THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

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SOTO – Origami

July 24, 2025 /

I am a huge fan of JSS and have loved most of what he has put his name to. It took me a while to appreciate this album because at first I found the production quite off putting. The drums are so in your face it takes a while to get used to, as is the guitar which is way down in the mix. Anyhoo, this is Jeff getting his Prog metal head on, much in the same way as Sons Of Apollo, and now after many plays I have grown to love this record.

Lots of low end riffage, crunch, and killer grooves mixed with Jeff’s trademark vocals and harmonies. I think the brief here was to try something a little different within a genre that has basically seen and done it all, and once you rap your head around the production this is a very rewarding record. You get a couple of power ballads, which Jeff does so well in Belie and Torn, but as usual with me it’s the more crunchy toons that shake my tree the best, namely Detonate and the epic Dance With The Devil. Very cool indeed. Honourable mentions to Origami and Afterglow which are both killer tunes.

Long may Jeff keep releasing awesome records as we are in a time that is blessed with great vocalists right now.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

RECKLESS – No Frills

July 23, 2025 /

Not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name who recorded an album called Heart Of Steel. These guys are from New York, and this album originally appeared in ´87 and was produced by Jay Jay French and Mark Mendoza from Twisted Sister.

They have lots of riffs and grooves that you swear you have heard before, it’s all very familiar. They are competent musicians that’s for sure, and Bob Gam is a decent guitar player with a great tone but they just don’t have that killer tune. The best of the bunch are Nitty Gritty which has a huge AC/DC vibe, Crazy Over You which is Kiss around the Animalize period, and the best for me is Holdin’ On which is a hidden power pop gem.

If I’m being honest, it’s not a bad album and it has some memorable moments.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

LIONS & GHOSTS – Velvet Kiss, Lick Of The Lime

July 21, 2025 /

There were a squillion of these alt/pop/rock guitar bands around in the late 80’s. Every record company thought that they could make a quick buck without doing too much work to promote them. I think the problem with Lions & Ghosts was that they looked a little too rock with more of an alt/pop sound, and the indie crowd hated most rock bands. Plus, they never quite had that “ONE”song to kick off from.

Mary Goes Round is a great song with some epic power pop grooves but the record company went for a softer single with Passion, I think it was part of a movie soundtrack. It’s all very melancholy and sullen whereas maybe they should have grooved it up a bit. The album has a great production and sounds crisp, it just seems to be wasted here.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

HAWAII – The Natives Are Restless

July 18, 2025 /

This is the third and final Hawaii album to feature one Marty Friedman on guitar, before he would leave and form the legendary Cacophony with Jason Becker. There is not a whole lot on here that would give you a clue as to what Marty would do next. Sure, there are some great leads he flies off but this is just straight up, basic, heavy metal sounding like Keel and Kiss at times.

It’s okay and no new ground is being broken, but you can see that this band had run its course. In fact, my favourite song is Unfinished Business which could be a Keel song. It’s just a straight up and down hard rocker with a decent hook and chorus.

Strangely this sells for way more than it should and I guess it’s down to Marty being on it.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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