Danny Bryant- "The rage to survive"

 

 

British blues are the stalwart of the European blues scene. Among the younger blues men who carry the torch is Danny Bryant. With influences from Robert Cray to Gary Moore he knew the tricks and played the game hard. Deep, soulful vocals over  manic twelve bars guitar soloing with some touches from Stax, to add some spice. BB KIng echoes in his playing but Bryant is an accomplished player who is traditional enough and yet has his own personal color in his playing .

 

 

 

Songs like "Rescue me" would be fan favorites as long as blues come back to town. His immense playing, passionate and mature speaks directly to the listener. He is also diverse enough in the "Falling tears' an acoustic guitar based ballad where he moves closer to the classic rock repertoire. This might be his twelve album, but you don't listen to any sign of tiredness or boredom. On the contrary we see an artist trying to stretch the blues standard sound, producing songs that aim straight to the heart like " Make me pay".He balances great between the classic Chicago blues sound and the more classic rock sound with songs like "Rain stopped play". A blues album, that as most of the products from the quarantine days of Covid 19 is emotionally charged and musically inspired.

 

 

7,5

 

Arielle- "Analog girl in a digital world"

Hard rock in the vein of HEART with a pop twist. Modern, melodic and with some rock n roll touches at "Still a man", pop at "inside outside" and arena rock. Arielle is a brilliant guitar player and also a strong songwriter with a strong ear for melody. The album is a perfect exercise in FM/Arena rock with classic rock overtones. Sensitivity and BEATLES esque spirit is here but goes hand by hand with the melodic spirit of early BOSTON and STYX.

 

A definite plus to her song writing skills is her voice reminiscent of Wilson of HEART fame-just listen at "Peace of mind", that makes the listening very familiar and enjoyable, adding extra strength to her well crafted songs.

7,5

Song of the week Kadavar & Elder - ELDOVAR - From Deep Within (Official Video)

 Song of the week

Kadavar & Elder - ELDOVAR - From Deep Within (Official Video)

ELDOVAR - Music by Elder and Kadavar. 

New song "From Deep Within" available now: https://kadavarelder.lnk.to/FromDeepW... 

Pre-order the album "ELDOVAR - A Story Of Darkness & Light": https://kadavarelder.lnk.to/Eldovar

 

NESTOR-"Kids in a ghost town"

Another welcome surprise from Sweden in the AOR genre. A band that takes the best from MEATLOAF, Bonnie Tyler, TOTO, GIANT and along with their charismatic touch in writing great emotional, bombastic, pompous, AOR anthems deliver a wet dream for the genre lovers. 

 

 

 

Their far more traditional and rock oriented than NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA with less Disco elements and influences but with the pop sensibilities that makes power ballads like 'It aint me" running the Zippos out of gas and the arenas asking for more beers. On the other side songs like "On the run" with its outrageously catchy chorus and "Perfect 10" (eyes like Demie Moore) with its glorious references and name checks to all the great actors of the 80s, Demie Moore, Sharon Stone are making the listening of the album a guilty pleasure for all of us who raised like men in a non me#2 world. "Stone cold eyes" is another magnificent example on how a killer chorus can hook up with honey dripped keyboards like TOUCH meet, DRIVE SHE SAID , REO SPEEDWAGON and drive at Malibu in a convertible. Another plus although the song is among the weakest in the album is "Tomorrow" featuring the one and only 80s legend Samantha Fox. "These days" is the perfect example of a song that reminds a decade of AOR and still has its own flavor and character and that is what NESTOR are all about. "We re not ok" is another fine example of an emotionally charged song that brings back the glory days of the mid tempo songs.

 

 

Fun lovin, high spirited ,melodic AOR that just takes your breath away and is among the best debuts of the 21st century in the genre along with NFO. Highly recommended for all the  AOR lovers.

8

MONSTER MAGNET- "A better dystopia"

When we talk about cover albums we won't talk about this one.MONSTER MAGNET and their evil mastermind Dave Wyndorf took a bunch of obsolete and absurd proto metal, garaze, proto punk, psychedelic songs and made them their own. It wasn't difficult as MONSTER MAGNET are a heavy band stacked in the 60s somewhere between Detroit and New York. 

 

For "Better dystopia" they cover songs by HAWKWIND,FUZZTONES, POOBAH, JERUSALEM, DUST,MORGEN, PRETTY THINGS and othersmost of them cult heroes in their own unique way. Heavy, fuzz, distorted guitar driven songs with chanting choruses like a litany to hell. Imagine yourself stuffed with acid tablets ,soaked in cheap whiskey, missing the STOOGES concert and instead get in a small underground basement club where MONSTER MAGNET defies gravity and launches heavy riffs and spacey rhythm section parts to the dark night sky. 

 

 

 

MONSTER MAGNET delivers another really good album where we have all their trademark elements infiltrated through their own musical influences. A tribute to the past or the visit of the past to todays MM, nobody knows, nobody but the wha wah pedals that distorting the universe to let Dave Wyndorf do what he does best, circulate distortion over our mental health and damned me if we don't love it."Born to go" is a blaster, "Epitaph for a head" is a lysergic bad trip and "Solid gold hell" is a strip down iron fist smashing your jaw.

8

 

Song of the week CIRCUS OF POWER- Working Class Superstar

 Song of the week

CIRCUS OF POWER- Working Class Superstar

 

 Working Class Superstar · Circus of Power Working Class Superstar ℗ 2021 Circus of Power 

Released on: 2021-10-27

 

Dooms children-Dooms children

After "Me and that man" this is the second memorable case of an artist of the extreme metal era who exploits his more sensiticve side and exhibits such a diversity of musical colors .Wade MacNeil ALEXISONFIRE guitarist / GALLOWS front man presents an album where Neil Young of the early years (Cortez the killer, Harvest etc) and early Santana meets Nick Cave, Johnny Cash along with the Lana Del Ray and PJ Harvey and Mark Lanegan in an amalgam of dark, esoteric modern infused retro rock. Did i confuse you? That was my point. The album is full of id tempo trips to the inner self of DOOMS CHILDREN magical world. Those of you who are familiar with the 90s USA/Aussie alternative scene and names like Chris Cacavas,Luis Tillet, BEAST OF BURBON, THE LONG RYDERS, Steve Wynn, DREAM SYNDICATE you ll find in this album a hidden masterpiece. 

 

 

Distortion, eastern guitars, mesmerizing rhythmic parts, a whiskey soaked, gravy voice and some songs to watch the dark skies getting the city ready for the storm. All these with the Neil Young feeling of bitter sweetness, loneliness, abandons and the dreamy parts like at "Stardust Lullaby" and you re ready for a long ride with the car ,with the rain dropping on the windshield. I need to mention MAZY STAR as another reference and not influence ans the final product of DC is unique and beautiful Music made for long, cold, dark nights in smoky bars all over the globe. Well done, im drinking  my whiskey making a toast to the losers of the world with DC been the perfect soundtrack.

8