The Maine ~ Pioneer (album review) ... Lobsters not included!

Style: emo, alt rock, pop rock
Label: Action Theory
Year: 2011
Home: Arizona

Members: John O'Callaghan ~ vocals/guitar
Kennedy Brock ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Jared Monaco ~ lead guitar
Patrick Kirch ~ drums
Garrett Nickelsen ~ bass

Additional: Sean Alvarez ~ piano

Those that read this blog know I have issues with young bands like the Maine. Not necessarily because more often than not the bands are horrible musicians who can't sing or write songs. Not because they have horrible Justin Bieber haircuts that don't give their mass of tattoos any street credibility. Not because they look like they're never kissed a girl in their life, even if they sing about the babe they banged last night. Not because too many of these young fresh fellows out of high school ... or some cynics might say pampers ... are bland as bland can get & more predictable than knowing how Graham Bonnett is going to sing on his next albums. Every generation has its bland bands & there's more of those in the ring then the unique ones we iconize, if you want to be honest. We just forget about most of the bland ones until some blogger who has no life shows us his priceless collection of bad 80's cock rock. No, I think I have issues with these young upstarts of the poppy-emo-alt rock mode because they are presenting music that I at my senior citizen age of 35 can't relate to anymore. It's not that they're too young - how old were the Stones when they started? - it's I'm too old. Rock music isn't for the young, as some older folks I know like to believe & why listening to loud guitars is just a brief nostalgia game for them & are shocked when they hear Robert Plant has more solo albums than Zeppelin studio albums & that they're very successful, but a lot of the bands out there are focused on a particular generation, lifestyle, age range. That's not a bad thing. Though, would someone tell Mick Jagger he can no longer sing the same gettin' it on songs he could 40 years ago? While my fav Alice Cooper is pushing it singing about summer vacation & being 18 when he's double my age, God love him for it though. Okay, when I was young hard rock bands were singing songs that were just as shallow as any of these new bands, though with better & longer guitar solos & bigger hair. So, I can't say I don't like shallow music. Danger Danger, anyone? But, as I've gotten older I've also found myself listening to them less. I want to hear Eminem charging against his demons, I want the serious stories of Trans-Siberian Orchestra in addition. I want a message more often than not. So, I'm not gravitating to just the fun kick around music anymore as much anymore & that's what I hear out of these young bands. But, I haven't given up on them. I don't ignore them as I know a lot of folks older than me do quite deliberately & arrogantly. So, I must struggle to reconnect with that side of me that grew up or grew away in order to be fair to these ands. I can't always & sometimes the music doesn't bring the lonely teenager out of me. But, really, I don't want to get younger any more than I want the gray hair I like to pull out or keep my hair long to deliberately cover it up. I'm resistant, but I know it. To give these young bucks a chance I have to find a bridge between me & them. It's tough. Though, that's how you approach any music you don't know really. You don't like or know jazz? Okay, let me play some jazz-rock that is a little bit new & a little bit familiar & that will be our bridge & then we'll go from there a further step away from the familiar. I'll call a band bland because I feel they are as I've heard their sound before & they're not adding to the genre, but I struggle calling them bland just because they don't sound like a band I grew up or just because they're young bucks right off the boat. We were all young bucks right off the boat one day ... except for Keith Richards, he was always old (not really, but how easy we forget). It's thus almost ironic the Maine open their album Pioneer, a great name by the way in ts simplicity, with the song "Identify". & what's even more ironic, or maybe the better word is shocking, is that the song feels & sounds far older in its theme than the feeling I get from the band just looking at press releases & seeing one more young buck band that I can't identify with. Could I have stumbled upon the exception to the rule, to one of those young rare bands that I've looking for? A young band with something other than angry young man in love songs poorly executed? Could I be wrong about all this new poppy-emo-alt rock-Bieber haircut music? No, I don't think so ... but I think the Maine is the exception to the rule, the Dulcinea in my Quixotic quest, the reason I didn't give up the search. What makes the Maine jump the wall to me? I don't know really. Something in their feeling. It doesn't feel out the door like so many of their peers. It feels mature. It feels like they listen to music that's an array of things & when they say they are trying to copy the spirit of bands they grew up with its more than just an over-used PR statement - they really do. Though, the generic heard it before aspect does hit on a few tracks that are too imitative (i.e. "Misery", "Jenny", "Like We Did (Windows Down)", "Some Days") losing the personal charisma that opens the album, let alone many just sound too indistinct from the songs around them. Too many songs sound like they could have come from Pearl Jam or whoever, this isn't bad though it makes the album feel a bit long & repetitive, but the Maine will get their identify cleared up before long I believe & solve this problem. This is only their third album. They're still growing, but they're a lot farther along than many of their peers. They don't sound like they're fresh off the boat. Give them a good producer & I think wonders could happen. If they play their cards right a great album is in their future, while many of their peers are still hunting for a good album. My advice? Let it all hang out! & work on the lyrics. They're catchy, but when reading them I struggled to really figure some of them out as they're a bit vague in their focus. Okay, that's being poetic, but you can't make everything vague. Even Eddie Vedder & Michael Stipe have moments of clarity & it keeps the vagueness being artistic & not just a game of poetic chance. I mean, in "Identify" I have no idea what I'm supposed to identify with. I'm sorry, but is this a case of identity theft? Though, it took me a few listens before I realized I had no clue what I was really hearing as the songs are catchy, addictive & have great choruses & the hooks underneath them strong. At least it's closer to poetry than some of the bland girl-me-you-sex-now songs some of my favorite 80's bands embarrassed themselves with. Danger Danger, anyone? I can confess that. & at least nobody here is screaming or trying to sing beyond their ability. That helps a lot. I can ignore the vagueness when the rest of the pieces to making a good song are in place. This is where a good producer can come into play & where that great album is going to happen. & I can see the Maine as being a middle-aged band with something to say. Check out "Waiting For My Sun To Shine" with its bluesy solo & I think you'll see that the pieces are there already. This is a band this is really aiming for music that survives just the current trend. Most of their peers I can't see being around for long or about as long as their haircuts remain trendy. The Maine are the exception & the potential of the future. Pioneer was reissued with six new tracks under the name Pioneer & the Good Love. Oh, I must confess I grabbed this band because I was born in Maine, as I said I have trouble with these new bands.

Paul Di'Anno's Killers ~ Murder One (album review) .... The killers are on the loose!

Style: heavy metal
Label: BMG
Year: 1992
Home: n/a

Members: Paul Di'Anno ~ vocals
Cliff Evans ~ guitar
Nick Burr ~ guitar/b. vocals
Gavin Cooper ~ bass
Steve Hopgood ~ drums

It's must be tough when you're the former lead singer of a band that found its greatest success commercially & musically after you left, yet your name still comes up in all the histories with good & bad comparisons to those that came after you, while you struggle with a solo career & other bands that never seem to go far & nobody can name. PD'A is the singer in question & the original band is Iron Maiden. For those that don't know, he was their original singer from 1978 to 1981. But, it's been a rough haul for PD'A since then, never able to even touch the success he had with Iron Maiden or get out from its shadow ... or even take advantage of it when he gave in to his past. His first solo band called Di'Anno did one album. PD'A refused to do anything by Iron Maiden on tour & the band soon broke up. Then DJ/producer Jonathan King put together the rock opera Gogmagog with hired musicians, but the three song EP didn't chart & the band broke up never really having a chance to go anywhere near where it intended. Battlezone is PD'A's most successful outing, though it suffered from line-up changes ... before, surprise, breaking up. Praying Mantis was another band with him that broke up ... though they ended up reuniting for a Japan only tour ... though when you're big in Japan you're not necessarily big elsewhere & if you don't live there to take advantage of the fame, well ... Later, while living in Brazil PD'A worked with a couple all-Brazilian bands, but none had had international distribution & only the most diehard PD'A fan can probably list their names, sadly for the sake of the other musicians in them trying hard to succeed. It's not their fault they recruited a jinxed singer. There's also the bands the Original Iron Men, the Almighty Inbredz, Maiden Children, Children of the Damned, The Phantoms of the Opera & then PD'A's own solo recordings ... ever heard of any of them? The most news he's made is serving jailtime for benefit fraud. PD'A's post-Iron Maiden career is a sorry state of affairs, though not for trying & not for some good albums along the way, which makes it that much sadder. & there's no embarrassment with his contributions to Iron Maiden either. There's one more band - the Killers, aka Paul DiAnno's Killers or Paul DiAnno & the Killers ... depending on what advertising you're looking at & now the other far more successful band of the same name. The Killers would put out two studio albums & an array of live albums following their break-up. Murder One is their debut & features PD'A with former Battlezone drummer Steve Hopgood. Hopgood puts in a murderous double bass lines throughout the whole album & his drumming might be most distinctive instrument of the album. It feels strange to call the drummer the most distinctive feature, as its such a rarity that this instrument is able to overcome the guitarists or other musicians, outside of obvious examples like early Genesis or Rush. Really, can anyone talk about the drum styles of Don Henley or Mickey Dolenz, the later who didn't even play on Monkees albums? Even when the drummer is the frontman it's still difficult to talk about the drum being the most distinctive instrument, but here it is. I mean, is even Ringo Star so distinctive able to get your attention more than the guitarists? The guitars here, however talented, just turn a knee-jerk album of straight ahead non-thrashy heavy metal. It's indistinctive & sad, particularly considering PD'A comes from one of the most distinctive bands in the metal pantheon. The album was written over two weeks & it almost sounds like it, an additional month of recording not giving it much more of an edge or creative push. It's not a bad album, just a bit too straight forward, think Saxon or other bands of that genre. As for the star of the show & the real & only reason you're going to get this album, it's almost impossible to imagine he ever fronted Iron Maiden as he's just a gruff shouter of the Gene Simmons variety, good for hard rock but basically indistinguishable from many metal singers. Thus, the Killers becomes another tick on the PD'A belt, another day in the trenches, interesting to fans but few others. Interesting for its story, not its music. As for the story ... it's interesting to note that when the Killers auditioned for BMG they played only Iron Maiden songs as no originals had been written yet. In good music business tradition, BMG wasn't aware of what they were hearing ... & I'm sure they were surprised with what they got. The album ends with the PD'A/Steve Harris composition "Remember Tomorrow" that may recall Iron Maiden in its chugging rhythm but that's pretty much it. A lost song from the Iron Maiden catalog ... though BMG at least got one track they were expecting. Though, if the rest of the audition sounded like this then no wonder the BMG representatives didn't recognize any of the Iron Maiden songs. The best song on the album is a cover of T. Rex's "Children Of The Revolution" that now gets a hard rock edge. It's not a distinctive edge, but you can't ruin this classic. Following the release of this debut a bit of jail time would send PD'A packing for England, while all but him & Cliff Evans remained in the band for their second album & ensuing tour. They'd disband by 2004. Evans would go on to form his own record label & release an array of Killers live albums. Though, when PD'A took to selling all the studio albums free on his website Evans was soon out of business. Another tick on the belt.

Chris Cornell ~ Scream (album review) ... If a musician screams in the forest does anyone hear him?

Style: dance pop, techno, rock
Label: Interscope
Year: 2009
Home: Seattle

Members: Chris Cornell ~ lead vocals
Timbaland, Jerome Harmon ~ all instruments
Dan Warner ~ guitars
DJ Timmy T ~ DJ scratching

Additional: Demo ~ programming
Peter Thorn ~ guitars
Lasim Richards, Frank Chadwyck Bernstein, Brian Keegan,
Rashawn Ross, Phil Lassiter ~ horns
Lee Levin, Jason Sutter ~ drums
Darryl Pearson ~ bass/guitars/b. vocals
Brent Kutzle ~ cello
Justin Timberlake, Amar, Ryan Tedder, Jim Beanz, Ezekial Lewis ~ b. vocals

When artists decide to reinvent themselves in a momentary lapse of reason the results can be shocking, though honestly sometimes great and honestly sometimes just plain shocking. Though, shocking might be an understatement for Scream, the third solo album from former Audioslave-Soundgarden-Temple Of The Dog vocalist CC, perhaps one of the best rock singers to ever come out of Seattle with an instantly recognizable deep croon that is to be admired. He's never been shy about experimenting as his diverse musical catalog from day one is witness to ... but to bring on producer Timbaland to become the next dance floor Madonna is a bit too much ... to both consider & certainly to digest. Techno beats galore, loops like nobody's business, synthesized vocals intent on embarrassing & all the trademarks of the dancefloor ... not a fun one actually, but a very awkward cold one ... are here, even the profane highly repeated lyrics that may represent real emotions but are too looped & autotuned or something to be taken as honest. This is CC like you've never heard him before ... & pray that you never will again. If he had taken rock song & given them a techno background, such as Seattle's Sky Cries Mary or in an electronica direction a la Die Krupps, who are known for bringing Metallica into the electronica realm, that would be once thing & potentially something interesting to hear, but on Scream the guitars are tucked very low behind the beats & this is anything but a rock album ... in any definition of the word rock ... unless you're like the Rock'N'Roll Hall Of Fame that considers rap music to be rock. This is as straight forward dance as anything in Madonna's catalog since Ray Of Light ... but that had at least a soul & hypnotic flavor to spice up the beats which this lacks. But, one might think that CC's great powerhouse voice might be able to rescue him from the worst musical crisis ... not here. Timbaland has forgotten what makes CC so amazing. Yes, it's his songwriting ... except when looped & turned into a dance beat. But, more importantly it's his singing & that's been tucked into the mix as much as the guitars & given a synthesizer treatment more often then not. The result is like auto-tuning Streisand or Sinatra & then playing distorted guitars over them blurring almost anything that's left of their talent ... ghastly. I'm reminded of Ozzy who once said something akin to that if the most recognizable part of the song is the melody line then don't kill the melody. If the most recognizable feature is the singer, why kill the singer? Puke buckets in the lobby, free of charge, for CC fans & non CC fans alike. I honestly can not figure out the good reviews that are out there on this album. Those must be emphasizing the idea of the experiment over the outcome ... if only we could look in the drop in the stock exchange like that, as remember it's not where the numbers are today but where I wanted them to be! Though, it should be said, if this was a foundation crafted for Madonna or Rhianna or one of the many dance oriented vocalists out there, Sinatra not withstanding, even Cyndi Lauper's strange beast of a minimalist dance album a few years ago, this album might have some merit. Timbaland knows his stuff, even if he's created something a bit more cold than not & lacking enough texture to keep the album afloat above being heavily repetitious. Some of the looped choruses are actually pretty good. The music flows intricately into one long medley, though that doesn't help the suffering individuality of the songs, & some of the beats are really interesting & quite unique sounding ... if one is still awake to listen. Timbaland should be commended for making one of the more distinctive voices sound like one of the Jacksons desperate for a hit after having lost his voice. The lost & beloved CC does get a few moments to come back to earth, such as the bridge of "Get Up", "Climbing Up The Walls", "Time" & the verse of "Never Far Away", but they are few & make the torture that much worse. Sadly, by the middle of the album one is barely paying attention to those moments anymore having thoroughly lost interest in CC's experiment or a game of listenability. After this Phillip Glass, John Adams, John Cage & opera seem heartwarming. This has to be one of the oddest, most confusing & most disappointing albums of 2009 ... & certainly the worst album from one of my favorite singers. Even Jewel's foray into dance beats still kept some of the Jewel soul & cute spark of poetry. Here it seems to be a game of how to obliterate everything related to CC's personality. One can only ask what CC was aiming for here. Was he sick of his career? Was he sick of being called a rock singer or that guy from the now defunct Soundgarden? Was he so desirous to reinvent himself that he knew of no other genre? Was a country career, even, off limits or reality tv? Did he realize how alienating this would be for his fans? Is he really into techno & is doing this because he can & doesn't care what anyone thinks? Did he plan to piss off his fans who expected more great music from him? Did he really think he was pushing the definition of rock music & creating a new synthesis of rock/electronica? Is this his vision of some great musical identity change because the beats flow through him more than the grunge? Does he think he's Bowie or Madonna ... egads, a drag queen coming out of the closet ... both famous image changers who do it far better? Did he want a R&B or dance club fanbase & if so where are they going to go after this - "Black Hole Sun" ... the remix album? I shudder to think of Soundgarden Mach II - the disco era. As for Timbaland, it's said he wanted to leave R&B for a rock album ... keep trying, dude, but you might want to learn what a rock album sounds like first. The funny this is, in theory the pieces of this album, a mixing of talents & styles, isn't so bad & has been done & it works ... just not here unless you consider pain a sign of a theory gone right. The fact that this is the highest charting album of CC's solo career, hitting #10 on the Billboard 100, shows that either folks have no taste or they like to see people embarrass themselves ... which some might say is why Bill O'Reilly is so popular. The fact that the following week it dropped to #55, the second biggest drop of a Top 10 album in almost three years, shows that the album was probably a success out the door because folks wanted a new CC solo album - this guy makes great music - but joke on all of us! We don't get his definition of what great music is! Whoops!

Bleach Blonde ~ Bleach Blonde (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Hair dye meets flannel shirts!

Style: alt rock
Label: Rise Records
Year: 2013
Home: Denver, Colorado

Members: Danny Stillman ~ vocals
Danny Cooper ~ drums
Michael Payne ~ guitar
David Barella ~ guitar/b. vocals
Coty Eikenberg ~ bass

Six months after their founding the quartet of BB release their debut EP. Does this feel rushed? Maybe it is or maybe only on paper. You listen & respond with a comment of your thoughts. Honestly, they've gotten some back & forth press, but having listened to the album & read both the good & bad reviews I think they're not a lost cause & certainly will appeal to someone. Personally, I'm not into teenage angst music with rushing guitars that is more generic than not, but there's enough bands out there doing it that somebody is out there listening ... the audience just might be under drinking age & I'm far enough above it to not understand that mindset. So far, I've found very few musicians who are doing music that nobody is interested in yet they still make the music ... everyone has at least a few fans ... but if you know of a band that truly doesn't care & isn't liked please write me & share them with me. I'll be their fan! But, hey, the Rolling Stones were criticized out the door & their nine month demos don't really show much potential either if you had a chance to hear them. BB might be young, but they have some experience & know inspiration may strike overnight but creativity does take time to fully develop & getting some music out sooner rather than later might be risky but the feedback helps in the end with the creative process. So, here's my two cents ... or one cent in this tough economy. "Sea Mint Pastel" has an interesting opening & when BB choose not to strum like Arctic Monkeys & build layer upon layer, verging on muddy overdose territory, there's some interesting playing. Boys, let the creativity take you & let the music breathe. So often I feel like a band has a moment of clarity, of individualism, & then gets afraid of what folks will think or folks won't & goes back to duplication. Yeah, one foot in the mud might be better than two, but you still don't walk far. The weakest part of BB is the vocals. Nothing particularly interesting outside of the normal teenage band, though better than screamo. There's a second vocalist on "Play Catch Up" but the second voice lacks any tonal variety killing the effect & demonstrates no reason to have a second vocalist. "Play Catch Up" falls into the same trap. When its strum strum layer layer it's nothing unusual or not blanketing a million reverb nation sites by a million other bands. But, when the music can breathe, like in a bridge or refrain, things are interesting. So, switch the parts & you've got something interesting. The final track on this all too short EP, "This Is Instrumental", has an interesting name but nothing particularly interesting about it. Of note, two BB members have already built up a reputation with Drop Dead Gorgeous. They met the other three members, one of whom they wrote via e-mail for awhile before coming physically together. The band, if you're curious, is named in tribute to Nirvana & Venice Beach. A full length debut is in the work. I look forward to more creativity & less fear & more interesting singing.

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts ~ I Love Rock'N'Roll (album review) ... I love rock'n'roll, but we love Joan Jett!

Style: hard rock
Label: Boardwalk
Year: 1981
Home: n/a

Members: Joan Jett ~ guitar/vocals
Ricky Byrd ~ lead guitar
Gary Ryan ~ bass/b. vocals
Lee Crystal ~ drums

Additional: Jeff Peters ~ bass/b. vocals
Lou Maxfield, Sean Tyla ~ guitar
Paul Simmons ~ drums/b. vocals
Joel Turrisi ~ drums
Martyn Watson ~ b. vocals

Guest: Steve Jones ~ bass/b. vocals

I've always thought JJ made the best albums by any of the Runaways ... actually, hers might even be the best albums the Runaways never did. Listening to the Runaways is like listening to some rough pre-first album demos when you lay JJ's solo work & Blackhearts days beside them & essentially they kinda are. Though, JJ isn't the greatest guitarist or singer & her albums aren't that slick, but the attitude is there that the Runaways had but never quite gelled like it does for JJ, certainly she has better songs. Maybe its because JJ needed punk to happen to get focused. Besides both its youth anthem title track & it's ballad "Crimson And Clover" I Love Rock'N'Roll straddles cock rock, retro & punk ... & from a rock chick that makes it much cooler, though JJ has never really used her sexuality or gender to push her career. She just wants to rock with music that's stripped down seemingly three-chord rock, not too fancy & no overly fancy guitar solos that essentially she can't play. The album has the punk feeling of the Ramones (i.e. title track, "Victim Of Circumstance", "Be Straight") where JJ actually shows off her lack of singing ability. Yet it also the saunter of the Rolling Stones ... just check out the guitar opening on "(I'm Gonna) Run Away" or "You're Too Possessive" for proof on this one. What's most shocking is the amount of 50's/60's flashback, yet it fits in perfectly, including "Nag", Dave Clark Five's "Bits & Pieces" & obviously the cover of Tommy James & The Shondell's "Crimson & Clover". She makes these classic songs seem her own. Maybe that's also because she's not chosen well worn cover songs, but songs which don't get much radio play or reinterpretation. This album really is the highlight of her solo & Blackhearts discography, if not musically than its the album everyone recognizes and new fans want due to its chart-topping title track. I mean, how many new fans ask for Bad Reputation these days, even if its just as good musically. Its her first Blackhearts album, though really its just her with a named backing band but it also gives her an added musical strength she didn't have before. The final track "Woe Is Me" opens with "What happened to my heroes?/The idols keep on singing/but they don't sound sincere/oh woe is me." It's almost ironic that JJ would become an idol herself. An interesting fact to this album is it was recorded twice. Original Eric Ambel laid down the guitar parts, but the story goes JJ was dissatisfied with the result. Ricky Byrd was brought in, redid the guitar parts & essentially the Blackhearts sound was solidified.

Taylor Dayne ~ Soul Dancing (album review) ... Tell it to my heart one more time!

Style: dance pop
Label: Arista
Year: 1992
Home: n/a

Members: Taylor Dayne ~ lead vocals

Additional: Keith Washington ~ lead vocals
Shep Pettibone, Tony Shimkin ~ keyboards/programming
David Cole, Rich Tancredi, Tommy Faragher ~ keyboards
Peter Schwartz, Louis "Kingpin" Biancainello ~ keyboards/programming
James Alfano, Ricky Crespo, Richie Jones ~ programming
T.M. Stevens, Neil Stubenhaus ~ bass
Al Pitrelli, Bob Cadway, Chuck Loeb, Michael Landau ~ guitars
David Foster ~ acoustic piano
Mark Russo, Richie Cannata, Charlie DeChant ~ saxophone
Joe Franco ~ drums
Bashiri Johnson, Babe Pace ~ percussion
Narada Michael Walden, Robert Clivilles ~ drums/percussion
Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Harnell, Warren Wiebe, Audrey Wheeler, Cindy Mizelle, Paulette McWilliams, Joe Turano, Karen Anderson, Monique Sorel, Eddie Stockley, Kenny Bobien, Lotti Golden, Jeanie Tracy, Kitty Beethoven, Nikita Germaine, Skyler Jett, Tony Lindsay, Claytoven Richardson ~ b. vocals

When Shep Pettibone is one of the producers on an album you know a couple things: it's gonna be radio friendly with a bunch of slick arrangements, dancefloor friendly & it's gonna be lots of synth instruments ... but, it's also going to be good! TD's third album saw her coming down from a big chart-topping high, something she'd not be able to rekindle, but that doesn't mean this album should be ignored or lost. It's lack of chart success compared to what came before might dink its reputation more than it should. With a mix of Pettibone electronic synth backgrounds & a few other producers such as Rik Wake and Civiles & Cole, aka C+C Music Factory, bringing in real instruments ... including drummer Joe Franco of Twisted Sister, T.M. Stevens, Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow, Tony Harnell of TNT & Al Pitrelli of Alice Cooper, all in session mode for two tracks ... TD has crafted a pop album but not a plastic album. Though, its musically interesting. It doesn't have the extreme fast beats & pop keyboards that lace through her debut "Tell It To My Heart" but also doesn't have the rock edge that was tucked into her second album. It sounds more mature, still dance floor oriented but more a slow dancing than a crazy twist out. In some ways it feels like she's trying to rediscover herself for the easy listening charts in the 1992 world of grunge, or maybe trying to come more into herself as a singer, finding her own voice away from the flash. Removing some of the pop in your face feeling the ballads here might show her at a high that compares to anything before & definitely after. She's able to emotionally express herself with great skill & listenability against soft arrangements that don't overpower the ears or the feet (ie. "I'll Wait", "Send Me A Lover", "Dance With A Stranger", "Memories"). The music is a bit more generic than not, but the key is all in her distinctive voice. TD was certainly a smoky bar jazz singer in another life with a voice that always sounded older ... though here her age has caught up with her. She also uses the nuances of her voice here without becoming a Aquilera or Carey technique whore (for example, "I'll Wait"). She was one of the 80's pop dance girls with Tiffany & Debbie Gibson, much never sounded young or naïve like them & would soon find herself in the better class of Lisa Stansfield who also included R&B elements in her music. TD should really have an easy listening audience, not the teenybopper audience she had, but for some reason that was just out of grasp. She's got the voice to do so much more than what her albums offer in the end. TD would release another album in 1998 only to fade out of music & into other things including acting. A comeback album would appear in 2008 aptly titled Satisfied & one will be satisfied checking it out ... or, for that matter, any of her albums.

Prepulse ~ Breathing The Clouds (album review) ... The clouds cast Dracula's shadow!

Style: industrial, electronica
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: North Carolina

Band: Elliott Pauli ~ all instruments

Additional: Jesse Cleverly ~ guitar

Listen, 'my angels', are you a 'dollface' 'foxy little lady' standing in 'Dracula's shadow' 'in pyscho love' awaiting 'sexstasy'? If you are ... with this string of song titles I couldn't resist creating ... let me introduce you to the musical world of multi-instrumentalist Elliott Pauli aka Prepulse, & his guitar/keyboards driven emotionally tortured hypnotic industrial meets gothic electronica, so much of it ready to be transformed into a dancefloor mix (for example, "Foxy Little Lady", "The Internal Debate", "In Psycho Love", "Crossing Over"). The first time I heard Prepulse it was on a musicians forum a few years ago. I was intrigued by the music & asked for the album. Listening to it again, a long overdue return, nothing has changed for my ears & the music might be that much more interesting. I listen to hundreds of albums a year for this blog. I look for music that is interesting in some way, interesting both good & bad actually, from wherever it is including indie & mainstream. I just know that unless an album has some good trivia around it then bland mainstream music doesn't get mentioned here. The problem is that a lot of indie bands I review are too interested in sounding like a lot of mainstream bands I've already passed on reviewing. "Here's another struggling indie band" is a less than interesting phrase I gave up writing awhile ago. Is there anyone out there still doing original music? Yes! Prepulse! & thank you, Prepulse, for following your musical gut, more power to you, whatever the response, but from what I see generally positive with radio play. While my earlier description of music might sound cold on paper it's quite far from cold. Prepulse has just the right mix of industrial meets synth-pop with synthesized vocals & distorted guitars, atmospheric keyboards, drums, tingling sounds & at its maddest lurches like a monster slowly & menacingly. Over it all the vocals call out with an array of in character whines & cries & fit perfectly as they're as dynamic as the music & do at times sound like a mad man crying out for something. If there's any weaknesses in the album its that there's too many slower songs. It's a far moodier album that way than one might expect only hearing a few tunes. Some of the slower songs do mix in more vibrant dynamics, but at times they also drag with monotony turning the lurch into a slow walk. It's not bad thse moments, but its the dynamics of fast/slow, angry/loving that really make the album. The theme of the album is the different faces of love, but too many of those faces awash into each other with too much contemplative yearning love & not enough high energy lustful love ... one essentially a climax of the other, oh, but which one?

Exodus ~ Shovel Headed Kill Machine (album review) ... Turn it on & let it go!

Style: thrash
Label: Nuclear Blast
Year: 2005
Home: San Francisco, California

Members: Rob Dukes ~ vocals
Gary Holt, Lee Altus ~ guitars
Jack Gibson ~ bass
Paul Bostaph ~ drums

Some bands are made to head bang to. They're not a good litmus test when it comes to picking apart music & lyrics or discussing musical progressions & exploration. They probably have something to say for the hardcore fan giving them more than a casual listen, but for most of us some bands are just great for turning out some classic 80's thrash metal made to clobber. Their job is to clobber & they do it well. The end. No more need to be said. Exodus is one of these bands. For those unfamiliar with them they're one of the early thrash bands & fathers of the San Francisco thrash metal scene. They should be much bigger than they are, but then came a band named Metallica & clobbered the clobberer. Metallica has since changed the sound of thrash & reached annoying heights of success, while Exodus have kept to the same fierce guitar onslaught as though nothing has changed & have suffered commercially continuously. Exodus was never really forgotten by fans & have inspired many thrash devotees ... but in the mainstream they're just a forgotten band on the timeline. The irony is that their original guitarist, pre-debut album, is future Metallica clobberer Kirk Hammett. Is this Hammett's Megadeth moment against his ex-bandmates? By the time their debut was released, delayed from business trouble, they may have been the father of the scene but Metallica was the untouchable king & that was the end of that. Exodus would go through many line-up changes, including bringing in Testament vocalist Steve Souza & Anthrax drum tech John Tempesta. But, bad production, weak songs, bad reviews, trouble with touring, lots of business problems & everything a band couldn't want meant that by the time of grunge Metallica continued to conquer the world providing a heavy metal alternative to Seattle, while Exodus called it a day in 1992. A decade later the debut album line-up reunited & continued until the founding frontman's death in 2002. The band now fell to one time Hammett dueling guitar partner Gary Holt's desires to keep the band going. He brought together some past members to record Exodus's sixth album. It was an honorable & respected return & one of the better albums of their career. This long overdue Exodus, reunion mach II, was finally putting out the music they should have put out two decades earlier. Exodus wouldn't vanish this time around, though they'd still be plagued by line-up troubles, but at least they could finally let the music speak for itself & their legacy. It's interesting to catch this band on this second coming, or more properly third coming. Their mach II reunion second album Shovel Headed Kill Machine features Holt with a bunch of new faces: new vocalist Rob Dukes, guitarist Lee Altus from thrashers Heathen & drummer Paul Bostaph of Slayer & Testament. This would actually be Bostaph's only album with Exodus. So many bands today have reunited & reinvented themselves with new faces. Many bands have largely improved. They don't sound anything like they once did & its hard to call them the same name, but the music is good. But, Exodus is an interesting odd duck. Here they are now well under way of a second reunion, mostly a new band though these new hats are brought in from the thrash history books so talent & creativity is no problem. But, nothing has changed musically. From the cover art to the sound, maybe the production values are better, but this is as straight forward 80's thrash as it gets. While on one hand this might seem boring, how far has the genre moved musically in the ensuing years, on the other hand the only groups still playing the class thrash sound are second & third generation bands. The original thrash kings have long changed their sound. Metallica doesn't even know what their roots look like, even when they try to look. This is a fascinating step back in time by folks who were there, never had much luck with changing styles so aren't doing it now, for those who want to head bang with abandon in the classic way. It's a good feeling. It's a good & fierce flashback. This album would also set the stage for many great albums to follow. Time travel is possible.

Live ~ Awake: The Best Of Live (hits comp) (album review) ... Your samadhi lives here!

Style: hard rock
Label: Radioactive
Year: 2004
Home: Pennsylvania

Members: Ed Kowalczyk ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Chad Taylor ~ lead Guitar/b. vocals
Patrick Dahlheimer ~ bass
Chad Gracey ~ drums/b. vocals

Additional: Jon Carin, Jerry Harrison ~ keyboards
Michael Railton ~ keyboards/b. vocals
Doug Katsaros ~ string arrangements
Christopher Torn ~ slide guitar
Adam Kowlczyk ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals

It's almost a shame when a band is known for a few MTV hits & that completely overclouds the magic of their music & what they are actually about. It's a shame when they are known for a song that doesn't necessarily reflect their catalog. Though, it happens more often than not. Live is one of these victims in my mind, though victim might be a misnomer. We know "Lightning Crashes" & a handful of other hits of vibrant seductive rhythms, but what can you tell me about the band outside their MTV moments? Do you know they might be one of the most spiritual bands out there, non-Christian rock that is? Fans do, but does anyone else? Lead singer & songwriter Ed Kowalczyk followed a guru for awhile, who supposedly helped craft their album Secret Samadhi, only to rebel when his daughter was born & make the response into a successful Dear John f-off album. Don't ask devotees what they really think of Kowalczyk ... smiling official responses even remain somewhat numb outside of declaring Kowalczyk's blindness to reality, as they tip-toe around their own issues ... & lack of some nice promotion from a mainstream rich figure ... & millions of people sing along to Kowalczyk's pain & delusions. If you don't believe me than ask yourself about these lines from "Heaven": "Get back your faith again. Another dissident, take back your evidence, it has no power to deceive. I believe it when I see it for myself. I don't need no one to tell me about Heaven. I look at my daughter to believe." Kowalcyzk never drops names, so I'm being nice too by not either ... having actually also followed that same guru & left, though for different reasons ... to give my own bias upfront, though it doesn't really effect how I hear Live just how I might interpret some lyrics or want to interpret some lyrics. But, name another band who has achieved the success of Live that have such a tidbit in their history? Let alone Live had already crafted their successful debut Mental Jewelry around the respected teachings of Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. But, the secret of Live is that they craft music that is more than just religious & the casual listener might as much think it about surfing or gardening or the Green movement ... certainly its everything but the cliched love rock songs of their peers, while the music is this addictive rhythmic mix that sounds like the waves of the mind the song is describing. It is enchanting, poetic on all levels & at its most creative & experimental wholly spiritually with churning distorted guitars, heavily layered, against orchestrated thick textures & Ed's shouted & whispered tones. Yes, Kowalcyzk does have a message ... but its nice to hear a musician with something interesting to say. Though, George Harrison fans will say different, just my opinion. But, while Live chart new artistic ground they've also struggled like many bands with finding a specific sound that could break through into the charts, gotta make money regardless of whose feet you sit at, & maintain that chart success. It's a battle between some very intense lyrical honesty & trying to sound like themselves yet have success under the shadow of changing musical trends. It's caused them to move through a range of almost psychedelic music to much heavier territories to alt rock. They were in the shadow of grunge but not at all a grunge band, thus finding their footing was always difficult. The resulting catalog, for many, thus has some hurdles, perhaps even more so for the casual listening looking for that "Lightning Crashes" or "Rattlesnake" band. Their greatest hits collection Awake might not be the best album, but it provides a safe entry into the world of Live & hopefully inspires one to travel farther ... which is what a good hits collection is supposed to do, not being a substitute for buying the studio albums that that is what happens for many bands. The asset for Awake, for me, is that it's not actually a true greatest hits album. There's some successful songs & fan favorites left off. Something to get when you later pick up the studio albums, obviously. It sacrifices these hits to cull tracks from their whole career & not just the big albums. Thus, its less a greatest hits & more a whole catalog touch & go overview. So, for me, it provides a better introduction to Live beyond the MTV stigma. If you listen to this & don't like it, stick to the hits as you're not probably going to be a big Live fan. Don't worry about. Enjoy the hits. But, there's nineteen tracks here from their first of six out of so far seven albums ... it's hard not to find something you like. I would encourage fans to go beyond the MTV Live for some interesting musical diversions. Certainly, Live is one of the more fascinating bands out there, regardless of how brief their actual time in the spotlight was. Though, if you're wondering where they are today ... they continue to perform though haven't put out a new album in a couple years. Though, Ed left in 2009 to pursue a solo career that has focused on the world of online only releases. As for any in that particular religious group that don't like my description ... not being a part of the group I'm not required to tote the party line, so my description is both how I interpret the situation ... if you don't like how people perceive you, well ... send me a rock album by someone in your group & I'll review it. Actually, I think I did with Swaybone a long time ago on this blog.

Winger ~ Winger (aka debut) ... Buckle up, this is your captain speaking!

Style: hard rock, hair metal
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1988
Home: New York City

Members: Kip Winger ~ lead vocals/bass/string arrangements
Reb Beach ~ guitars/b. vocals
Rod Morgenstein ~ drums/b. vocals
Paul Taylor ~ keyboards/rhythm guitar/b. vocals

Additional: Beau Hill, Ira McLaughlin ~ b. vocals
Sandra Park, Rebecca Young, Hae Young Ham, Maria Kitsopoulos ~ strings

Guest: Dweezil Zappa ~ guitar solos

I've enjoyed guitarist Reb Beach when I heard him before so I decided to go back & listen to his breakthrough early days with New York City's own Winger. Winger is, obviously, essentially focused on frontman Kip Winger .... deja vu of Dokken here. The difference is I prefer Kip's singing over Don's ... though both are of the mold of cliched 80's tenor singing/hollering that may not have aged that well, but I just enjoy Kip's tonal quality better. But, then there's the lyrics. I'm not a fan of Don Dokken's & these aren't really that much better. There really is only so many songs you can write about how you're hungry for some chick's love & how you can't go on without her & the 80's weren't always a good time for anything but cliched love songs. Were these guys writing these lyrics because they had nothing else to say or that they didn't think folks wanted any other topic, or that chick cherry pie songs got on the radio faster? It makes a great voice excruciating painful after awhile to hear such blather. But, at least there's some good sing along choruses with Winger. Just avoid power ballads "Waiting For A Heartbreak" & "Without the Night", though the former does have some good guitar solos but drags horribly. When all your songs are about chicks & then you write a power ballad about chicks the variation on a theme doesn't go that far. Same song just played slower & not necessarily better or more interesting because it is slower ... or more importantly, at the time they might have sounded good but the power ballad doesn't always age well. I'm glad the obligatory power ballad is no longer obligatory. Forcing the emotions might still happen but getting rid of this one track is one step back to real emotions. It's hard to say if the lyrics you'll remember from this debut album by Winger but I'm sure the guitar you will, so let me return to the reason I'm writing. Not enjoying Don Dokken I always turn my ear to guitarist George Lynch. Not being big on Kip Winger's words I turn to the band behind him & what a band. Obviously Beach on guitar, but he's got some good bandmates, together turning in a very heavy sound, almost too heavy at times for the pop lyrics they're being handed. Or, maybe I should say I'm more reminded of some of Y&T than typical 80's hair metal of the era. But, this is New York City glam rock, the Skid Row variety, no the Poison variety. The coasts are different. One of them doesn't wear make-up & is copying from Twisted Sister, the other is copying from Hanoi Rocks. I prefer New York City. There's a gristle to the riffs, let alone super technically challenging which I've continued to see in Beach when he lets it all out & decides to break the mold. Ironically, Beach was a successor to Lynch in Dokken, the one post Lynch album I like by them. While these are your straight forward 80's glam rock songs the guitars are swinging out something with more feeling & a harder deeper sound. It's quite shocking. Yes, you can almost visualize the band in your mind with big hair & leather pants & you would probably be right. But, go back & ignore the obvious moments of the era, ignore the lyrics & go for the guitars. Trust me you'll like them. There's something really good here & it has never gotten the accolades it deserves. As starters check out their cover of "Purple Haze". Not so bad ... if you picture Van Halen doing it, because it certainly doesn't sound like Hendrix ... & seeing how many times this song gets covered I'm happy to hear Beach's great playing over a powerful funky rhythm & even some good singing ... oh, & Dweezil Zappa shows up to trade solos in this one too & you may not have heard a dueling guitar "Purple Haze" before. This particular line-up would make a second album before Winger became a trio for a third album only to die by the hand of grunge soon after. Beach went on to play in other bands, currently Whitesnake, Kip Winger went solo & the other guys returned to the world of session playing. They'd reunite for a couple great albums. Okay, okay, Kip Winger often gets a bad wrap, so I have to give him some kudos having said I didn't care for his lyrics. Not too many lead singers were out there who were also bassists. It definitely makes him more interesting to watch.

Satyricon ~ Now, Diabolical (album review) ... Lucifer walks the earth!

Style: black metal, death metal
Label: Roadrunner
Year: 2006
Home: Oslo, Norway

Members: Satyr ~ vocals/guitar/keyboards/special effects
Frost ~ drums

Additional: Lars K. Norberg ~ bass
John Woz ~ b. vocals
Oivind Westby ~ horn arrangements
Erik Ljunggren ~ special effects

Whatever some people may think, I'm not really a fan of double bass drumming, two note guitar playing, growled vocal black/death metal onslaughts. I appreciate it when its great (i.e. shows some creativity beyond the Mayhem template), avoid it as nauseatingly predictable when its not. But, every so often a black metal band comes may way that makes my head spin ... in a good way & suddenly I can't wait to listen to some wonderful metal. Sadistik Exekution, Nunslaughter, The Kalling, The Militants & Elvira Madigan are my top favorites in the blackest genre of genres, though all are more obscure than not but each have great signs of creativity. Another band I actually saw as an opening act for Cradle Of Filth & they were the highlight of the night ... so much so that I didn't stay for Cradle's encore but when the opener returned a year later for their first U.S. headlining tour I was there with a friend. The secret was in their un-stereotypical short haired fist pumping, & very good looking which not a asset for a lot of metal, lead singer Satyr. The band being Satyricon. Their earlier albums don't get my ears tingling as much, being more traditional black metal, but their last two (The Age Of Nero & Now, Diabolical) are delightful. They are a little less raw than what came before yet still super intense black metal that for me shows the best of the genre. The growing fanbase echoes my thoughts. Further, some of the songs are quite memorable ... another non-given for black metal. Some fans may decry the fact that Sayricon has shed some of the harsher roots for a more experimental sound at times, but that's normal for any band with a long history & the genre is not dominating by Mayhem or Burzum anymore. Times change. My preference of their newer albums is for Now, Diabolical, as while The Age Of Nero may have the great "Die By My Hand" I find much of the album repetitive & that's the only song I really remember ... compared to Now, Diabolical which gets me singing along. Satyricon is a black metal band that hasn't played by the template, but broken it numerous times ... particularly in terms of being able to understand the vocals which I greatly appreciate. The title track also has a one of the best sing along choruses probably in black metal, another rarity to the genre being able to sing along, with the two words of the title chanted over & over in ominous delight. It's hard not to raise a fist & chant along. Satyr doesn't sing or scream. He almost talks his way through the songs with a growl & with tight meter in short soundbites (i.e. "Now, Diabolical"). Further, in these later days of Satyricon they're not playing the same hyper-speed torturous riff oriented black metal so many bands seem to want to churn out for already numbed eardrums. There's emphasis on melody that is often lost in the genre. & they make be dark but they don't go too far, too cacophonic into the realm of torturous noise. There's even some instrumental moments to give the music some breathing space (i.e. "The Pentagram Burns", "Delirium"), though without the keyboards that clutter the later The Age Of Nero. In many ways this might be more mainstream sounding than a lot of black metal fans would prefer, but for the rest of us that might be a major selling point. The world may still be angry but its time the music sounds a bit more mature. Many bands have already realized this & begin to fine tune the fierceness & Satyricon is one of them. Though, black metal still has a ways to go before it'll be mainstream, so no one should really worry. It's still a-plenty raw & will always be, that's what keeps it black metal. In the meantime, Satyricon is a band to be inspired by. The secret though is vocalist Satyr. A good songwriter but also a charismatic singer who you really need to just hear ... or see, to fully understand why.

Easter ~ Easter (hits comp) (album review) ... When music was fun!

Style: pop rock, alt rock
Label: Martini Entertainment
Year: n/a
Home: California

Members: Danny Phillips (aka Danny Dean) ~ vocals/guitar
Chad Carrier ~ bass/b. vocals
Korky ~ drums/b. vocals

Additional ~ John Duffy ~ vocals/bass
Ethan James, Jerry Zaremba ~ n/a

Is there such a thing as fun bands anymore? The answer is, appropriately, yes. Though, I don't mean fun as in big hair & wild guitar playing ... I'm thinking something less pretentious & show off-ish ... nor do I mean fun as in Steel Panther over-the-top fun ... which is satirical fun. I mean, sing along pop rock that's a bit retro, a bit commercial, good for the radio whatever the station or audience, good for going down to the local pub to see once a month to drink some beers & do a little dancing to. Maybe a few covers in the set given a modern workout, maybe a hit in their repertoire that saw some MTV or heavy radio play once upon a time, so long ago that the band can barely remember it. A band whose drummer works in the local music store, having dumped college to make it with his band. & maybe even a reggae beat thrown in when the audience really gets wild. You know what I'm talking about? Think one of those little neighborhood bands that seem to be everywhere & play all the time & you wonder why you'd want to see them until you find yourself stumbling upon one of their shows & having a good time singing & dancing along ... & buying their homespun CD with the MTV hit on it. Easter was one of these bands, or at least they musically feel that way in retrospect. Their song "Manhattan Boy", even though their a California band but this might be a Manhattan Beach in reference, found some West Coast college radio play back in 1988 & some MTV play alongside "Lights Out." They do the obligatory cover in "Latest Flame", a wonderful Elvis tune by Doc Pomus more bands should cover. They've got the backing vocals happening to some fun lyrics about girls, boys & lands far away where there are more girls. The members have gone on to other numerous other bands of various styles & flavors, but still fondly remember those young naive Easter days where the music was a mix of Duran Duran sans the keyboards & retro surf echo-laced guitar solos ... & they called themselves punk & dressed the part, but the music is really far too tame & fun. This album brings together ten fun songs recorded in the late 80's before the band's break-up in 1990, plus four mixes of "Manhattan Boy" found on the original 12" single. Easter existed from 1984 to 1990 & their resume includes opening for Concrete Blonde, L.A. Guns, Wall of Voodoo & Sparks, & occasionally reuniting for a random show. Chad Carrier has since gone on to rockabilly/surf retro group Big Mess & the Celtic Shillahy Brothers, while Danny Phillips keeps the rockabilly/Cliff Richards guitar world alive & energized as the out of time Danny Dean & the Homewreckers. As for drummer Korky ... he's out there somewhere.

Billy Joel ~ 12 Gardens Live (Live) (album review) ... From the Garden of Eden came a world!

Style: classic rock, pop rock
Label: Columbia
Year: 2006
Home: Long Island, New York

Members: Billy Joel ~ vocals/piano
Chuck Burgi ~ drums
Tommy Byrnes ~ guitar/b. vocals
Richie Cannata ~ sax
Carl Fischer ~ trombone/trumpet
Mark Rivera ~ flute/guitar/keyboards/sax/b. vocals
David Rosenthal ~ keyboards/b. vocals
Crystal Taliefero ~ guitar/saxophone/percussion/b. vocals

I've been a BJ fan for as long as I can remember ... considering hearing a BJ song is the earliest song I can remember, that's a few decades now. I'd heard music before, particularly live at my dad's annual company picnic with the Maine folk band Schooner Fare, but it wasn't until hearing BJ on tv that 'oh, this is not talking but something different' hit me. So, he has a special place for me. Yes, I was quite sad he decided to retire & I didn't like his classical album. Yes, I did like his Storm Front & River Of Dreams later stuff ... I have both of them memorized & know them far better than the early stuff. I'm sadly not the fan today that I once was, but that's life. BJ hasn't done that many live albums, compared to let's say the Rolling Stones. Actually, only two of them until after his quasi-retirement when three came out. & none are from the 70's of early concerts, so it's a very lop-sided live album discography. Those two live albums are 1981 & 1987 & enough of a change had happened in BJ's career & sound that they are very different affairs, while the next wouldn't come until 2000. The first live album, Songs In The Attic, is really good, but it's has a limited selection of songs, obviously as he really hadn't broken through yet so it has a different set list than many might expect, & fans not familiar with BJ's career might be disappointed as it might be too classic for their tastes ... but it's still a good album with a great "Miami 2017". The next is his Konsert done in the U.S.S.R. This event was a big one, maybe more than what can be encapsulated on a CD, so it there's a sense of anti-climax. Actually, I looked for this album for a long time when I was young as I wanted to hear it. It comes at the end of a string of great albums & is thus more a hits collection than Songs In The Attic & for the casual fan, which I still was, introduced some other songs I didn't know. But, I've been told find the video for a more entertaining experience ... I don't know & I think it's pretty good. Certainly, these two albums together form a nice round picture of BJ then & now. Then comes BJ's post retirement live albums in 2000, 2006 & 2011. These don't really show his career in progress as the others do, since he's stopped making new albums & changing his sound to be recorded for posterity. Thus, it's almost a toss-up on which to choose. If anything they all suffer from the Konsert dilemma - they all celebrate a moment that can't really be preserved audio only: the millennium, three nights at Madison Square Garden & the closing of Shea Stadium. But, the problem is that BJ doesn't change his live sound much. Once you've heard him live, starting with the early 80's, you've basically heard him. He does the songs by the book, or by the album, with a full band, not taking any changes or really messing with the arrangements too much beyond reason. He chit-chats occasionally between songs in his homespun manner like he's still the barman from Long Island, though not as much here as I expected unless its been cropped for time. There's nothing really special in a BJ live show other than just great songs & hearing the man himself a little bit more relaxed than in the studio ... & yes, he is relaxed on stage & the songs feel looser. Today his voice has changed & in response he likes to over-emphasize words. He's lost some range but is trying to make it up as much as possible by controlling his voice with more nuance & not letting it control him. Some bands are so different on stage, like the Doors or Grateful Dead, that fans have to collect live albums in order to even get close to the band's essence. Not so with BJ. It's just adding to the enjoyment, not necessarily the experience. Maybe in the 70's, but not so much now. If there's a value in buying a live album at all, this is a good one to choose of the later trilogy as he's in fine form having fun & putting a lot of energy out there like his life depends on it ... maybe it does on some level as he's got to prove he's still got it. Also, over two CDs the song selection is wonderful. It includes mostly the classics with only seven songs post 1986. In a way this is too bad as it sends a bad message about those years & they deserve a second listen ... but, fans want the early stuff that they know the lyrics too. I just like singing along with "The Great Wall Of China", that's all. He's thrown in his standards but also a few of the lesser known tunes such as my favorite "Laura" & "Vienna", so this is an incredibly good introduction to the career of the piano man. Listen to this & you'll get a feel for the songs & if you don't already have other albums by him it's a safe bet you'll enjoy them. Though, be warned. All the songs have a similar feeling here due to having one band, but over his career he went through a lot of musical changes ... but where to go is for later blogs. My only musical qualm is its not the best produced putting more emphasis on voice & piano than the full band, which is sad as the combined resume of his band pretty much reaches from Mellencamp to Rainbow to Lita Ford & everyone in between.

Jorn ~ Dio (album review) ... Doing Ronnie proud!

Style: tribute, hard rock, classic rock, heavy metal
Label: Frontiers
Year: 2010
Home: Norway

Members: Jorn Lande ~ vocals/10 string bass
Tor Erik Myhre, Tore Moren, Jörn Viggo Lofstad, Igor Gianola ~ guitars
Ronny Tegner, Tommy Hansen ~ keyboards
Espen Mjøen, Steinar Krokmo, Nick Angileri ~ bass
Stian Kristoffersen, Willy Bendiksen ~ drums

There is no denying the influence of late frontman Ronnie James Dio from Elf to Rainbow to Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell to his own group Dio. His voice, ubiquitous hand gestures, his elfish yet powerful stature & his songwriting has contributed much to heavy metal over the past decades. Where his legacy will go in the future is unknown, as really his influence is based on himself & not an array of songs like Lennon/McCartney. Consider that Dio only had a few certified hits early in its career; while RJD's time in Black Sabbath had its shares of musical stumbles even if many fans prefer him over Ozzy; few go around singing Rainbow songs, which is often just as much about guitarist Richie Blackmore than it is RJD; & as for Elf or Heaven & Hell ...? How will we remember RJD? The future it almost doesn't matter as right now RJD is the great icon whose voice can send shivers down your spine. Some of his ex-Dio bandmates have even toured as Dio's Disciples performing his songs & supposedly some unfinished material was handed over to the band by his widow. Books have been written & more are on the way. Right now, that's not a problem. Right now, there can not be enough tribute to the late singer. He deserves the honors. Thankfully, he got many in his lifetime. He died knowing where he stood in the metal pantheon. While the future may not necessarily dwell on him as we do now, it is only the fault of hindsight for we can still see the beginning of heavy metal not so many decades ago & that its just as much the personalities as anything else that has created the world & sound of metal. Where RJD might have lacked a hit he made up for it with an epic, literally, writing style that helped inspire many others that would have hits. He gave to heavy metal something that went beyond just some good songs - he gave a vision ... he also gave us the devil sign, regardless of what Gene Simmons claims. Everyone has to invent something ... yet RJD still gave the claim to his grandmother ... so there, Gene. Actually, my Italian father-in-law likes to do it to the tv so the football team he doesn't like will lose. I don't know if its works. Metal singer Jorn Lande, going simply by Jorn in his solo career, has done something many musicians might not dare to do - he released a tribute album covering RJD's songs. Who would have the courage to step into RJD's shoes, particularly so soon after his death? More importantly, who would dare? The irony is that the album was under construction before RJD's death, it became a tribute to the deceased by accident not intention. But, regardless of timing, who would think they could give justice to RJD's voice & an attempt a whole album to prove their skill? Well, Jorn is a pretty talented & experienced guy who can handle everything from blues to metal to pop. More importantly, he knows he's not RJD & he knows what he can do & shouldn't do & what he can do. This translates into not imitating RJD but trying to instead find the soul of RJD. & he indeed finds that soul & creates a pot of gold & a worthy tribute. Dio collects together the Dio songs: "Invisible", "Shame On The Night", "Push" "Stand Up & Shout", "Lord Of The Last Day", "Night People", "Sacred Heart", "Sunset Superman", "Lonely Is The Word - Letters From Earth", "Straight Through The Heart", "Kill The King" & "Don't Talk To Strangers" plus Jorn's original composition "Song For Ronnie James". Yes, one will notice my earlier thesis in play here - not a lot of hits that people may immediately know. Jorn has actually deliberately aimed for a collection that goes for the lesser known parts of RJD's pen & not the big hits. It would be nice to hear "Holy Diver", but its covered by every metal band in every rehearsal studio every where - I speak from experience playing the song in bands. Choosing lesser known songs might take some pressure off of Jorn's shoulders. We may not recognize the Black Sabbath song "Night People" so we don't critique it as harshly. On the other hand, we're liable to realize that RJD was more than just the hits. The hits were a side-effects of a very full career & have more to do with marketing than RJD's creativity. But, even if we choose to critique Dio harshly, Jorn has created a fine tribute that feels like RJD. It doesn't necessarily sound like him, he doesn't have RJD's vocals, but Jorn doesn't sound like he's overly straining to sound like someone's he's not. He's just having a good time. & one gets the feeling that RJD would approve of the effort ... maybe even go "I like those songs ... oh wait, they're mine!"

Dokken ~ Hell To Pay (album review) ... Time to pay your debt!

Style: hard rock
Label: Sanctuary
Year: 2004
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Don Dokken ~ vocals
Jon Levin ~ guitars
Barry Sparks ~ bass
Mick Brown ~ drums

I have trouble calling this the most interesting Dokken album, but ... It doesn't have the 80's hard rock sound of the band's early albums as it goes for something more modern - that's a good thing. The early albums may have the hits & some great guitar work, but they also can be a bit too polished & typical of the era for me & end up sounding more normal than unique - that's not a good thing. This album is missing George Lynch & replacement Reb Beach & while the new guitarist is good I don't get interested in the same way - not so good. & the loss of bassist Jeff Pilson is sorely missed - also not good. I've always turned to Dokken for the guitar playing, not the songs or singing. Vocalist Don Dokken doesn't interest me as a songwriter & these songs continue to be lacking in memorable qualities. Just more throwaway hard rockers for the concert experience. Just another album for the pile - ouch, not good. While, his singing on so many albums is good but not unique or in the mold of singers I prefer & he might be the reason I've never been a fan. But, all that being said, more bad than good I know, I realize Hell To Pay does have something that makes it recommendable, much to my surprise - it really shows off Don Dokken's singing. Of course, he's always been the focus of the band, obviously, but with George Lynch's amazing playing behind him it was not so much Dokken but Dokken with George Lynch. You heard the singing but you were listening to the guitars. Now it's all Don Dokken in the spotlight & for once you have to listen. It doesn't help that the material isn't always strong you often wander, by default, to his voice. His voice has changed a lot over the years, its mellowed & deepened. I shockingly found it far more enjoyable on this later release than the early albums. So, while it may not be the most interesting Dokken album, I may have found an album to recommend for those interested in Don Dokken ... however odd this may sound. Here his voice is superb & enjoyable & its nuances clear, even if it's not the most distinctive in the rock pantheon ... we can't all be Jon Anderson. Actually, he reminds me a lot of Joe Lynn Turner. It's not a voice you grab when you want unique, its a voice you grab when you want control & quality & just a good warmness. I just prefer Alice Cooper. while I said the songwriting & material is weak, there are a few good songs. Check out "Escape" with its moody rhythm line & "Haunted", "I Surrender" "Better Off Before" are good, saved by Pilson-esque basslines. There's tracks folks will find to enjoy, but compared to other bands or other Dokken albums, not necessarily memorable or rising to the top of the heap. Avoid the sloppy acoustic power ballad "Care For You", unless you like your hard rock Kenny G'd, which also has an "unplugged" version included for no real added value.

Die Krupps ~ III: Odyssey Of The Mind (album review) ... Music for your mind, body & soul!

Style: electronica, industrial, body rock
Label: Cleopatra
Year: 1995
Home: Germany
 
Members: Jurgen Engler ~ vocals/guitar/keyboards/percussion
Lee Altus ~ guitar
Ralf Dorper ~ sampling
Christopher Lietz ~ drum programming
Rudiger Esch ~ bass

DK have become known by many for its dark industrial meets electronica tribute to Metallica that gives the band an amazing facelift, even if at times the electronica bubbling & vocals gets a bit annoying. Personally, I find more interesting when DK gets out of tribute mode & do their own music ... though, ironically, on III: Odyssey Of The Mind it sounds like Metallica gone industrial. Lou Reed was a poor choice of collaborator. This album brings out the guitars & drums much harder than before, becoming more of an industrial outing than pure cold electronica that DK had fashioned before & largely built their early reputation on. It was their Metallica tribute that introduced guitars & their name to a metal audience & now it's continued all the way. Though, this is still an electronica band with bubbly sounds & a looping mentality, but because they've honed in on Metallica & not another industrial band as their template it sounds interesting in a way later similar industrial & sampling groups don't. It's not necessarily breaking any boundaries musically. While later albums would lose the Metallica & be more mainstream industrial with sound effects, with the songs losing much of their memorable features but sounding great next to The Prodigy. For those that only know DK through their Metallica tribute this album might be a shocking one to hear as its very different. But, between the two albums one gets a great holistic view of DK & this is the best of their later more industrial sound. DK is known for being an innovator in the genre of body music in the European rock scene, styled with dense synth electronica & harsh vocals.

Guns N' Roses ~ GN'R Lies (album review) ... Not your typical fake news!

Style: hard rock, glam metal
Label: Geffen
Year: 1988
Home: Los Angeles, California

Members: Axl Rose ~ vocals/percussion
Slash ~ guitar/b. vocals
Izzy Stradlin ~ guitar/percussion/b. vocals
Duff McKagan ~ guitar/bass/b. vocals
Steven Adler ~ drums/b. vocals

Additional: West Arkeen, Rick Richards, Howard Teman ~ percussion

This is an odd little album. Any other band having reached GNR's stature probably would not have put this out ... or at least not for many years & albums into their career, or at least not in this form. Basically, it's two albums & instead of releasing an EP or two, which is what another band would probably do, they just gave the world everything - the good, the bad & the ugly ... or the uncomfortable. The first half is early live tracks ("Reckless Life", "Nice Boys," "Move To The City", "Mama Kin") & the second half is new acoustic songs. It could be two sides to the same coin, but the contrast is far too awkward. First, the live tracks ... previously released on their out of print debut EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide & actually studio tracks with an overdubbed audience ... belays very very little of the majestic world conquering masterpieces GNR would later produce, let alone any clue that this pub band would be anything other than a crunchy L.A. glam band with a whiny Ratt-esque singer. It's almost impossible to hear the GNR we know in these early tracks. I guess looks can be deceiving. Yes, there's some lyrical similarities with Welcome To The Jungle & there's a few guitar moments in "Move To The City" that sound familiar, but its high energy but fairly vacuous music on the whole that needs a whole bunch of polishing. The boys have the pieces, they know how to craft melody lines that are memorable, but need some help to make it shine beyond what every other band sounds like. Even their take on Aerosmith's "Mama Kin" isn't anything worth much attention. It's obviously borrowing from Aerosmith's drunken days when they could barely perform. Then there's the second part of the album, or the second potential EP, of new songs done acoustically ("Patience", "Used To Love Her", "You're Crazy" & "One In A Million"). A strange follow-up to GNR's breakthrough Welcome To The Jungle, but as that album went so high it almost makes since to come back to earth, put something modest together & just chill until a real masterpiece could be created. You can't top the previous album so why try? Putting out the early live tracks almost says like they don't care, either ... here's some new music now leave us alone. But, while "Patience" lacks the heart stopping rock feel GNR was known for ... I mean, a country blues guitar solo for starters ... might it really be one of their greatest love songs? Some have criticized "Patience" as too emotionally forced & raw, but in hindsight a far different picture comes out. GNR were always emotionally raw ... Axl Rose might hide from society but not lyrically ... but the headbanging of their early days clouded over just how raw they really were. In the future this raw emotional side would come out more often then not - "November Rain" or "Don't Cry" anyone? - while the desire to experiment with acoustic guitars would be seen not just as an attempt to do the obligatory acoustic power ballad, but just a general theme of the GNR composition approach that would go in every direction ... & many years. As for the other three songs, while they might be acoustic these are no power ballads. These are as far from cliché acoustic ballads that every other band was putting out as one could get. While they are as biting as anything else they made & the lyrics are more upfront than ever. I'll confess that my mom liked GNR ... I'm sure many hip moms did. But, with this album they finally heard the lyrics & Axl holds nothing back & got into lots of trouble for it ... the same trouble Eminem would get for saying the same things. As for the criticism ... it's just lyrics folks, get over your issues & what you see, versus what is really there. There's bands out there with far more real venom than Axl. It's like when someone condemns a band for being Satanic as they write Satanic sounding songs but don't actually do anything Satanic & decry Satanism ... while the bands that actually do the Satanic stuff can't get any media attention to save their careers. Some say these lyrics aren't a character but actually Eminem ... I mean, Axl Rose ... but as a writer myself & someone whose followed GNR since the beginning with love & often calling them one of my favorite bands ... there's no such thing as a writer who doesn't put forth some sort of character, & as the world would see there's nothing but a character when it comes to Axl Rose. & as someone whose been in the gay community I don't care about what he sings, so why should you? So, don't words stop you from enjoying the music. Now, if this was Charles Manson I might speak a bit differently about the truthfulness of it all ... As for other songs, I know you've had girlfriends you wanted to kill too but just don't say it out loud. This is an album fans will, of course, pick up. & it's an album others will want ... the cover alone grabs your interest. But, its an interesting album & its more a collector's item in some ways than something that will get regular listens. It might be better if it wasn't for the live tracks, but was just an acoustic EP ... that's what most of us remember from it, I believe, as it is. For some, it takes some time to be anything more than "Patience" with a bunch of others songs & it really should not be seen like that as its so much greater than just that one single. With Axl Rose's modern state of paranoid perfectionism, would he allow this album to be released today with its two contrasting faces? Which side is the true GNR? Is there a true GNR ... was there ever? Does it matter when they've made such great music?