The Defiants - The Defiants (Album Review)

April 10, 2016 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock

The Defiants are Bruno Ravel: Danger Danger’s bassist, songwriter and co-founding father; Rob Marcello: longtime Danger Danger guitarist and Paul Laine: onetime lead vocalist for a band called... Danger Danger. So it's no surprise that this looks, smells and tastes a lot like a Danger Danger album. Recent shows in the US confirm that Danger Danger fronted by Ted Poley is still very much a going concern, hence the new moniker for this side project.

Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst - I Feel Like I've Got Snakes In My Head

April 01, 2016 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, Country, Americana

Steven Casper is a new name to Red Guitar Music but his discography goes back a decade so we would seem to be a little late to the party. His latest release ‘Snakes’ was produced by Ira Ingber (Bob Dylan / Van Dyke Parks) in Los Angeles and the mini album / EP does a fine job of showcasing his particular brand of Americana which incorporates influences that range from Classic Rock to Country with a dash of Tex-Mex thrown in for good measure.

Gretchen Peters - The Essential (Album Review)

January 29, 2016 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

We enter 2016 and find Gretchen Peters embarking on a UK tour only a few months after her last visit to the UK where she performed a string of sold out shows. In 2015 the ‘Blackbirds’ album had given Peters her highest chart placing ever in the UK where she has been embraced as both a singer and a songwriter, which has not always been the case for artists in Nashville (Chris Stapleton may have recently changed that way of thinking). To coincide with the tour UK label Proper Records has put together a stunning two disc career retrospective set that will please fans old and new.

Find Me - Dark Angel (Album Review)

November 30, 2015 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Melodic Rock, Classic Rock

This is the second release from Find Me, a project headed up by vocalist Robbie LaBlanc (of Blanc Faces) and Swedish drummer/producer Daniel Flores. The press release boasts that Find Me is ‘another AOR behemoth’ and that Dark Angel is a ‘delightful and massive melodic rock album chock full of mighty AOR anthems’. My heart sinks at the prospect of yet another mechanical album-by-numbers. A cursory listen to the bombastic debut ‘Wings Of Love’ does nothing but add to my fears. I yearn for just a bit of invention, a curveball, something a bit daring from the scene, but I already know that this will be AOR played dead straight. But because I’m such a fabulously even-handed chap and a firm believer in second chances, I do my best not to pre-judge and vow to give Dark Angel the fair hearing it deserves.

T'Pau - Bridge Of Spies Remastered Expanded Edition (Album Review)

November 18, 2015 by David Vousden in Pop, 80s, Album Reviews

From the outside looking in the T'Pau story seems to bear all the hallmarks of an overnight success story. The band formed in Shropshire in the UK in 1986 and by mid 1987 they were signed to a major label and recording their debut album with legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Journey). Despite the power of a major label and an A-list producer twiddling the knobs initially things were a little slow as ‘Heart and Soul’ failed to chart in the UK. The fortunes of the band would change when the single was featured in an ad for Pepe jeans resulting in a huge hit in the USA. A UK re-release would provide the band with their first hit before ‘China in Your Hand’ would spend five weeks at the top of the UK charts. Oddly the success of ‘China’ was not repeated to the same level in America despite it seemingly having all the prerequisite power ballad credentials to be massive.

Oktoba - Smoke Signals (Album Review)

November 15, 2015 by Rich Barnard in Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

Oktoba is the brainchild of Brighton-based singer-songwriter Chris Athorne. His debut EP Tales and Shadows was positively received last year, so Athorne has wasted no time in assembling a good cast of supporting musicians for an album proper, enlisting the manifold talents of Tim Bidwell as producer and engineer. Bidwell, best known for his work with fellow Brightonian Kate Walsh, clearly lavishes wagonfuls of care and attention on his subjects and, as a result, this release sounds fantastic. There’s oodles of space and texture in the arrangements and it’s impeccably recorded and mixed, as you might expect. All this really helps Oktoba stand out among the vast crowd of confessional male songsters vying for our attention.

Glen Hansard - Didn't He Ramble (Album Review)

October 20, 2015 by Rich Barnard in Americana, Singer-Songwriter, Folk

The Frames’ redheaded frontman has come a long way since the world first glimpsed him as a scrawny, fresh-faced guitarist named Outspan in The Commitments film back in 1991. In the same year, Hansard’s real-life group released their Island Records debut and The Frames still remain one of Ireland’s best-loved bands, nearly twenty five years on. He returned to the big screen in 2006, via the nicely understated film Once, which was pretty much built around his music and that of Czech singer songwriter Markéta Irglová. The runaway success of Once, now immortalised (for better or worse) by its conversion to a West End musical, marked the start of Hansard’s transition from cult star to national treasure.

Billy Hector - Old School Thang (Album Review)

October 18, 2015 by David Vousden in Blues

2015 finds New Jersey blues guitarist Billy Hector on top of his game. Hector has been plying his trade since the 70’s and it shows on a fine set that displays his undoubted abilities as a singer-songwriter-guitarist. The Hector story starts in the 70’s in a band called The Shots that became the house band at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, where Springsteen and Southside Johnny started out, before a stint as guitarist for Hot Romance would lead to The Fairlanes and eventually he formed the Billy Hector Band in 1993. Musically Hector had found himself at ease with a range of styles from horn-driven R&B to bluesy rock and all of these influences are still recognisable on ‘Old School Thang’.

Ocean Carolina - Maudlin Days (Album Review)

September 30, 2015 by David Vousden in Americana, Alternative Rock

If you call your album ‘Maudlin Days’ a dictionary would tell us to expect an overly sentimental piece which, if filmed, would result in the cast going through all manner of emotional hell while the dog….well you know what happens to the dog. Luckily ‘Maudlin Days’ doesn’t get too morose and the end result is an album that is emotional and reflective without getting too sentimental as singer-songwriter Michael Simone delves into the reality of relationships in a way that will strike a chord with many listeners.

The Naked Sun -Pickled Hearts EP (Album Review)

September 22, 2015 by David Vousden in Alt-Country, Americana, Alternative Rock

The Naked Sun hail from Philadelphia, PA and deliver a brand of Indie roots rock they have tagged ‘Honest Rock’ which should appeal to fans of the genre that like their music to be heartfelt, real and raw. The band took their name from the Isaac Asimov novel that deals with the weighty issues of how we look at the environment we live in and how we interact with our neighbours, government and society in general. The Naked Sun live up to the Asimov connection with music that is always interesting, challenging and lyrically open to interpretation.

The Wooden Sky - Let's Be Ready (Album Review)

September 14, 2015 by Rich Barnard in Alternative Rock

There’s so much good music coming out of Canada at the moment I’m starting to think there’s something in the maple syrup and the latest release from The Wooden Sky adds considerable weight to this waffle-based theory. Let’s Be Ready is the fourth album from the Toronto-based group and it signals a shift: it’s goodbye acoustic control and hello electric chaos. The band wear this more raucous sound well and existing fans shouldn’t be too thrown, as in all other respects they are still recognisable.

Jack Tempchin - Learning To Dance (Album Review)

August 27, 2015 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, Country, Pop

Veteran singer-songwriter Jack Tempchin will forever be linked to Eagles and his composition ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ which was instrumental in launching the early 70’s country rock movement into the mainstream. Tempchin continued to work with Eagles over the years on such classic tunes as ‘Already Gone’ and enjoyed continued success in collaboration with Glenn Frey when Frey embarked on his successful solo career. Tempchin has continued to work with Eagles and has credits on 'Hell Freezes Over' and 'Long Road Out Of Eden'.

Kamchatka - Long Road Made Of Gold (Album Review)

July 30, 2015 by David Vousden in Blues, Classic Rock, Rock

Some albums are immediate while others take a little longer to work their way into your subconscious. Blues rockers Kamchatka fell into the later category as, on first listen, I enjoyed ‘Long Road Made Of Gold’ but it was in a pile of stuff (If you can have such a thing as a digital pile) that was competing for my attention. I’ve learnt over the years that the immediate album can burn out and fade away very quickly while the slow grower can stay with you for many years. This may well turn out to be the case as I find myself returning to the album on a regular basis, hence this belated review

All Day Sucker - Denim Days (Album Review)

June 04, 2015 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

As I type it’s a pretty typical day here in the UK. In other words it’s dark, dank and raining but luckily I have the All Day Sucker CD to brighten my mood and transport me to sunny California. This is a very fine record, a near perfect mix of classic pop, soul and funk with harmonies that would grace a Jellyfish or Beach Boys album.

Trixter - Human Era (Album Review)

May 26, 2015 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock, Rock

Back in the 90s, Trixter were very much the babies of the American hair metal scene. The bandmates came together in their teens and were signed to MCA well before their average age hit twenty. Their 1990 debut was hit-filled, smooth, radio-friendly hard rock and the 1992 follow-up Hear! maintained that sound, albeit with a dirtier edge. Stylistically, Human Era is more of the latter but fans will be pleased to know that it is a much more focussed effort than the somewhat scrappy New Audio Machine, their big comeback album from 2012.

RGM Review Round-up May 2015

May 14, 2015 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Singer-Songwriter, Soul

Over the last few months Red Guitar Music has received a plethora of releases that we have been unable to give a full review due to the fact that there are only 24 hours in the day. With this in mind we thought an occasional round up of a few quality releases that you might have missed would be in order. So without further delay here are album reviews for Peter Blachley, Pi Jacobs and Brian Ashley Jones.

Nelson - Peace Out (Album Review)

May 03, 2015 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock

In 1990 Nelson released their debut album After The Rain. They were an international MTV sensation, scoring the number one hit ‘Can’t Live Without Your Love & Affection’ and a string of other worthy singles. For many rock fans (though few would admit it) the melodic lead guitar work, slick arrangements and trademark harmony lead vocals were completely irresistible. For a lot of others, Nelson symbolised everything that was wrong with the crowded hair metal scene. Pointy guitars, white teeth and dry ice-filled music videos had all had their day and the tide was to turn quickly against anyone even half as groomed as a band like Nelson.

Fuzzbee - Dreams And Other Living Things (Album Review)

February 20, 2015 by David Vousden in Blues, Classic Rock, Instrumental, Rock, Soul

One from a number of unexpected pleasant surprises that recently arrived at Red Guitar Music is the first solo album from Fuzzbee Morse a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, producer, raconteur and film/TV composer. Fuzzbee has worked with many of the best in the business including Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Bono, Pink, Ric Ocasek (The Cars) and Frank Zappa. I should add that his quite stunning band on this album features Jerry Marotta (Orleans / Peter Gabriel / Indigo Girls) on drums, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel / King Crimson) on bass and David Sancious (Sting / Peter Gabriel / Bruce Springsteen) on keys. The sort of players that can afford to be very picky regarding the work they undertake.

David Bronson - Questions (Album Review)

January 21, 2015 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, Pop, Soul

If you were David Bronson and had poured a decade of your life into the release of an album ‘The Long Lost Story’ then a step back, and a good think on what you might like to do next, might be required. This time out Bronson wanted a more soulful approach and with the classic David Bowie album ‘Young Americans’ forming a musical inspiration hooked up with famed producer Godfrey Diamond (Lou Reed), a man with one hell of an address book, and the result is ‘Questions’ an album that embraces his 70’s singer-songwriter influences and takes them to a place inhabited by the soulful rock of Joe Cocker, Van Morrison and, of course, the aforementioned ‘Young Americans’.

The Unthanks - Mount The Air (Album Review)

January 19, 2015 by Rich Barnard in Folk

The darlings of folk return with their first album in four years, Mount The Air. The fact that it is independently released, and is something of a serious, one-paced record, suggests that The Unthanks don’t want to play by anyone’s rules but their own. Their popularity means that they are still courted by major labels but nonetheless they are choosing this time to go it alone. So, they are making this music on their own terms and thus are fully able to indulge themselves with sprawling, slow-building epics; long passages of jazzy meandering and neat instrumental vignettes. It’s at this point I should also warn off anyone with an allergy to trumpets. There is a whole flood of trumpetry happening here, courtesy of the great Tom Arthurs.