Archive for the ‘Year 1998’ Category
Mystic Healer - Mystic Healer
Mystic Healer - Mystic Healer |
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| Tracks:
Crossed My Heart |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Producers: Mark Mangold Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 53:33 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://www.Indigorecords.com
Email: Indigoreco@aol.com |
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| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: Immerse yourself in a world of keyboards and great vocals. | ||
| Back in 1990 when some persons of dubious parentage decided that they needed my HiFi and the majority of my LP/CD collection more than I did, I was forced to go out, buy some new Hi-Fi equipment, and start my album collection again. The Hi-Fi was duly selected and on the morning before the guy from the shop came to set it up, I went into town to buy some CDs to test out the new system. I came back with two CDs - Michael Bolton’s Soul Provider (OK, I’ll admit it, despite this being the album where MB finally kicked AOR into touch, I like it) and Drive She Said - s/t. Whenever the guy came to set-up the Hi-Fi, he asked what I’d bought to test it out. I remember being shocked when I mumbled something about a band that I was sure he had never heard of called Drive She Said and he said “Oh yes, Mark Mangold”. I had just met NI’s other AOR fan. I remember having a great discussion with him about music and using the DSS CD to test the Hi-Fi. He eventually left and I got a chance to play my “wimpy” Michael Bolton CD.
DSS was the first CD played on my Hi-Fi and restarted my collection, so apart from the superb music, that debut DSS album has a special meaning for me. I went on to buy Drivin’ Wheel, their second album, but I wasn’t as impressed and didn’t bother with the third. I guess I really should check the recent DSS Best Of album (Road To Paradise). OK, so what has all that got to do with Mystic Healer? Well DSS was Mark Mangold and Al Fritsch. Mystic Healer sees Mark Mangold team up with Terry Googing, with Al Fritsch playing guitars & bass, plus doing some song writing. There is a whole host of well-known AOR figures playing/singing on (Bruce & Bob Kulick, Randy Jackson, Tony Bruno, Chuck Bonfante & Michael Bolton) and writing songs for (Michael Bolton, Aldo Nova, Tamara Champlin & Jack Ponti) the album. If you’re not familiar with DSS, then Mark Mangold was in the band Touch, who released a cult classic album in the 80s and if you check the song writing credits on your copy of Michael Bolton’s Everybody’s Crazy you’ll see Mark Mangold’s name. There are a couple of new songs, but the majority of the songs originate from the late 80s/early 90s. It is not surprising then that the album has a very 80s feel to it. If you like your AOR heavy on the keyboards and high on melody, then you’re going to enjoy this. It is very much in the same vein as those DSS albums, with a bit of early Michael Bolton thrown in as a result of the co-writes. Maybe I’m just a nostalgic old sod, but I’m really enjoying this and finding it hard to be objective when writing the review. The new Unruly Child album is good, and I’m sure many of you will prefer it to this one, but this is the one that has grabbed my attention. Just like the debut DSS album, it is difficult to select standout tracks. Just immerse yourself in a world of keyboards and great vocals that just seem to ooze emotion. It is like the past 10 years never existed. Take a trip down memory lane or discover just how good things used to be. Whatever, I think fans of the wimpier side of AOR will be in heaven with this release. |
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Promotion - Yeah Yeah
Promotion - Yeah Yeah |
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| Tracks:
Trampoline |
Album Cover: |
Label: AOR Heaven Producers: Anders Rydholm Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 54:50 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://come.to/promotion or http://bahnhof.se/~promotio/
Email: promotion@bahnhof.se |
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| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Promotion have certainly brought a huge chunk of summer sunshine into the dark mid-Winter storms raging around this corner of the world. | ||
| Promotion is a name you might have seen thanks to the clever ploy of calling their first outing (a mini-disc) “Not For Sale”. Reading through a record store advertisement or catalogue and seeing “Promotion - Not For Sale” certainly was eye-catching.
At a time when Northern Ireland has suffered the worst storms for over 30 years, it is weird to be reviewing a genre of music I normally associate with summertime. Promotion play a mixture of Westcoast mixed with AOR. Promotion’s slice of individuality is to make heavy use of a brass/horn section, which gives the songs an extra ‘zing’. Promotion’s music comes across as bright & breezy. Can you listen to this album and feel blue? - I don’t think so. You’ll find yourself tapping your foot, whistling, bopping, singing along, thinking - “Hell, life ain’t so bad after all”. With some Westcoast music I find myself drowning in a sea of sugar coated arrangements and predictable tunes. Sometimes I find all the tracks on a Westcoast album sounding very similar. The good news is that Promotion have steered clear of this potential pitfall and created an album that keeps me entertained throughout. When it comes to picking a favourite track, it has just got to be “All The Best Ones Are Taken” (as in “all the best ones are taken but me”), which could be a theme tune for single men everywhere. Elsewhere, the first track “Trampoline”, “The Hunter and The Fox”, the slightly harder edged AOR of “Premonition” made particularly good impressions. Promotion have certainly brought a huge chunk of summer sunshine into the dark mid-Winter storms raging around this corner of the world. This is a good album. I’ve found myself playing “All The Best Ones Are Taken” quite a bit more than any of the other tracks, but that is a bit of a distorted view because the album has plenty more to offer besides this one track. |
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DLR Band - DLR Band
DLR Band - DLR Band |
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| Tracks:
Slam Dunk |
Album Cover: |
Label: Wawazat Records Inc. Producers: wawazat!! Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 51:19 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http:\\www.davidleeroth.com
Email: |
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| Rating: 7 | ||
| Verdict: DLR makes a valliant attempt to capture the magic of Eat Em & Smile. | ||
| After the somewhat bizarre reunion with Van Halen for the couple of tracks on the ‘Best Of’ album, David Lee Roth is now getting on with his decidedly patchy solo career. This time the album is being issued as the DLR Band.
DLR’s first album, Eat Em & Smile, was a bit special and he has struggled to follow it successfully. There is something about the mood, atmosphere and attitude of the debut that seems to perfectly sum up what DLR is all about. Diamond Dave might not have been blessed with knockout voice, but he is one of the best frontmen rock has ever seen. The VH & DLR ‘Best Of’ CDs, plus I’m reading his autobiography at the moment, rekindled my interest in DLR’s work. Even so, it wasn’t until I’d read a couple of favourable reviews of that I decided to shell out the dosh for this. First track, Slam Dunk!, was the first single from the album, so some of you might have heard it already. It’s a fast and furious track, which let’s you know that DLR has returned to the style of Eat Em & Smile. This fact alone seems to have sent quite a few reviewers into a frenzy of praise & they’ve heralded this album as a return to form by DLR. Yes, there are quite a few tracks that ‘hit the spot’, but overall the album doesn’t quite cut it for me. Best tracks are Blacklight ( heavy bassline, reminds me of Parliament’s Flashlight), Lose The Dress Keep The Shoes (DLR does ZZ Top), WaWaZat!! (DLR’s philosophy of life), Relentless (more lifestyle tips), Right Tool For The Job (George Thorogood style blues) & Weekend With The Babysitter (back to DLR’s favourite subject). Elsewhere the tracks just don’t seem that memorable. If you read some of my other reviews I complain about short albums, but in this case I think trimming the album down by a couple of songs may well have resulted in an album with more impact. On the production/mixing department, I’d like to hear DLR’s voice more to the fore. |
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Tandym - City Out Of Time
Tandym - City Out Of Time |
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| Tracks:
City Out Of Time |
Album Cover: |
Label: Saffold Productions Producers: Tandym Year: 1997 Total Playing Time: 52:40 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site: http://atlantacup.com/tandym or http://members.home.com/apromo/tandym.html
Email: Saffprod@aol.com |
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| Rating: 7/8 | ||
| Verdict: AOR meets straight-forward rock to create good debut by Tandym | ||
The good thing about the WWW is that I get to hear about bands that might otherwise have passed me by. Tandym will be a new name to most of you. You can find out more about them at their web site http://atlantacup.com/tandym or their promotion company, Abbott Promotions, web site http://members.home.com/apromo/tandym.html . When their promotion company first got in touch I thought they would be a HM band - something about the name that made me think that. Check out the band photo on the inside of the CD jewel case and you’ll think they look the part. Despite the HM sounding name and the NWOBHM image, Tandym’s sound clips at their web site caught my imagination. Tandym play what is best described as a mixture of straightforward rock, hard rock and AOR. The closest comparison I can think of is UK act Passion Street. This is AOR, but approached from a traditional rock perspective. I’ve got this idea that Tandym grew up listening to traditional hard rock, but somewhere along the line the band decided to go for a more melodic approach. However you describe it, they’re the sort of band that will appeal to Mood Swings readers. Listening to the album, it is certainly possible to hear why the band have already won a couple of song writing competitions. The band keep the interest levels up by mixing ballads & uptempo numbers along with the mid-tempo tracks. “City Out Of Time” (a mid-tempo track that at first sounds like a low-key start but has you saying “yeah, not a bad start” by the end) kicks of the album well. My vote for best song on the album goes to “Annie”, which is one of the songs that won them a song writing award. Other highlights include “Can’t Blame The World” (featuring some nice piano parts), “Symptom Of Reality” (a good chorus) and “I’ll Wait” (a mid-tempo rocker that reminds me of BOC-style AOR). Tandym have put together a very respectable debut for themselves. |
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Unruly Child - Waiting For The Sun
Unruly Child - Waiting For The Sun |
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| Tracks:
Heart Run Free |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Producers: Bruce Gowdy Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 47:25 mins:secs Review date: Jan 1999 |
| Web site:
Email: |
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| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Unruly Child make a successful return. | ||
| Another familiar name returns to the fray. I played Unruly Child’s first album a huge amount when I first bought it many moons ago. The big incentive was the presence of the golden voice of Mark Free.
This time out Unruly Child consists of Bruce Gowdy, Jay Schellen on drums, Kelly Hansen on vocals and Ricky Philips special guesting on bass. Bruce Gowdy’s partner on the first Unruly Child album, Guy Allison, features in the song writing department, but due to heavy touring commitments couldn’t make it into the studio for the recording sessions. Although this is the second album to be issued under the Unruly Child moniker, I’m sure most Mood Swings readers will be aware that the Marcie Free album (Tormented) is widely regarded as the second Unruly Child album. A couple of the songs on the Marcie Free album also turn up again here as well. In fact, the current Unruly Child members, on other projects, have previously recorded several of the tunes on this album. Well, if you’re like me, and haven’t heard any of these tunes before, that won’t worry you too much. “Hearts Run Free” starts the album off well and wets your appetite for the rest of the album. The following track, “Rise Up”, sounds even better. Unruly Child are well and truly back and recapturing the style of the debut. The other couple of tracks that standout are the Foreigner/Signal “Do You Ever Think Of Me” and the acoustic “Still Believe”. “Live In The Night” is a bit a surprise because it has got a barroom boogie/good time/jazzy vibe to it, not what I’d expect from Unruly Child. The first few times I listened to this one, I was impressed, especially by the early tracks, but not overwhelmed. I seem to remember that the first album took a few listens to get into. It could well be the case again here. There isn’t any doubt that this is a ‘good’ album (I’ve seen it appear in quite a few 1998 Top 10), but a couple of the songs (”To The Cross” & “Fool Again”) stop it crossing the line into the “very good” category. I don’t know, it might make into the lower reaches of my 1998 Top 10. |
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Bob Catley - The Tower
Bob Catley - The Tower |
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| Tracks:
Dreams |
Album Cover: |
Label: Now & Then Records/Frontiers Records Producers: Gary Hughes Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 57:57 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://web.ukonline/co.uk/nowandthen.records/nowthen.htm, http://www.hard-rain.demon.co.uk
Email: |
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| Rating: 9 | ||
| Verdict: Take Magnum’s “On A Storyteller’s Night” and Ten’s “The Name Of The Rose”, merge them together, with the balance in Magnum’s favour, what do you get - Bob Catley’s “The Tower”. | ||
| I remember that from the very first moment that I learned about this album being recorded, I was excited. Never mind the latest Harem Scarem album released earlier this year, this is the album that I’ve been waiting for all 1998.
So what was that combination that got me so excited - Bob Catley on vocals, Gary Hughes writing, keyboards, bass & production, Vinny Burns on guitar and Greg Morgan on drums. I sure most of you will recognise the names, but for the few readers who’ve been on another planet over the last while - Bob is the voice behind Magnum & Hard Rain and Gary, Vinny & Greg are all in Ten. Listen to any Ten album and you’ll hear Magnum-isms galore. I assume that Bob is one of Gary’s heroes. Give Gary the chance to write songs for and record an album with the man himself and he must have been one very happy rocker. My one reservation about the project was that it might end up sounding like a Ten album, but with Bob on vocals. Instead we have an album that combines the best of Ten & Magnum, and indeed could be considered a worthy follow-up to Magnum albums like “On A Storyteller’s Night” or “Wings Of Heaven”. I think both sides were inspired by each other to lift their game & produce a truly phenomenal result. The album starts in typical Ten fashion with a long intro & big pomp rock number, “Dreams”, which merges into second track, “Scream”. Scream has a piano driven introduction for a couple of verses before it gets going. A big keyboard/synth riff carries this along in true Magnum style. Far Away is a semi-ballad that evokes memories of early Magnum and has a huge chorus. Deep Winter’s acoustic guitar & piano slow the pace. Sit back and listen to just how good Bob sounds on this album. Fire & Ice rocks and could be described as the “Just Like An Arrow” of the album. Gary Hughes has indeed done his research well. Madrigal perfectly captures the Medieval feel of early Magnum cira 11th Hour. I like it, but the Ten trait of sounding like it could do with a bit more ‘colour’ to keep up the interest, is on display. One of the great things about either Ten or Magnum/Hard Rain is their ability to come up with a great AOR tune, here we’ve got “Steel”. The title track, “The Tower”, is the album’s epic production. A mixture of Ten & Magnum. The difficult task of following “The Tower” is given to “Fear Of The Dark”. This “Storyteller’s Night” sounding track doesn’t have any problems. Give a vocalist a solo album and what does he do ? Finish it with an instrumental. Still, it gives you time to reflect on just how good Bob Catley sounds on his first solo album. So does the album live up to my high expectations of it. Yes, it does. I guess it is fairly awe-inspiring. Great performances from all concerned. In the midst of heaping praise upon Bob for his vocals and Gary for the song-writing, let’s not forget about Vinny Burns who scorches his way through the album & Greg Morgan who lays down a very solid foundation from which the other can launch themselves. Take Magnum’s “On A Storyteller’s Night” and Ten’s “The Name Of The Rose”, merge them together, with the balance in Magnum’s favour, what do you get - Bob Catley’s “The Tower”. My album of 1998 ? There are still a couple of months to go, but it is the leading contender at the moment. It is funny that with all the new music I’m discovering by being on the WWW, a man that I first heard when I was just starting to get into rock music, should suddenly jump up & blow me away. |
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Rick Monroe - Legend’s Diner
Rick Monroe - Legend’s Diner |
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| Tracks:
Legend’s Diner |
Album Cover: |
Label: Divorce Records Producers: Tom Evaniuk & Rick Munro Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 57:58 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.rickmunro.com
Email: divorcerec@earthlink.com |
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| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: It is the sort of album that you won’t even realise it, but could spend a great deal of time in the CD player. | ||
| Rick Monroe is name that might just bring back memories for some of you. Rick fronted 80’s LA metal band Monroe. Well, forget about that. Rick has moved on. In the process Rick has built up a wealth of experiences & he shares them with us on Legend’s Diner. It’s much the same way that I always feel Bruce Springteen is telling me a little bit about his life when I listen to his songs.
Rick’s style is rootsy soulful bluesy rock, with a singer/song-writer feel to it. The sort of music that you welcome like an old friend. Listening to Rick’s music is like being with your best buddy, rather than being on a hot date. Relax, chill out and let your buddy Rick tell you about what has been happening in his life. With 13 songs, plus an acoustic version, that makes 14 track to listen to. Day By Day is little bit country & a little bit Black Crowes, giving a radio friendly tune. More Black Crowes on “Can’t Get Blood From A Stone”. A gospel feel is present on a song about the LA scene - “Life Goes On In LA”. “Dancing In The Moonlight” is one of those songs where you just gotta turn the volume up another notch when listening to it. “Barbie’s Got A Jones” is a laid back sad tale about addiction. On “Apple” Rick cranks it up with a bluesy southern-ish rock tune. Runaway mixes a Celtic influence with New Country. That is just a selection of what is on offer. Rick has crafted some good songs & delivers them well. It is the sort of album where the quality is maintained throughout and there aren’t any tracks that stand head and shoulders above the rest. I’d describe it as a bit of a grower. It is the sort of album that you won’t even realise it , but could spend a great deal of time in the CD player. |
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Challenge - Acoustic Universe
Challenge - Acoustic Universe |
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| Tracks:
Words |
Album Cover: |
Label: ALV Music Producers: Arno Verstappen & Allison Lindsay Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 41:06 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~challenge
Email: Challenge@Earthlink.net |
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| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: If you’re like me and love classy female vocals, then accept the Challenge and give Allison & Arno the chance to let you into their Acoustic Universe. | ||
| Challenge are essentially a two piece outfit - Allison Lindsay on vocals & Arno Verstappen on guitar (& song-writing). The additional musicians featured here have played with the likes of Steve Vai, Alice Cooper & Sheryl Crow. Arno, originally from Holland, came to Los Angeles to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology & stayed to form a band, with Allison fulfilling the vocals job. Allison teaches at the Sabine Institute (For Vocal Strengthening and Development) in LA, which is famous for coaching the like of Axl Rose, Dave Mustaine & Dan Huff.
Sometimes the title of a CD gives you a clue to what’s in store, sometimes not. In this case, Acoustic Universe, is very appropriate. This album is an electric lead guitar free zone. All the lead guitar parts are played on acoustic guitar. Listening to Allison’s voice Ann Wilson springs to mind. If Heart ever decided to go with an acoustic lead guitar they’d sound something like Challenge. I’m also reminded of Jamie Kyle’s first album, which just happens to be a favourite of mine. Virtually all the songs work in this ‘acoustic’ mode, with “It’s My Life” the only one where I’d like to hear some electric guitars. Picking highlight is difficult, as there are so many good songs on here. The couple of songs featuring some B3 organ (”Angel’s Scared To Fly & “I’ll Fight For You”) both sound good to me, but top marks goes to “When Love Finds A Fool”, which has a few Jamie Kyle-like qualities. Whilst I was waiting for this to arrive, I had the idea that I’d end up telling the guitarist to wise-up and plug his guitar in to mains & crank out some proper lead breaks. Well, I was wrong, because, with the exception mentioned above, I’m happy with the ‘back to basics’ approach the band have taken. I really admire guitarist, Arno, for taking a step back from the limelight and letting the vocals hog centre stage all to themselves. This ‘back to basics’ approach means that the vocalist is under immense pressure to deliver the goods. Fortunately, Allison’s voice is up to the job and the vocals shine. But good vocals on their own aren’t enough, but don’t worry on this front either because some good song-writing and solid musicianship complete the package. If you’re like me and love classy female vocals, then accept the Challenge and give Allison & Arno the chance to let you into their Acoustic Universe. |
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Snakes In Paradise - Garden Of Eden
Snakes In Paradise - Garden Of Eden |
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| Tracks:
Seventh Wonder |
Album Cover: |
Label: Z Records Producers: SIP Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 50:26 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site:
Email: |
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| Rating: 8 | ||
| Verdict: Snakes In Paradise have created a good album, albeit with a heavy Whitesnake influence. | ||
| Snakes In Paradise hit us with their second offering, this time on the home of all things Scandinavian, Z Records. If you heard the couple of songs they had on the Z sampler, then you’ll know what’s on offer here.
Describing the Snakes In Paradise sound is very easy because they wear their influences very much on their sleeves. SIP are clearly big Whitesnake fans and their influence can be found in virtually every nook & cranny of this album. To narrow things down even further, then late 80’s Whitesnake would appear to the era they enjoy the most. The band set out their stall on the first track - “Seventh Wonder”. Whitesnake’s “1987″ opus is clearly a winner with SIP. The band seem to move up a gear in terms of quality with the seconds track - “Don’t Let Your Love Turn To Hate”, which has a hooky & catchy chorus. If you don’t believe me about the WS thing, then just listen to “Voice Inside”. In fact, it is much better than some the stuff WS did. The band pretty much maintain this high standard throughout the remainder of the album. “Gypsy In Your Blood” adds some variety with it’s King’s X/Hendrix style. “Hard Day Long” is a mid-tempo rocker that features some tasty guitar playing. Can’t Let Go is an acoustic guitar driven tune that lifts you and sweeps you along. With “Can’t Let Go”, “Without Love” and “I Want It All” the band score a nice little hat-trick. On the title track the band go for bust on the Whitesnake 1987 impersonations by incorporating a Led Zep influence. To be fair to them they do add their own little touch by incorporating a rap section. Snakes In Paradise have created a good album, albeit with a heavy Whitesnake influence. However, there are about just enough of their own ideas and style thrown in here & there to stop things becoming to derivative. |
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Return To Zero - Lost
Return To Zero - Lost |
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| Tracks:
When You Love Someone |
Album Cover: |
Label: MTM Music Producers: Barry Goudreau Year: 1998 Total Playing Time: 43:25 mins:secs Review date: 6 Nov 1998 |
| Web site: http://www.mtm.pi.se/mtm
Email: |
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| Rating: 8/9 | ||
| Verdict: It has been worth the wait. | ||
| After a lengthy absence, RTZ hit us with the follow-up to their debut. I remember listening to the debut virtually non-stop for a while, but eventually hitting the next button on the remote controller a few times to skip the filler between the moments of brilliance.
With Brad Delp & Barry Goudreau being the main players, it is no surprise that Boston are a good starting point when describing the RTZ sound. Imagine a more acoustic guitar based version of Boston, then you’ll pretty much get the picture. A good description is “Lightweight rock with classy vocal harmonies”. The style established on the debut is continued here. “When You Love Someone” is the uptempo catchy start you’d expect from these guys. The song makes me wonder why the debut hasn’t visited my CD player for a long time. Next up is “Turn This Love Around”, which is a real gem of a song. It is easy to see why MTM picked this one for their “Ballads” compilation. “Someday” increases the electric guitar quota & is very immediate. And so the album continues with a procession of good songs in which RTZ add a few variations on top of the basic theme - moody electric guitars (Change For Change), a little bit of blues (One In A Million), some 10cc (Don’t Wait) and barroom good-time boogie (Talk To Me). RTZ have created an album that is more consistent than the debut. I play this album all the way through without skipping out any of the tracks. There is always something about listening to a Boston album that leaves me feeling uplifted. I get that same feeling from RTZ. It has been worth the wait. |
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