Single reviews: JEFFERSON STARSHIP, LIONHEART, MICHAEL DES BARRES

JEFFERSON STARSHIP It’s About Time Golden Robot Records [Release date 13.07.20]

When the history of 20th Century Rock is written, Jefferson Airplane will have a chapter all to itself. Anyone who was paying attention knows it evolved into the much more commercial, chart aimed band, Jefferson Starship, then later just Starship, then Jefferson Starship again (we can only assume some copyright issues got sorted).

Their first recording for 12 years, “Mother Of The Sun” EP is due out in August. Out now, ‘It’s About Time’ is the teaser trailer. Catchy and urgent, it’s a colourful burst of pop optimism, decrying the social unrest that now seems endemic in our culture. There’s a dreamy, summer of love middle eight, just to remind us where they came from.

Grace Slick is long retired. Her replacement, Cathy Richardson has that same intense vibrato, presented with almost the same precision and power. Watch the music video here

LIONHEART Widows Metalville Records [Release date 17.07.20]

‘Widows’ is another classy slice of surging melodic rock from Lionheart’s forthcoming “Reality Of Miracles” album. We reviewed the first preview track, some weeks back.

This one dials back the intensity a little, and boosts the melody, giving it more of an organic 80′s melodic rock feel. It returns to a time when valve driven, analogue AOR was still a thing, relying on a powerful vocalist to give the song edge. It’s like the band’s eased itself into the space between Journey and Rainbow. No bad thing.

The full album is due out 31 July.

You can listen to ‘Widows’ here

MICHAEL DES BARRES & THE MISTAKES Get It On Die Laughing Records [Release date 10.07.20]

Michael (Detective/Power Station) Des Barres, still around, and still performing after all these years, releases a live single version of T Rex’s ‘Get It On’ this month.

His band, The Mistakes (a pretty punky name for a not very pretty punk band) are a tight,tight outfit when it’s needed, loose and louche when that’s needed instead.

Cover versions of uncoverable songs are usually the result of respect and often, genuine affection for the original and the band who recorded it.

This version’s sense of rehearsed spontaneity, illusory or otherwise, neatly merges past with present, nodding its head in the direction of Bolan’s Glammy, artful dodger persona, while juggling the raw clamour and clang of live performance. Stream or buy it here

Reviews by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)