall, this is an album full of great songwriting, some good hooks, great singing and playing, slick production….why are you still reading this? The URL is right down there-order it!

http://www.rockville-music.com/html/the_keith_reid_project.html

Listen to The Common Thread

J IS ALSO FOR BOOKER T. JONES (NEW ALBUM NEWS)

Booker T. Jones' historic life in music has brought him international fame, awards (he’s a three-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer), and iconic status as one of the architects of American soul music. With his new album 'The Road From Memphis,' due May 10 on Anti- Records, Jones traces his journey from his hometown of Memphis, TN to the world stage. The album follows Jones' 2009 Anti- release 'Potato Hole' which won the Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album."


Produced by Jones with The Roots' ?uestlove and Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith), 'Memphis' was recorded by Daptone Records mastermind Gabriel Roth with backing by The Roots. 'The Road from Memphis' refers not only to Booker T's journey but to the evolution of the soul music he helped invent as it traveled from Memphis to Detroit, Philadelphia and beyond. The music's many iterations are represented here with a broad range of guest vocalists including Matt Berninger of the National and Sharon Jones on "Representing Memphis," Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket on "Progress" and Lou Reed on "The Bronx." The album also features a rare vocal from Jones himself offering a first-hand look at his hometown on "Down in Memphis." Legendary motor-city guitarist Dennis Coffey contributes to the album as well.

Full track listing for 'The Road from Memphis:'

Walking Papers
Crazy
Progress (feat. Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket)
The Hive
Down In Memphis
Everything Is Everything
Rent Party
Representing Memphis (feat. Matt Berninger of The National and Sharon Jones)
The Vamp
Harlem House
The Bronx (feat. Lou Reed)

J IS FOR JOURNEY “REVELATION”

Journey went more than twenty years with Steve Perry handling vocals, but are now on their third singer in ten years. I liked Steve Augeri, and since I'm a fan of Jeff Scott Soto, I liked him as a replacement for Augeri and looked forward to hearing them collaborate on some new music.


Here they are with replacement number three, newcomer Arnel Pineda, fresh from the Phillipines via YouTube, and through the revolving door that is the Journey frontman position.

The WalMart-exclusive release comes with the new album, a CD of Journey standards re-recorded with Pineda, and a DVD of a live performance with Pineda at the microphone. At $11.88, you certainly cannot complain about the value.

But is it any good?

This album is pretty good, with strong performances and good songwriting. I do not think it will convert any of the Perry devotees (he's working on new material, by the way) but it certainly measures up favorably against the post-Perry catalogue, which I thought was pretty good. It does not break new ground, but if you like "Arrival," "Red 13," and "Generations," you will probably like "Revelation."

I still wish we'd have had a chance to listen to an album with Jeff Scott Soto..

Revelation

After All These Years

I IS FOR ICON-“NIGHT OF THE CRIME”

BLOGGING A TO Z CHALLENGE APRIL 2011


Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.

In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. I guess that’s work.

But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.

If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.

Links to sound bytes or video clips are in red font.

 
Another classic re-issue from Rock Candy Records, "Night Of The Crime", Icon's second album, is considered a classic in its genre. Thanks to the efforts of Ron Nevison (mixing) and Bob Halligan (writing), "Night Of The Crime" was a big step forward from the self-titled debut.


The album featured many highlights that makes one wonder why the band was not bigger twenty years ago.

Sadly, immediately after the release, vocalist Stephen Clifford announced that he was quitting the band. Although a replacement was quickly found, the band was soon dropped by the label.

A solid album from one of those bands that should have made a bigger splash.

Out For Blood
 
Available at www.nehrecords.com

DAY OF REST

Today is a day of rest in more ways than one.

For the first time in a few weeks, no going into the office.

A repreive from the A to Z blogfest.

And it's Sunday, the Christian sabbath.

I'm back to cataloging my vast collection of CD's and pulling the discs and artwork out of the little plastci jewel cases and putting them into little polyprene sleeves that will take up about 1/3 the shelf space.

Sound like fun? Well, I've gut upwards of 14,000 CD's so I estimate that this exercise will take two years at my current pace (started around the new year and I am working on the letter "D."

And it brings with it its own stress!

Like where do you file the band "And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead?" Zia Records has them under "T," but shouldn't it be "A?"

How about "Spencer Davis Group?" Is it under "D" for 'Davis' or "S" for "Spencer?' And if you put them under "S" what do you do with the Spencer Davis solo CD's? It seems like a pity to separate them.

The DB's are another dilemna. Are they under "DB" or "DE" since DB's is short for decibels?

Do you file classical discs by composer, orchestra or conductor?

Do you see the stress I'm under?

I need Monday to get here so all I have to worry about are mountains of work, two sets of auditors, and the A to Z posts.

Speaking of A to Z, and I was, we're 1/3 of the way through April. Time for the first trimester grades.

Okay, I know I did not contribute to any of the herculean work to promote or organize this event. I have tried to visit as many blogs as humanly possible considering my work load and considering there were almost thirteen hundred participants!

There were three blogs I wanted to call attention to, two for their creative idea and daily interplay, and one for probably being the most serious and polarizing A to Z subject that warrants a read.

First, I wanted to point out that  One Significant Moment At A Time and The Alliterative Allomorph have teamed up to present a very creative series where each blogger presents a short-short designed to convey a particular feeling or emotion that begins with the letter of the day. Each blogger agreed on the daily word in advance, and it is not disclosed until the following day. Very clever idea, ladies!

Second, I wanted to call attention to Stephen T. McCarthy's A to Z post, which he dropped in it's entirety on April 1. Those of you familiar with Stephen, especially on his political blog, know he's not afraid to tackle tough and controversial topics,nd he does not disappoint here. It is a lot to read, but I think it is important that everyone does read it, if only to see that it is dangerous to rely on soundbytes without question.

While I am not going into too much detail becuase I do not want to generate a political discussion on this, a music blog, I will say that I do agree with Stephen's opinion on the issues presented there and in fact gave him the idea and the link to the source material for his post. I'd be happy to discuss the topic in the comments section over at Stephen's blog, or on my own political blog, "Back In The USSR"

Most of our A to Z posts (mine included) are on light-hearted topics such as writing, movies, music. Stephen chose to talk about matters of life and death.

I hope you check out these blogs as you make the rounds. And don't forget to stop by Tossing It Out and give Arlee Bird a shout out. While he had help from many hardworking bloggers promoting the event this year, the whole thing was his idea!

Tomorrow, the "I's" have it!

H IS FOR ROBERT HAZARD “TROUBADOR”

I remember growing up in the Philly suburbs when Robert Hazard was going to be the next big thing.

Robert Hazard and The Heroes ruled the Philadelphia airwaves in the early 80's and "Escalaotr Of Life" was a huge hit. The guitar player for the Heroes lived around the corner from my brother and me, and he may be the only guitarist in history who narrowly missed rock stardom with multiple bands but went on to become a doctor. So I guess it all evens out, right?

But I digress....

Signing the band to fill the void left by David Bowie's desertion, RCA reissued Robert's self-released EP resulting in MTV video hits and tours opening for heavyweights U2 and Bob Dylan.


The first proper album failed to follow suit, and Robert was dropped.

But, like his former guitar player, Robert was lucky.

Robert lent a song he had written (in fifteen minutes-in a bathtub-on an acoustic guitar) to a (then) little known New Yorker with bright orange hair, and the rest is history.

The song, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," became a pop staple. It's the song that will, undoubtedly, always define Hazard's career.

Don't let Hazard's past color your expectations of Troubadour, a collection of weatherbeaten Americana exuding back-porch charm that takes Hazard further into his singer/songwriter soul, first explored on 1998's Howl.

With Troubadour, Robert Hazard's adventurous musical journey comes full circle, back to his original inspirations. The masterful production gives the album a classic folk sound.

The songwriting recalls the poetry of Springsteen, with tales of love lost and loneliness delivered in aching, acoustic folk ballads, with slow-burning, electric rockers thrown in for good measure. All are enveloped in the warm melodies and sure hooks that are the hallmarks of first-rate songwriting.

If you're looking for another "Escalator Of Life," you may want to pass. But if you're looking for songwriting that resonates with chiming electric guitars and Hazard's emotional vocals, you're going to want to give this one a spin.



Sadly, Robert passed away on August 5, 2008, shortly after the release of this album.
Rest in peace, Robert!

I Still Believe In You


Troubador

G IS FOR GREAT WHITE “BACK TO THE RHYTHM”

Great White are known primarily for their hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", a cover version of a song written by Ian Hunter, and sadly for being the headliner on the night of the Station nightclub fire which led to the tragic deaths of 100 people in Rhode Island. Over their more than twenty years of history, they have released 14 albums (not counting several live albums, tribute albums and compilations) of blues-based rock/metal and have maintained a loyal following of fans.


Although they were lumped into the 80's "hair band" genre, Great White's sound has more in common with icons from the decades before (the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin) than that of their contemporaries. Great White singer Jack Russel's vocals are often also very similar to Robert Plant's distinctive voice. Most of the original lineup reunited last year and hit the studio for the first time in eight years. The guitar and vocal team of Jack Russell and Mark Kendall are stronger than ever on this explosive new CD, "Back To The Rhythm."

Russell described the comeback album saying "The record's really eclectic, as the last one was, but it kind of explores the whole realm of where Great White has been throughout its musical career. One song's almost a step back. I don't mean in like a negative way…just kind of a step back, kind of a look at where we came from. It's pretty cool. I'm kind of excited about it, so I think people will dig it. If you're a Great White fan then you'll love it."


"The new songs sound fresh to me, very Great White, but with an approach of what we sound like in a live performance situation," explains Michael Lardie. "Kendall and I are having fun channeling our Stones roots and playing off each other in the Richards/Woods tradition."

Drummer Audie Desbrow says "It will sound like Great White but a really great production. The songs are very eclectic. Some songs sound as if they were from the 1984 era of Great White... There are a couple of songs on the new record that are very vintage Great White. I don't think this could have been achieved if we hadn't split up for all this time."

I can't say it any better than the band. The album rocks in the style Great White fans will be accustomed to, and the production is solid, with well crafted songs. The US release is on Shrapnel Records and is available at (as if you don't know by now) www.nehrecords.com.

Here Goes My Head Again


How Far Is Heaven

F IS ALSO FOR TODD IN THE FRONT ROW

When Alex Cavanaugh told me that Todd Rundgren was in the front row on American Idol, I didn't know what it meant, having never seen the show.

It turns out, he meant exactly what he said. There's Todd, sitting in the front row.

Todd is scheduled to appear as a guest producer in the near future.

I'm conflicted.

I loathe the idea of American Idol, but I'm a Rundgren fanatic.

The US version of  Todd Rundgren's Johnson is scheduled for June 7.

And watch for Todd on American Idol on April 13.

F IS FOR JACK FOSTER III “TAME UNTIL HUNGRY”

Muse-Wrapped Recordings offers up "Tame Until Hungry," the latest album from Jack Foster III. .Joining Foster once again for his third release are veteran producers Trent Gardner (Magellan, Explorer's Club) and Robert Berry (3, GTR, ELP), adding their cutting edge studio techniques to Jack's sophisticated compositions.


Foster has created an album laced with tinges of pop, prog, and jazz deftly combined with refined songwriting and vocal techniques. Gardner and Berry have worked with members of every major icon in the progressive music genre from Dream Theater to Yes to Jethro Tull, and here their expertise helps Foster round out his trilogy. When you work with top prog rock producers, there are certain expectations, and Foster lives up to them and more, painting a vibrant musical mosaic.

"Tame Until Hungry" is an exceptional third release that should not be overlooked- there is some real ear opening music here

Check it out here

E IS FOR EDITORS “AN END HAS A START”

I purchased the second album from Editors, "An End Has A Start,"  based on the three-song promotional sampler I was forwarded.


This record went to the top of the UK charts, where Editors have claimed the throne recently held by Coldplay. The lead track on the sampler, which is the bleak lead single from the album, is "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors." Behind a dense wall of guitars, Tom Smith's vocals seem to be all around you, at once building and lifting into a muted grandeur.

Editors appear to be reaching for an impression of late '80s U2-sized epics, and do a better job of that than Coldplay managed on "X&Y." The rudimentary lyrics lack some of the poetic depth that the music suggests, but Editors deliver solid and moody arena-bound rock.

Check it out here

D IS ALSO FOR DRUM WARS

SPECIAL BONUS POST

APPICE BROTHERS IN DRUM WARS:


Main Street Armory, 900 Main Street in Rochester, NY, will host the first Drum Wars Battle featuring legendary drummers Carmine and Vinny Appice on Friday, April 22nd. Brothers and "rivals" Carmine and Vinny Appice are set to battle it out by performing classic hard rock, pop and metal hits that were popular during their long drumming careers. Tickets are available through Ticketfly (www.ticketfly.com) for $15 advance and $20 the day of the show. For more info, visit www.rochestermainstreetarmory.com

To highlight the event, The House of Guitars is sponsoring a Drum Wars competition to give fledgeling cream of the crop musicians the opportunity to perform with the famous brothers at the Main Street Armory show on April 22nd. The House of Guitars, 645 Titus Ave. in Rochester, NY is accepting DVDs and video links from vocalists, bassists and guitarists until April 15th. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201108463233487

As a precursor to the Main Street Armory show, Drome Sound will sponsor a Drum Wars drum clinic featuring Carmine and Vinny Appice on Thursday, April 21st at Waters Edge Lighthouse, 2 Freeman's Bridge Road in Glenville, NY at 7PM. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 the day of the show. For more info, please visit www.dromesound.com

Legendary rock drummer Carmine Appice (Ozzy Osbourne, Rod Stewart, Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck, Guitar Zeus, King Kobra - to name a few) has enjoyed an amazing 30 year career as a rock star, music educator, and rock pioneer. He is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished showmen in rock and is the recipient of numerous awards including dozens of gold and platinum selling records. Carmine co-wrote such monster selling hits as "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Young Turks". He has broken new ground in very aspect of his career as a performer, as a teacher, and as a writer, and he continues to inspire drummers and listeners throughout the world with his originality and his unwavering dedication to the art of drumming.

Vinny Appice has anchored the rhythm and power live and in the studio for the music of Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, WWIII, Axis, Rick Derringer, John Lennon, and more. He has recorded and co-written songs on over 25 albums and CDs including many multi-platinum records. Touring the world for over 2 decades resulted in selling millions of records! Vinny's drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks including "Wayne's World 2", "Heavy Metal", "Iron Eagle" and "Bedazzled". Vinny, the author of drum instruction book "Rock Steady" and DVD "Hard Rock Drumming Techniques" has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about Black Sabbath and Dio with the authors always mentioned Vinny's unique powerful drumming style!

"Vinny and Carmine break out the heavy artillery in this entertaining no-holds barred battle to the finish. Carmine and Vinny...Vinny and Carmine! Don't know which one comes first, which one had the moustache first, or which one has the best legs! However, they are both great artists in their own genre. Carmine's track record includes Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, B.B.A. (Beck, Bogart and Appice), and Rod Stewart, to name a few. Not bad! Vinny has driven John Lennon, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell. Not bad! From the initial downbeat of this sibling confrontation, this spectacle culminates in the final battle of Drum Wars. The Ultimate Battle both playing with great power, imagination and musically spirited. So now, Drum Wars - The Tour where Carmine and Vinny demonstrate their sensational playing abilities. It is comedy in that they leave Laurel and Hardy very secure! It is entertainment in that it is great fun. Sincere, open and honest. Both drummers play great solos and great ensemble work in their own inimitable style. Their years of experience are reflected in their ability to respond musically to each other. I personally am honored to have them both as friends and musical colleagues. May the musical battle continue!" - Vic Firth.

WebLink:  www.drumwars.com
Thanks to www.melodicrock.com for the article...

D IS FOR DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS “BRIGHTER THAN CREATION’S DARK”

The Drive-By Truckers return with "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," an overflowing song bag of an album by Lynyrd Skynyrd's bastard step-children. This is their best effort since 2004's The Dirty South, and their first since the loss of tenor-songwriter Jason Isbell.


Knowing he has to carry the team, Patterson Hood is at the top of his form, and delivers yarns portraying domestic life as celestial respite, complete with endless struggles and occasion to drink. Darker songs deal with crystal meth and suicide, and there's a memoir of an opening act on the road and two obligatory Iraq songs.

The Truckers let the songwriting speak for itself, and it speaks well. Says Patterson Hood, "It (the new album) was written, learned, played, mixed and mastered for vinyl." You may want to check out the 2 LP version if you've got a turntable to spin it on.

Check out "Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife"

www.drivebytruckers.com

C IS FOR CRUSHED “MY MACHINE”

BLOGGING A TO Z CHALLENGE APRIL 2011


Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.

In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. I guess that’s work.

But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.

If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.

Crushed deliver an effective blend of melodic rock, metal, and Goth in their excellent debut effort. Produced by Mike Clink, whose impressive resume includes work with Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Megadeth, and UFO, the band delivers a slickly produced album hard enough for a metal fan, but melodic enough to enjoy considerable commercial radio air play. If radio stations in Arizona ever played new music anymore. Well, they do play country and Jordin Sparks. But the jury is still out on whether that counts as playing music.


An early high point is the single-worthy track "Hovering," that truly spotlights Clink's production knowledge, with lead singer Mark Lauer displaying vocals that range from a whisper to a growl, along with great guitar work. The album gets heavier with each new track as Crushed blend styles to cook up their own unique genre.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/crushed

SPRING MUSIC PREVIEW

The April A To Z Blog challenge is upon us, and the only way I was going to pull it off was to have my posts, a review for each letter of the alphabet, ready in advance. Since many of these reviews are of classic (or not) albums that were released prior to 2011, I wanted to do a quick post to tell everyone about some upcoming releases that I am looking forward to.

So while the other five hundred or so bloggers are taking Sunday April 3 as a day of rest, I'm slaving away, bringing music news to the people!

Robbie Robertson – How To Become Clairvoyant (April 5) Former Band leader’s (get it?) first solo outing in more than a decade.

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light (April 12) Their seventh studio album, produced by Butch Vig

Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (April 26) T Bone Burnett produces, Allison Moorer guests, and Earle says “it’s the countriest record I’ve done in a long time.”

Stevie Nicks – In Your Dreams (May 3) Seven tunes co-written with Dave Stewart

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (May 3) A lot of anticipation for this sophomore release...



Warren Haynes – Man In Motion (May 10) Gov’t Mule frontman solo record has a sixties R&B / Soul vibe going


Booker T. Jones – The Road From Memphis (May 10) Yes THAT Booker T. How does he follow up having the Drive-By Truckers as his side men? How about by bringing in Philly’s own The Roots?

The Cars – Move Like This (May 10) Todd Rundgren filled in as front man a few years ago because Ric Ocasek said “There are no Cars without Ben.” Maybe he needs the money.

Ben Harper – Give Till It’s Gone (May 17) A solo record, with Jackson Browne and Ringo Starr guesting


Oh, and happy birthday, Mare! I don't know if you still celebrate 'em, but don't think I forgot!

B IS FOR ROBIN BECK “LIVIN’ ON A DREAM”

Sometime during the early 1990's, I discovered Robin Beck's "Trouble Or Nothin" CD in the remainder bin at J&R Music World (lower Manhattan, NYC, all music fans should go there on a holy pilgrimage) and thought I'd give it a try. It was well worth whatever deeply discounted price I paid for the disc-several great songs that were sadly ignored by DJ's and absent from radio airplay. I looked for other releases from Robin in the "MISC B" bins for years and never found one.


Fast forward to the new millenium and the internet opens a whole new way of buying music.It turns out Robin has released a few albums over the years (still can't find Sweet Talk-hey Rhino, how's about a little help!). For the summer of 2007 she is offering up "Livin' On A Dream." Released by Frontiers Records, an Italian label that has made a buisiness of keeping melodic rock alive, this is Robin's second effort for the label.

The first thing you notice is that the album comes out of the corner rocking hard, jump-started by the title track. That's to be expected, as it was co-produced by House Of Lords' James Christian (also Robin's husband) and AOR veteran Tommy Denander, and recruits House Of Lords as the backing band. The album is paced well with a nice mix of rockers and ballads. Christian and Denander share many of the writing credits with Beck, and there are several gems (or as Robin's liner notes put it, pearls) on this disc.

The shame is that there is no justice in the world and this record will not get radio airplay or chart in Billboard. In fact, this record will not be heard unless you seek it out, which I encourage you to do. Play it for your friends. Check out Robin's last disc as well, "Do You Miss Me." Both are available at www.nehrecords.com as well as other online retailers who specialize in melodic rock releases.


Video clip for Always

A IS FOR BRYAN ADAMS “11”

Since the whole focus of this blog is CD reviews, I’m approaching the “A to Z” challenge by posting a review from a different artist for each letter of the alphabet.


In the interests of full disclosure, many of these are reviews that were previously posted on my blog on My Space, and while they are new posts to this blog, and new to most of you, they are not new work on my part, except for going and retrieving them from My Space and gathering cover images and alphabetizing them. I guess that’s work.


But that enabled me to get a head start, and since April is a pretty busy month for me, the head start allowed me to participate. Think of this as a way to catch up on some of the music you missed over the past few years, as I suspect that many of these artists you will not have heard of, although some, of course, are household names.


If reading any of these ramblings inspires you to go check out the artist’s music, I hope you’ll come back with comments on what you think after listening for yourself.


A IS FOR BRYAN ADAMS “11”

Bryan Adams must have spent a lot of time coming up with the title for his eleventh studio album. After what was no doubt months of deep thought, late nights, and lots of caffeine, Adams settled on…(wait for it)…"11."


A new album from Adams is a big deal, and "11" is as good a title as any. Adams is to blame for some of the catchiest pop hits of the last three decades ["Summer Of 69," "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)"], and his past accomplishments create high expectations for his new work.

"11" delivers, packed with hooky choruses, tight musicianship, and some of what may be Adams' best vocal performances to date, whether it's the jangle-pop tune "Flower Grown Wild" or the chunking rocker "Tonight We Have The Stars." The light arrangements of acoustic guitar, strings, vocals, and slide guitar fit the album's mood perfectly.

It's a long time between albums these days for Adams,  but the wait was well worth it. "11" will surprise a lot of longtime fans and win Adams a bunch of new ones as well.

Review originally posted on http://www.myspace.com/disc_connected