by Kev Rowland | Aug 19, 2018 | Reviews
This is the debut album from a band who were actually formed as long ago as 1983. They managed to secure some good tours and even signed a record deal in the Eighties, but by 1990 they had broken up and that was the end of it, at least until September 2013 when they reformed for a one-off gig. That has led to them supporting Aerosmith, Foreigner, UFO and Scorpions along the way and touring the UK with FM and Romeo’s Daughter. They have also performed at major festivals such as Hard Rock Hell AOR, Download, London Calling, Ramblin’ Man, Steelhouse, Rockingham and the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan. They have now finally released their debut album, but what should be a totally joyous occasion has been dampened somewhat due to founding member, bass player and close friend Paul Boyd losing his battle with cancer in 2017. Paul appears on the album and the band is respectfully dedicating its release to his memory.
As soon as I heard this I was taken back to the Nineties, and particularly to a magazine called Frontiers. Unlike the other fanzines around at the time these guys had gone glossy and it was much more like a “proper” magazine. One of the real delights was the cover CD that came with each issue which introduced me to bands I would have never have heard of otherwise (this was pre-internet and the media hated melodic rock nearly as much as they hated prog). As soon as I started playing this I had to turn to my library as this was reminding just so much of bands like The Loveless and Be Sharp, both of whom featured on the second cover CD before the now-famous Frontiers label had emerged. NHA is melodic rockers with strong hints of Bad Company, some Foreigner, a tad of classic Journey, the melodic side of UFO and possibly even some later Whitesnake. What it doesn’t sound like at all is a band releasing their debut in 2018, but if this had come out thirty years or more ago then I am sure that we would have been hearing a great deal about it.
It is great that the guys finally seem to be getting some real recognition, and we can only hope that it keeps going in the way that it has to date. As it is, this is a melodic hard rock album that has that edge that removes it from AOR yet will still be appreciated by fans of that slightly softer genre. Strong harmonies, hooks, and a great production, this is well worth looking out for.
8/10 – Kev Rowland
by Kev Rowland | Aug 19, 2018 | Reviews
This is the third solo album from McCarty, but he will always be thought of as the drummer of The Yardbirds, the only man who stayed true to that group through all its different versions since they first came together to support Cyril Davies in 1963 (as a side note, if you have never come across this amazing blues harmonica player you need to do so!). His vocals may not be as strong as they used to be, but in fairness, he is 75 later this year! Here he provides vocals, acoustic guitar, and some drums, and he has been joined by fellow Renaissance co-founder John Hawken on a couple of numbers with delicate piano. Mind you, probably the most surprising guest is Alex Lifeson, who provides lead guitar and synth guitar on “Soft In A Hard Place”.
In many ways, this is an album of its time, and that time was probably either the late Sixties or mid-Seventies. But, Jim is producing psychedelic pastoral folk with hints of folk, and it is obvious that he is doing so because he wants and needs to, as opposed to being forced to. There is a gentle flow through the songs, and it is incredibly easy to listen to. This is never going to set the world alight, but for someone who has been involved with the music scene for 55 years, he is showing that he has lost none of his knack of writing good material, even if it may not have the punch of his heyday. Obviously, fans of his previous bands, and possibly even Rush completists, will search this out. But actually, if you just want something to play on a summer’s day that isn’t going to tax either the ears or the brain cells, then this could be the perfect sonic tonic. www.angelair.co.uk
7/10 – Kev Rowland
by Kev Rowland | Aug 19, 2018 | Reviews
In the mid-Eighties, I was working in Torquay and went into the local record store looking for a particular album. While I was in there I was incredibly impressed by the music that was being played over the shop’s speakers, so much so that in the end I stopped looking for the album I had originally gone in for and instead asked who the band was. I was told that it was Dokken, and it was their third release ‘Under Lock and Key’. I had never heard of them but walked out of the store with their CD under my arm – the reason it has stuck in my mind it is the only time I have ever bought an album having heard it being played in a shop.
Over the years it is safe to say that Don Dokken and George Lynch haven’t always seen eye to eye, and although they have released some great albums together, the line-up has been rather fraught, to say the least. So it was something of a surprise to hear that not only had the classic line-up got together for some shows in 2016 but that they had recorded a new song as well as a couple of acoustic numbers. Finally, it has all been put together by Frontiers Music, and we can hear the band as it has always meant to be, these four and no-one else. I do have a minor niggle that the live albums opens with the new studio track, as that should be at the end of the album instead of the beginning, and to be honest, it isn’t the classic they would all want it to be, but when the live set commences then all is forgiven.
Dokken has never had a strong powerful voice in the way of other singers but does have range, and this very fragility gives them a sound that is quite different to other rock bands. Add to that the chemistry between all four, the fact that Mick Brown and Jeff Pilson have really strong voices, and that George Lynch is still a bona fide guitar god, then you have a band who thirty years after they exploded into the scene are still able to produce the goods. Listen to “In My Dreams” or “Breakin’ The Chains” and you will see exactly what I mean, these guys have the hooks and the balls and it is just a shame that they just can’t keep it together, but perhaps it is being on the edge that provides the spark. Fast forward to 2018, and Lynch and Pilson are currently not involved, as they have reverted back to the line-up immediately prior to these shows with guitarist Jon Levin (who has been in the band since 2003) and bassist Chris McCarvill (since 2015), but who knows for the future? Until that time, if you want to hear Dokken as they were always meant to be, then this is the album to get. Melodic hard rock rarely gets much better than this.
8/10 -Kev Rowland
by Nick | Aug 17, 2018 | New Releases, News
Taken directly from Perdomo’s facebook page
IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I DO WHAT I WANT. That includes dropping a 37 track album with zero warning! without
Here is “Fernando Perdomo Has Lost His Voice”
37 of my songs and co writes sung by 37 of my favorite singer’s/Bands
https://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com/album/fernando-perdomo-has-lost-his-voice
An album I have wanted to make for over 10 years… It presents my songs in a new, fresh way. In many ways, I made my own tribute album while I am still very much alive.
Here is the tracklist
1. Spotlight Smile featuring Dr. Danny (Danny Ayala of The Lemon Twigs)
2. California Moon featuring Pat Sansone of Wilco and The Autumn Defense
3. Fill My Sky featuring The Rosannah Sisters
4. Smile featuring Eric Matthews and Linda Perhacs
5. Home featuring Cait Brennan
6. Girl With a Record Collection featuring Derek Cintron
7. Let Me Love You featuring Katie Ferrara
8. Music All Around Me featuring Jacob Jeffries
9. In A World Without You featuring Terry Draper of Klaatu – The Band
10. Something’s Missing featuring The Super Fuzz Group
11. Here With me Featuring David Divad
12. Dar Sin Recibir featuring Miguel Luna
13. Dead Flowers feat Zach Ziskin
14. Lullaby featuring Ferny Coipel of Humbert
15. Where Will We Be featuring Nikki Kidd
16. The One You run To featuring Ken Sharp
17. Feels featuring Chloe Dolandis
18. Gold featuring Edan Archer
19. Standing Still While The World Goes Round featuring A Bad Think
20. Sleep featuring FARRINGTON James Patrick
21. On Sunday Morning featuring Durga McBroom
22.Photographers In Love featuring Jim Camacho
23. Half Dead featuring Brian Jay Cline
24. 1970 featuring James Houlahan
25. Look at The Moon featuring Sj Acoustic
26.Warm featuring Yves LF Giraud
27. This Can Be You feat Ex Norwegian
28. Love Loss repeat featuring David Goodstein
29. Sometimes Featuring Casandra Perez
30. Love is a Journey feat Robert Avellanet of Menudo
31. Like Yeah No I Don’t Know featuring Blaylock John ‘Franco’ Blaylock
32. The Will To Love featuring Marisol Koss
33. Holding Back I Love Yous featuring Girl Disappearing Harcharan Kaur
34. Andreas Fault feat MINKY STARSHINE
35. Steal this Song Feat Robbie Gennet
36. Carole’s Catastrophe feat Ed Hale and The Transcendence and the grand finale
37. Amicable feat Dave Kerzner
I have to thank Cyndi Trissel for the cover and moral support
Zach Ziskin for the mixing, mastering and singing
@yves for engineering Edan Archer Howland-Cook
Rodolfo Troncoso for engineering Casandra
Ducky Carlisle for engineering Minky
and all the people involved who kicked ass on their songs..
I am truly happy on my 38th birthday
Oh.. and guess what
THIS IS VOLUME 1 .. More to come!
Grab your copy on Bandcamp
https://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com/album/fernando-perdomo-has-lost-his-voice
Follow
https://www.fernandoperdomo.com
https://www.facebook.com/Fernandoperdomomusic/
by Nick | Aug 14, 2018 | New Releases, News
Yesterday STEVE PERRY re-launched his social media pages with one phrase
This had social media all abuzz and today there is more news of a pending solo album titled Traces to be released worldwide through Fantasy Records/Concord Records/UMG
If the rumors are true ‘Traces’ will hit the streets on October 5th, 2018
Track Listing according to Amazon:
01. No Erasin’
02. We’re Still Here
03. Most Of All
04. No More Cryin’
05. In The Rain
06. Sun Shines Gray
07. You Belong To Me
08. Easy To Love
09. I Need You
10. We Fly
