My Amazon Reviews: Foo Fighters “Sonic Highways”

Headed On The Highway
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Doing a studio tour of various cities, (Chicago, Austin, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, Washington, DC and New York) with the idea of catching the vibe of each studio seems like a cool concept. Hauling in guests from each location would also seem like a way to make each track sound distinctive (Joe Walsh, Gary Clark Jr, Zac Brown among others). It's also a tie-in to the HBO (and now BluRay) series of the same name. But there's something a little awry with the concept. The songs all have the same vibe. The Foos may have been sucking it all in while making "Sonic Highways," but the listener doesn't get to share that experience.

There are moments when you get some of the action, like when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band contributes their sound to "In The Clear" (recorded in New Orleans). But they are pretty much buried in the mix, so you just get a minor variation to the basic Foo Fighters' sound. Joe Walsh has a cool solo in "Outside," but it doesn't burn in your mind that it's Walsh. Same for Zac Brown's vocals on "Congregation" (recorded in Nashville). If you want to hear a real Brown Collaboration, dig his work with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell on "Heavy Is The Head" from Brown's own "Jekyll and Hide." The lone exception is Clark's solo in "What Did I Do? / God As My Witness" (recorded in Austin). It's the one guest star who really leaves an impression.

And that kind of sums up the experiments. What you're left with is a pretty good Foo Fighters album. The songs still roar like they should ("The Feast and The Famine" and "Congregation"). They even try a little sonic soul with "I Am A River," "Sonic Highways" climax (which splits the difference, strings recorded in Los Angeles, the meat of the song in NYC). If you weren't aware of the concept of the album, you'd probably just regard it as the Foo Fighters doing what they do best. That's probably all you really need to know about "Sonic Highways"...it's Dave Grohl and the men in their element.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Muse “Drones”

Gonna Make You, Gonna Break You.
4 Out Of 5 Stars

In all heir pompous glory, Muse are old fashioned prog-rock band, with the fat trimmed off and aspirations toward the big statement. With "Drones," that landed a live one. "Drones" is allegedly about the dehumanizing of men and the militarization of the world. Y'know, you're a drones, we fight with drones and don't you make me one. Packed with big guitars, flourishing keyboards and Queenly harmonies, it's just what a Muse fan would be looking for, The concept gets a little wavy at times, but it's all good music.

The best songs are where the band stretches out, like "Pyscho" or the sprawling "Aftermath," a 10-minute epic that starts with an Ennio Morricone whistle, plays into a Pink Floyd vibe before finally tearing into some muscular metal. And that's before Matt Bellamy even sings a note, which he does over another flourish of piano. It's not like Muse has not tread this turf before, there was the two-pronged title track to "The Second Law" and the three part "Exogenesis" off "The Resistance." Just this time, they crammed it all into one song and rock it into submission. Same for the album opener, "Dead Inside," which throbs like Queen's "We Will Rock You."

I'm all for bands making sloppy concept albums. Done well, the concept often takes a back seat to the songs (like "Drones") or overwhelms and makes the album fly along one big trajectory (think of the classic Jethro Tull album, "Thick as a Brick"). Either way, you'll get more bang for your buck, and Muse are such a great band that "Drones" is a big deal of fun, without the overwhelm. It's as much a concept album as a return to form. Top notch stuff.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Breaking Benjamin “Dark Before Dawn”

Meet the New Ben, Same as the Old Ben
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Six years and one messy public breakup later and Ben Burnley has recruited new members drummer Shaun Foist, bassist Aaron Bruch, guitarist Jasen Rauch, and guitarist Keith Wallen and leads this reconstructed version of Breaking Benjamin through "Dark Before Dawn." You could be forgiven for not noticing that the old band members are no longer around, but it also shows a minor flaw: the songs are little more than what you've heard on other BB albums.

So what does "Dark Before Dawn" have to offer? Well, you do have the fact that Burnley is the driving force (after all, the band name name-checks him), and his vocals still are as tough as ever. He does add melody to the well-hewn genre of hard rocking from the alternative zone. The push and pull between Burnley and the guitar licks are balanced nicely (although I will postulate that Aaron Fink was a hotter guitarist then either of the two newbies). There are the sharp, obvious singles ("Failure," "Defeated" and "Angels Fall") that stand out from the pack and a couple non-singles that sound just as good ("Hollow"). Then there is the moment where BB opts to provide a different sound altogether.

"Ashes Of Eden" has an atmospheric instrumental bed and gives Burnley the chance to drop the growling posture and actually sing. His natural voice is far more pleasant than you would have guessed. It's "Dark Before Dawn's" most original song and - by default - its best. It gives a fan hope that BB may have more hidden away in the trick bag than just worshiping Tool or Korn. So there you have it. There's little here to alienate longtime fans of "Phobia" or "Dear Agony" (still my favorite BB CD), but the new band doesn't break away from its sound after the long hiatus. It's just as you would expect it to sound in the scheme of things Breaking Benjamin-wise. That makes this review a minder for readers, if you like your alt-rock better than average, this CD will do just fine. Otherwise, you can take a pass.

     

My Amazon Reviews: AC/DC "Rock Or Bust"

All Rock, No Bust
4 Out Of 5 Stars

There's no-one else alive that can power-chord the way Angus Young can. Or yowl the way Brian Johnson does. It's why any AC/DC album is met with such great anticipation. This time, from the powerful title track to the walking shuffle of "Emission Control," "Rock Or Bust" delivers hammer-down rock like only AC/DC can.

Another noteworthy thing about "Rock Or Bust" is its brevity. Clocking in at 11 songs in 35 minutes, it delivers short and sharp stabs of guitar and Phil Rudd's primitive thud, Each song delivers its message, solo and gets out of its own way as soon as the meat is delivered. Heck, the great "Play Ball" (heard during the 2014 MLB World Series) gets it done in under 3 minutes. While it may disappoint fans who would rather Angus wing-it off into super solo land or a blues workout or two, to me it's like a prize fighter dispensing with the dancing and heading straight for the knockout punch.

At times the lyrics fall into beer raising similarity (4 songs that have 'rock' in the title is more than a little telling), but the album doesn't suffer from it. You don't come to an AC/DC party looking for PhD material. "Rock Or Bust" is AC/DC proving their point. There's a nice shout out to founding member Malcolm Young in the CD booklet...like it or not, your favorite bands are growing older with you. Even so, AC/DC enter their 40th year as a rock and roll powerhouse, and they show no signs of stopping.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Judas Priest "Redeemer Of Souls"

Stand tall, Rise up, Stay strong
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Judas Priest last appeared in the form of a metal fever dream: the double disc concept album "Nostradamus." While I happened to love it, some Priest fans were left shaking their heads. There were plenty of good tracks, but where was that one killer anthem? This time, they have nothing to worry about. "Redeemer Of Souls" is Judas Priest back to basics. Twin guitars, thunder drums, and Rob Halford's glorious shriek rising above it all. One of the songs may be titled "Valhalla," but for old fans, this will be nirvana.

You can tell Priest is back to business from the moment Halford sings the first stanza, "welcome to my world of steel." And while the departure of legendary guitarist K.K. Downing may have set fans on edge, his replacement, Richie Faulkner, plays off Glenn Tipton and kick mutual butt. Even so, with all the plundering of their iconic metal sound, you'll still find the soul of a bluesman as "Redeemer" comes to a conclusion. "Beginning of The End" echoes Black Sabbath (whose "13" was a comeback of a similar excellence) with the swamps of ancient mists folding around one of Halford's more subdued performances. Mix that up with the bludgeoning "Metalizer" or the creature feature "Dragonaut," and you'll have a Judas Preist disc that stands toe to toe with their best work.

The deluxe version offers five extra songs, starting with the riff heavy and lead stinging "Snake Bite" and the anthemic "Bring It On" being the best of the five, especially the lead guitar threads needling their way through "Snakebite." There's even a parting gift of "Never Forget," in which the band declare their eternal thanks to the loyal fans who've stuck with the band for 17 albums and multiple decades. They are defenders of the faith, indeed.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Kiss "Creatures Of The Night"

Kiss Figure Out That Being Heavy is a Good Thing.
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The old school fans of Kiss had been drifting away for a period when Kiss reconvened for "Creatures of the Night." Bored by the pop metal of "Unmasked" and left confused by the weird concept album of "Music From The Elder," it was too much even for Peter Criss, who'd already bolted and was replaced by the terrific Eric Carr, and Ace Frehley, who still appeared on the album cover but was replaced on the disc by future Kiss members Vinnie Vincent and Bob Kulick. There's even a funnier story behind Ace's departure/cover shot; allegedly Kiss's contract stated that at least three of the original members had to be in the group or their contract could be renegotiated. Since Kiss's fortunes were on a decline, they faked Frehley's presence as long as they could in an attempt to avoid rewriting the conditions of their contract, ergo their royalty rate.

Even with that scenario in place, Kiss came on strong with "Creatures Of The Night." The title track was one of the heaviest tracks they'd ever recorded, and Carr pummels the drums in a way Criss could never manage. Simmons stops being a demon clown and goes for the jugular for "War Machine." Paul Stanley digs deep for a loverman blues rocker titled "I Still Love You," one he liked enough to include it when the MTV Unplugged reunion happened a few years down the road. Then there was a rock and roll stomper aimed at the same anthemic status as "Rock and Roll All Night" and "Shout It Out Loud," "I Love It Loud."In fact. there's only one true clinker in the batch and that's Simmons, who just couldn't resist one more cliche in "Rock and Roll Hell." But that's a solid 8 out of 9 songs.

Still, "Creatures of The Night" did not return Kiss to previous heights of glory. They'd have to radicalize their appearance (good-bye make up) and keep the tougher sound for "Lick It Up," the real comeback.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Vince Neil "Tattoos & Tequila"

Platinum Roots
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Motley Crue started life as glam-metal before morphing into hard rocking, and "Tattoos and Tequila" is front-man Vince Neil's tribute to the bands and songs that helped formulate his contributions to the band, While it's not terribly inspiring or all that original, it is in good fun and Neil acquits himself just fine. It's also a pretty interesting look into the guy's pysche; just what was he listening to while he was dreaming little rock star dreams?

Some of the choices are obvious. I'd easily guessed Scorpions and Aerosmith, and perhaps Elton John's "The B---- is Back" given Elton's omnipresence on seventies radio. A bit more interesting are Sweet ("Ac/Dc") and a selection from the first Cheap Trick album, "He's a Whore." Then you get the oddballs. I wouldn't have pegged Vince for a fan of Elvis or Creedence Clearwater Revival, but they both turn up with "Viva Las Vegas" and "Who'll Stop The Rain," respectively. And how about them Sex Pistols?

As to the performances, they are spotty. He's got a basic three piece combo backing him for the bulk of the disc, and they bludgeon their way through just about everything here. Drums are pumped to arena boom levels and the drenching of reverb over everything (especially Vince's vocals) doesn't allow the songs much room to breathe. The couple moments of subtlety ("Who'll Stop The Rain" and new song - one of two fresh cuts - "Another Bad Day") unmask the fact that Vince isn't much of a singer these days, which is why he blasts his way through most of the CD. Frankly, the CCR track is painful to listen to.

But this is Vince Neil we're dealing with here. If you were expecting "Sgt Pepper," you were gonna get snookered anyway. "Tattoos and Tequila" is Neil have a good laugh with a night of oldies at the local pub. It's also tied into a book and Vince's own brand of Tequila, so it's just one prong in a three point marketing strategy. He's not taking it all that seriously (I have a hard time listening to him trying to snarl like Johnny Rotten on "No Feelings" without imagining him cracking up), so take "Tattoos and Tequila" for what it is; a bit of a lark and a savvy piece of salesmanship. To assume more would be exaggerating your expectations.