Zooluxx ~ The Ghetto Starship EP

 

This is a really nice mix of rock, blues, & psychedelic music. This Los Angeles band really knows how to rock. The music will take you back into the 70’s – 90’s, while still staying fresh & current. The singer does use an effect on his voice, that I’m not sure that he needs, but, it does work with the rest of the music. The music is pure & raw. It is not overly produced. I can really groove to this & maybe you can too. My favorite songs are “Green Lady” & “Different Planets”. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

While She Sleeps ~ So What

 

OK, I’m not sure whether I like this album or not. Let me explain…the music is OK. Really good at times. The vocals are sometimes good, sometimes I’m getting screamed at. I know some people like this. I’m not one of them. I always prefer a melodic singer. This is fast paced hard rock. I really enjoyed the beginning of “I’ve Seen It All” This could be their hit, but, then again, the screaming comes eventually. Same thing with “Set You Free”. This song starts off beautifully, but, then eventually, the screaming starts. Arrrrgh! Maybe 1 song without screaming, would make me happier. “Good Grief” came close, but, they couldn’t resist the screaming. I rate this 2.5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Sons Of Apollo Live in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

 

This band of great musicians consists of some big names like Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Billy Sheehan, & Derek Sherinian. You probably know most, if not, all of the musicians in this band. The first set of music centers around Sons of Apollo’s 1st album, which was released in 2017. The first set was great, but, it only sets you up for what’s coming. During the first set, Jeff Scott Soto & the band play some Queen songs  acappella. They go into “The Prophet’s Song” which is done acappella by Queen, then go into “Save Me”. There is a great version of “The Pink Panther Theme” right before they go into “Opus Maximus” then Jeff Soto says We’ll be right back with some covers.  Next up is the covers as they cover Led Zeppelin, Rainbow, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd, Queen (again), Dream Theater, & Van Halen. My favorite of the covers was Van Halen’s “And The Cradle Will Rock”. This shows just how good Jeff Scott Soto’s is. If you can cover early David Lee Roth, you ARE good. Of course the band with their precision is just awesome. Billy Sheehan is probably my new favorite bass player, since we no longer have John Entwistle or Chris Squire. Derek & Ron play very well together, while Mike Portnoy (Do I really need to say anything here?) plays & performs at the same time. He even sings lead on 1 song. He really does entertain you. Even though I am not usually a fan of live albums, this one is an exception. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Steel Panther ~ Heavy Metal Rules

 

This is the first time that I’ve listened to Steel Panther, and I’ve got to tell you, I’m really glad that I’ve had the chance. Not only is the music spectacular, & the vocals really work very well, but the lyrics, which are NOT PC, really made me tune in more. I’ve been saying for a long time, that language on the radio, has really turned into a p***y show. The band may be a parody band, but, in reality, I’d rather hear more of this stuff than most of the stuff I hear on radio nowadays. The band really work well together. While Satchel on guitars & backing vocals, Lexxi Foxx on bass & backing vocals & Stix Zadinia on drums, keyboards & backing vocals keep the music rocking while Michael Starr on acoustic guitar & lead vocals brings in the punch to the songs. Again, if you’re afraid of language, or glorifying women as cheating play toys, you won’t like this album. Me, I loved it. I can’t wait to hear more Steel Panther. The music has that early 1980’s Heavy Metal vibe to it, & I loved that also. Favorite songs of mine were “Always Gonna To Be A Ho”, “I’m Not Your Bitch” & “I Ain’t Buying What Your Selling”. I rate this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. By the way, the album cover rocks too.

Brand X Live at the Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA. October 13, 2019

 

This show, which started off with 3.2, which you can read the review below, really started my week off right. I was there to see 3.2, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were not the headliner. Brand X was the headliner. Mixing their blend of jazz, fusion & rock into their own mix & you get very progressive jazz fusion. Featuring original band members John Goodsall on guitar & Percy Jones on bass (and boy, can this man make his bass talk), and adding in new members Chris Clark on keyboards, Scott Weinberger on percussion, Kenny Grohowski on drums. For those of you who like jazz, fusion or rock, you will like this show. There is not much movement on the stage, other than the arms moving (especially in Percy Jones case), but, the music will take you right where you want to be. At first John Goodsall was very much in the background, but as the show went on he became more prominent. After the show, we hung out with John & had a really good time with some great stories that he had told. A fun time to be had at a brand X show. I would rate this a 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Torzs ~ Tukor

 

This album is all instrumental. The music sort of takes you into a big mellow zone. If I had to compare it to anyone, it would have to be Porcupine Tree, but without Steven Wilson doing anything to go to greater depths. It’s not bad, it just needs to figure out where it wants to go. The band says they want the listener to conjure images in their mind, based upon their music. This was recorded live in a cave system in a Hungarian national park. If you want to just zone out & chill, that is what this music conjures within my mind. I rate this 3 out of 5 Music Guru stars.

Joe Olnick Band ~ Iguana EP

 

This EP was not bad. The music was pretty good. It is a garage band kind of album with 3 members. On guitars you have Joe Olnick, on bass you have Jamie Aston & on drums you have Stew Bradley. The band can play. The production was a bit lackluster. I think with better production, this band could do better. For this review, I would rate this 3 out of 5 Music Guru stars. With better production, it could go higher.