Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

Album review: SELWYN BIRCHWOOD – Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues

Posted on March 29, 2026 by petefeenstra

Alligator Records [Release date 27th March 2026] Selwyn Birchwood’s ‘Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues’ is everything you want from a contemporary blues album. It’s a well crafted, emotively sung and self produced masterpiece from a young blues artist who explores deeply felt, … Continue reading →

Album review: MIKE ZITO – Outside Or The Eastside

Posted on March 28, 2026 by petefeenstra

Gulf Coast Records [Release date 24.04.26] Mike Zito’s ‘Outside Or The Eastside’ is a hard hitting rock-blues album with autobiographical songs and thoughtfully chosen covers. He tells us the new album: “is an ode St. Louis and the late-night culture … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Albert King, album, blues, guitar, Howlin Wolf, Johnny Winter, Lonnie Brooks, Mike Zito, Nina Simone, Outside Or The Eastside, review, rock, Roy Buchanan, soul, The Rolling Stones, Willie Dixon | Leave a comment

Album review: HANNAH JAMES & TOBY KUHN – Where All Our Names Belong

Posted on March 28, 2026 by jason

Hannah James and Toby Kuhn [Release date 27.03.26] The duo’s second album, featuring Hannah James on vocals, accordion and sansula, Toby Kuhn on cello, revolves around the theme of belonging. Hannah is part of the talented trio Lady Maisery and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, folk, Hannah James, Lady Maisery, review, Toby Kuhn, Where All Our Names Belong | Leave a comment

Album review: MARIACHI EL BRONX – Mariachi El Bronx IV

Posted on March 26, 2026 by david.wilson

ATO Records [Release date 13.02.26] The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson tells the tale of a man with two personality traits. Dr Jekyll, a mild mannered gent, and Mr Hyde, a murderous character … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, ATO Records, El Dorado, Forgive and Forget, Hardcore, IV, Joby Ford, mariachi, Mariachi El Bronx, Matt Caughran, Mexico, review, rock, SoCal, The Bronx | Leave a comment

Album review : JON ANDERSON – Survival And Other Stories / Earth Mother Earth (2 CDs / remasters)

Posted on March 25, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date: 27.03.26] Yes, you read that right, two Jon (Yes) Anderson reissues, Survival And Other Stories, and Earth Mother Earth, both now resurrected, dusted down and freshened up. Survival and Other Stories, based on music submitted to … Continue reading →

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Album review: MYRATH – Wilderness Of Mirrors

Posted on March 25, 2026 by david.wilson

earMUSIC [Release date 27.03.26] Myrath have been on my musical radar for a few years now since I reviewed their ‘Live In Carthage’ album back in 2019 and was blown away with their melodic metal full of eastern promise. Hailing … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Amaranthe, EarMusic, Elize Ryd, Kevin Codfert, Malik Ben Ariba, metal progressive, Myrath, review, rock, The Funeral, Tunisia, Wilderness Of Mirrors, Zahar Zogati | Leave a comment

Album review: MASSIVE WAGONS – Live At The Great Hall

Posted on March 23, 2026 by david.wilson

Earache Records [Release date 27.03.26] For anyone who has seen Massive Wagons live, you will know that the band onstage is an unstoppable juggernaut with enough energy to power a medium sized town for a week. So, it’s quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Adam Thistlethwaite, album, Bangin' On Your Stereo, Barry Mills, Earache Records, In This Together, live, Live At The Great Hall, Massive Wagons, metal, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: JAMIE WILLIAMS AND THE ROOTS COLLECTIVE – In The Moment

Posted on March 23, 2026 by jason

Website [Release date 25.05.26] I’ve been following Rocking Americana artist Jamie Williams for some 20 years now, and watched his songwriting develop and mature through the years, and it’s always a pleasure when he/they (The Roots Collective) release a new album. This one being no exception. Rather than stay on the same … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions | Tagged blues, blues rock, interview, Jamie Williams, review, rock, roots music, The Roots Collective | Leave a comment

Album review: JOE HICKS – Before It Gets Dark

Posted on March 23, 2026 by jason

Website [Release date 27.03.26] Session musicians – a necessary cog in the wheels of the music industry, particularly for solo singers. Sometimes the session musician wants to break out of his backing role and be seen. Take Jimmy Page and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Before It Gets Dark, Joe Hicks, melodic, pop, review, singer songwriter, Steve Winwood | Leave a comment

Album review: WARRANT – Belly To Belly Vol.1

Posted on March 22, 2026 by GRTR! HQ

Deko Entertainment [Release date 15.04.26] Warrant’s fifth album ‘Belly to Belly, Vol. 1′ has been remastered and repackaged and is being re-released in April, and for the first time will also be released on vinyl. Originally released in 1996 it … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Belly To Belly Vol.1, hard rock, melodic rock, review, Warrant | Leave a comment

Album review : CHEZ KANE – Reckless

Posted on March 22, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 27.3.26] We’re cranking the machine back to 1986. Yes, sounding like every Desmond Child Holly Knight/Diane Warren penned AOR hit 40 years ago, the album launches with the title track, ‘Restless’. Only this time with … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AOR, Chez Kane, Crazy Lixx, Danny Rexon, Desmond Child, Dian Warren, eighties, Holly Knight, melodic rock, Reckless, review | Leave a comment

Album review: TYKETTO – Closer To The Sun

Posted on March 20, 2026 by andynathan

Silver Lining Music [Release Date 20.3.26] For so long one of rock’s best kept secrets, Tyketto’s mainstream exposure has grown over the past few years with well-received appearances at broader festivals outside their melodic rock genre and even a detailed … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, AOR, blues rock, Closer to the Sun, Danny Vaughn, Ged Rylands, Harry Scott Elliott, melodic rock, Tyketto | Leave a comment

Album review : JOHNNY COUGAR (MELLENCAMP) – American Dream, The Mainman Recordings 1976-77 (2 CDs)

Posted on March 20, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 27.03.26] John Mellencamp, now an accomplished artist (visually as well as musically) and gallery owner, took the Cougar surname at his manager’s insistence. He thought the record buying public would find the Cougar name much … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Cherry Red, Chestnut Street Incident, heartland rock, Johnny Cougar, Mellencamp, review, The Kid Inside, Tony Defries | Leave a comment

Album review : LOU GRAMM – Released

Posted on March 18, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date: 27.03.26] Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Mick Jones were one of melodic rock’s divine pairings who eventually separated. 25 years, 10 band albums, 2 solo albums and 60 million sales later, Gramm has survived a life threatening … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AOR/Melodic Rock, Bruce Turgon, Cherry Red, Foreigner, Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Peter Wolf, review | Leave a comment

Album review : THE LOVIN SPOONFUL – What A Day For A Daydream – The Complete Recordings 1965-69 (7CD Boxset)

Posted on March 17, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date: 27.03.26] The Lovin Spoonful lineup – John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone – coalesced in New York’s folk music hub, Greenwich Village in 1964, honing their sound in the city’s nightclubs before they … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Box sets, Reissues | Tagged Cherry Red, Country Joe, Greenwich Village, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian, Lovin Spoonful, New York, review, The Sixties, Woodstock | Leave a comment

Album review: TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND – Future Soul

Posted on March 15, 2026 by GRTR! HQ

Fantasy Records/ Swamp Family Music [Release date 20.03.26] When your debut album wins a Grammy, the sense of overachievement could be something hard to deal with. Fortunately, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks seemingly saw this as an indication that they … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues rock, classic rock, Derek Trucks, Future Soul, review, southern rock, Susan Tedeschi, Tesdeschi Trucks Band | Leave a comment

Album review: AEROSMITH (Deluxe expanded edition)

Posted on March 15, 2026 by GRTR! HQ

Universal Music Group [Release date 20.03.26] One of the USA’s rock bands, Aerosmith have released 15 studio albums, and sold 150 million records world-wide. And their blend of rock, blues, glam and pop has been very influential too. With roots … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged 3-CD, Aerosmith, album, blues rock, delux, expanded, hard rock, Joe Perry, live, remix, review, Steven Tyler | Leave a comment

Album review : IGNESCENT – Eternal

Posted on March 15, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 20.03.26] Judge a hot band by the company they keep. Ignescent have opened for Flyleaf, Skillet, Stryper and many other headline metal/hard rock acts in recent years. You could hear the influences of these bands … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Eternal, Fight In Me, Flyleaf, Frontiers Music, Ignescent, Jennifer Benson, Lambretta, metal, review, Skillet, Stryper | Leave a comment

Album review : WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT – Film and TV Music Of The Swinging Sixties (3 CDs)

Posted on March 14, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 27.03.26] The label says : “An aural soundtrack for a generation who grew up listening, not only to great pop music, but a feast of TV and Film themes”. Indeed it is, for more than one … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Box sets | Tagged Big Bands, Danger Man, Fifties, James Bond, review, Swinging Sixties, The Avengers, The Saint | Leave a comment

Album review: LIGHTNING THREADS – Trinkets

Posted on March 13, 2026 by GRTR! HQ

https://www.lightningthreads.com/ [Release date 28.01.26/Streaming 01.05.26] The follow up to their 2023 debut album, ‘Off That Lonely Road’ the Threads new record, ‘Trinkets’ sees the band following much the same Blues rooted path but there’s a growing maturity, evident in both … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, blues rock, Lightning Threads, review, soul, Trinkets | Leave a comment

Album review: LAUTENFEYN – Verdammt Und Vergessen

Posted on March 13, 2026 by david.wilson

Magic Mile Music [Release date 06.03.26] Many years ago I was sent a CD to review (remember them?) by a German band called The Ordeal. The album was Descent To Hell and it was a metal masterpiece that still gets … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Fairytale, Lautenfeyn, Magic Mile Music, medieval, metal, Olli Opperman, review, rock, The Ordeal, Verdammt Und Vergessen | Leave a comment

Album review : BLODWYN PIG – The Recordings 1969-74 (3 CDs, Remastered and Expanded)

Posted on March 12, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 20.03.26] Blodwyn Pig had quite some pedigree. 1968: Founding member Mick Abrahams (guitar/vocals) came straight from Jethro Tull, after some conflicts with Ian Anderson over musical direction. Co-founder Jack Lancaster, sax and flute virtuoso, had … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Andy Pyle, Blodwyn Pig, blues rock, Cherry Red, Jack Lancaster, jazz, Mick Abrahams, review, Ron Berg | Leave a comment

Album review: EMERALD MOON – The Sky’s The Limit / The Sky’s The Limit Tour 2025

Posted on March 12, 2026 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Vanessa Di Mauro, singer with Emerald Moon, for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, illustrated with tracks from the two latest albums. First broadcast 15 March 2026. Inouie [Release date: 13.03.25] It’s temping to use phrases like … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged album, Babe Ruth, beth Hart, Dana Fuchs, Deep Purple, Elkie Brooks, Emerald Moon, Fabrice Dutour, Francois C Delacoudre, Glenn Hughes, interview, Janis Joplin, Jenny Haan, Laurent Falso, Led Zeppelin, Michaal Benjelloun, Pat Benatar, review, Rush, The Faces, The Sky's The Limit, The Sky's the Limit Tour 2025, Thin Lizzy, Tina Turner, Vanessa Di Mauro | Leave a comment

Album review : VENUS 5 – The March Of The Venus 5

Posted on March 11, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date: 20.03.26] What’s so attractive about Venus 5’s second album is its refusal to choose one discrete genre, sub-genre, whatever. It dances around the fringes of pop metal, heavy metal and symphonic metal, all laced with tight … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Aldo Lonobile, Frontiers Music, Hell In The Club, melodic metal, review, Sick'n'Beautiful, symphonic rock, Tessa Persson, Venus 5 | Leave a comment

Album review: CASEY MAUNDER – Smash Down Jericho

Posted on March 7, 2026 by jason

Website [Release date 20.03.26] Album number three from Casey Maunder and pleased to report that he carries on with his high standards of penning catchy, melodic hard rock. Of the ten songs on here, only ‘Paint’ has been released ahead … Continue reading →