Kansas - The Prelude Implicit (Album Review)

September 19, 2016 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock, Progressive Rock

Sixteen years since their last studio album is an awfully long time but for Kansas, who can chart their history back to 1970 and released their debut album in 1974, it just feels like a small part of the overall plan. With a quite staggering 30,000,000+ album sales worldwide Kansas are one of the biggest acts of the classic rock era but for all such acts, Journey instantly spring to mind, longevity is a double edged sword as the sands of time can catch up with a band, members leave for a variety of reasons and the musical landscape is forever changing. Kansas have kept themselves busy as they still play around a hundred shows a year and recent releases have included a feature length documentary ‘Miracles Out Of Nowhere’ that charts their long career. Founder members Richard Williams (guitar) and drummer Phil Ehart don’t look to be retiring anytime soon and on the strength of ‘The Prelude Implicit’ it looks like the band are about to embark on an impressive new chapter in their illustrious career.

Ian Hunter & The Rant Band - Fingers Crossed (Album Review)

September 07, 2016 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Album Reviews

Ian Hunter can trace his career back to the late 1950’s but has demonstrated absolutely no signs of slowing down his touring schedule (UK tour dates are booked for November) and even less signs of a drop in quality with ‘Fingers Crossed’ his first album since ‘When I’m President’ received great reviews in 2012. Opener ‘That’s When The Trouble Starts’ is a rollicking, ramshackle barroom brawl of a tune that shows that Hunter is in no mood to retire to a life of watching daytime TV in his slippers just yet and for that fans of quality tunesmiths can be very grateful.

Terra Lightfoot - Every Time My Mind Runs Wild (Album Review)

August 18, 2016 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter

Hamilton, Ontario singer and guitarist Terra Lightfoot is clearly intent on making a statement with the release of ‘Every Time My Mind Runs Wild’ the subdued vibe of her debut album, released back in 2011, is but a distant memory. For her sophomore release a new band has been enlisted and producers Gus Van Go & Werner F, best known for their work with The Stills, are behind the desk. The result is a strident rock record that manages to successfully perform the delicate balancing act of maintaining Terra Lightfoot’s roots, soul and blues influences while adding a catchy pop sensibility.

The Cadillac Three - Bury Me In My Boots (Album Review)

August 04, 2016 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Country, Southern Rock, Album Reviews

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee The Cadillac Three are perhaps an unlikely act to be enjoying success this side of the pond. The trio employ a sound that appeals to Southern rockers and country fans alike but historically this has proved a hard sell in the UK. For TC3 this has not been an issue as they’ve been incredibly well received and built an increasingly ardent following with a run of impressive festival slots and headline shows at increasingly larger venues. The release of new long-player ‘Bury Me In My Boots’ and a UK tour, that will include a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, is confirmation that the guys are on a roll. The band are here to have a good time, turn the music up and crack open the Tennessee Whiskey which kinda helps and definitely works for me.

Treat - Ghost Of Graceland (Album Review)

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

I consider myself reasonably well-versed in the biggest of the big-hair hard rock acts but Treat are a band that have simply passed me by, in spite of their thirty-year pedigree as well-respected Swedish melodic rockers. A career that has seen them constantly in the shadow of the success of Europe might go some way to explaining how it happened, but Ghost of Graceland makes me think I may have seriously missed out.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Harem Scarem - Thirteen (Album Review)

November 28, 2014 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Album Reviews, Melodic Rock

Canadian band Harem Scarem released their major label debut way back in 1991, an innocuous yet superbly crafted melodic rock record which was quietly well-received. They then went on to produce, to my mind, two of the very finest albums in the history of the genre: the seminal Mood Swings from 1993 (which was harder and took more chances than the debut) and 1995’s Voice of Reason, a record that was so forward-thinking many AOR buffs just couldn’t take it. Both were exquisite releases for different reasons: Mood Swings was genre-defining; Voice of Reason was genre-busting. When you’ve achieved this much with your first few releases, it’s fairly impossible to keep blowing people’s minds. As a result, Harem Scarem have found their early fanbase hard to please ever since. I have to confess that, as Harem Scarem’s career continued with a prolific stream of strong, if much safer, releases, I lost interest. In fact, I stopped paying attention somewhere around 2002’s Weight of The World, and barely even noticed that the band officially ceased to be in 2008. That said, I very much enjoyed the anniversary edition of a re-recorded Mood Swings, released last year, and its three new studio tracks revealed a band that had really benefitted from the five years off.

Various - Elements Of Frictions (Album Review)

November 21, 2014 by David Vousden in AOR, Melodic Rock, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

Lions Pride Music is a new label based in Denmark and their mission statement is to bring back some of the lost voices to the AOR / Melodic Rock scene. A new label is always to be welcomed especially in these difficult times for the music business. The first release on the label is a sampler that dips into the past and also offers something new entitled ‘Elements Of Frictions’ and it will be released December 15th 2014 on CD and Digital formats.

Satin - Satin (Album Review)

November 04, 2014 by David Vousden in AOR, Melodic Rock, Classic Rock, Album Reviews

Norwegian singer-songwriter-guitarist Satin is best known for an album of KISS cover tunes ‘A Million to One’ that received great reviews a few years back. The album was released free on the net and is essential for all KISS fans. The great thing about that album is Satin was happy to reinterpret the tracks in different and interesting ways, which I will always find more interesting that just trying to redo the originals.

In Faith - There's A Storm Coming (Album Review)

October 21, 2014 by David Vousden in AOR, Melodic Rock, Rock, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

Do you want to have your faith in melodic hard rock restored? Well this might very well do the trick. In Faith are a UK trio that features guitarist Tony Marshall (Contagious /Pride / Vaughn), drummer Pete Newdeck (Eden’s Curse / Tainted Nation) and singer / bassist Pete Godfrey. Over the course of a two year period the trio have put together a striking slab of melodic hard rock that harks back to the classic late 80’s / early 90’s period all genre fans know and love. You could quite happily file this alongside your Harem Scarem, Winger, Von Groove and Firehouse albums. A quite stunning combination of hard edged riffs, souring guitars and massive walls of harmony vocals this hits the spot. It’s easily the best thing I’ve heard since H.E.A.T. released ‘Address The Nation’.

Billy Idol - Kings & Queens of The Underground (Album Review)

October 10, 2014 by David Vousden in Rock, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

‘Kings & Queens of the Underground’ is the first album of new original material from Billy Idol since the 2005 release of ‘Devil’s Playground’ and only his third in over twenty years. Quality over quantity is the way to go. ‘Kings’ is the ideal audio accompaniment to his recently released memoir ‘Dancing With Myself’ as it looks back, but also forward as it adds some new elements to the Billy Idol sound that made him one of the biggest stars of the 80’s MTV revolution. The album was written and recorded with long-time collaborator / guitarist Steve Stevens and Billy Morrison (Royal Machines / Camp Freddy / The Cult) and produced, in the main, by Trevor Horn of Yes, The Buggles and Frankie Goes To Hollywood fame.

Bernie Marsden - Shine.

August 21, 2014 by David Vousden in Blues, Melodic Rock, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

Guitarist Bernie Marsden will be forever known for his stint in Whitesnake where his partnership with fellow guitarist Micky Moody supplied the blues licks for ex Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale. The ‘Ready And Willing’ album and its huge UK hit single ‘Fool For Your Loving’ still sound great in 2014, but as the musical landscape changed, Coverdale found MTV, and that was pretty much that. Over the intervening years Marsden has been very busy indeed with his solo career and as a member of AOR / Melodic Rock act Alaska and Company Of Snakes.

Hartmann - Out In The Cold (Retro Reviews)

August 20, 2014 by David Vousden in Melodic Rock, AOR, Album Reviews, Classic Rock

Singer / songwriter / guitarist Oliver Hartmann was, up until the release of the CD, best known for his time in AT VANCE a German power metal act that he fronted for four albums. In 2005 he embarked on a solo career which would produce one of the best AOR / Melodic Rock albums of that year.