Review: Jimi Jamison “Never Too Late”

Melodic rock/AOR

If anyone needs no introduction in the melodic rock arena, it is Jimi Jamison. In addition to his solo career and early work with Cobra, Jamison helped maintain Survivor in the 80s limelight with huge hits like “Burning Heart”, “High On You”, “The Search Is Over”, and “Is This Love”. Jamison is singing once again with Survivor, but finds his voice in such demand that he’s somehow made the time for several outstanding side projects, such as Kimball Jamison (with Toto’s Bobby Kimball) and One Man’s Trash (with Fred Zahl).

During the Kimball Jamison project, he started working with Swedish songwriter and producer Erik Mårtensson (W.E.T., Eclipse, etc). An AOR pairing that seems like a match made in heaven, Jamison and Mårtensson deliver yet another infectious release full of rockers and ballads on “Never Too Late”.

“Everybody’s Got A Broken Heart” provides an energizing start to “Never Too Late”, sounding very much like a hit that Survivor could have had in the 80s – a wonderfully nostalgic track with a modern flair. “The Great Unknown” is another signature inspirational anthem that Jamison can add to his collection alongside “Burning Heart” and “Reach”. The title track is similar in theme, but has a pleasant mid-tempo pace that will have listeners nodding along to the beat. Fans of “American Heartbeat” (pre-Jamison Survivor) will detect a familiarity in the thumping keyboard intro to “Street Survivor”, but the song soon explodes with a racing rhythm and a rebel’s lyric. On the power ballad side, be sure to check out “The Air I Breathe” and the heartbreaking “Heaven Call Your Name”.

“Never Too Late” is another solid addition to the impressive Jamison discography that will appease old school fans and new fans of the melodic rock genre. His voice still sounds like one of the best in the business, proving once again that no matter who writes the songs, Jamison can make them sound like gold.

Jimi Jamison – Official site.

Check out the video for "Never Too Late":

Review: Eclipse “Bleed and Scream”

Melodic hard rock/AOR

Eclipse is a melodic hard rock band from Sweden (Erik Mårtensson - vocals/guitar/bass, Magnus Henriksson - lead guitar, Robban Bäck – drums, and Johan Berlin – keyboards) that raises the bar to new heights with each successive release. “Bleed and Scream” is the follow up record to 2008’s breakthrough, “Are You Ready to Rock”. Mårtensson has become a wunderkind in the business as a prolific songwriter and workhorse of a producer. He’s been involved with successful releases from melodic rock greats including W.E.T, Toby Hitchcock, Giant, and Jimi Jamison to name a few.

The attitude for the new recording is best summarized by guitarist Magnus Henriksson: “Every song has qualities as a single. Erik´s vocals are way better than ever. The guitar-sound is just awesome! The whole production is just in your face. It has something for everyone in it! We worked so hard at making this record that it drove us nearly nuts and made us wanna scream, but now it’s your turn to bleed and scream!”

“Bleed and Scream” is the edgiest, hardest record the band has done yet – people have often compared Eclipse to Journey, but this music has too much testosterone for that! Eclipse has come into their own, now delivering some of the thickest riffs and thunderous percussion around their sing-a-long melodies. “Bleed and Scream” also takes the lyrics up a notch, with the songs touching on worldly affairs alongside anthems of encouragement. The first four tracks may be the best consecutive stretch of melodic rock cuts on any album in this genre this year. “Wake Me Up” is a potent social commentary leading right into the ripping title track for scorned lovers. “Ain’t Dead Yet” is a forceful affirmation and “Battlegrounds” has the best chorus on the album. The only song that comes close to ballad territory is the engaging “About To Break”, otherwise it is rock that will shake your house down.

Eclipse – More info.

Check out the video for “Bleed and Scream”:

Review: Wigelius “Reinventions”

Melodic Rock/AOR

Who said an appearance on Swedish TV can’t lead to great things? Anders Wigelius is a smashing young vocalist who caught the ears of producer Daniel Flores when he sung the ubiquitous Journey anthem, “Don’t Stop Believing” on TV (see the performance here). Anders joined with his brother Erik on drums, along with Jake Svensson on guitars and Chris "Wielbass" Pettersson on bass to round out the line up for a band that would share his name.

Anders is a devoted fan of the classic melodic rock genre that had its peak in the 80s with bands like Richard Marx, Toto, Journey, and Foreigner. He honed his chops playing in an AOR covers band called Gamblers, before forming Wigelius.

Helped by the production talents of Flores, and mastering by none other than hard melodic rock legend Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), "Reinventions" is one of the most promising debuts in some time – it is a huge, energetic record that is just bursting with arena-ready rockers. Keyboards and guitars are front and center to deliver the catchy melodies. The record gets off to a blazing start with a run of strong cuts in the Survivor sounding “Angeline”, “Talking About Love”, “Do You Really Know”, and “Next To Me”. The band shows a grittier edge with “Piece Of The Action”. The back half of the album is not as strong, but certainly pulls its own weight and makes for a satisfying listen from start to finish. There is a refreshing acoustic break with the endearing “Love Can Be That Much”.

“Reinventions” was released in the US on July 2 and is not to be missed if you long for the days of 80s-styled pop rock.

Wigelius – More info here.

Review: Wig Wam “Wall Street”

Melodic rock
Norwegian glam revival band, Wig Wam, is back with their fourth release, “Wall Street”. The boys in this band enjoyed their major breakthrough in 2005 when they presented their single "In My Dreams" to the Eurovision Song contest, beating all rivals and going straight to #1 on the national charts, where it stayed for over 21 weeks and went platinum. In 2006, Wig Wam recorded their follow up, “Wig Wamania”, and further cemented their reputation for big riffs and catchy hooks with the 2009 release of “Non Stop Rock N Roll” (reviewed here).

As you might surmise from the title, all the fun seems to have been sucked out of this party band. This time around, the band made a conscious effort to bring more depth to their lyrical themes. An admirable task, but it isn’t going to be compatible with what many of their fans expect – and might want. There is a greater sense of drama in the musical accompaniment to match the darker, more somber mood. Nothing wrong with a band evolving and experimenting, but I have to say it took me by surprise and I’m not sure it was a pleasant one.

The title track and “OMG! (Wish I Had A Gun)” almost seem too serious for their own good, and these are followed by a painfully boring ballad called “Victory Is Sweet” (but even more sleepy is “Tides Will Turn”). “The Bigger The Better” is more exemplary of what we’d expect from Wig Wam, but it feels strangely small in staying power. “Try My Body On” might have worked better on a previous record, but these lyrics just sound stupid sandwiched between the other songs. The only tracks that have a chance of being played again into my ears are the catchy “Wrong Can Feel So Right”, the funky rock fusion “One Million Enemies”, and the refreshing acoustic-based jam “Natural High”.

I really enjoyed the last Wig Wam record, but “Wall Street” is bankrupt – what a disappointment! A band should grow and explore more serious themes, but they don’t have to compromise memorable melodies to do so.

Wig Wam – Official site.

Review: Hardline “Danger Zone”

AOR/Melodic rock
Hardline was formed when brothers Johnny (vocals) and Joey (guitar) Gioeli teamed up with Journey/Bad English guitarist Neal Schon, Todd Jensen (David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper) on bass, and Deen Castronovo (also coming from Bad English) on drums. Their 1992 debut album “Double Eclipse” became a favorite among fans of polished AOR, but the change in musical tides did not help things commercially and the band soon parted ways.

In 2002, Johnny and Joey reignited Hardline with an all new line-up, resulting in the long-awaited follow-up album simply called album “II”. This time out, Josh Ramos (The Storm and Two Fires) took Neal Schon’s place on lead guitar. Another record, “Leaving the End Open” was released in 2009.

Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino continued to champion the band and Gioeli decided to give Hardline another go with the Italian songwriter and producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge of Forever). Hardline now has a European based line-up featuring Francesco Jovino (UDO), Thorsten Kohene (Code Of Perfection, Eden's Curse) and Anna Portalupi (Mitch Malloy).

While the band only retained one founding member, the sound on “Danger Zone” largely remains the same: driving verses, big choruses, and slick production. For fans of Journey, Europe, or Bad English, you are in for a nostalgic treat. There are plenty of juicy cuts for us melodic rockers to sink our teeth into and savor. Among the upbeat tunes, highlights include “10,000 Reasons”, “Never Too Late For Love”, “Stay”, “Look At You Now”, and “What I’d Like”. The band has always churned out high quality power ballads, and the big winner this time is “Stronger Than Me”. All in all, “Danger Zone” is a very strong record.

Hardline – Official site.

Check out the video for “Fever Dreams”:

Review: Great White “Elation”

Rock
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…along comes Great White’s 12th studio album, “Elation”. While Great White is best known for their 80s hits “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, “Rock Me”, “Save Your Love”, and “Call It Rock N Roll”, the band has been quietly churning out records regularly, featuring their trademark blues-tinged rock.

It can be argued that “Elation” is not really a Great White album – the band decided to record without founding member and distinctive vocalist Jack Russell while he was ill. Instead, XYZ singer Terry Ilous has stepped up to the mic. “This is a new birth of the band,” drummer Audie Desbrow says. “I wanted to call the album ‘Tabula Rasa’ which means rebirth, but we went for ‘Elation’ because of the euphoria in the atmosphere. It’s a fresh and healthier start than ever before. I’m like a kid in a candy store.” I’m not privy to all the politics of the band, so I’ll just comment on what I am qualified to talk about: the music.

First, I’d argue the record retains a great deal of the Great White sound despite the change in lead vocalist. Ilous is a fine lead singer and his tone fits into the band’s bluesy rock groove better than I expected. Another distinctive feature of Great White has always been Mark Kendall’s guitar licks, and they are front and center on “Elation”.

The record starts with “(I’ve Got) Something For You” – the song features some sizzling riffs and leads, but is kind of a lackluster beginning. “Feelin’ So Much Better” isn’t so much better, but at least has a somewhat memorable chorus. “Heart Of A Man” is a decent mid-tempo cut and the driving tale of “Shotgun Willie’s” is pretty good. Unfortunately, too many songs are way too long and just ramble into nowhere – the worst offenders being “Love Train”, “Resolution”, and “Lowdown”, which is probably the worst song Great White has ever done.

Overall, any euphoria the band experienced making this record doesn’t translate into “elation” - it’s pressing it just to call this record “nice”. A handful of tracks are fair to good, but too many are a chore to get through.

Great White – Official site.

Review: Tyketto “Dig In Deep”

Rock
Viable candidates for my “You Were Robbed” column, Tyketto is one of those bands that should have been huge during the late 80s and early 90s. They had some minor hits back in the day, churning out some very tasty melodic rock. Now they are back after eighteen years with a brand new record called “Dig In Deep”. The boys were moved to record once again after recent appearances at Sweden Rock, Download, Firefest, Hard Rock Hell and Hard in Rio, which opened their eyes to the fact that their fans were still rocking and yearning for more Tyketto. All four original members are along for the ride (Danny Vaughn - Lead vocals, Brooke St. James - Lead guitar & backing vocals, Jimi Kennedy - Bass guitar & backing vocals, Michael Clayton – Drums), but did they dig deep enough to recapture the magic of their classic sound?

Three years in the making, “Dig In Deep” doesn’t inspire much confidence with the lackluster cover art, but the music inside is what really counts, and this is where Tyketto delivers. While I don’t think there is much here that is going to rival the masterpiece of their debut, “Don’t Come Easy”, several cuts are destined to please the fans and hopefully draw more to this extremely talented group of songwriters and performers. The band has always championed uplifting and inspirational material, and that “Don't let anything stand in the way of what you want in life” mentality persists throughout “Dig In Deep”.

There are a number of songs that fall together perfectly, such as “Here’s Hoping It Hurts”, “Evaporate”, and “Monday”. There are others like the title cut, “Love To Love”, and “The Fight Left In Me” that have a great chorus but the verses don’t do it justice. There’s also a surprise treat or two like “Faithless”, which mixes some of the heaviest, modern riffs the band has done with their trademark acoustic strumming. If you’re looking for that grandiose power ballad like “Standing Alone”, you’re not going to find it here…but there is a country-flavored ballad at the end called, “This Is How We Say Goodbye”. The pleasant acoustic-based track “Battle Lines” comes closer.

After years of doing solo projects and carving out their own niches, each member of the band deserves credit for working together well as a team to revitalize the Tyketto sound for the fans. I’m hoping they do it again soon!

Tyketto – Official site.

Review: Trixter “New Audio Machine”

Rock
Formed in Paramus, New Jersey during 1983, Trixter nealy arrived a bit too late to capitalize on the ever expanding melodic rock scene in 1990. With their big hair and youthful anthems, Trixter had no trouble breaking into the mainstream with hits like “Give It To Me Good” and “One In A Million”, and soon found themselves touring with heavyweights like The Scorpions, Poison, and Kiss. Their follow-up effort, “Hear!” showed maturity, containing more complex melodies and arrangements, but the record was destined to be more of a cult classic than a commercial success since grunge had taken over the musical landscape. Trixter released of an independent covers album before calling it quits in 1995. Some of the members released solo projects, including the pop punkish band 40 Ft Ringo and the more power pop outfit, Stereo Fallout.

Fast forward to 2007 and we see the band reuniting to perform some gigs – it wasn’t long before aspirations to record a new record emerged. The band wanted to create a classic melodic hard rock album with great songs, big guitar riffs, catchy vocals and a huge bottom end. To meet their goal, the boys collaborated with Glen Burtnik (Styx) and Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan of Skid Row to write songs for “New Audio Machine”.

The 2012 lineup features Pete Loran on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Brown on lead guitar, P.J. Farley on bass and Gus Scott on drums. “We take pride in the fact that we are one of the few bands of our genre that have all original members,” says Brown.

“New Audio Machine” definitely sounds like a proper third record from Trixter, although it contains welcome sonic updates. Fans of Stereo Fallout will also appreciate some of the more power pop cuts. The first single off the new album, “Tattoos and Misery” engages the rock fan immediately with thick riffs that lead up to a trademark Trixter chorus – a good choice to introduce folks to the band’s sound. “Drag Me Down” leads off with a bluesy, Blue Murder-like acoustic riff before kicking into high gear with roaring guitars. There’s also the obligatory homage to rock ‘n’ roll on the energetic “Save Your Soul”.

The best moments for me come on the mid-tempo tracks or ballads. While terribly clichéd, “Live For The Day” and “ The Coolest Thing” are guilty pleasures for sure. I also thought the album’s upbeat closer, “Walk With A Stranger” was a great storytelling piece with a healthy message and driving rhythm. There’s a handful of misses on “New Audio Machine”, that take place usually when the band degenerates into juvenile lyrics and tired jams (e.g. “Physical Attraction”, “Dirty Love”, “Machine”). But overall, I think this album is going to be a welcome treat for Trixter fans.

Trixter – Official site.

Check out the video for "Tattoos and Misery"

Review: Jeff Scott Soto “Damage Control”

AOR/Melodic rock
Rock veteran Jeff Scott Soto is back with this fifth official solo record, “Damage Control”. While no stranger to melodic rock circles, Soto has more than 60 album credits under his belt along with numerous collaborations and recordings across multiple musical genres. Solo started his 30 year rock tenure as the vocalist for guitar guru Yngwie Malmsteen, which led to his serving as frontman for a variety of rock bands including Talisman, Soul SirkUS, and even Journey for a time. In 1994 he released his first solo outing “Love Parade”, followed years later by the acclaimed “Prism” (2002) then “Lost In The Translation” (2005) and “Beautiful Mess” (2009).

A lot of “Damage Control” brings a bit of a grittier edge to Soto’s polished melodic rock voice. Sounding terrific as always, Soto rips right along into meaty songs like “Give A Little More”, “Krazy World”, “After World” and “Tears That I Cry”. The title track opens with a blistering riff before relaxing into an acoustic-based verse – a tasty dynamic that keeps this song engaging. “If I Never Let Her Go”, “How To Love Again”, and “Die A Little” are textbook examples of the perfect melodic rock song, catapulting us back to the 80s in style and substance. As for ballads, Soto pulls on the heartstrings like never before with “Bona Fide”.

There really isn’t a bad track in the bunch – gorgeous, catchy melodies that are brilliantly and passionately sung. There’s not much more you can ask for!

Jeff Scott Soto – Official site.

Review: Jack Blades “Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride”

Rock/AOR
On the heels of a new comeback album with Night Ranger, Jack Blades is already back with a fresh set of tunes constituting his second solo record, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride”. The man should need no introduction, so if you want to get to the album review, just skip to the next paragraph. For those who aren’t aware, Blades achieved multi-platinum success with five studio albums by Night Ranger in the 80s. Jack then co-founded the super group Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw (Styx). In 1995, he continued his budding collaboration with Shaw to form Shaw/Blades. Across these three successful groups, Blades has earned a gold star for his songwriting skills, and has penned tunes for many other artists including Aerosmith, Cher, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Great White, Journey, Ozzy Osbourne, and Styx, many appearing in major films.

Like his solo debut in 2003, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride” contains an abundance of potent rock anthems and includes a few notable guests. In addition to some of his Night Ranger band mates, the new release features Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) on “Anything For You” – one of the best tunes on the record - and some beats laid down by Brian Tichy (Whitesnake). The record plays like a celebration of the art of rock n’ roll, full of bright, positive energy from start to finish. True to his own words, Blades commented, “’Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride’ is an extension of what my music has been for the last 30 years. It has been quite a rock n’ roll ride and I decided to lay it all down on a record!”

In addition to “Anything For You”, there are many highlights on this record to mention. Blades charges back into action with the take-no-prisoners opener, “Back In The Game”. The tune harps back to his gritty rock roots, but shines with an optimistic attitude and radio-friendly melody – it is hard not to be invigorated by this one. The classics 80s AOR riffs of “Love Life” brought back some pleasant nostalgia, and the arena ready rocker “Say You Will” and mid-tempo affirmation “Don’t Give Up” will get you off your feet. On the tender side, Blades delivers as expected on the magnificent “Hardest Word To Say”.

“Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride” will be available in late March (Frontiers Records), promising to be one of the greatest joyrides of the season!

Jack Blades – Official site.

Review: Michael Thompson Band “Future Past”

Melodic rock/AOR
Ace studio session guitarist Michael Thompson, who has played for the likes of Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Scorpions, Vince Neil, and many more, is releasing a new, long-awaited record entitled “Future Past”. Longtime fans of West Coast AOR probably remember his cult classic “How Long” from 1988. “How Long” was reissued in 2007 with 3 bonus tracks, starting a relationship between Michael Thompson and Frontiers Records.

This time Michael teams up with Larry King, the smooth vocalist from the band Soleil Moon. King brings a more rocking edge to the MTB sound but the trademark craftsmanship in the songs that fans would expect have been retained. Beginning with the lead off anthem, “High Times”, the listener is treated to one polished slice of AOR after another. While “High Times” is truly a highlight, my favorite song on the disc is “When You Love Someone” – an absolute winner without a single flaw. This smoldering power ballad draws you in with sultry verses that lead to an amazing chorus. Additional standouts include the upbeat arena-ready rocker “Here I Am” and “Beautiful Mystery”, which sounds like a lost Toto track. “Break Me Down” is also a solid track that grows on you quickly.

MTB’s “Future Past” should be an obvious choice for fans of Giant, Alias, and Foreigner.

Michael Thompson Band – more info.

Review: Mecca “Undeniable”

Melodic rock/AOR
Back in 2002, the melodic rock world embraced a new band called Mecca, specializing in polished AOR rooted in the classic 80s sound but with a contemporary flair. Formed by vocalist Joe Vana, he enlisted, among others, the services of former Toto members David Hungate (bass) and Fergie Frederiksen on vocals and close friend and former Survivor founding member Jim Peterik, who contributed masterfully to the songwriting and production of the album. With such heavy hitters, the project could do no wrong.

Fans have been salivating for a new Mecca record ever since and now – 6 long years later – their dream has come true. Despite numerous setbacks, Vana continued charging forward to make this long-awaited follow up record, enlisting the talents of session masters such as Pat Mastellotto (King Crimson, Mr. Mister), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), along with Tommy Denander and Wolff. His core band was also created around Rick Vitek on drums, Brian Moritz on keyboards, Wally Hustin on bass, Eric Ragno on keyboards, Mark Alano on guitar and Joe’s son (Joey) on guitars and backing vocals.

The sophomore record wastes no time in regaining the foothold Mecca had that captivated audiences many years ago. “Perfect World” boasts engaging melodies augmented by slick production and smooth vocals. “Closing Time” flexes more guitar muscle, but not at the expense of a memorable chorus. Admirably reaching beyond their comfort zone are tracks like “Life’s Too Short”, which experiments with spoken word verses flanking a majestic chorus – it took me aback at first, but a second listen and I warmed up to this track fast. “I Know” slips right back into late 80s Toto and stands out as one of the best mid-tempo numbers on the record. Even though it clocks in over 6 minutes, “Did It For Love” is so masterfully written that you’ll want the song to continue nonetheless. Far and away the heaviest track in the bunch, “W2W” (which stands for wire to wire) is a blistering explosion of AOR strong enough to shake anyone out of a slumber and shows yet another side of this dynamic group.

“Undeniable” is described as an album that perfectly melts the outstanding High-Tech AOR approach of Mr. Mister’s “Welcome to the Real World” to the commercial brilliance of Toto’s “The Seventh One”. After hearing the record, I can’t argue with this description – it is close to a masterpiece. Fans of the debut are going to love it, and if you haven’t experienced Mecca before, now is the time! And one more thing…Mecca III is already underway!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9

Mecca – Facebook.

Review: The Magnificent “The Magnificent”

Melodic rock/AOR
Frontiers Records will release the self-titled debut album from Scandinavia’s The Magnificent on November 4th in Europe and November 1st in North America. The Magnificent is an alliance forged by Circus Maximus singer Michael Eriksen from Norway and Finnish producer/guitarist Torsti Spoof (of Leverage fame). The rest of the band includes Rolf Pilve on drums, Sami Norbacka on bass and Jukka Karinen on keyboards. Collectively, they bring a dazzling blend of melodic and prog rock that works better than most bands trying to mesh these genres together.

Regarding the project, Torsti Spoof had this to say: “A lot of my musical influences come from the 80`s and I always wanted to make an album in that spirit. Now the dream has come true! This one was truly a joyride…I think together we`ve made a perfect blend of the old school songwriting with a big up to date sound”.

The record is equally heavy with keyboards and guitars, recalling the “Out Of This World” days of Europe. However, there is a lot of bite in the riffs and contemporary songwriting more along the lines of Eclipse or Brother Firetribe. The vocals are nothing short of amazing. AOR fans are sure to love this one from start to finish, but I find the more melodic numbers most satisfying, especially “Memories”, “Angel”, “Love’s On The Line”, and “Lost”.

iPOD-worthy: 3, 4, 6, 11

The Magnificent – More info here.

Review: Bobby Kimball and Jimi Jamison “Kimball Jamison”

Melodic rock/AOR
The teaming up of Bobby Kimball (Toto) and Jimi Jamison (Survivor) promises to be one of the most discussed alliances in the AOR world. Their debut record, simply entitled “Kimball Jamison” comes out on Frontier Records October 18.

Fans expecting the classic 80s AOR sound epitomized by their home bands are going to be in for a surprise. The big melodic choruses and lyrical content have been conserved, but the music has been catapulted into the modern age. The guitars sound fresh and gritty, constituting some of the hardest edge rock either of these guys has ever been associated with in the past. In my opinion, the results are fantastic and give this project a unique identity to call its own, rather than a strict mash up of the styles of Toto and Survivor.

Of course we are dealing with two titans in the vocal arena – Kimball and Jamison sound absolutely amazing, and take turns at lyrical lines in nearly every song making it a true 50/50 split of talent. Even better, most of song were written to contain a few sweet spots where Kimball or Jamison can really hold that high note and shine. For this we can thank ace songwriters such as Richard Page (Mr Mister), Jim Peterik (Survivor), Randy Goodrum (Steve Perry, Toto), John Waite, Erik Martensson (W.E.T.) and Robert Sall (Work of Art).

The guys come out with both guns blazing on “Worth Fighting For”, where loud guitars enhanced by keyboards drive a thundering song that wonders about whether we found that special someone (a sequel to “Is This Love”, perhaps?). Followed by the aggressive “Can’t Wait For Love” (video below), we have a superb introduction to what Kimball Jamison is all about. This is the kind of song I bet Survivor fans were hoping for on their last album “Reach”. Fans of either singer should be smiling ear to ear by now, but there are more gems to follow. While each song has its moments, the ones that really stand out for me include the mid-tempo treat laced with great backing vocals, “I Did Everything Wrong”, “We Gotta Believe”, and the majestic power ballad “Find Another Way”. But perhaps the best here is the encouragement anthem “Get Back In The Game” – this splendid rocker should find a home on the “Rocky VII” soundtrack.

I hope this is not a one-off record. The chemistry between Kimball and Jamison, coupled with their instincts for potent melodies and their sheer vocal power, makes the pair an unbeatable melodic rock dream team.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10

Sites for: Bobby Kimball and Jimi Jamison

Check out the video “Can’t Wait For Love”

Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview

House of Lords “Big Money” - House of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of the self-titled album, a record which is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the 80s, up there with frontrunners like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and Van Halen. The band has a varied and spotty catalogue ever since, with frequent lineup changes and oscillating musical styles to match. Some releases are downright catchy arena rock whereas others are less melodious prog rock. This month the band will add “Big Money” to its discography, which feels like a blend of their mixed melodic and prog rock past. The trademark vocals of James Christian sound finer than ever, and he is surrounded by updated guitar sounds and pounding beats. James teamed up again on the songwriting with long-time friend and partner Mark Baker along with the other band members Jimi Bell and BJ Zampa for this release. While “Big Money” rocks through and through, several of the tunes are overly long and burdened with less than compelling riffs. Standouts include “First To Cry”, “The Next Time I Hold You”, “Run For Your Life”, and “Once Twice”. More info on House of Lords can be found here.

Surprise of the week
Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is recording with latest American Idol winner James Durbin. Get the scoop here.

News
R.E.M. has broken up. Hard to believe…read about it from the band member’s perspectives here.

New “best of” collection coming from Paul Simon October 24. Details and track listing here.

Get a taste of the Lou Reed and Metallica project, “Lulu” here. It’s only 30 seconds, but confirms my worst fears about this collaboration.

Love this article at Popdose about Survivor’s underrated ballad “Ever Since The World Began” (video below).

INXS have sacked their singer JD Fortune for the second time. Story here.

Where are they now? Colin Hay (Men At Work) released a new video. Check it out here.

Toto collides with Survivor – Kimball Jamison. Debut video!


Random iPOD song of the week
Survivor “Ever Since The World Began” from the album “Eye of the Tiger”


Reminder: we’re now on Twitter! Follow us for even more updates, news, and reviews!

Review: Work of Art “In Progress”

AOR/Melodic Rock
Frontiers Records is on a roll finding new melodic rock releases to fill up your end of summer playlists. Work of Art is an AOR outfit from Sweden that had its early origins in 1992 when Herman Furin and Robert Sall met while attending the SÖL school of music. They didn’t acquire a lead singer until 15 years later, but Lars Sarfsund, who sounds quite a bit like Joseph Williams (Toto, Vertigo), proved worth waiting for, and all this time gave the boys the chance to really polish their craft. The debut album was called “Artwork” and earned critical acclaim in the AOR community upon its release in 2008, drawing comparisons to genre icons like Toto, Giant, and Journey.

“In Progress” is the heavily anticipated follow up to their debut, and Work Of Art proves they have plenty of hooks left up their sleeves. As before, Work of Art pulls no stops in trying to dazzle the listener with driving guitar licks and lofty keyboards. Overall, “In Progress” is a dead ringer for 80s-era Europe if you ask me, with a smattering of tasty prog rock thrown in now and then.

“The Rain” is quite the tempest – a stewing pot of sweeping melodies swirled with slick guitar riffs and in-your-face keyboards. “Nature Of The Game” keeps the high octane pace full throttle with another keeper of a chorus. The boys shake the mood up a bit with the mildly darker “Once Again”, but the moody verses lead us to the type of sugary chorus that made Giant so huge. “Never Love Again” is one of my favorites on the CD – upbeat verses propelling you to that rewarding chorus once again, augmented with affable harmonies. Punchier guitar churns “Eye Of The Storm”, but the melody sticks right in your ear the first time – and check out those slicing keyboards in the chorus! You’d think a band that could crank out five consecutive excellent pieces of melodic rock would run out of steam, but not so with Work Of Art. Other highlights include the blistering first single, “The Great Fall”, “Emelie”, and “Castaway”, which features a refreshing acoustic verse that lets Sarfsund really strut his stuff.

If you like big keyboard-rich melodic rock with outstanding vocals, Work of Art is the band for you. You’ll feel like it is 1989 all over again!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

Work of Art – more info here.

Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview


Sebastian Bach “Kicking & Screaming” – The outspoken and always entertaining former Skid Row frontman returns with his latest solo release, “Kicking & Screaming”. As you would expect, there’s no shortage of loud, in-your-face guitar shredding and dazzling solo work. Bach sounds as potent as ever, showing off the full range of his vocal talents through these thirteen tracks, and his lyrics remain sharp. That’s the good news. While “Kicking & Screaming” has plenty of testosterone and muscle, it often lacks the melodic hooks that would make these songs memorable. That is regrettable, because Bach used to write some killer ones. In short, Bach delivers a solid record to pump your fist to, but not much to sing along to. My favorites in the set include “Caught in A Dream”, “As Long As I Got The Music”, and “One Good reason”. Also, don’t miss “I’m Alive” and “Wishin’” – two of the best ballads he’s done as a solo artist – each feature compelling instrumental dynamics and Bach simply nails the vocal.

Sebastian Bach – official site.

Check out the video for the title track:


Surprise of the week
Beam me up, Scotty. William Shatner has covered Black Sabbath’s "Iron Man”, one of the tracks from his upcoming album, "Seeking Major Tom”. Give it a listen and read more details here.

News
For you “die” hard vinyl fans: now there’s a company called Andvynyly that offers a service to turn your cremated ashes into a record. What song would you like to be? Check it out here.

Julian Lennon to release first album in 13 years (his sixth studio album) this October, called “Everything Changes”. Details here.

Check out this explanation of the famous Guns N' Roses video “November Rain” here.

Some classic Bob Seger is finally coming to iTUNES along with a free EP – check it out here.

Will CDs go the way of the dinosaur within five more years? Here is an opinion.

Deck the halls with Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots)? Yep.

Random iPOD song of the week
L.A. Guns – “Never Enough”


Reminder: we’re now on Twitter! Follow us for even more updates, news, and reviews!

Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.



MiniReview
Xorigin “State Of The Art” – Frontiers Records has done a superb job this year keeping the flame of the melodic rock genre alive and well. They’ve put out terrific contemporary AOR records from Toby Hitchcock, Work Of Art, Airrace, and more, and now we have Xorigin to add to that fine collection. Xorigin is influenced by Giant, Toto, Foreigner, and Yes, and features AOR veterans Johannes Stole (vocals, keyboards) and Daniel Palmqvist (guitars, The Murder of My Sweet). Standout tracks include the fighting anthem “Can’t Keep Running”, “Crying For You”, and the harmonious mid-tempo rocker “The One For Me”. “In The Blink Of An Eye” is a grand power ballad in the REO Speedwagon tradition. Very little filler on this one, so be sure to check it out if you miss the 80s melodic rock heyday. More info on the band can be found here.



Surprise of the week
Lou Reed made the guys in Metallica cry. Here’s why.

News


Cruise on over to the web site for The Tonighters and grab three of their EPs for FREE! Masterminded by UK musician Billy Gilbert, the Tonighters incorporates elements from his extensive background in diverse musical areas ranging from power pop to punk. Awesomely catchy pop rock here, with some of my favorites including “Sad Forever” and “Down To One” from “Closet Classics Volume I”, “How Am I Supposed To Let You Go?” from “Closet Classics Volume 2”, and “Finish What You Started” from “Trivia Melodies”. With a total of 10 tracks, you are bound to find something you’ll love.
Get the free downloads here (if all used up, wait until Sept 7).
And be sure to “Like” them here.

Both amazing Jellyfish albums are being re-issued on vinyl only – details here.

New CD of Aerosmith rarities coming soon! Track list can be found here.

Producer Jack Douglas says that the new Aerosmith is due May 2012 and will be “nasty and raw” – kind of like those chicken fingers I ordered at Pizzeria Uno. Read about it here.

Next to jump on the covers album bandwagon: Scott Weiland. Details here.

The new Chickenfoot video, for lead single “Bigfoot”


What are the guys from the Replacements doing now? Well, Tommy Stinson just released a new solo record and Paul Westerberg contributed to the latest record by Glen Campbell. Details here.

Random iPOD song of the week
Sinead O’Connor does a brilliantly endearing rendition of this wonderful song originally performed by Elton John. This track appeared on the 1991 Elton John Tribute album, “Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin”

Review: Toby Hitchcock “Mercury’s Down”

AOR/Melodic Rock
Fans of the melodic rock community should be no stranger to the talent of Indiana native Toby Hitchcock, who was one half Pride of Lions (for the uninitiated, Jim Peterik of Survivor fame constituted the other half). Hitchcock has now partnered with another budding AOR legend, Erik Martensson, who wrote, produced, and played on the “Mercury’s Down” album. Hitchcock’s powerhouse vocals are often compared to Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), or Lou Gramm (Foreigner), and are easily the biggest highlight of this release. The combination of his voice with the AOR instincts of Martensson makes for quite the dynamic duo. True to the genre, Hitchcock belts out songs with straightforward lyrics about love and encouragement.

While still maintaining a keen sense of melody, this project is heavier and more guitar-driven than Hitchcock’s previous work. Favorites on this record include the huge anthem “Strong Enough”, “How To Stop”, “I Should Have Said”, and the thunderous “Tear Down The Barricades “. While there are no shortage of jaw-dropping notes that Hitchcock nails, “How To Stop” features some of his most amazing moments. Unlike most AOR records, the album is not plagued by too many slow songs, but there is a monster power ballad in “One Day I’ll Stop Loving You”. The record seems to get heavier towards the end, closing with the blistering rocker that serves as the title track.

“Mercury’s Down” should easily please fans of Pride of Lions, Eclipse, or Journey – it’s a great AOR soundtrack to ease us into autumn.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12

Toby Hitchcock – Facebook

Check out the video for first single, “This Is The Moment”

Review: Airrace “Back To The Start”

AOR/Melodic Rock
How many old school rockers remember Airrace? The band formed back in London in 1982 and had a Beau Hill produced debut called “Shaft Of Light” (1984). The record didn’t bring the success it deserved, and it is now respected as an underground classic. Just a teenage guitarist at the time, Laurie Mansworth was able to recruit former Girl singer Phillip Lewis and none other than Jason Bonham on drums.

It took a 25th anniversary reissue of “Shaft Of Light” to reunite the band in 2009, leading to the release of a long awaited sophomore effort. The lineup for “Back To The Start” included Keith Murrrell (vocals), Laurie Mansworth (lead guitars), Simon Dawson (drums), Dean Howard (guitars), David Boyce (bass), and Toby Sadler (keyboards). While some of the personnel have changed, “Back To The Start” makes it clear that Airrace hasn’t lost their knack for crunchy guitars, airy keyboards, and big melodic choruses.

Standout tracks among this particularly strong set of songs include the Journey sounding opener, “Keep On Going”, the ultra catchy “Two Of A Kind”, and the autobiographical title track. Kids who grew up rocking in the 80s won’t want to miss the time capsule in a song, “What More Do You Want From Me”.

While “Back To The Start” teleports you back to the 80s, the record also has a grittier edge to it. Airrace will appeal to fans of Journey, Autograph, and Diving For Pearls. Essential listening for old and new melodic fans.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12

Airrace – MySpace.

Check out “Call Me Anytime”