Many years ago, I reviewed an album by a famous rock star, and back then I said the only reason people were even talking about it was due to who was involved as opposed to the value of the music it contained, and now here I am saying exactly the same thing again. While much may be made of singer Maiah Wynne, or that famous producer and engineer Alf Annibalini (guitar, keyboards, programming) is involved, or Coney Hatch co-founder Andy Curran (bass guitar, synthesized bass, programming, guitar, backing vocals, Stylophone), but this will be on the top of many people’s “must hear” list due solely to the fourth member of the band, one Alex Lifeson.
Many people were wondering if Alex or Geddy would get back into the studio at any point, given they have spent virtually their whole musical lives wrapped up in Rush, but I am sure most people expected that something would happen at some point, but I never expected this. Firstly, Alex trod the boards in front of someone who was known as “the professor”, one of the finest percussionists and drummers ever involved in rock music, yet he has come back with a band where the drums are all programmed. Also, even though there are some guitar solos here and there, for the most part they are kept very much in the background. This is an electronic pop rock album for the most part, with the concentration very much on the synths and Maiah’s vocals. That she is a good singer is never in doubt, and the band are very good at what they do, but overall is it any good? All I know for sure is that I don’t like it, I really don’t like it, and would not have played it as much as I have if it were not for one of Canada’s finest rockers being so heavily involved, and in some ways, there is the issue. If Alex had gone out and produced something which was in any way similar to Rush he would be castigated for doing it without Neil, so he has gone out and done something I certainly never expected.
I am just going to say that even though here we have a band featuring the one ad only Alex Lifeson I doubt I will ever play it again. 6/10 Kev Rowland
What I have here is a recording of Joe Jackson, Todd Rundgren, and NY-based string quartet Ethel. I really was not sure what to expect from this, and I am sure the people there that night did not either, as while I thought all acts would be playing together onstage, I wasn’t aware that each would have an individual set and they would only come together for a few songs at the end. This means we start with a series of classical pieces from Ethel, which is very clever but not what I would expect at a rock concert. I played this part once and then found myself skipping the first five numbers and I would expect many others to do the same.
To be honest, I was not sure what to expect from Jackson either and thought I would probably listen to his songs and then skip smartly to the main attraction, so I was amazed at just how good this section was and how much I enjoyed it. It has made me totally rethink my opinion on Jackson, (I used to see him on Top of the Pops but don’t own any of his material), as he is a very good pianist indeed and has some fine songs. He also has a strong rapport with the audience who react strongly when they recognise one of his songs. He plays all the hits, from “Steppin’ Out” to “Different For Girls” and “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”, and the 11 songs he performs are an absolute delight. The crowd are well up for it, and on the last song they all happily shout “where?” at the correct moment, with so much force that Jackson even loses it as he chuckles.
From an all-piano set we get Todd, the wizard, the true star. He kicks off with “Love of the Common Man” on a 12-string, and after a few more numbers in that vein we get “Compassion” with him now sat at the piano. The highlight of his set is probably “Hello, It’s Me” with his delicate vocals as he gets into falsetto, accompanying himself on piano. The last of the four sections finds everyone on stage, and “While My Guitar Gently Sleeps” is a delight, with the string section rocking along, Joe on piano and Todd on electric. The finest version ever recorded is of course the one by Yellow Matter Custard but this is still mighty fine.
This available as a 2 CD and DVD set, and I am sure fans of both Jackson and Rundgren will find this a long overdue release. 7/10 Kev Rowland
To any fan of British progressive rock, keyboard player Jan Schelhaas needs little introduction given that he has played with both Caravan (twice, and with whom he is still playing) and Camel, as well as numerous other sessions. Here we have a remastered reissue of his 2018 solo album with three additional tracks. There is not much information out there about the album, so while I know Doug Boyle (guitar) and Jimmy Hastings (sax) are both involved, I cannot find any other information, so it is quite possible that the rest is undertaken by Jan, including the vocals.
It is hard to imagine that this is a recent album, as this has far more in common with the laid-back Seventies sound of sanitised rock which, although it does have some similarities with The Moody Blues at times, has little with which I would normally associate progressive rock. This is straightforward relaxing middle of the road soft rock which is gentle, never threatening, and consequently it is something which I cannot really see me often returning to as in many ways it is just too sickly sweet. That he is an excellent keyboard player and pianist is never in doubt, but this is not for me. 6/10 Kev Rowland
I am finding it hard to believe that here I am in 2022 writing about an album which was released in 2013, yet there is not a single review for it on ProgArchives. Recorded at different venues in the UK and Holland, here we have a double CD set capturing one of our finest prog folk bands in their natural environment, live on stage. I first came across them nearly 30 years ago with their second album, ‘Book of Kells’, and by the time they got to this recording there had been some significant line-up changes, but multi-instrumentalist Dave Bainbridge is still there, along with singer Joanne Hogg (acoustic guitar, keyboards) and drummer Frank Van Essen (also on violin) who was a guest back then, with the current line-up completed by Phil Barker (bass, electric double bass, darbuka) and Martin Nolan (Uilleann pipes, low and tin whistles). Strange to think that both Nick Beggs and Troy Donockley were involved on that album all those years back, wonder whatever happened to them……?
When a band contains a genuine multi-instrumentalist like Dave Bainbridge, it allows the band to have incredible breadth and diversity in what they are playing, here always steeped in the Celtic tradition of the Western Isles along with the Christian message which made the isle of Iona such a focal point for centuries. There is something very special about those islands, as anyone who has ever been will attest to, with powerful communities and a feeling of being in a place removed from much of modern life, and being all the better for it. This is what Iona bring with their music, changing mere notes into something magical and transformative. Whenever I listen to their music I am back on the islands, up in that area of Scotland where my father was raised and retired to.
Joanne has a wonderfully clear voice, similar in some ways to Annie Haslam or Christina Booth, while beneath her we have music that is often built on an incredibly powerful rhythm section with Dave and Martin guiding the melodies. While it is Celtic, it has much more direction and passion than the likes of Enya, and while it can indeed go into the dreamstate, there is a great deal going on and this never falls into the background. There are times when this really rocks, times when we all want to reel, and plenty of others when all we can do is listen and be taken away. This is complex music, with complicated arrangements, yet there is also a sense of space and fresh air within it so it never smothers but instead lifts the listener.
Containing music which does indeed go all the way back to ‘The Book of Kells’, more than two hours long spread over two discs, this is the perfect introduction to Iona for anyone, and is a delight from beginning to end. 10/10 Kev Rowland
Last year I reviewed the debut album, ‘Johnny On The Spot’, by The Grafenberg Disciples and it is safe to say I fell in love with it. Since the album was originally released it has been picked up by Sony and reissued, and the band have added an additional song which has also been released as a single with an accompanying video. When I hear the word “Single” I tend to think of songs about 3 minutes in length, possibly 4, but here we have something which is nearly 9 minutes long. It has been released as a tribute to Neil Peart, and all proceeds from the single and video go to the Cedar Sinai Special Research Program For Glioblastoma, the aggressive form of cancer which took his life.
This one song really sums up the album in many ways and reminds me again of just why I gave that release top marks. Bassist Bob Madsen and guitarist Chad Quist originally wrote material for a project with Tony Carey, who once he heard the music said they needed a new band so brought in drummer Gregg Bissonette along with Hans Eberbach to create something very special indeed. It commences with gently layered picked guitars and swirling keyboards and piano as it builds the ambience, but quite quickly it becomes very dramatic and real vehicle for Hans. There are times when the music is slipping and sliding, at others more direct, with all those involved constantly changing the attack and approach, so this is always striving and changing. Then at the front are Seal-type vocals, which take it to a whole new level. This is a release which sounds huge, as if it were Journey in their heyday but looking past their AOR fame into their real roots. It is an absolute delight from start to finish and if you have yet to come across this band then surely this one song will send you straight to the album. Incredible. 10/10 Kev Rowland
The latest signing to Melodic Revolution Records is a duo based in Mar del Plata, Argentine, comprising Alvare Goco (vocals and backing vocals) and Jack Dimensions (vocals, backing vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and programming). For the album they have also been joined by Elías Ciambotti (bass and electric guitars), Ezequiel Volpe (bass), Randall Lewer (electric guitars), Florabril Leguimus (backing vocals) and Andres Guazzelli (backing vocals). The only way to really describe this album is as art rock, as musically this is all over the place. The main feature of the album are the vocals of Alvare who sounds as if she has been classically trained, and is simply wonderful, but the songs themselves are a very strange combination of different styles. The first time I played this I did so four times back-to-back, and by the end of it I was still confused by what I was hearing, and I still cannot decide if the issue is with me or with the music itself.
This is an unsettling album in that it is moving in so many different areas, from pop to faux classical, prog and funk to symphonic. I get the impression, rightly or wrongly, that this is a very visual band and that it will make more sense in a live setting but all I can say for sure is that it confuses the hell out of me when I play it. But, that does not make it a bad album at all, just one I am still attempting to get my head around. It is out of time, as to my mind it should have been festering and growing out of the incredible CBGB’s scene in the Seventies, sitting alongside Television and Talking Heads, as they can go from something that is quite rocky into a Latin break which would be more at home on a Santana release if it weren’t for the manic laughing in the background. This will not be to everyone’s tastes, and to be honest, I am still not sure if it is to mine, but I know I would much rather listen to bands like this who are genuinely trying to do something different than sound like everyone else at the zoo. Each song is very different indeed, and this feels way more like an artistic performance than “just” an album. This is one for those who want their music to be out in left field and as far removed from the sensible mainstream as possible. 7/10 Kev Rowland
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