From the band Trixter, comes this band, with some great classic rock. It has that great vibe to it, that really spoke to me. Everything was right where it belonged. Good music, good vocals. Everything was there. If this were my choice, I would make the song, “Let It Rain” the single of the album. This one stands out above the rest…and the rest were really good. I would give this album 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
I’m not really quite sure what to say about this album. This did NOT work for me at all. There was nothing bad about it, unfortunately, for me, not much good about it either. As each song went on, I looked forward to the end of the album. I don’t like saying this about any album, but, this one didn’t work for me. Sorry Lupe. I would only give this one about 2 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
Another great album from Dr. John. Other than some hits that I heard growing up, I’ve never really listened to Dr. John. When he made his come-back, I listened to that album, which I really enjoyed. That was sometime around 2008 or so, if my memory serves me correctly. This album is another great one. Out of the 11 songs, there may be 1 song which didn’t measure up to the rest, but, all were really good. This album was originally recorded in 1974, & now put out in 2020. This album also features guest stars such as…Joe Louis Walker, Mike Dawes, Chantel McGregor, Rafael Nasta, Buddy Whittington, Sonny Landreth, Eli Cook, Doug Kershaw, Solomon Hicks, Matt Schofield, & Erja Lyytinen. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Go out & buy this album. This is not your typical blues album, as most of the songs are very upbeat songs.
Firefall is back with a brand new album. Their first since 2007, which was a Beatles tribute. Their first with new Firefall music since 1994. This band is spectacular to listen to. I grew listening to their hits, but now I’ve heard a whole album, and I’m a fan. Out of the 10 songs, there was only 1 that didn’t make it up to the standards of the other 9 songs. The only reason for that was I didn’t feel that the vocals fit as well as the other songs. I think that song was “Hardest Chain”. This was not a bad song, as there was no bad songs on this album. It just wasn’t as good as the rest. I enjoyed the cover of “Nature’s Way”. You could tell it was a cover as it didn’t quite make it as good as the original, but, it was close. The album features a bunch of the original members of the band, or, returning members who were with the band for a long time. The band consists of Jock Bartley (founding member) on lead & rhythm guitars, lead & background vocals, mandolin & percussion, Mark Andes (founding member) on bass guitar, background vocals & lead vocals on “Nature’s Way”, Dave Muse (early member since 1975, and going in & out of the band, on flute, sax, piano & organ, Sandy Ficca (member since 1984) on drums & percussion, and, Gary Jones (newest member since 2013) on acoustic guitars, lead & background vocals. There are some guest musicians as well, which include Timothy B. Schmit (Poco & Eagles), John McFee (Doobie Brothers), John Jorgensen (Elton John & Desert Rose Band), Donnie Lee Clark (Pure Prairie League), Steven Weinmeister (formally of Firefall – 1994-2013), and Jim Waddell (formally of Firefall – 1996-1997, 1999-2001) and other musicians as well. This is a great album & gets my highest rating of 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Give this one a listen. I think that you’ll agree with me.
Another great album by Riverside. This one is live. Even though I’ve been getting away from concert albums, this one stood out. This band has chops. If I didn’t hear the applause in between songs, I may not know that this was a live album. This is a 2 CD set, so there is plenty of music to be heard here. Sit back & enjoy this one. I think that you will. This album was recorded in Tilsburg and was originally released by the band in 2017. Now you get to hear it from the label that really works well with progressive bands. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars. The band now is Mariusz Duda on lead vocals, bass & guitars, Maciej Meller on lead guitar, Michał Łapaj on keyboards & backing vocals, & Piotr Kozieradzki on drums & percussion.
This album is mostly instrumental. The music seems to just go on without going anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it…I did…but it didn’t really go anywhere. There were a few songs that perked up after awhile, but, again, it needs to go somewhere. “Zelda” with vocals was still in the relax mode that most of the album follows, but the vocals were very good, although I couldn’t tell what the lyrics were. This version of the band is entirely different from the band that started off. I give this album 3 out of 3 Music Guru stars. Give this one a try & let me know what you think.
Once again, Enuff Z’Nuff puts out another great album. Mixing rock with pop & doing it well is pretty good when it comes to what was supposed to be a heavy metal band, or a hair metal band. The band features Chip Z’Nuff on lead vocals & bass, Alex Kanes on guitars, Tory Stoffregan on guitars, & Daniel Benjamin Hill on drums. There are some additional guest musicians on this album as well. They are Mike Portnoy on drums, Daxx Nielson on drums, Donnie Vie on guest vocals, & Ace Frehley on inaudible lead guitar. That was a guitar part that Ace played & sent it to Chip, but, it couldn’t be heard, so, they included it on the album & added lead guitar tracks. It is a great album. The more that I hear from this band, the more I want to hear. Give it a listen. I give this 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
This is the first album that Bruce did with the E Street Band, since 2014, when he put out “High Hopes”. As Bruce & the band get a little older, the music seems to be getting more mellow. This does nor mean that it isn’t good, it is, but as musicians get older most get mellower with age. The band still has that E Street sound. This album doesn’t have that “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” sound, maybe closer to “Tunnel Of Love”. This is a hard one to grade, but I would probably give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars. Once again, the big man’s nephew, Jake Clemons is on saxophone. I probably need to listen to this more to see if I like it better.
This band is a good blend of rock & pop. It has a feeling of the 70’s or 80’s without sounding like somebody else. This is a good thing. They are fresh with a sound of something familiar, yet, not. “A Better Day” starts off the album with a nice pick me up feeling, then goes into “You Are The Fire”, which again had a familiar sound. The familiar sound may be that Tommy Decarlo use to be in the band BOSTON. It doesn’t sound like Boston, but, just as every Boston song has a distinctive sound, Decarlo does as well. Tommy is the lead singer of this band & his son, Tommy Jr. is the lead guitarist & also does vocals. Also in the band is Payton Velligan on keys guitars & vocals, Christian Sturt on drums & vocals, and Edward Sturt on bass. I give this 4 out of 5 Music Guru stars. As I listen to it more, it may change to 5 out of 5 Music Guru stars.
