Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile)

Album review: JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUES BREAKERS – Road Dogs

Posted on March 19, 2020 by jason

EAR Music [Released 20.03.20] The first thing I wrote as I heard the title track “Road Dogs” coming through the speakers was “authentic”. Then I had to chuckle. If ANY British man playing the blues is authentic! Mind you, along … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, blues, blues rock, classic rock, Eric Clapton, guitarist, John Mayall, review, Road Dogs, the Blues Breakers | Leave a comment

Album review: JOCASTA – Ideas Are Bulletproof

Posted on March 19, 2020 by jason

TA Music [Release date 20.03.20] Tim Arnold now has multiple roles as singer, songwriter, showman, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. But Arnold’s first musical incarnation was as lead singer and songwriter of the 90’s indie rock band Jocasta. ‘Ideas Are Bulletproof’ … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, B-sides, demos, Ideas Are Bulletproof, indie pop, Jocasta, review, Tim Arnold | Leave a comment

Album review: THE UNITY – Pride

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Davoski

Steamhammer/SPV [release date: 13.03.20] As Euro power metal projects go, this third studio album from The Unity passes muster with flying colours. If a mesh of tight production and bombastic musical posturing is your thing, then step in line. And … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Gamma Ray, melodic metal, power metal, Pride, review, The Unity | Leave a comment

Quick plays: GENTLEMEN’S ACADEMY, NELS ANDREWS

Posted on March 17, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

NELS ANDREWS Pigeon And The Crow Probably the most interesting thing about this fourth studio endeavour by Californian singer songwriter Nels Andrews is that it was recorded at Whispering Pines Studio in LA which was originally built for Sam Cooke … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged acoustic, album, folk, Gentlemen's Academy, Joy, Nels Andrews, Pigeon And The Crow, review, rock, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: EILEEN ROSE – Muscle Shoals

Posted on March 17, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Holy Wreckords [Release date 17.04,20] Looking back, I had my last encounter with Eileen Rose with the release of her third solo album, Come The Storm, a record I had down as a strong contender for my 2005 album of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, country, Eileen Rose, Muscle Shoals, Nashville, review, roots | Leave a comment

Album review: MAYA RAE – Can You See Me?

Posted on March 17, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Black Hen Music [Release date 24.04.20] It’s perhaps not the smartest PR move in the book to compare the debut album (of sorts) – by an artist not yet 18 – to timeless classics such as Joni Mitchell’s Blue, and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, Can You See Me?, Maya Rae, review, rock, roots, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: SIERRA HULL – 25 Trips

Posted on March 16, 2020 by jason

Rounder [Release date 27.03.20] Sierra Hull has built her reputation as a world class mandolin player, becoming the first woman to be voted Mandolin Player of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards in 2016, after a near-decade … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 25 Trips, album, Americana, bluegrass, country, mandolin, review, Rounder Records, Sierra Hull | Leave a comment

Album review: YES – The Ladder, Open Your Eyes

Posted on March 15, 2020 by jason

YES The Ladder (Collector’s Edition CD, Gatefold Digipack) EarMUSIC/Edel [Release date 20.03.20] How much was producer, Bruce Fairbairn responsible for the the band’s return to creative form on 1999′s “The Ladder”? Considering that his path through the nineties was littered … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Alan White, albums, Billy Sherwood, Bruce Fairbairn, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, melodic, Open Your Eyes, prog rock, review, Steve Howe, The Ladder, Yes | Leave a comment

Album review: JETHRO TULL & IAN ANDERSON

Posted on March 15, 2020 by jason

JETHRO TULL – Living With The Past (CD&DVD Collector’s Edition Gatefold Digipac) EarMUSIC/Edel [Release date 20.03.20] Germany’s Edel/Ear Music continue their ambitious “Classics Range” with a double Jethro Tull whammy. These two boxsets add up to several hours of high … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged classic rock, folk, folk rock, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, live album, Living In The Past, prog rock, review, Thick As A Brick | Leave a comment

Album review: THE MOOD GROOVE – Some Left, Some Stayed

Posted on March 14, 2020 by jason

Indie [Release date 29.02.20] The Mood Groove, formed by JK Northrup and Ed Balldinger, released their debut album back in 2018 as an outlet to create and record music that stretched their collective imaginations and to invite listeners to something … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alternative, Ed Balldinger, Eric Ragno, Fiction Syxx, Frank Zappa, funk, JK Northrup, melodic, Montrose, review, rock, Some Left Some Stayed, the Mood Groove | Leave a comment

Album review: HAREM SCAREM – Change The World

Posted on March 14, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] It’s not unreasonable to claim that Harem Scarem spearheaded the Melodic Rock movement’s rejuvenation in the mid nineties. 1993′s “Mood Swings”, the band’s second album, gave thousands of fans a liferaft to cling onto when the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Change The World, hard rock, Harem Scarem, Harry Hess, melodic rock, Pete Lesperance, review | Leave a comment

Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Agents Of Fortune, 40th Anniversary

Posted on March 14, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] CD/DVD As any fan knows, the key to a band’s longevity is an enduring ability to write great songs. That and the talent to leave more out than they put in. Once they get into the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged 40th anniversary, Agents Of Fortune, album, Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma, classic album, classic rock, Eric Bloom, live, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: SERIOUS BLACK – Suite 226

Posted on March 12, 2020 by jason

AFM Records [Release date 31.01.20] “Suite 226” is seriously good Serious Black. The band have taken a lot of flak over the variable quality of their last couple of albums. Which isn’t surprising, knowing that the band’s refusal to conform … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AFM Records, album, melodic metal, metal, review, rock opera, Serious Black, Suite 226, Urban breed | Leave a comment

Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Heaven Forbid

Posted on March 9, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] Blue Oyster Cult originally released ‘Heaven Forbid’ in 1998 on the CMC label, so it never got a widespread release and the band had left the label by their next album. Although there are no bonus … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album. Eric Bloom, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma, classic rock, Frontiers, hard rock, Heaven Forbid, re-issue, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: SHAKRA – Mad World

Posted on March 8, 2020 by jason

AFM Records [Release date 28.02.20] “Mad World” is Shakra’s 12th studio album, and it’s a lot like the previous 11. That’s a relief. Thomas Muster’s and Thom Blunier’s economic riffs continue to drive the music, and along with prodigal son, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AC/DC, AFM Records, album, hard rock, KROKUS, Mad World, review, rock, Shakra | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVID CROSS & PETER BANKS – Crossover

Posted on March 8, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Noisy Records [Release date 17.01.20] David Cross will be best known for his time with King Crimson in the 1970s. His more recent solo works and collaborations (with the likes of one-time Van Der Graaf sax player David Jackson and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, ambient, Billy Sherwood, Crossover, David Cross, fusion, Geoff Downes, instrumental, King Crimson, Peter Banks, review, Tony Kaye, Yes | Leave a comment

Album review: NEWMAN – Ignition

Posted on March 4, 2020 by jason

AOR Heaven [Release date 27.03.20] Steve Newman formed the band Newman way back in 1997, with the last Newman album ‘Aerial’ released in 2017. Since then he’s been busy writing songs with the likes of Toby Hitchcock, joined the band … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, AOR, AOR Heaven, hard rock, Ignition, melodic rock, NEWMAN, review, Steve Newman, Toby Hitchcock | Leave a comment

Album review: SEVEN SPIRES – Emerald Seas

Posted on March 4, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 28.02.20] If only all concept albums were like this one…bittersweet melodic metal anthems liberally laced with apocalyptic metal tragedy. It’s such an accomplished piece of music that it belies the fact it is only the US band … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Emerald Seas, Frontiers, metal, prog metal, review, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, Sascha Paeth, Seven Spires, symphonic metal | Leave a comment

Album review: GRAHAM GOULDMAN – Modesty Forbids

Posted on March 2, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

David Randall chatted to Graham Gouldman in the first hour of his weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 5 April 2020. Lojinx [Release date 20.03.20] Graham Gouldman is a real trooper. In recent years he has … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged 10CC, album, Graham Gouldman, interview, Modesty Forbids, pop, review, Ringo Starr, rock, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: SNAKE OIL & HARMONY – Hurricane Riders

Posted on March 2, 2020 by jason

Zero One Entertainment [Release date 28.02.20] Five years ago, Danny Vaughn (Tyketto) and Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network) decided to combine their talents in to form a live acoustic touring act called Snake Oil & Harmony. Since then they have … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged acoustic, album, country, Dan Reed, Dan Reed Network, Danny Vaughn, Hurricane Riders, melodic, pop, review, singer songwriter, Snake Oil & Harmony, Tyketto | Leave a comment

Album review: WAITING FOR MONDAY – S/T

Posted on March 1, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 14.02.20] Few bands are less famous than their producer. Walter Ino, 6 years with Survivor, touring keyboard player with The Babys, and currently holding down lead guitarist spot with The Eagles of Death Metal, produced this self … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, AOR, debut, DENNIS DeYOUNG, Jeff Scott Soto, melodic rock, review, Waiting For Monday, Walter Ino | Leave a comment

Album review: ARCHON ANGEL – Fallen

Posted on March 1, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 14.02.20] Archon Angel is a new project born from a meeting between producer/guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere) and former Savatage and Circle II Circle vocalist Zak Stevens during the making of Timo Tolkki’s Avalon’s Return To Eden … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Archon Angel, Circle II Circle, Fallen, metal, progressive metal, review, Savatage, Zak Stevens | Leave a comment

Album review: FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH – F8

Posted on March 1, 2020 by david.wilson

Better Noise Records [Release date – 28.02.20] This is album number 8 from Five Finger Death Punch and it’s one that marks a number of firsts for the band. It is the first album to feature new drummer Charlie Engen, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, CD, Charlie Engen, Chric Kael, F8, Five Finger Death Punch, Inside Out, Ivan Moody, Jason Hook, metal, review, rock, Zoltan Bathory | Leave a comment

Album review: BLACKWATER CONSPIRACY – Two Tails & The Dirty Truth Of Love & Revolution

Posted on March 1, 2020 by david.wilson

Bulletproof 20/20 Records [Release date 14.02.20] This is the second album from County Tyrone southern tinged rockers Blackwater Conspiracy following on from their 2017 debut ‘Shootin’ The Breeze’ and it is a bit of a cracker. The band master … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Blackwater Conspiracy, CD, country, Phil Conalane, review, rock, southern rock, Two Tails & The Dirty Truth Of Love & Revolution | Leave a comment

Album review: WKW (WATSON, KERCHEVAL, WATSON) – Men Of Steel

Posted on March 1, 2020 by david.wilson

WKW Music [Release date - Out Now] WKW is a collaboration between the two Big Country mainstays, Bruce and Jamie Watson, and Thomas Kercheval. Kercheval is an Emmy winning documentary editor, independent musician and longtime Big Country fan. He ran … Continue reading →