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Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain (2011, J&R Adventures)
1. Sinner’s Prayer … 4:27
2. Chocolate Jesus … 2:39
3. Your Heart Is as Black as Night … 5:00
4. For My Friends… 4:11
5. Don’t Explain … 4:34
6. I’d Rather Go Blind … 8:06
7. Something’s Got a Hold on Me … 6:05
8. I’ll Take Care of You … 5:13
9. Well, Well … 3:42
10. Ain’t No Way … 6:47
Musicians:
Beth Hart – Vocals, Piano
Joe Bonamassa – Guitar, Vocals
Blondie Chaplin – Guitar
Carmine Rojas – Bass
Anton Fig – Drums, Percussion
Arlan Scheirbaum – Keyboards
Producer: Kevin Shirley
Joey Bones has had quite a busy year! In 2011, not only did he released the excellent Dust Bowl solo album but there was also a second helping from super-group Black Country Communion with 2 and now he’s partnered up with Beth Hart for a collection of blues, soul and jazz covers.
Though there are a number of uptempo moments like “Chocolate Jesus”, “For My Friends” and “Well, Well”, it’s the slower numbers and tender moments that I found myself enjoying most. “Your Heart Is As Black As The Night”, “Don’t Explain”, “I’d Rather Go Blind” and “I’ll Take Care of You” are fantastic soulful and sultry jazz numbers with Beth Hart putting in a great performance on these songs. I know of Beth Hart but I’m not familiar with any of her work but it’s easy to say from this album alone that she’s a great vocalist who can handle either bluesy rockers or soulful ballads.
Then, of course, there’s Joe Bonamassa who is proving himself to be one of the greatest guitarists of his generation whether he’s playing blues or straight up hard rock. There’s a lot of great solos and emotional lead work on this disc.
An album such as this is not something I would normally try but with the October 2011 issue of Classic Rock giving it a good review (and knowing I enjoyed Joe’s Dust Bowl and BCC works), I decided to give it a shot. A collection of blues, soul and jazz is something I’d have to really be in the mood to listen to but on a cold, dreary Autumn afternoon, it fit my mood and I found myself enjoying it a lot.
Don’t Explain may not be the album of the year for me and outside of my usual brain-dead listening circle of rock & metal but I found it to be a good listen and fans of both Joe & Beth should check it out.
Highlights: ”Your Heart Is as Black as Night”, “Don’t Explain”, “I’d Rather Go Blind”, “I’ll Take Care of You”, “Ain’t No Way”
http://hartandbonamassa.com
http://www.facebook.com/officialbethhart
http://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl
Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl (2011, J&R Adventures)
1. “Slow Train” … 6:49
2. “Dust Bowl “… 4:33
3. “Tennessee Plates” … 4:18
4. “The Meaning of the Blues” … 5:44
5. “Black Lung Heartache” … 4:14
6. “You Better Watch Yourself” … 3:30
7. “The Last Matador of Bayonne” … 5:23
8. “Heartbreaker” … 5:49
9. “No Love on the Street” … 6:32
10. “The Whale That Swallowed Jonah” … 4:46
11. “Sweet Rowena” … 4:34
12. “Prisoner” … 6:48
Musicians:
Joe Bonamassa – Vocals, Guitar, Slide Guitar
Glenn Hughes – Vocals (“Heartbreaker”)
Beth Hart – Vocals (“No Love On The Street”)
John Hiatt – Vocals (“Tennessee Plates”)
Vince Gill – Guitar (“Tennessee Plates”, “Sweet Rowena”), Vocals (“Sweet Rowena”)
Blondie Chaplin – Guitar
Carmine Rojas, Michael Rhodes – Bass
Anton Fig, Chad Cromwell – Drums
Rick Melick – Organ, Synthesizer
Steve Nathan – Organ, Piano
Producer: Kevin Shirley
I have been curious about the “new” blues scene for quite some time. UK’s Classic Rock magazine often does features on new and old blues musicians so it got me interested and I figured I might as well start with the scene’s current modern marvel Joey Bones (or JoBo, if you prefer).
While I don’t know how this compares to Bonamassa’s previous efforts, Dust Bowl is all that a current blues-guitarist’s album should sound like. While it’s fairly standard for blues artists to cover old blues songs (only half the album features original material), I think I would get very bored if this album was just a repeat of songs from decades and decades ago. Luckily, Joe isn’t content to merely dig up the past.
Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan will enjoy this album a lot as that is who I am reminded on songs like “Slow Train” and “You Better Watch Yourself”. Still, Joe’s own style shines through with “Dust Bowl” (my favorite track and the most accessible), the ballad “The Last Matador of Bayonne” (which sounds like it could’ve been on one of Black Country Communion’s albums), the excellent “Black Lung Heartache” (which start off sounding like bluegrass then turns into hard rock) and “The Whale That Swallowed Jonah”. Another high point on the album is “The Meaning of the Blues”. A lot of passion behind that song and it is the epitome of a great blues song, IMO.
Despite Joe being known primarily as a blues rock guitarist, country/folk music and classic rock have their places on this album. John Hiatt’s “Tennessee Plates”, Vince Gill’s “Sweet Rowena” and Free’s “Heartbreaker” are all covered. Hiatt and Gill both pitch in on their respective songs while “The Voice of Rock” Glenn Hughes lends his voice to “Heartbreaker” and again this is a song that could’ve ended up in BCC. Heck, Joe even covers Tim Curry’s “No Love On The Street” with Beth Hart lending vocals. I never even knew Cardinal Richelieu had an album… much less three! I always thought his musical experiences were tied only to the theater and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
In the liner notes (where he comes across as very likable, down-to-earth and funny), Bonamassa states this is his best album yet. Hey, aren’t the latest releases always the “best yet”? While he kinda has to say that and I’m still a novice when it comes to Joe, he may be right. This is a very good collection of original material and some choice covers. I’d love for his next album to feature and even higher percentage of original numbers with maybe just one or two covers thrown in.
Blues rockers will really enjoy this one and it makes me wanna pick up Joe’s earlier albums.
Highlights: ”Slow Train”, “Dust Bowl”, “The Meaning of the Blues”, “Black Lung Heartache”, “No Love On The Street”
http://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa
http://www.jbonamassa.com
Whitesnake – Forevermore
Whitesnake – Forevermore [Classic Rock Fan Pack Exclusive Limited Edition] (2011, Classic Rock/Future Publishing)
1. “Steal Your Heart Away” … 5:18
2. “All Out Of Luck” … 5:28
3. “Love Will Set You Free” … 3:52
4. “Easier Said Than Done” … 5:12
5. “Tell Me How” … 4:41
6. “I Need You (Shine A Light)” … 3:49
7. “One Of These Days” … 4:53
8. “Love & Treat Me Right” … 4:14
9. “Dogs In The Street” … 3:48
10. “Fare Thee Well” … 5:18
11. “Whipping Boy Blues” … 5:01
12. “My Evil Ways” … 4:33
13. “Forevermore” … 7:24
BONUS TRACKS
14. “Slide It In (live)” … 5:06
15. “Cheap & Nasty (live)” … 4:35
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Doug Aldrich – Guitar
Reb Beach – Guitar
Michael Devin – Bass
Brian Tichy – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Timothy Drury – Keyboards
Jasper Coverdale – Vocals
Producer: David Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre
Always a favorite of mine since the mid-90s, it wasn’t until the last two or three years or so that Whitesnake came to rise to the near top of my list of favorite bands. Of course, KISS is forever and always #1 in my book but David & Co. would be a strong contenders for my Top 3 and definitely make my Top 5. Being a HUGE fan of their last album, Good To Be Bad, I was more than ready for Forevermore to be released.
As often happens in this band, the line-up has changed a bit. Drummer Chris Frazier and bassist Uriah Duffy left the band in 2010 and were replaced Brian Tichy and Michael Devin respectively. Keyboardist Timothy Drury, who had been in the band since Coverdale brought back the Whitesnake name in 2002 also left in 2010 but was around to record the album. In the line notes, he is only credited as a “special guest” and has since been replaced by Brian Ruedy on stage. Though I would love to see Tommy Aldridge come back in on drums (he was a member from ’87-’91 and then ’02-’07), I’m basically happy as long as Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach are on guitars. I think the band has a much beefier guitar sound now with Aldrich and Beach yet they still are able to stay true to the band’s blues-rooted sounds and play the classic ‘snake songs wells.
The Coverdale/Aldrich partnership has proved very fruitful and is definitely one of the best partnerships David has ever had in this band. David has always kept great guitarists in Whitesnake but Aldrich’s time in the band has that something special to it and he has risen to become not only a songwriting partner with Coverdale but also co-producer of this album. I’m sure the day will come when Aldrich moves on to another project, I just hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon.
A bit of info about this particular version: UK’s Classic Rock magazine was offering a “Fan Pack”, also referred to as the “Snake Pack”, which included the album (featuring the alternate cover art you see above) with two bonus live tracks from the upcoming Live at Donington 1990 album, a poster of the band, a Whitesnake “Official Collector’s Pin Badge” and the coup de grace — a special Whitesnake edition of Classic Rock magazine. CR has done similar packages in the past for the release of Slash’s solo disc and Motorhead’s The World Is Yours. I should point out that the various retail editions of this album are available from Frontiers Records.
I haven’t read the magazine yet but I’m pretty anxious to. My favorite magazine putting the spotlight on one of my favorite bands, how could it go wrong? I also want to point out how cool the packaging of the album is. This version of the CD comes in a hardcover case that’s larger than your standard jewel case. Although most of the pages are full of “thanks”, there’s a cool shot of the band and the lyrics to “Forevermore” are included. All in all, it’s a classy package and it’s great to see Whitesnake get this type of treatment.
So what about the music?!? Well, if you’re a fan of Good To Be Bad, then you already like this album. David & Co. continue what they started there– bringing all eras of the band together into one powerful album. If anything, this album brings it back even more to the early Whitesnake days. Tons of the songs sound like pre-pop metal WS… but on steroids. ”Steal Your Heart Away”, “I Need You (Shine A Light)”, “Love & Treat Me Right”, “Whipping Boy Blues” and “My Evil Ways” should put a smile on any fan that’s been listening since the early days.
“Love Will Set You Free”, “All Out Of Luck” and “Tell Me How” are perfect modern Whitesnake and would’ve been right at home on Good To Be Bad. “Dogs In The Street” sounds like a Slip of the Tongue-era rocker, it’s kinda generic but not bad. Probably my least favorite song on the album though. Also bringing to mind Slip of the Tongue is the ballad “Easier Said Than Done”. ”One Of These Days” and “Fare Thee Well” are great acoustic driven ballads that sound like something off Restless Heart. “One Of These Days” especially has a great 1970s classic rock/country feel to it, reminding me of the Eagles. Then there’s the epic closer “Forevermore”. It has that Led Zeppelin vibe to it the band had during the late ’80s and probably wouldn’t be out of place on their 1987 album.
I really can’t recommend this album enough. I knew it was going to be very good but it has exceeded even my own expectations (which is probably why this review has been so long-winded). I LOVED Good To Be Bad but Forevermore is even better and Coverdale sounds as good as ever!
Highlights: “Steal Your Heart Away”, “Love Will Set You Free”, “Tell Me How”, “I Need You (Shine A Light)”, “One Of These Days”, “Love & Treat Me Right”, “Fare Thee Well, “Forevermore”
http://www.whitesnake.com
http://www.facebook.com/Whitesnake.official
http://www.myspace.com/whitesnake
DEEP PURPLE – Burn
Deep Purple – Burn [30th Anniversary Edition - Remastered] (2005, Warner Bros. Records/Rhino Records/Purple Records)
Original Release: 1974, Warner Bros. Records
1. “Burn” … 6:00
2. “Might Just Take Your Life” … 4:36
3. “Lay Down, Stay Down” …4:15
4. “Sail Away” … 5:48
5. “You Fool No One” … 4:47
6. “What’s Goin’ on Here” … 4:55
7. “Mistreated” … 7:25
8. “”A” 200″ … 3:51
BONUS TRACKS
9. “Coronarias Redig” [2004 Remix] … 5:30
10. “Burn” [2004 Remix] … 6:00
11. “Mistreated” [2004 Remix] … 7:28
12. “You Fool No One” [2004 Remix] … 4:57
13. “Sail Away” [2004 Remix] … 5:37
Band:
David Coverdale – Lead Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
Glenn Hughes – Bass, Lead Vocals
Ian Paice – Drums
Jon Lord – Keyboards
Producer: Deep Purple
Years ago, during a Columbia House or BMG Music binge, I ordered Deep Purple’s Perfect Strangers and then I never bothered with another Purple album. I wasn’t overly impressed by the album at the time and I’ve always had this hang-up on Deep Purple that they were “too 70s” and too heavy on keyboards and organs and that’s just not my style of rock.
Well, years later I decided to give the band a chance again by picking up Burn featuring the Deep Purple debut of two of my favorite rock vocalists – David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. It didn’t hurt that I found this anniversary edition online, brand new, for only six bucks and some change.
Again, everything about this album screams 1970s. The keyboards, the album cover, the funky & bluesy bass lines. I should really hate this album but somehow, I like it. I don’t love it, but I like it a lot and its a real treat listening to Coverdale and Hughes share lead vocals. Coverdale didn’t play any instruments in the band, so I’ve always wondered how he felt about sharing vocals with a band member who is playing an instrument as well. Just seems like a weird deal to me, but it was the 70s after all!
This album began the end of Ritchie Blackmore’s involvement in the band he co-found as he hated the bluesy and funky direction Hughes and Coverdale were taking the group in. I will say this, this album features some GREAT performances by Coverdale. Just listen to “Mistreated”.
The remixes I guess are nice if you have a really good ear or sound system for that type of stuff. I don’t have either, but I appreciate the effort put into this package to make it something special. “Coronarias Redig” was a B-side and is a pretty cool funky jam. There’s a very comprehensive booklet as well that’s full pictures and talks about the history about the band during this time frame. I love it when reissues include retrospectives like that. It oughta be a law.
Highlights: “Burn”, “Might Just Take Your Life”, “Sail Away”, “You Fool No One”, “Mistreated”, “Coronarias Redig”
LED ZEPPELIN – Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971, Atlantic Records)
1. “Black Dog” … 4:53
2. “Rock and Roll” … 3:40
3. “The Battle of Evermore” … 5:38
4. “Stairway to Heaven” … 7:55
5. “Misty Mountain Hop” … 4:39
6. “Four Sticks” … 4:49
7. “Going to California” … 3:36
8. “When the Levee Breaks” … 7:08
Band:
Robert Plant – Vocals, Harmonica
Jimmy Page – Guitar, Mandolin
John Paul Jones – Synthesizer, Bass, Keyboards, Mandolin, Recorders
John Bonham – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Ian Stewart – Piano (“Rock and Roll”, uncredited)
Sandy Denny – Vocals (“The Battle of Evermore”)
Produced by: Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin is a band that much like Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, in that I can recognize and respect their contributions to and influence on hard rock & heavy metal, but they’ve never really been a favorite of mine. Maybe it’s from overexposure on the radio TO THIS DAY? When you hear so many of their songs over and over day after day on the radio, they tend to lose their punch and impact.
My thoughts on this album are the same as my thoughts on the band: some great hard songs, but too much bluesy/folksy/country music for me. And can I say that I HATE “Misty Mountain Top”? It’s such an annoying song.
The titling of this album is a mess. To most people the world over, it’s Led Zeppelin IV, because it’s the fourth Zeppelin album and like the previous three, it did not have an official title. But Atlantic Records has sometimes referred to it as Four Symbols and The Fourth Album. It’s also been called Zoso, Runes and Untitled. I already knew about Zoso, but Runes and Untitled are news to me. Page & Plant just call it “the fourth album”.
This is the only Zeppelin album I own, though I do own the Remasters compilation box set.
Highlights: “Black Dog”, “Rock and Roll”, “The Battle of Evermore”, “Stairway to Heaven”
www.ledzeppelin.com
www.myspace.com/ledzeppelin (yes, even Led Zeppelin has a MySpace page)
GREAT WHITE – Once Bitten…
Great White – Once Bitten… (1987, Capitol Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Lady Red Light” … 4:53
2. “Gonna Getcha” … 4:13
3. “Rock Me” … 7:19
4. “All Over Now” … 4:21
5. “Mistreater” … 5:49
6. “Never Change Heart” … 4:27
7. “Fast Road” … 3:40
8. “On The Edge” … 6:01
9. “Save Your Love” … 5:46
Band:
Jack Russell — Vocals
Mark Kendall — Guitar
Michael Lardie — Guitar, Keyboard
Audie Desbrow — Drums
Lorne Black — Bass
Produced by: Alan Niven, Michael Lardie and Mark Kendall
The first Great White album I owned was Can’t Get There From Here, but of course I had to step back in time and pick this one up years ago. Great White has never been flashy, just solid blues-influenced hard rock and Jack Russell has always been one of my favorite vocalists, so they deliver in their typical style here.
The album is definitely a must own though for “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love” (which are my two favorite Great White songs).
I have to say, I absolutely hate this cover. It (and the girl) look really cheap, she’s not very cute.
Highlights: “Lady Red Light”, “Gonna Getcha”, “Rock Me”, “All Over Now”, “Save Your Love”
SLASH’S SNAKEPIT – Ain’t Life Grand
Slash’s Snakepit – Ain’t Life Grand (2000, Koch Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Been There Lately” … 4:28
2. “Just Like Anything” … 4:23
3. “Shine” … 5:21
4. “Mean Bone” … 4:40
5. “Back to the Moment” … 5:33
6. “Life’s Sweet Drug” … 3:53
7. “Serial Killer” … 6:19
8. “The Truth” … 5:17
9. “Landslide” … 5:30
10. “Ain’t Life Grand” … 4:54
11. “Speed Parade” … 3:52
12. “The Alien” … 4:27
Band:
Rod Jackson – Vocals
Slash – Guitar
Ryan Roxie – Guitar
Johnny Griparic – Bass
Matt Laug – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Teddy Andreadis – Keyboard, Harp
Jimmy Zavala – Sax, Harmonica
Lee Thornburg – Trumpet
Jack Douglas – Sitar
Produced by: Jack Douglas
A decent effort full of solid blues rock and Rod Jackson is a great vocalist, but the album on a whole is fairly forgettable. This album lacks bite and doesn’t come close at all to the danger and anger of GNR, but then, this was just Slash wanting to have fun and killing time until something else came along anyway.
Slash’s Snakepit was okay, but definitely no GNR and not even Velvet Revolver. Surprisingly, Slash’s own talents, in his own band, seem to be downplayed. That only hurts this album.
Highlights: “Been There Lately”, “Shine”, “Mean Bone”, “Back to the Moment”, “Serial Killer”
AEROSMITH – Toys in the Attic
Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic (1975, Columbia Records)
Track Listing:
1. “Toys in the Attic” … 3:06
2. “Uncle Salty” … 4:10
3. “Adam’s Apple” … 4:34
4. “Walk this Way” … 3:40
5. “Big Ten Inch Record” …2:14
6. “Sweet Emotion” …4:34
7. “No More, No More” … 4:34
8. “Round and Round” … 5:05
9. “You See Me Crying” … 5:12
Band:
Steven Tyler – Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Percussion, Keyboard
Joe Perry – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Bass, Percussion
Brad Whitford – Guitar
Tom Hamilton – Bass
Joey Kramer – Drums, Backing Vocals
Produced by: Jack Douglas
One of my favorite albums, and I’m ashamed it look me so long to buy it (probably around ’99 or ’00). Every song is a classic. “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion” are legendary, but there’s so much meat on this album. “Big Ten Inch Record” is a fun play on words and “You See Me Crying” is a great (hair?) ballad and “Round and Round” (not the Ratt song!) is one of the band’s heavier songs. A blue print album for the next decade’s hair metal scene.
Highlights: All of it.
www.aerosmith.com
www.myspace.com/aerosmith
