The vocals of this singer songwriter didn’t really move me…at first. After awhile, I learned to listen to the lyrics & the melodies. This woman can write some really good lyrics. The music is also nice. There is no lead instruments, except her whistling. This too, is really pleasant to listen to. I’m not sure, if you will like this or not, but, please…if you listen to this, please let me know what you think. I’d like to hear what you think. For me, I give this 3 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
Badfinger was so good in the 1960s, that the Beatles put them on their Apple label. They were the only band, besides the Beatles that were on that label. This album features a bunch of Badfinger hits with guest stars galore. In my opinion, the songs are great, but, did they need to be re-made. No., but, if you like Badfinger, you may like this. Hits feature “No Matter What”, “Come And Get It”, written by Lennon & McCartney, “Day After Day”, “Baby Blue”, & other songs that you may or may not know from Badfinger. Guests include Mark Stein from Vanilla Fudge, Rick Wakeman from Yes & solo, Carl Giammarese from the Buckinghams, Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, Terry Reid, Rick Springfield, Matthew Sweet, The Legendary Pink Dots, Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee, & Todd Rundgren all join Joey Molland’s Badfinger. The latter is on a cover of Nilsson’s “Without You”. This song certainly sounds quite different than Nilsson’s version. This is not a bad album. I’m just trying to figure out if these songs needed to be re-made. They were perfect the first time around. I give this 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. The musicianship is great.
This guitar player sure can play. This reminded me quite a bit of Jeff Beck, but, not as clean or soulful. While he doesn’t have the soul of Jeff Beck, he has the moves of a great guitar player. At certain points during the album, the keyboardist gets to stretch out a bit. Tony’s influences are Joe Satriani & Steve Vai, which he does come closer to sounding like, rather than Jeff Beck, now that I think back. Tony does all guitar work as well as production & composing. Other musicians on this album are…Tiago Ramos on drums, Ryan Robinson on bass, Antonio Giffoni on piano & keyboards, also on keys & piano is Joao Madiera, Amy Hsu on piano, Gustavo Zamba also on piano. The music is good & I suggest that you give this a listen. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
This hard rocking progressive rock band is great to listen to. While you may not know the songs, you’ll find yourself grooving to the drum beat going along, before you know it. The music is good. The vocals are good. While you may not like metal, this is not just any metal. It is progressive metal. The vocals are smooth, the keyboards are great as they provide the perfect background & the drumming doesn’t stop. It keeps you listening. The band is Tom S. Englund – Vocals & guitar, Henrik Danhage – guitars & background vocals, Rikard Zander – keyboards & background vocals, Johan Niemann – bass & background vocals, & Jonas Ekdahl – drums. I give this album 4.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. I’m looking forward to hearing more of Evergrey.
This one is listed under Americana, but, I would put this under Country. It has a nice flair. The music is newer Country, but the vocals are old school Country. You can hear that Country twang while Hope sings. The music is fluid & is really nice & clean. While I’m not the biggest fan of Country, I could sit back & enjoy this album. If you’re a fan of Country music, where the legends put some thought into the lyrics that they wrote in their songs, you will surely enjoy Hope Dunbar’s lyrics. I give this a 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
A brand new album from Jon Anderson, who you may know as the lead singer of Yes. If you’ve heard previous albums of Jon’s, this album sounds similar. It is definitely Jon. In between some of the songs you can hear birds chirping. It also has other sounds that you would hear on a Jon Anderson album. It also has some guests on the album including Chris Squire, recorded earlier, before his death, Alan White, Ian Anderson, Larry Coryell, Steve Morse, and Pat Travers. Also, Steve Howe shows up on “Now And Again”, which could make any Yes fan hope that maybe(?) Yes could possibly get together again. I’m probably hoping too much. Another song has a huge musical line up. The song is “Come Up”. This song, which is over 9 minutes long, which is nothing new for any Yes fan. This song includes Chick Corea, Chris Squire, Billy Cobham, Jean Luc-Ponty, Jonathan Cain, Larry Coryell, and Stu Hamm. Jon’s voice is strong, which to me means that hopefully we’ll get many more albums from Jon, whether it be solo, AWR, or Yes. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
What? After such a looooong time…a new BOC album??? Blue Oyster cult has had many albums in the past, but, after almost 2 decades, yes 2 decades, they put out a brand new studio album, which to me, is their finest. BOC has always written good songs, but, to me, THIS is a good album. Every song is strong. I would pick “The Return Of St. Cecelia” as my pick for the single of the album. All songs were great though, so give this one a try, even if you’re not a Blue Oyster Cult fan, you’re going to love this. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Let me know what you think. This version of Blue Oyster Cult has Eric Bloom on Guitars, Keyboards & Vocals, Buck Dharma on Guitars, Keyboards & Vocals, new member Richie Castellano on Guitars, Keyboards, Programming & Vocals, Danny Miranda on Bass & Vocals, & Jules Radino on Drums, Percussion & Backing Vocals.
Coming Soon…Brand NEW Blue Oyster Cult (Studio album) & Jon Anderson
If you’re a fan of Spock’s Beard, the progressive rock band that has captured my heart, then you’re going to love this album. It has that Spock’s Beard feel to it. There are some guest stars on the album as well, such as, Jonas Reingold (Flower Kings), Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), Jem Godfrey (Frost*), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Randy McStine (Sound Of Contact) & Tony Levin (King Crimson). All that AND Nick D’Virgilio, who has also played with Tears For Fears, Big Big Train, & Genesis, when Phil Collins left the band. Nick’s vocals are really good. Nick uses different drum kits for each song, which would explain the different drum sounds that you’ll hear throughout the album. All in all a very good album. There is a cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” which starts out much slower than I would have expected it to. It took me awhile to figure out the cover until the vocals kept going into the chorus. You should give this one a try. I recommend it. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
What a nice change of pace to hear the Allman Brothers with a rare album featuring Duane Allman. I really like the Allman Brothers. There is mostly good with this album, but 1 bad thing. The bad thing could not be helped as the music comes from the original TAPES (yes, analog), which at times has stretched or deteriorated. This, however does not take away from this great performance. The band performs such hits as “Stratesboro Blues”, “One Way Out”, “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”, which unfortunately was cut off, “Stormy Monday” plus others. Everything is great & if you’re a fan of the Allman Brothers Band, you will most likely love this. This also comes with a rare interview with Berry Oakley & Duane Allman. This interview is about 13 minutes long. I enjoyed this. Let me know what you felt about this gem. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
