Riverside ~ Wasteland

 

I’m going to start this post off by saying this will be on my Best of 2018 list. As usual, this progressive band from Poland knows how to make great music. There are moments when the vocals don’t work for me, but, they still work. I believe that the band is still in mourning over the death of their founding guitarist, Piotr Grudzinski, so that may be the reason for that. However, the music is still strong & the band still sounds wonderful. Some of the vocals are too low for the singer to really soar, but everything else works. Marius Duda on vocals, bass & main songwriter, Piotr Kozieradzki on drums & Michal Lapaj on keyboards would make Piotr Grudzinski proud. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

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Light Freedom Revival ~ Truthonomy

 

I have mixed emotions about this album. I am a big progressive rock fan & I have always liked the work of both Billy Sherwood & Oliver Wakeman, but, I’m not sure that this album flows for me. The first song “Lies No More” moves along just fine, but as you go further into the album, things seem to go off. The drums don’t always fit where I think they should & the vocals seem to have an effect on them, that they probably don’t need. The song “Judgement Day” really goes off kilter for me. You may know that I love really long songs, but, the 16 minute epic “Truthonomy” goes off at times & just sort of fizzles out for me. Some of the songs are OK, but, I just didn’t groove to this one. The line up on this album is John Vehadija on lead vocals, Billy Sherwood on bass & drums, Oliver Wakeman on piano & keyboards, Eric Gillette, that you may know from the Neal Morse Band, on electric guitar, Jamie Glaser on acoustic guitar, and, Marisa Franz on harmony vocals. I don’t hear very much guitar on this album & Marisa Franz does not need any effects on her vocals. This reminds me more of the band BREATHE than it does any other band, except BREATHE gave a better performance. I give this 3 out of 5 Music Guru Stars.

Ike Reilly ~ Crooked Love

 

Ike Reilly starts off his new album called “Crooked Love” with a song titled “Living In The Wrong Time”, which has a Bob Dylan sound to it. As he goes through the album you hear songs about sex, love, anger, & even politics. This is a bit of blues, rock, & punk rolled up into this album. “She Haunts My Hideouts” is a love song that involves murder. The song “I Took It Lying Down” is a song about Donald Trump, believe it or not. As Ike Reilly has said, Donal Trump stiffed him when he was a doorman. The band plays together on this album, with no overlapping. Just straight music together with Ike, guitarist Phil Karnats, bassist Peter Cimbalo, Guitarist & keyboardist Adam Krier & drummer David Cottini as well as a couple of friends. The album is raw & fresh. I give this 4 stars out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Steve ‘n’ Seagulls ~ Grainsville

 

The third release from Finland’s Steve ‘n’ Seagulls puts a new spin on classic rock & roll classics as well as a few original tracks. The spin is turning these classics into bluegrass versions instead of rock versions. The first song, a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”. The banjo shreds even better than Lenny Kravitz. The band is all over the board with different bands from different times. They take Van Halen’s “Panama” & almost turns it into a different song, yet remaining true to the original. They cover other bands, such as, Faith No More, Pearljam, Pantera, Beastie Boys, Jimi Hendrix & quite a different version of “Gimme All Your Lovin'” by Z.Z. Top. You will either really like this album or hate it. Me, I’m in the middle. I give this 3 Music Guru Stars out of 5.

Uriah Heep ~ Living The Dream

 

Uriah Heep…with that wonderful sound. Yes they’re back with their 25th release. While Bernie Shaw is no David Byron, he is the voice of Uriah Heep since 1986, and Uriah Heep still sound wonderful. Hearing Phil Lanzon on the organ would make Ken Hensley proud. Mick Box on guitars & backing vocals is the only original member left of the original Uriah Heep, formed in 1969. “Grazed By Heaven” starts you off with a heavy rock / progressive rock feel & the rest of the album just continues on in the same vein. “Rocks In The Road”, my favorite track on this album, gives you a nice long taste, with the 8 minute and 18 seconds that Uriah Heep bring forth their take with life & some of the bumps in the road that you may hit. There is some nice keyboards on this as well. Bassist Davey Rimmer does a nice job on this as well. while Russell Gilbrook keeps the rhythm steady on this track. Other songs, he is all over that kit. Mick Box is keeping this legendary band alive & sounding as good as ever. Keep up the excellent work. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Gin Blossoms ~ Mixed Reality

 

The Gin Blossoms are back? After 8 years you get a brand new album featuring the same great sound that you’ve loved in the 90’s. Even though the lyrics are not always upbeat, the music & the melodies are. I can say that there is no bad song on this album. For a band that I’ve not really listened to, this may be my turning point to listen to their past library. I’ve certainly heard some hits, & this album seems to have a more mature feel to it, with their great previous sound…yet different. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru Stars. What do you think?

Aeon Zen ~ Ephemera ~ Game Of The Year Edition

 

I really like this band…but, this album did let me down a little. Don’t get me wrong, I love the music, but, I don’t want to hear parts of a story between songs. I guess I’m suppose to play the game (I know, bad pun), but I’m just not into that part of the album. The music, as always is great. If it wasn’t for the story part, I’d probably rate this album a 5 out of 5, but, with at least 3 tracks of talking, I’d give this a 3.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. The music still gets 5 out of 5. Those of you who like concept albums will most likely rate this higher. The harmonies are good as well.