Pretty Maids ~ Maid In Japan, Back To The Future World

 

This is a band who hard classic rock listeners sho uld pay attention to. While I’ve not really listened to them, I find that this band has some talent. Good music, good performance & since this was a live album, probably mostly a greatest hits album. The guitars, bass, drums were all perfect. The band is mostly a hard rock band, but, they have pop, ballads & other types of music floating throughout. I really liked this album & suggest that you give this a try. Let me know what you think. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Steve Hackett ~Genesis Revisted Live At The Royal Albert Hall

 

We all know that Steve Hackett was the guitarist for Genesis. Steve really knows his craft as both a guitar player & a songwriter. As I listened to this 2 CD release, I was going back to when I saw this concert in my area. This waas a great night for me. I had seen Phil Collins, I had seen Peter Gabriel, now I’ve seen Steve Hackett. I’ve seen 3/5 of Genesis without ever having seen Genesis. I really loved this concert & the CD made me re-live that night. The songs coming from both Gabriel & Collins version of Genesis. This is a great album. The musicians playing along with Steve did a great job. The vocalist, Nad Sylvan, was spot on. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Shaman Elephant ~ Wide Awake But Still Asleep

 

Another album in the hard rock follows my last review. This is not thrash metal, it is more melodic in nature, but, the musicians all stand out on the album. The drummer really stands out even more than the other musicians. I’m not even a big fan of drummers, but, this made sit up & listen. Shaman Elephant come from Norway, so you know it’s going to be hard rock, but, still melodic, which really works for me. Shaman Elephant is Eirik Sejersted Vognstølen on guitars and vocals, Jard Hole on drums, Ole-Andreas Sæbø Jensen on bass, and, Jonas Særsten on keyboards. This is progressive rock with some psychedelic overtones thrown in as well. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Havok ~ V

 

Although I am not a fan of Thrash Metal, I can tell you that listening to this album, I can hear the music is really very good. While I’m not a fan of screaming to the point where I can’t hear the lyrics, on this album, towards the end, Havok is able to get some vocals that are cleaner than earlier songs. The guitar, bass & drums really make you want to listen, even if you’re not a fan of Thrash. The drums really are all over the kit. I was happily surprised. Since I am not a fan of thrash, and still enjoyed this, I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

David Haerle ~ Death Valley

 

This album has thing that I love about it & things that I don’t love about it. Things that I really liked was that there was a variety of different genres on one album. This was great. You have rock, country, and, singer songwriter. It went everywhere. That, I loved. The music was very well done & everything worked. There is 1 thing that swerved me off the 5 star mark. David sings almost in a monotone. Not quite, but close enough, where I noticed it. What I think might help is some BIG background vocals. That could change the whole sound of the vocals. Everything else worked. Good music, good songwriting, etc. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars. My favorite song on the album was Edendale.

Iron City Houserockers ~ Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive)

 

This album, which was originally recorded in 1977, has finally reared it’s head. This album reminded me very much of Thin Lizzy, but they do use piano, where Thin Lizzy doesn’t. It’s not the best album that I’ve heard, and it’s not the worst either. I liked it, it just didn’t make me want to listen to it over & over again. Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band produced this album & arranged 5 of the songs. The music is well done. The vocals really do remind me of Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, but Phil’s voice was much stronger. If I give this one more listening, I may wind up liking it more, but, as of now, it only gets 3 out of 5 Music Guru stars. This also comes with extra bonus tracks that you may like. About 2 albums worth of music on this one. This album also features some great musicians filling in parts. They include Steven Van Zandt, Mick Ronson, Ian Hunter, & Ellen Foley among others. Give this a listen & tell me what you think.

Dennis DeYoung ~ 26 East Volume 1

 

Dennis DeYoung has not put out much since he left Styx, but, let me tell you, this is the best album that I’ve heard from Dennis. I’ve always liked the songs that Dennis had written with Styx, but, usually his solo stuff has sometimes fallen flat. Not this time. He’s got all kind of rock on this album. Soft rock, harder rock, pop, etc. On the 2nd song, he really shows some political views, which, I found rather humorous. Whether you like or dislike our current president, this song is really to Dennis DeYoung’s thoughts. The name of the song is “With All Due Respect”. My favorite song on the album. Julian Lennon also makes a singing duet with Dennison this album. Dennis DeYoung’s voice is just as good as it was back in the 1970’s. I love the current lineup of Styx, but, when I hear an album as good as this, I wish Dennis & Styx would get back together again. Dennis can sing & write very well. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Alan Davey ~4 Track Mind Boxset

 

Hawkwind fans unite, as bassist Alan Davey brings you a slew of demos & stuff that really feels like Hawkwind, but, sometimes a bit cleaner. I liked the cleaner parts that I had heard. I liked them sometimes better than the Hawkwind stuff that I had heard. If you’re a fan of rare tracks, the band Hawkwind, or long boxsets, you will no doubt like this. While I am not the biggest Hawkwind fan, I rather enjoyed this. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars. 4 + hours for about $30.00. I call that a winner.

Shirley King ~ Blues For A King

 

Do you want to hear some blues? This is the album for you. Shirley King is the daughter of B.B. King. In addition to having a blues artist, who was living around it her whole life, she has some great musicians helping her along for the ride, including Elvin Bishop, Pat Travers, Martin Barre, Robben Ford, Junior Wells, Joe Louis Walker, Steve Cropper & more. There are covers on the album. Shirley seems to like some Steve Winwood material with “Can’t Find My Way Home”, where the musicians really get to show what they’ve got. That was the song that stuck with me the most. She finishes the album with a great old classic “At Last”. This one was the one where she stood out best. If you’re a fan of the blues, this one is for you. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Jonell Mosser With John Hall ~ Little Black Dress

 

This singer songwriter has a very beatiful voice, while John Hall on the guitar is a very talented acoustic & electric guitar player. Very musical and the stories flow from Jonell like honey from a bee-hive. This music came from the early 1990’s and still sounds fresh in 2020. John Hall really plays well. Added to the roster is 2 backup singers. They are Lance Hoppen and Debbie Lan. This Nashville blues singer will keep you listening with this CD, which comes from a simpler time, which you may wish that you had now. This is a live recording. Enjoy this. I certainly did. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.