HYPNOTIZED Spektra (Frontiers) ****
This is a broad and expressive second album for these hard rockers. Led by Brazilian singer BJ, this is like Journey and Winger meet Foreigner; hard, richly textured, driving rock & roll with keyboards supplying a symphonic underpinning- it really is hypnotic!
BJ has sung for several bands but is best noted for his work with Jeff Scott Soto. Alongside him on this ride are bassist Henrique Canalle and drummer Edu Cominato, a fine and driving rhythm section built for this type of rock & roll with their “k.i.s.s.” approach; keep it simple stupid, but it’s guitarist Leo Mancini that provides the real horsepower for this machine. His playing is tight, muscular and acrobatic when called for- he’s quite the soloist as well- tasty and melodic, not all ‘weedly-weedly’. I can’t say for certain as I’m not familiar with any solo work from these guys, but this very much feels like the whole being more than sum of the parts. They’ve clearly found the right creative partners in each other.
As with most stuff Frontiers releases there’s a definite 80’s taste to these 11 tracks and the lyrical conceits are along the same lines, but that’s not a bad thing. Hypnotized is rock solid.
https://spektratheband.com/site/
HOT TRACKS: Tonight, Against The Wind (not the Bob Seger tune!), Running Out Of Time II
KEELWORLD Ron Keel (RFK Media) *****
Wow. I knew Keel had been briefly involved with Black Sabbath so I wasn’t expecting something this broad. Keelworld features new tunes from Ron’s notable projects; Ron Keel Band, Steeler, Keel and Ironhorse, plus a cover of Children Of The Grave from the forthcoming Emerald Sabbath tribute release. This is one busy dude with great pipes!
“Keelworld is a unique ride across all of the musical landscapes I’ve called home for the last five decades- from the heavy metal jungle to the red dirt roads of country” Keel says. “As diverse as the songs are, even with the stark contrast between styles, the album has a cohesive sonic identity, and the pieces fit together just as I hoped they would.” The weird thing is, he’s right… despite such a schizophrenic combination the disc hangs together remarkably well.
Keelworld sounds great, especially loud enough for the neighbors to enjoy too. It was produced by Mike Dresch and Ron who, in addition to vocals, plays acoustic and electric guitars. I always assumed that Keel was just a metal guy but sweet Jesus there’s so much more to him than that… this is one of the coolest discoveries of the year. He really is a metal cowboy.
HOT TRACKS: Hollywood, Children Of The Grave, Give Me Guitars (Or Give Me Death)
THE ONES THAT STAY Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters (Mule Kick Records) *****
Sometimes you need someone to pull you close and tell some stories, and the latest from Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters out of Asheville North Carolina fits the bill. Intimate, warm and soulful like a Suzie Vinnick record, The Ones That Stay is as beautiful as it is heartfelt.
Of Amanda No Depression says “No matter where she takes you, Platt never skimps on setting the scene; the feeling of the road beneath her, the music playing in the background, the way the light fades. She captures it all unflinchingly in her songwriting”. Along with Vinnick I’d include splashes of Ron Sexsmith and Blue Rodeo, other artists that pull you away from your troubles and give you something else to think about for a while with songs of heartache and hope.
One could describe The Ones That Stay as ‘country roots’. The musicians with her (The Honeycutters) play with nuance and restraint, never getting in the way of a good story. In addition to all contributing on vocals we have Matt Smith on guitars, Rick Cooper on bass, Evan Martin on drums and Kevin Williams on keys. This one hurts in a really delicious way.
HOT TRACKS: Forget Me Not Blue, Mirage, Empty Little Room
PONTCHARTRAIN SHAKERS Pontchartain Shakers (Southland Records) ****+
Talk about grooviosity! The self-titled debut from this Southeast Louisiana band is full to the nuts with irresistible charm. Lively with an old-timey charm and yet not old fashioned Ponchartrain Shakers, once you hear it, is unforgettable.
This is blues with New Orleans soul; few combinations are more stirring than that. Amedee ‘A5’ Frederick and Jojjo Wight both grew up performing with their dads and now carry on the Creole blues musical tradition of their families. Jojjo is a guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist and Amedee is a 5th generation blues artist with a 3 & ½ octave vocal range who began performing as a child at Ruby’s Roadhouse. Don’t let the low budget looking cover fool you as it did me at first… there is a considerable, formidable amount of talent at work here.
Not sure who produced the album but I assume it was Amedee and Jojjo and it sounds great. The instruments don’t sound compressed or overly processed as each has ample elbow room to do their thang. Aside from great guitar playing Luciano Leas’ keyboard work adds some tasty blues spice while the rhythm section of De De Vecca (bass) and Earl Smith Jr. (drums) swing merrily along. PS is well-played good natured musical excellence.
HOT TRACKS: I Need A Creole Woman, Dead Snake Blues, Louisiana 1927
TARNISHED NICKEL SKY Michael Reynolds (Blue Elan Records) *****+
The former lead singer and songwriter for alt-country’s Pinmonkey is back with his first album in a decade. There’s something about Tarnished Nickel Sky that reaches me… the languid feel, the effortless poetry and Grammy winning producer Ray Kennedy’s brilliant production all combine for an unforgettable listen.
The songs on Tarnished Nickel Sky started as sketches of songs Mike just wrote for himself, but they found themselves in the hands of Michael’s former manager who then shared them around Nashville. They caught Blue Elan co-founder Kirk Pasich’s attention, who soon proposed a record contract. As for the producer, Michael simply observes that “when Ray Kennedy offers to produce your album, you just say yes.”
“After Pinmonkey broke up I spent years trying to find my next step until I allowed myself to enjoy the moment” Michael says, “which turned into a ten year break.” He continued writing songs just for himself which turned into the deeply evocative songs of solitude, regret and yearning that became this album. “Letting go of expectations and simply following where the songs led me was the most freeing experience” he concludes. “Tarnished Nickel Sky is who I am.” I can’t recommend this disc highly enough.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.reynolds.37266136
HOT TRACKS: 26 Horses, Where The Crossroads Meet, Southern Boy
MYSTIC CHIEFS Johnny Ray Jones (Moondogg Records) ****+
This is party blues. Mystic Chiefs, the 3rd album by this southern California blues shouter, pays homage to generations of the region’s best blues and roots bands including Canned Heat, The James Harman Band, The Blasters, The Red Devils and The Blue Shadows. It’s a hell of a ride.
Jones has rubbed shoulders and shared stages with some of the biggest names in the blues, and five the songs on this album were drawn from the repertoire of The Red Devils, a hotter than hell 90’s LA blues combo formed by harmonica ace Lester Butler that Johnny sat in with back in the day. The guys in Mystic Chiefs (Jones’ powerhouse new band) play and interpret all the songs here with panache and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it feel as though the numbers came directly from them, which is not always the case with this kind of record. With Junior Watson on lead guitar, you can’t really go wrong.
Mystic Chiefs was produced by Jones, recorded and mixed by Johnny Lee Schell (also Mystic Chiefs’ rhythm guitarist), and a tip of the hat to both for the big and meaty sound and an authentic blues experience. Nicely done, boys.
HOT TRACKS: Shake Your Hips, Devil Woman, No Fightin’
