Joe Lynn Turner ~ Slam (album review) ... JLT slams into high gear!

Style: hard rock
Label: MTM
Year: 2001
Home: New Jersey/Japan

Members: Joe Lynn Turner ~ vocals
Akira Kajiyama ~ guitars
Paul Morris ~ keyboards
Eric Czar ~ bass
Kenny Kramme ~ drums

 

 

 

 

 

 

JLT's post-Rainbow career started out a little predictable. His 1985 debut Rescue You with the former keyboardist of Foreigner in tow ... sounded just like Foreigner but JLT in tow. It's follow-up Nothing's Changed would come a decade & about forty guest sessions later as a backing vocalist, along with stints fronting numerous bands including Deep Purple & Rising Force. With guitarist Al Pitrelli regularly by his side playing & composing for a handful of albums JLT would turn out by the book hard rock with Nothing's Changed & The Usual Suspects being prophetic album titles as to what could be expected musically. Solid albums, good playing, a firm grip on the East Coast/New York hard rock sound versus the glam oriented L.A. rock, but nothing particularly exciting or climactic or breaking expectations. Reliable is a key word ... top notch reliable. The session gigs would continue to help pay the bills. Then in 2001 JLT released his seventh album Slam. This would be a turning point in his career with his heaviest album yet. Instead of a large group of rotating musicians which was the normal set-up since his third album, JLT zoomed in on the trio of bassist Eric Carr, keyboardist Paul Morris & drummer Kenny Kramme. In the guitar role would only be Japanese guitarist Akira Kajiyama who had appeared on the previous album & would continue a relationship with JLT. Kajiyama is a very different guitarist than the melodic Pitrelli & the other guest guitarists who had appeared on JLT's albums including Mountain's Leslie West, while taking all the parts challenged the music in ways that just overdubbing a solo or rhythm doesn't. Whether deliberately or not, Kajiyama, also acting as co-composer, would turn this from a JLT vocal album with friends into a guitar album with tons of solos & wild playing. In many ways the album feels like it's Kajiyama's game, not JLT's, but yet there's also this feeling that Kajiyama respects JLT's music & is actually just helping push it into new musical directions, the natural course of any musician's career. JLT comes at the challenging new music, the closest to metal he'd recorded yet, with some amazingly expressive vocals that match the guitar playing par for par. He sounds rejuvenated & renewed, let alone challenging himself vocally with screams & shouts & even different tonal styles (for example, "Deliver Me" & the title track). "Bloodsucker" opens the album which is not just a harsh sounding title to add to the JLT catalog, but recalls Deep Purple with a thriving guitar line. It kicks the album off in high gear & an hour later nothing lets up. As much as the other album titles set the tone Slam does the same. Some songs are a little more traditional JLT but fans won't mind what is a slump for this album but a high gear song for any other album, though the second half the album does begin to run out of creativity & begin to feel imitative of what was already played. That being said, you won't be shutting the album off early though. JLT met Kajiyama years earlier when the guitarist released a Japanese tribute album to Rainbow. Kajiyama would appear on JLT's Under Cover, Vol. 2, Holy Man & Slam & the two would co-release Fire Without Flames with Kajiyama playing all the instruments. He would also tour behind the Hughes Turner Project in 2002 featuring JLT alongside former Deep Purple bassist/singer Glenn Hughes.

One Way Street: A Tribute To Aerosmith (album review) ... Aerosmith should be worried about competition!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, tribute
Label: Shrapnel
Year: 2001
Home: n/a

Members: Joe Lynn Turner, Tim "Ripper" Owens, Jeff Scott Soto, Whitfield Crane, Glenn Hughes, Bobby Kimball, Jack Russell, Doug Pinnick, Robin McAuley, John Corabi, Fee Waybill ~ vocals
Doug Aldrich, Al Pitrelli, Reb Beach, Steve Lukather, Blues Saraceno, Bruce Kulick, Stevie Salas, Craig Goldy, Richie Kotzen, Elliot Easton, Waddy Wachtel ~ guitars
Jeff Pilson, Tony Franklin, Carmine Rojas, Michael Porcaro, Tim Bogert, Jason Scheff, John Alderete, Jimmy Haslip, Marco Mendoza, Jimmy Bain, Phil Sousson ~ bass
Carmine Appice, Eric Singer, Frankie Banali, Pat Torpey, Rick Morotta, Tony Thompson, Aynsley Dunbar, Brian Tichy, Vinnie Colaiuta, Gregg Bissonette, Vinny Appice ~ drums
Derek Sherinian, Paul Taylor ~ keyboards

Additional: David Glen Eisley, Alex Ligertwood ~ b. vocals
Bob Kulick, Bruce Bouillet ~ guitars
Scott Walton ~ keyboards

With guitarist Bob Kulick producing & former Yes member Billy Sherwood doing some engineering, this is an all-star tribute album in every way. As for the musical way ... some tribute albums call upon bands to submit tracks by a particular artist or to submit songs that come under a theme. Other tribute albums, quite often with Kulick in the production chair well by choice or label favorite, take the different & more exciting approach of bringing together musicians & randomly pairing them up to record a single track. The unpredictability factor is exponentially increased, as while we may know how a certain musician, such as a recognizable singer or guitarist, is with a certain backing band or producing their own music, the question now is how are they with musicians they may or may not know, with someone else producing & with someone else's material that may or may not be a good fit? The outcome isn't always pretty, but certainly interesting. In this case the album on the whole has as many highs & lows as any other tribute album - tribute albums generally being like concept albums in that the idea is often better than the uneven output - but at least here you can never predict what will come next & more than once the outcome is shocking & sometimes on par with the original songs. That being said, should a tribute album aim to be better than the originals it is copying or is that even a silly question to ask, let alone egotistical? Or, should it aim for duplication of known songs but with different musicians in an attempt to recreate the original song? Or, should it aim for reinvention of old songs & brave bold new directions? Or, should a musician try to be like who they are copying, dulling down their own style, versus putting their own style on the song molding it to them instead of them to it? It's hard to answer any of these questions. Sometimes a song is copied so well one believes imitation is the best approach, other times reinvention creates startling effects & makes that approach the winner. Should one aim for better? That's probably never the goal, but let's be honest that Marilyn Manson improved upon "Tainted Love" with his own stamp on the Soft Cell electro-pop version, which greatly improved upon the now forgotten disco original. This is certainly a case for reinvention & for remolding the song to one's style. Though, the real answer probably comes down to how good the song is. Did the musicians, whatever their approach, create a good song worthy of a few listens? That's ultimately the goal of music & if achieved then all is well. Sometimes a project like this is laced with the goal of duplication, but here with Kulick there's no such requirement or at least while there is some imitation Kulick is as open to experimentation, making sure only that the style of music remains hard rock or heavy metal. The best songs on this album are those where imitation is second to taking the song as one's own. The differences rate higher than the imitation in this setting ... which, to note, is not always the case with tribute albums where a band that's not very good plays other people's songs not very good. The forgotten early 80's hit, originally recorded by the Joe Perry Project, "Let The Music Do The Talking" features dueling guitars all courtesy of Al Pitrelli of Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Savatage in one of his rare recordings playing slide guitar, with regular musical partner Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow on vocals. JLT is nothing like Aerosmith's Steven Tyler & that might be what makes this a strong track as comes off as a bluesy rock romp far different than it's original. A third guitar even gets overdubbed in one of Al's more under-rated recording moments. A highlight of the album. The obscure "Round & Round" features a thick guitar solo by Reb Beach of Winger & now Whitesnake that's heavier & more technically challenging than Aerosmith have ever been. He is a little experimental like Joe Perry tends to be, but with a more unified sound. Perry often gets lost in the world of overdubs & guitars cascading against each other losing sight of where the solo is going. Beach keeps it in focus & between him & Pitrelli create two standout tracks. Tim "Ripper" Owens puts in some slightly distorted vocals for a raunchy take on that end of the song, but not raunchy in the way Aerosmith is. Eric Singer contributes a strong drum part, but bad mixing sadly put the emphasis on the high-hat when it would be better to hear more low-end. "Cryin" features Jeff Scott Soto who might be the most close in vocal match to Steven Tyler with all the little nuances found in the original vocal line. It's a spooky vocal interpretation & others I've played this track for agree. Move over Steven, we have a successor for your weary voice. Though on guitar it's all the trademark Bob Kulick overindulgent thick guitar rhythms that don't always work well. "Kings & Queens" is completely transformed by Glenn Hughes' tenor vocals that give it almost a Genesis a la Peter Gabriel feeling against Paul Taylor's piano lines & Steve Lukather's restrained guitar. Another must hear. "One Way Street" with vocalist Doug Pinnick, like "Kings & Queens", is given a surprisingly new life & one that is very funky. It sounds nothing like Aerosmith & worth hearing. Non-essential listening includes "Eat The Rich", which is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek song but here done seriously & ends up sounding like an imitation but heavier with bassist Jeff Pilson & current Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich. But, tongue-in-cheek turned into heavy wannabe raunchiness falls on its face for so many reasons. The classic "Rats In The Cellar" sounds like an undistinctive garage band doing a cover in their garage, while "Living On The Edge" is a bit of a psychedelic rock take on a pop song that doesn't go anywhere & probably is another garage band trying to be something they're not. Dream Theater's Derek Sherinian on keyboards does little for the imitative "What It Takes", while under-rated guitarist Blues Saraceno turns in some smooth lines on "Angel" by it's all by the book for the rest of the song. "Lord Of The Thighs" sounds like a wannabe black metal song with vocalist Whitfield Crane, but all is weighed down by the obligatory appearance of producer Kulick's brother Bruce on guitar but his riffs don't match the heaviness that the song is reaching for. In the end this is a better tribute than average. The guitarists & vocalists to no surprise dominate & the Kulick trademark guitar sound is laced all over the place, to its detriment & cluttering. The diversity of old & new, familiar & not so much, songs is a nice bonus. Of note Kulick has also done tributes to Queen, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Cher, Shania Twain, Iron Maiden, Beatles, Christmas & Frank Sinatra. This Aerosmith tribute might be one of his best.

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.

Joe Lynn Turner ~ Rescue You (album review) ... Rescue me from what?

Style: hard rock, AOR
Label: Wounded Bird Records
Year: 1985
Home: New Jersey

Members: Joe Lynn Turner ~ vocals
Al Greenwood ~ keyboards
Bobby Messano ~ guitar/bass/b. vocals
Chuck Burgi ~ drums

 

JLT came out from Rainbow with his first stop his solo debut Rescue You. It had a modest MTV hit with "Endlessly", but not much critical response & wouldn't be given a follow-up until 1995. Though, by then, JLT's prolific work as a session musician would put thirty albums on his resume. By the time of his second solo album he'd built up lots of studio experience with an array of musical styles, had some new writings partners, let alone moved away from the shadow of Rainbow both musically & personally. On Rescue You most of the tracks were co-written by keyboardist Al Greenwood, formerly of Foreigner. The outcome echoes of Foreigner (i.e. "Losing You", "Endlessly") with embarrassing abandon. Part of it is the now dated sounding stabs of keyboards that take prominent ground over the guitars which are lost in the mix at times. It has a very 80's AOR sheen, though considering he'd just worked with guitar demon Ritchie Blackmore it's probably better that he stayed away from guitar heavy music for the moment. Sadly, the album doesn't have a kick. The material sounds too dated & too weak & definitely too repetitious in its feeling & style to ever truly rise. But, JLT shines above it with a great range of vocal nuances. Though, on first listen one is liable not to hear anything but JLT's voice falling into the generic music & not out from under it. Thus, on one hand, this is not the best JLT album to recommend as its not a strong album musically, later albums would often bring in multiple songwriters to their benefit, but his voice is rich & enjoyable once one gets past the 80's sheen. Actually, on the second half of the album it's incredibly nuanced & you can feel him putting his whole body into the notes riding it forward like a boxer. Let alone the man is pitch & tone perfect as always. There's a reason he's a prolific session backing vocalist & its not just due to self-promotion. In many ways I'm reminded of Michael Bolton's first few albums, when he was still a guitar playing rocker. He sings his heart out but the material just isn't there & too much time spend on radio friendly love ballads. JLT has the same problem. But, this isn't so bad of a first step out into the great solo unknown, though its obvious why it didn't have a bigger impact. JLT fans should pick up this first release if they're at all interested in his career & anyone else probably won't regret it too much. Anyways, it is Al Greenwood of ... Foreigner, not just any old keyboardist.

Kathy Troccoli ~ Pure Attraction (album review) ... Everything changes!

Style: Christian, pop
Label: Reunion Records
Year: 1991
Home: n/a

Members: Kathy Troccoli ~ vocals
Rich Tancredi ~ keyboards
Joe Franco ~ drums
Mark Russell ~ bass
Richie Cannata ~ saxophone
Al Pitrelli, Bob Cadway ~ guitar
Jim Hobson ~ drum programming
Tony Harnell, Joe Lynn Turner, Billy T. Scott, Brenda White King, Mary Davis, Tina Stanford ~ b. vocals

This is commercial pop rock with a real sense of passion, something missing from so many of KT's peers. It's a vocal album with a backbeat that pushes one to not so much dance but instead sing along with as much emotion as possible. It‘s easy to forget that rock can really be this tender. It doesn‘t hurt to have Diane Warren‘s always beautiful pen in the mix. Yes, it's by a renown Christian artist. But, KT is not singing Jesus this & Jesus that, or campfire church songs, which is how a lot of people mistakenly label Christian music, alienating themselves with stereotypes from great music. These are songs of passion, life & the heart. KT calls them Christian songs. Other bands might just call them love ballads ... KT is no more religious than Metallica in the end. As it is, a few songs are penned by the non-Christian artist Warren, who should be as iconized as much as Bernie Taupin or Jim Steinman having written chart-topping ballads recorded by Cher (i.e. "If I Could turn Back Time", "Just Like Jesse James"), Milli Vanilli (i.e. "Blame It On The Rain"), Aerosmith (i.e. "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"), Michael Bolton (i.e. "How Can We Be Lovers"), Meat Loaf (i.e. "I'd Lie For You (& That's The Truth)"), Bad English (i.e. "When I See You Smile"), to name only a few. Right there one knows the material is strong, while KT's own pen brings out equal delight. With her strong voice, different than many female singers with a more husky tone that's often been criticized or equated to jazz not pop, the weaknesses of the album are risen over. Yes, there is a weakness in the album, but its one obvious only through hindsight, as at the time the album was considered her strongest. The music is flooded with a now dated Michael Bolton-esque reliance on synthesizers. Though, ironically, of note on the recording is Twisted Sister drummer Joe Franco, Megadeth guitarist Al Pitrelli & Shakira bassist Mark Russell, all who would soon join Dee Snider for two albums in the hard rocking Widowmaker, plus Beach Boys sax player Richie Cannato & backing vocalists Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow & Tony Harnell of TNT. The troupe was led by producer Ric Wake & award-winning keyboardist Rich Tandredi, who helmed the same group, san Pitrelli, in crafting "Tell It To My Heart" for Taylor Dayne. It's no accident that the successful Dayne session group was recruited by KT. She was a backing vocalist on the album. Wake & company would appear on numerous albums throughout 1990 & 1991. Their inclusions would always be the only rock moments in heavily synthesized albums, making it a bit odd that the synthesizer would play such a prominent part here where they'd finally get a chance to do more than a track or two. Pitrelli gets a two bar solo in one song that's nearly lost & plays some rhythms tucked in the mix. The real highlight is Franco who drives the album with a strong beat, far more enjoyable than the electronic drums chosen by so many of KT's peers at this time. For those not familiar with Troccoli besides being a musician she's also an author & lecturer. She also auditioned for the role of Eva Peron for the film version of Broadway’s Evita. She was obviously beaten by Madonna, but not before three call-back auditions. Pure Attraction was Troccoli’s first album to wield a mainstream chart hit with the single "Everything Changes", peaking at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, & marking a comeback after five years out of music.

Lita Ford ~ Dangerous Curves (album review) ... With wicked bad guitars!

Style: hard rock
Label: Spitfire Records
Year: 1991
Home: Carribean Islands

Members: Lita Ford ~ vocals/guitar
Joe Taylor ~ guitar
Matt Bissonette ~ bass
David Ezrin ~ keyboards
Myron Grombacher ~ drums
Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, Debby Holiday, Michael Caruso, AnneMarie Hunter ~ b. vocals

Additional: Chili Dog, Small Fry ~ barking

Guest: Howard Leese ~ guitar

Dangerous Curves opens with Lita Ford saying over some grinding guitars "can you turn it up a little louder please?" which sets the scene as this is the hardest rocking album of her 80/90's output by far. Heavy on by-the-mold anthemic hard rock with big guitars & punchy lyrics. No "Close Your Eyes Forever" ballads here. Even Heart founding member Howard Leese stops by to lay some guitar licks on the single "Shot Of Poison". It's interesting hearing Ford in such a heavy context as she always looked the part but her albums were a bit on the light weight side. But the trade up is that earlier featured more memorable songs as while the guitars are heavy here the lyrics aren't anything that particularly grab the ear. As Ford hasn't staked out a place as a Clapton or Vai or Satriani she needs good lyrics as much as good solos. It reminds one of how she's thought of as a rocker not a guitarist, though it's as the Richie Blackmore-inspired lead guitarist of the Runaways that she became famous. The problem with Ford's career has always been the songwriting. Big ballads & sleazy rockers don't provide a wide enough window to get more than a few workable albums out of. Other music critics have pointed out that she was never really given enough solid material to push her where she could go. I agree & draw a similarity with Elvis's movie career. He had a few shining moments but too much time was spent going in the opposite direction wasting his talents. There are a few standout tracks including "Hellbound Train", "Black Widow" plus the standout ballad "Bad Love" which is one of her best ballads ever. Ford might be able to rock but it's the ballads she always did the best. "Tambourine Dream" ends the album on one of the most interesting songs Ford ever did as it uses acoustic guitars & tambourines under the heavy guitars. Black would follow 4 years later but by then Ford's career was over for the moment until her 2010 comeback. Dangerous Curves also features, for trivia buffs "Little Too Early" which is one of the few compositional credits by guitarist Al Pitrelli of Megadeth/Trans-Siberian Orchestra, co-written with Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow, that he doesn't play on. It's one of two songs on the album not co-written by Ford.

Black Night: Deep Purple Tribute According To New York (album review) ... More like a tribute to New York!

Style: hard rock, tribute, funk
Label: Revolver Music
Year: 1997
Home: New York City

Members: T.M. Stevens ~ bass/lead vocals

Guests: Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Harnell, Cory Glover ~ lead vocals
Simon Gregory ~ guitars/b. vocals
Will Calhoun, Van Romaine ~ drums/b. vocals
Cindy Blackman ~ drums
Ritchie Kotzen ~ lead vocals/guitars
Al Pitrelli, Lars Y. Loudamp, Steve Salas, Vinnie Moore ~ guitars
Bernie Worrell ~ keyboards

I tend to avoid compilations as potential reviews as it will undoubtedly turn into a situation of judging one band against another & if I like one contributing band but not another I'm in an uncomfortable position of comparison ... but, this is an interesting compilation as it's produced by funk bassmaster T.M. Stevens & features only fellow New York musicians ... many of whom aren't household names but whose careers as just illustrious as anyone else ... with the set number of musicians organized so no two songs feature the same line-up though the same musicians are all over the album with T.M. Stevens as the one stable factor & Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun coming in near second. Also, I happen to be a big fan of Richie Blackmore, but who isn't, & of guitarist Al Pitrelli who rips through four tracks. Speaking of Al ... the roster of musicians on this tribute - wow! The list is the best of NYC, though by far not inclusive of all the great talent in the city. It includes alumni/members of Rainbow, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, TNT, Living Colour, UFO, Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, Steve Morse, Poison, Mr. Big & more. & yes, they all live up to their reputations which isn't always the case with tribute albums of this type. Besides rotating through Stevens backing band over the years, many of these musicians have played together in numerous other projects or even been in the same bands. The comradery comes through. There might not be a single real or permanent band on the outing, but the inherent cohesiveness of sounds & styles says differently. So often one-off tribute line-ups like this are created by people who don't each other & the music suffers because no one is on the same page. But, with long shared histories & Stevens keeping a watchful eye on the outcome this compilation does not suffer like most of its stilted 'in it for the money only' label created cousins & easily rises to the top of tribute albums. As for the music itself. This is not Richie Blackmore. No one can copy his style ... if they can even play that fast & nimbly. Though at times some of the guitarists come close in their own individual way, but the point here is obviously not to imitate but pay tribute. There's a big difference that a lot of bands misunderstand when doing covers. Focusing on imitation is where other tribute albums usually fail. The point is also to give the album a New York City edge, which obviously deters some inclinations to imitate. Which, for Stevens, is to funk Deep Purple up. For those that think Deep Purple can't be funked up the results are shocking & ecstatic. Blackmore has always been a very melodic player, avoiding the cliché riffing style, so putting a funk behind his rock rhythms doesn't sound like two strangers coming together. Given Blackmore's diverse inspirations he'd probably approve of the resulting interpretations. Even a reggae-fied "Child In Time" comes across successfully, with the great Bernie Worrell on keys though it migrates into a rock sound. Further, you usually don't get to hear most of these guys ... and girl, laying their stuff over a bed of funk so this is a treat. Upbeat, fun, & it gives an equal balance to funk & rock, more in the sense that the rhythm is funk & the leads are undoubtedly rock. At times it reminds me of Band of Gypsies, Hendrix's funk outfit. Sometimes when you have an album with such a star line-up you aim to listen for a particular musician. Yes, I'll confess I bought this album for Pitrelli, but this is an album where you stop trying to focus in on the details cause the whole thing is an exciting collage of sound ... the way it should be with no superstars just a bunch of good old city boys jammin'. As for is this a particularly NYC sound? Well, what is a NYC sound? I've always seen it as Lou Reed, but heroin isn't mentioned anywhere on the album nor are there any screechy Velvet Underground-like tirades. While it's definitely not the New York Dolls, Twisted Sister, Beastie Boys & there's not a bit of Broadway in sight. So, who really can say. It's definitely not L.A. glam, that's for sure. For the curious, all the hits are here: "Black Night", "Strange Kind Of Woman", "Fireball", "Smoke On The Water", "Child In Time", "Woman From Tokyo", "Space Truckin", "Stormbringer", "Speed King" & "Burn".