THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: March 2024 (Page 6 of 7)

PRINCESS PANG – S/T

March 7, 2024 /

You don’t even have to see the cover to know what this band are all about, the name alone tells you everything you need. Yet, another one and they’re done band. They just released this one album back in ’89 and then folded. It was surprisingly released on Metal Blade, which was a slight departure for them.

Fronted but female vocalist Jenni Foster (it was very unusual to see a glam sleaze band with a female vocalist), this album is a lot better than some of the other cheesy sleaze bands of the period. There are maybe three of tracks that stand out above the rest. These are Sympathy, which closes out Side 1. It is a kick ass tune and has that dirty rock n’ roll groove that I really love, complete with a tasty solo. Also the side 2 opener Scream And Shout, with it’s cool NWOBHM vibe mixed in with the glam. And lastly, my favourite tune on the record, China Doll. This is a sure fire crowd pleaser with a four to floor groove that you will be singing along to.

A fun listen that other glam bands cannot reach.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ROUGHHOUSE – S/T

March 7, 2024 /

Does anyone remember a band called Teeze?

They released one album and then they were gone. Well, not quite. They had an image and a name change and then reappeared as Roughhouse. Under the new name, they had a more glam look that maybe would appeal to what was happening over in the west coast. That would’ve all been great but then you open the album with an aor/melodic rock song, which was sort of what the band were doing previously as Teeze, it just seems a little odd. Now, I’m not ripping into the song. It is a banger for an aor band, but I’m just querying the name and image change here.

In fact, the whole album is a harder edged aor monster. If you look at the bands they went out on the road with: Kix, Cinderella, and White Lion, the record company were pushing them down the wrong path. Maybe they should have gone out with Foreigner or Toto who are a much better fit.

Anyway, I’m drifting away here. My favourite track is Don’t Go Away, which is definitely a lost AOR classic with killer vocal and harmonies. Occasionally the band rock it up with tracks like Love Or Lust and Teeze Me Pleeze Me, when the glam makes an appearance.

I like this album for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

JARED JAMES NICHOLS – S/T

March 4, 2024 /

There are tons of clips of Jared ripping up a storm with that guitar all over the internet. His problem however is how do you translate that on a record as there are a billion other blues rockin’ wannabe’s laying down the same schtick!?

It’s not just the guitar that’s his secret weapon, he has that rich, bourbon, dipped in honey type of voice that not many people possess. When that all comes together like on the track Easy Come Easy Go you feel as though he has cracked the formula and could give Bonamassa a run for his money. His playing is blistering on this song.

He has that commercial touch to his writing as well with the song Down The Drain, where the vocal and guitar create an earworm that you will be humming for days. It’s the guitar that pulled me into Jared’s records though and there are a whole bunch of wild riffs and leads all over this album. Hard Wired, the spacey Shadow Dancer (which is my favourite), and the Hendrix-inspired Hallelujah will keep the most ardent guitar aficionados drooling.

I’m not sure if he’s trying to go for a lo-fi production or if that’s just the way it turned out. Sometimes it sounds as though the drums were recorded in the next building.

I like Jared a lot and he’s on my list of people I would love to catch live. I would like him to work with a great producer to push him to where he belongs.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

DOKKEN – Heaven Comes Down

March 4, 2024 /

If you have seen any of the live clips of recent Dokken shows it’s fairly obvious that Don’s voice is pretty much shot. In the studio however, all sorts of voodoo can be applied to assist in the vocal recording process. Here, you can tell he is struggling in places to hit or hold notes but at least he is giving it his best.

I was expecting this to be the last Dokken album and then I read that Jeff Pilson said something recently about how he and George would like to do one last album with Don, so I guess time will tell.

Musically, this album is really good. John Levin is a great player, and he’s stamping his sound all over the proceedings, he is the highlight of this record. It’s standard hard rockin’ fair but played very well and the production is really loud and clear. This is one of the best latter day Dokken records, even with Don’s struggles.

Highlights for me are the heavy groove of Is It Me Or You with some killer guitar and some great layered vocals, the very similar track Saving Grace which has a great slower groove and Levin’s playing is top drawer here. My favourite track however is the opener, Fugitive. I love the eastern vibe at the intro and the riff and guitar sound are huge.

I will be sad when there are no more Dokken albums, but you can see the end coming.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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