Ted & Majella ~ Better Together

 

This duo, along with Xavier Breaker on drums, Kevin Campbell on bass & Jovia Armstrong on percussion make some beautiful music together. I assume that Ted plays most of the instruments such as guitars & keyboards, since the booklet doesn’t actually say. It does say that Ted & Majella wrote all of the songs. The guitar was right on par with the music, except maybe 1 song. Majella’s voice is like listening to an angel. Her voice is beautiful. Sometimes when they sing together, something is off, but, that is a rarity. I like this album very much & it is very different than what I expected. I rate this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

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Tommy Shaw ~ Sing For The Day DVD/Blue Ray

 

 

You all know Tommy Shaw from Styx, but, his solo career is pretty awesome as well. Most of the songs that Tommy performs are Styx songs but he does also perform some solo songs & a couple of Damn Yankees songs. The DVD starts off with Tommy’s Girls With Guns, which is a great song. Did I forget to mention that most of the songs were done acoustically along with Will Evankovich & the Contemporary Youth Orchestra to celebrate the 10th anniversary when Styx recorded their CD with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra. Tommy, as always, was in prime form. His guitar playing, mandolin playing & his vocals were all in prime form. Exceptional. Will Evankovich was also in great form. The orchestra, also, was in prime form. These are kids, who excel in their instruments & vocals for the choir. Tommy had a great time with everybody, orchestra & parents in the seats. One student, Lavinia Pavlish, who performed on the concert recorded with Styx  in 2006, returned for this reunion. The orchestra was conducted by Liza Grossman, who got in touch with Tommy Shaw to commemorate the 10th anniversary & made this all happen. Watching these musicians perform with Tommy Shaw was a treat to watch. All I can say about the DVD/Blue Ray is GO OUT AND BUY THIS! It is available in both DVD & Blue Ray, which are sold separately. There are 4 bonus songs which show pictures of things during this day, while the songs are being played. Tommy Shaw, in my opinion is one of the greatest guitar players in the rock field. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru Stars.

Various Artists ~ Love Is

 

Another compilation from Bongo Boy Records. This one is the nicest one yet. Almost all of the songs are great. The production is great also. Gar Francis’ song “Man On The Moon”, is a clear sign that he can write great songs as well as perform them. The punk rock man making a semi – love song. There are 14 songs on this CD, although, I thought there were 15. Again, almost all of the songs are great. There may be 1 or 2 which may not be up to the rest of them, but, all are good. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Darryl Way ~ Vivaldi’s Four Seasons In Rock

 

you’ve already heard Darryl Way’s name before, but if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. I did expect some classical rock on this album, but, I really got classical. One of the most notable classical albums of all time. This album just goes to show you what 1 man can do with a violin, keyboards & maybe a drum machine. There is reference to a guitar player, but I didn’t really hear that, unless it was mostly in the rhythm section. The album was arranged, performed & produced by Darryl Way. His performance was way above what I expected. Don’t expect a rocky classical thing, it is almost pure classical with a little oomph thrown in to put it in the rock genre. this was a great album & i give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Angeles ~ Test Of Time

 

This band, from the first song, seem to want to be Van Halen. They do have some great musicianship going on between guitarist Dale Lytle on guitars, Cal Shelton on bass & Danny Basulto on drums. The main difference between Angeles and Van Halen is the singer. Both David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar had a range that went from really high to low. Angeles singer, Vince Thrill, does not have that. The singing isn’t bad, but, it’s not perfect for most of this album. There are moments when it’s OK. The song “Goodbye” is a good example of his voice being right there. This should be their single. The song prior to that, “Chivalry” is really not good, in my opinion, but, most of the album is fine. I like most of it, but, I think there may be something missing. “Lonely Road was another song which Vince Thrill soars on. “Here We Go Again” is another good fast paced ROCK song that needs to be played loud. This would work a little better with some great backing vocals on this track. I give this a 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Hippie Fest ~Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA July 28, 2018

 

At a last minutes moment, I decided to go to the Hippie Fest held at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA, right outside of Philadelphia, PA. The show featured 4 great artists that in their time had some of the biggest hits on the charts. Starting off the set was Joey Molland of Badfinger with the great Rick Derringer playing guitar for him. The other 3 musicians, I could not get their name, but they were great. Joey Molland did 4 of Badfinger’s great hits, such as “Come And Get It”, “Day After Day” & more. Next on the set was Mitch Ryder, again with the same musicians, and he played such classics as “Sock It To Me”, “Jenny Jenny/Devil With A Blue Dress” & more. He did some great introductions before the songs as well. The third up was Rick Derringer, which I was really excited to see. He played hits from many bands that he was in, such as The McCoys, Edgar Winter Band & of course, solo. He played hits such as “Hang On Sloopy”, Free Ride, Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo & a great rendition of “Frankenstein” with no keyboards. Very impressive. He also played more. Last but not least, was, Vanilla Fudge, with 3 of the original members, Mark Stein on keyboards & vocals, Vince Martell on guitar & vocals, & the great Carmine Appice on drums. Also on bass, was Pete Bremy, who sang some great harmonies with both the band & with Carmine when they did back up vocals for others during the show. Of course, you know that I love to see a show at the Keswick Theatre. Tonight was no exception. Everyone at the Keswick gave everyone kindness & respect. If in the Philadelphia area, go see a show there. You will not be disappointed. I give this show 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Highly recommended.

James Williamson And The Pink Hearts ~ Behind The Shade

 

From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, James Williamson, from Iggy & the Stooges is back with his debut album along with Frank Meyer & Petra Haden. The first 2 songs remind me of the raw rock of the Stooges, but, then you get songs like “Pink Hearts Across The Sky” & even, “Miss Misery”, which has a more melodic draw to the music than Williamson’s previous work. “The Revolution Stomp” brings you right back into the raw music the the Iggy & the Stooges fans would really like. The title song, really didn’t work for me, but, after it’s slow build-up, it gets a bit better, then goes right back where it started from. “You Send Me Down” almost has a pop feel to it.  The album ends with a sad song titled “Died A Little Today” which was more of a ballad with more slow strumming, a bit of piano & strings & featuring the vocals of Petra Haden. If you like your music raw & fast with vocals with that gravel sound, this is the album for you. For me, I give this 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Best songs for me were “Pink Hearts Across The Sky” & “You Send Me Down”.