Kayak ~ Seventeen

 

Being a big Progressive Rock fan, I’m surprised I haven’t really listened to Kayak before this new album. Most of the songs were around the 3 minute mark, but there are 3 songs that break the 8 minute mark. “La Peregrina”, which I really like. Starting off the song with great guitar work from Marcel Singor, then the vocals come in with keyboards (piano), then the song changes tempo to a quicker pace. “Walk Through Fire” begins with both guitar & keyboards for a great intro. As with “La Peregrina”, the songs picks up with some more great keyboard emphasis. The song slows down again,  then pops back up again. Just what you would want from a great Progressive Rock band. Don’t get me wrong, some of the short 3 minute songs are really great too. Take “All That I Want” really grabs you from the beginning of the song and keeps you there as you find yourself singing along without even knowing the song. Another Best of 2018 album, as you’ll see in my next post. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. I will be listening to more Kayak after this. Kayak is Bart Schwertman on vocals, Michael Singor on guitars, Ton Scherpenzeel, the veteran of the band, plays keyboards, bass, vocals & is the composer, arranger & producer. Also Lean Robbemont on drums. Guest musicians include Andy Latimer on guitars, Izak Boom on Banjo & Ukulele, Bans Van Der Zalm on Fiddle, Kristoffer Gildenlow on Bass, and, Nico Outhuijse on Percussion & Backing Vocals. Go out & buy this album!!

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Coming Soon…

 

Coming Soon… Kayak, the last album from 2018. Also Coming up The Best of 2018. After Saturday night’s show, a review of the Neal Morse Band show at the Keswick Theatre.

Con Brio ~ Explorer

 

Something that came my way, that I’m not sure whether I like it or hate it. Unfortunately, it is both. The music & lyrics are fun, poppy, & catchy. The problem that I found was the drummer. Nothing in the drumming itself, but, it was done on a electronic drum or a drum machine of some sort. Ziek McCarter does fine on the vocals, as does Benjamin Andrews on the guitar. All of the musicians did a fine job. It was just the drum sound that seemed to turn me off. A big applause for Brendan Liu (Trumpet) & Marcus Stephens (Sax) for excellent horn work. For you Kurt Cobain fans, there is a cover of “Heart Shaped Box”. I give this 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Eliot Lewis ~ Adventure

 

If you’re a fan of Hall & Oates, this album is for you. Eliot Lewis is a member of Hall & Oates since 2003. He has also been on “Live From Daryl’s House”, the show featuring Daryl Hall with guest musicians sitting in. Eliot has also worked with the Average White Band from 1989 – 2002. This multi-instrumentalist & singer-songwriter is really putting out some good music. I can hear a lot of Hall & Oates in this album. It has the rock, pop, singer-songwriter & even the R & B  & soul mixed in, just like Hall & Oates. The music is right there with maybe a bit more excellent guitar work thrown in. The vocals even sounds like Daryl Hall at times, yet different. This is his 6th solo album, & after hearing this, I want to hear the previous albums. This too, will make it on my BEST OF 2018 list. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. I have 1 or 2 more albums to listen to before I post the Best of 2018 list.

Magic Dance ~ New Eyes

 

I’m going to start off this review with “I REALLY LIKE THIS ALBUM”. It starts off strong with an 80’s sound with a lot of keyboard driven sounds, then…BLAM, in comes the guitar. Each song really is a pumped up song. This is similar to the band, BREATHE. Even the slower songs, wind up getting you pumped. This is a great album to work out to. Another great album that will be on my BEST OF 2018 list. This gets 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. I look forward to hearing more from MAGIC DANCE.

Legacy Pilots ~ Con Brio

                      

 

Right off the bat, this album gets a mention in the BEST OF 2018 list. This album is phenomenal. When you have Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple & more), Steve Rothery & Mark Kelly (Marillion), Todd Sucherman (Styx), Marco Minnemann (UK, Steven Wilson), & John Mitchell (Kino, Arena) & many others joining forces with Frank Us, who wrote this album, you get an excellent…beyond excellent album. Everything flows together so well, you won’t want to stop listening. It’s almost like listening to an Alan Parsons Project album, except the songs are single songs that don’t flow into each other. Most of the songs are short, but there is an exception to that. None are huge epic tracks but they do stretch into the 8 minute mark. 2 at about 8 minutes, 1 over 7 minutes. The rest of the songs are in the 3-5 minute range. The music is just perfect, as a progressive album should be. I believe Frank Us had some other musicians in mind for this project, some have passed away recently. This project started 2 years ago & is just released now, and certainly worth the wait. If you’re a fan of Alan Parsons, UK, Steven Wilson,  or Marillion, this album, you will surely love. If you’re looking for a Styx or Deep Purple album, this is not like those bands at all. The musicians all do the best, as always. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. It is in the top of the Best of 2018 list.

Alter Bridge ~ Addicted To Pain (Live At The Royal Albert Hall)

 

The new LIVE album from Alter Bridge, is a fine album. I like the band, I like the songs. Sometimes Myles Kennedy’s voice is a bit off. The songs that they played live for the show were all good songs. I really like the studio albums better (as I’ve said in previous reviews) and this one follows the example of the band not changing much during their shows. Some people do it, some don’t. I like a little different when I see or hear a show. Mark Tremonti, an excellent musician, does not let me down. Myles Kennedy did let me down at times, but, he is an excellent singer in most cases, Brian Marshall & Scott Phillips round out the crew playing their set with precise musicianship. Once again, I’m not a fan of live albums, unless they add something to the mix, so I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars, as the musicianship was wonderful.