My Amazon Reviews: Mumford and Sons "Wilder Mind"

With nary a banjo in sight.
4 Out Of 5 Stars

In what must feel as divisive as the day Bob Dylan plugged his electric guitar in at the Newport Folk Festival, Mumford and Sons put away all their acoustical instruments and jack in the electrics. I don't see how this album could do anything but divide those fans who listened to "Sigh No More" and "Babel," then come to this. "Wilder Mind" says so long to the banjos and hello to the amplifiers. Is this a good thing? How does the band deal with wanting to step into the shoes of U2?

I don't think it's any secret that Mumford and Sons always wanted to sound big. After all, even with the acoustic guitars, the songs were often all about the bombast. Think of how potent "Lover Of The Light" or "The Cave" are, even behind the sound. They are anthems meant to shake the rafters. A friend of mine even referred to "Babel" as "God and Bombast." Turning the amps up is kind of a natural progression for the band. But I still doubt anyone would have predicted the pounding that comes from "The Wolf" or "Ditmas."

What remains is Marcus Mumford's voice and his way around a lyric. The songs are credited to the entire band, which likely meant that each member designated his volume to the instrumentation, as the lyrics remain as soul searching as ever, and a little less on the God Quest side of things. And when the sonics aren't overwhelming, the songs sound as brightly as they might have on the band's earlier albums ("Believe" and "Hot Gates").

This may still come as a bitter pill to swallow for the fans expecting more of what the first two albums represent. I would suggest that you test the samples first or think about what U2 (or a heavier version of Coldplay) might sound like. The songs themselves are good enough for me to forgive the amplification, but "Wilder Mind" takes a little getting used to. Be prepared.

     

One of the Great 70's Live Albums
4 Out Of 5 Stars

During the great live album glut of the 70's, it seemed every band had a double live set in their back pocket. Thanks to Peter Frampton and Kiss proving that not only could you break a not quite successful band to commercial success, but you could sell these records in tonnage, everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Tubes were putting their act on disc for all the world to listen to. For the really good ones, it could help define the band. "Live and Dangerous" did just that for Thin Lizzy.

Having broken in the states thanks to "Jailbreak," there was a lot of talk that Lizzy's studio work just didn't measure up to the band's, and especially the late, charismatic frontman Phil Lynott's stage presence. Recorded in London (1976) and Toronto (1977) for the tours supporting "Johnny The Fox" and "Bad Reputation" respectively (and like many other 70's live acts, heavily touched up in the studio), the band was at their creative peak. That means you get stunning versions of "Jailbreak" and "Don't Believe a Word," you also get songs like Bob Seger's "Rosalie" and some should have been hits like "Dancing In The Moonlight" and the lighter "Still In Love With You," where Lynott's presence shines through.

This was also the prime Lizzy lineup: Lynott, Brian Downey, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Thin Lizzy knocks these songs out with the kind of energy fanatics knew was missing from the regular albums. The twin guitars are set for stun, and Lynott's underrated bass playing pins it all together. Interband troubles would start after this release in 1978, so this marks the close of a chapter in the band's history, covering many of the major songs from the band's catalog. If all you know of Thin Lizzy is "The Boys Are Back In Town," then "Live and Dangerous" is a great introduction to a great rock band whose career was ultimately cut short too soon.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Thin Lizzy "Jailbreak (Deluxe Version)"

The Day The Boys Came to Town
5 Out Of 5 Stars

Sporting enigmatic frontman Phil Lynott and the twin guitar attack of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy were fired up and in fighting form when they delivered 1976's "Jailbreak." This was a do or die album for them, as they'd been intimated that they needed a hit or it was game over. From the opening punch of the title song (complete with sirens and alarm bells), you could tell; Thin Lizzy had made an album that was going to be their big payday.

Even bigger was the rock anthem to bad boy behavior, "The Boys are Back in Town." Memorable on the first listen, the hook stuck with you and gave Thin Lizzy its first and only American hit. Loaded with macho imagery and rock energy, it's become enough of a classic to be picked for TV commercials. Still, the 'boys' were rampant all across "Jailbreak," with the kind of romantic imagery about coming of age and pushing back against authority, like the title track "Fight or Fall," or "Warriors."

Lynott also had a special place in his heart for American mythology, which is exposed on the romantic "Romeo and The Lonely Girl" and "Cowboy Song." Lynott's vocals are even soulful on these songs, underlining the fact that Thin Lizzy, even though pegged as hard rockers, had a lot of colorful characters in the storybook. The 'rocking' title is still deserved, with the twin harmonies of Gorham and Robertson snaking through the best songs here, and drummer Brian Downey punching through "Warriors" with a brief but effective solo.

"Jailbreak" was the break Thin Lizzy needed, not only breaking the band in the USA, but across the world. The remaster makes things a bit punchier, but the bonus disc "remixes" should be viewed with suspicion; Joe Elliott (of Def Leppard and an avowed Lizzy fan) and former guitarist Gorham added overdubs and extra vocals to the new mixes. The BBC sessions are ace material, showing what the band was capable of in an intimate space. There's one unreleased studio track ("Blues Boy") and a fine early version of "Cowboy Song" then titled "Derby Blues." Overall, a better "deluxe version" than you often find marketed as such, and a classic bit of 70's rock.

     

My Amazon Reviews: The Script "#3"

What Happened to The Melodies?
3 Out Of 5 Stars

I really liked "Science and Faith," Irish trio The Script's second album. There was just the right balance of anthemic pop and modern rock/rap to keep a balance. On #3, the rapping overwhelms. The album tends to bland out after the first few songs and the stronger singles. "Hall Of Fame" drew me in when it was used on the World Series' baseball commercials, and it sounded like the band was once again going to hit the right notes. But the lyrics/raps are loaded with cliches, the rapping is excruciatingly monochromatic, and only "If You Could See Me Now," lead singer Danny O'Donoghue's ode to his dead father, has the emotional wallop of anything from "Science and Faith."

I'll also give a tip of the hat to "Kaleidoscope," which grapples with a U2 sound and "Glowing," which is a well structured piano rocker minus the annoying rapping. That makes four songs I like on an album of 10; not a good batting average. #3 is not a bad album, just an average one, slickly produced and full of confidence, but just feels like a step in the wrong direction for The Script.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Luka Bloom "Dreams In America"

Horseshoes
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Luka Bloom goes back over the many years of his storied career to reinterpret some of his best songs. A little older, a littler wiser, maybe a bit more articulate, his remakes hew close to the originals with a few subtle differences on Dreams In America. So I'll lay it out front: as a man who's followed Luka's career since his Warner Brothers' album 1990's "Riverside," the originals are better. These are all great songs, one and all, and there's a new recording of a standard, "Lord Franklin." But it's still playing a game of horseshoes. Close barely counts.

If you're new to Luka's talents, and they are profound, this might be a decent place to start. I'll also recommend the import Platinum Collection, covering his first three CD's (and including his novelty almost hit cover of LL Cool J's "I Need Love"). I'll recommend this to the newly initiated and those who may only have heard a few of Luka's songs. He's a dynamic performer (I can testify to this from three occasions to see him live), and his music is worth hearing. Just heed that this is a series of re-recordings plus three live versions.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Gregory Gray "Strong at Broken Places"

Stronger than known
4 Out of 5 Stars

Gregory Gray made three solo albums and has been releasing tracks under the nom de tune "Mary Cigarettes" for a few years now. "Strong At Broken Places" was his second album and released on the Atco/Atlantic in 1990 when the company was trying to resurrect the Atco label (and made the place the home of AC/DC for a time). While Gray has little else in common with AC/DC, his album deserves your attention all the more.

He has the songwriting sensibilities of Randy Newman at his most biting and recalling the Pet Shop Boys at his most buoyant. Producer Davitt Sigerson (and later, Stephen Hague) frames Gray with modern sounding synths and often danceable rhythms. There's even a dabble of reggae on "People Are Hard." But Gray is at his best when he's either out to party ("Universal Groove," "Things Ain't Always What They Seem") or wax cynical. On the brilliant "When The Music Turns Into Money," he rails against an industry that he wants to crack, ending up singing without any missing irony "I'm a goldmine, I'm a gold mine." It's sublime and subversive at the same time.

Gray also tries his hand at commercial pop (his first album hasn't even seen a CD release, it vanished so completely) on "The Fun Has Just Begun" and "Easier Said Than Done" and rocking a bit on the closing "Coming Back For More." That song is when he loses the high croon for a Bowie Belter and does so convincingly. All this makes "Strong At Broken Places" on of those good albums to slip through the cracks. It may not been as strong as the follow-up, the gay-centric "Euroflake In Silverlake," yet it stands the test of time better than may albums from the same period.