THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 259 of 493)

LITA FORD – Lita

August 31, 2022 /

This is ex-Runaway’s lead guitarist’s third solo studio release, and her most successful. This was also the beginning of her association with Sharon Osbourne’s management company, hence the co-write on Close My Eyes Forever. You can’t beat extra royalties, eh Sharon? To be fair this is a really good album with a super slick production by Mike Chapman who gets a couple of co-writes himself.

Everyone is familiar with Kiss Me Deadly and the aforementioned Close My Eyes Forever, which were huge hits for Lita, and you could not move without hearing or watching those tunes, but it’s the lesser known tracks that I really like. Can’t Catch Me which was written with Lemmy is my favourite on the album, as it shifts along at a killer pace with a wicked groove and Lita shows she’s no mug on guitar. Blueberry is a typical Mike Chapman tune, very similar to the hits he had in the 70’s with the likes of Sweet. Fatal Passion is more Motley Crüe than the Crüe themselves. Side 1 is a killer side of music and is let down somewhat by Side 2 which has to much filler.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

SANTANA – Abraxas

August 30, 2022 /

This is Santana’s second album released in 1970. After an amazing performance at Woodstock, the band were on a roll as that latin groove hit the spot perfectly. This early incarnation of the band were all about the jam and extending tunes to the max, and I didn’t realize that he didn’t write a whole lot himself. The only thing he writes on here is Samba Pa Ti, which along with Black Magic Woman, were the two songs on this album that everyone was familiar with.

Other than Carlos himself, the other band member that catches your attention is keys and vocalist, Greg Rollie, whose Fender Rhodes and Hammond playing are a distinct feature of the band. Carlos’ ability to arrange Classical Latin tunes into a Rock environment is genius. Oyo Como Va and Samba Pa Ti being cases in point. These early albums are very of their time, but still a fun listen.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

BATON ROUGE – Shake Your Soul

August 30, 2022 /

This is another album I thought would never make it to record, but thanks to those good folks at Real Gone Music – here we are. This is the first album that came out in ’90. It was a bad time to be putting out melodic rock records no matter how good they were. The man that some of you will of heard of, is vocalist Kelly Keeling who has been with MSG, King Kobra, and Eric Norlander (amongst others).

Things get moving with opening track, Doctor, with a great fat huge riff and a slight Trampled Under Foot vibe, but it’s the huge hook and chorus that gets your attention. Walks Like A Woman follows, and what a great riff with a slight funky vibe, and the hook and chorus are huge – great fade out as well! Big Trouble is Glam Rock 101 – a simple repeating riff with a four to the floor groove, and that big sing-a-long chorus. It’s About Time is ballad number one. Bad Time Comin’ Down is my favourite track, as I love the choppy riff and the hook and chorus are really infectious. Side 1 closes out with the instrumental, The Midge, which is just a short acoustic piece.

Side 2 opens things up with Baby’s So Cool – what a great riff and groove, and the hook and chorus are really good. Young Hearts has a huge hook and chorus, and I love the middle section with a killer solo. Melanie is a lot more laid back and more AOR sounding. Ballad time is here again with There Was A Time. The riffs return with Hot Blood Movin’, and what a huge drum sound. This would have made a great single. Side 1 closes out with Spread Like Fire – a great uptempo groover. Another band that came too late, but still a great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

INFECTIOUS GROOVES – The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move

August 29, 2022 /

Funk Metal and Funk Rock were fun and relevant for all of five minutes it seems. There were some great bands in the Rock genre that were great at the Funk, Dan Reed, Stevie Salas and the Electric Boys (just to name a few), but in Metal there were not that many, but the Suicidal Tendencies offshoot, Infectious Grooves, were a whole lot of fun and they were really good. Mike Muir and Robert Trujillo thought it would be fun to play a few shows, and they ended up doing a few records as well.

I will stick to the killer tracks here as there is a bit of filler (mainly added for comedic effect). Punk It Up is just a killer Metal/Hardcore crossover with not much Funk at all. Therapy, on the other hand, is a ripping Funk/Metal hybrid, which even has Ozzy on the chorus. Stop Funk’n With My Head would not have been out of place on a Funkedelic record . The title track is another perfect crossover with killer grooves and a monster riff. You Lie And Yo Breath Stank is just freakin’ awesome. It’s my favourite track on the album due to the killer vibe and groove with a wicked sense of humour.

This is better than anything Suicidal did in their day job. A little word of warning – this is the third record I have. I returned it a couple of times as it is a very noisy pressing. I really like this record as it’s just a whole bunch of fun.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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