NIGHT RANGER Breakout (Frontiers)

A taster from the band’s 12th studio album, ‘ATBPO’ (And the Bands Played On), due out on August 6. It is a typical, upbeat rocker from Night Ranger with guitars to the fore and the band harmonising on the chorus. Bodes well for the new album.

SERIOUS CHILD & ANDY RUDDY Turn The Music Down www.seriouschild.com

Serious Child is songwriter and roots musician Alan Young, whilst singer songwriter Andy Ruddy has been working for the charity Give A Song performing for vulnerable people.

‘Turn The Music’ down takes aim at the Government’s Fatima arts poster suggesting those in the arts industry retrain and why they refuse to get a ‘real job’, as many have ‘advised’ them over the years. Our gain as the duo provide us with a delightful melody – ELO meets 10CC – coupled with lyrics that hit the intended target. Pop with a message and something we need more of, not less.

‘As Good As It Gets’ features a sparser arrangement for a tale about a man trying to give up smoking and thinking there are 1000’s of things that could kill him, and is this as good as it gets? Strangely uplifting and downbeat at the same time.

PATRICK HEMER has decided his fans deserve something extra so thus he decided to give away his new single ‘Brainwashed’ for free to all fans for a limited time here. Kudos to him, and indeed his record label Lion Music, and this is an impressive bit of melodic metal, complete with a tasty guitar solo as you’d expect.

Singer/songwriter Rory McDonald says VOODOO BLUE’s: “MMA (Plastic Groove Records) was also originally going to be called ‘moshpit martial arts’, and is all about those drunken idiots who in an effort to make themselves look cool end up making regretful decisions that don’t mean much until they wake up the next morning. I feel everyone has let something fall through the cracks that shouldn’t have when intoxicated”.

He’s not wrong as this is three minutes of in your face punk rock, sung at 100mph. Bit like Talking Heads being beaten around the head by the Exploited. Sounds painful but surprisingly good listening fun!

Pianist and composer JOHN CAROLL KIRBY is releasing his first ensemble album ‘Septet’ on June 25 via Stones Throw, and he has released ‘Sensing Not Seeing’ as the lead song. Kirby explains, “I imagined running through a forest in the dark. The drums have a frantic energy and the melody is ominous. In the middle section where there would traditionally be an improvised solo, the rhythm section backs a silent instrumentalist, as if wandering through the dark with nothing to guide them.”

You do need to give music like this your full attention to hear and enjoy the music going on in this tune, otherwise sadly it would become background music or God forbid, one of those endless ‘focussed’ mood playlists beloved of streaming services.

Like a bit of female fronted 80′s influenced hair metal? If you do, then you will doubtless enjoy SUPERNOVA PLASMAJETS Brave New World, released from their upcoming album ‘Brave New World’ due out on Pride & Joy Music on October 22. Possibly a tad too contrived for my personal tastes but good fun nonetheless.

‘Time Is Running Out’ is the third single from Nottingham based grunge rockers JUST A RIDE, taken off their forthcoming self-titled debut album. Brash and in your face, enough to have you seeking out there earlier singles.

DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG are back again with a new single entitled ‘Every Heart Is Burning’ (AFM Records). Former Accept vocalist Udo Dirkschneider is joined in his old gang by fellow former Accept members Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufman, along with UDO band members Mathias Dieth and Udo’s son Sven. Rounding off the gang is singer Manuela Bibert.

This is great fun, with three vocalists – Udo, Peter Baltes and Manuela – and the proceeds from this single, and its two predecessors, go to help the band and crew members of UDO, who haven’t been able to tour or earn their normal wages during the pandemic. I am not normally a big fan of Udo’s vocals, but they work well in this trio format. Bravo to everyone invovled.

Off to Italy now for some punk rock from HEARTS APART, whose latest single is ‘It’s Too Late’. Nicely done lads with a driving rock ‘n’ roll guitar and a vocal in the style of Green Day. Over and done with in one minute thirty seconds!

Reviews by Jason Ritchie

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

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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)