REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 317 of 482)

CHRISTONE INGRAM – Kingfish

Christone comes but a stones throw away from the legendary crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He most definitely has the delta blues in his DNA. I have been aware of his existence since he was a teenager from people posting YouTube clips of his gigs – and you knew it would be a matter of time before he exploded onto the scene.

This is his first album from 2019 and has blues legends Buddy Guy and Keb Mo as guests. He was 20 years old when this was recorded, and you would be forgiven for thinking he was much older as he has the old blues tone to his voice. It’s his ability on the guitar that blows you away though. The tunes are a mixture of modern blues like Outside Of This Town, and old school homages like the track Fresh Out where he trades licks and vocals with Buddy Guy.

The album is like a handbook of the blues as he has all bases covered. I particularly love the acoustic blues numbers as the feel and tone of his voice is just superb. My favourite track is the slow blues of Believe These Blues, which is beautiful and the vocals and guitar tone are just sublime. A really great album – if you need some blues in your soul then this could be for you.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

OASIS – Definitely Maybe

Britpop – love it or hate it – there were some decent bands to come out of it all. Other than Mansun (who I really like), Oasis were the most rock n roll of them all. Ignore all the nonsense between the brothers Gallagher – Noel could write a decent song! I know he has said in interviews he just rewrites Beatles songs, but I think that is just bravado as I can hear none of that on this album.

This is just a sleazy rock record. Rock n Roll Star, Supersonic and Cigarettes & Alcohol are great tracks with cool riffs and simple grooves. Live Forever and Slide Away are anthems for the period. To produce songs like that this on your debut record is outstanding, and for all his attitude problems, Liam’s voice is perfect for the tunes. Other than the odd track on other albums, this is my favourite album.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TYTAN – Justice Served

This follow up took a long time – 32 years to be precise. The first album, Rough Justice, had Karl Swan on vocals who would later join Lion with Doug Aldrich. They went all out with this album, and got Chris Tsangarides to produce and oversee the project. The only original member left is bass player Kevin “Skids” Riddles, also from the original Angel Witch album. This is released on High Roller Records, who specialize in old school metal records from bands that didn’t quite make it.

It’s not a bad album and sounds very NWOBHM. There are some great ideas like Reap The Whirlwind, which slows things down and has a great dynamic. Midnight Sun is quite a surprise as it’s mostly acoustic, with a vocal very reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson. Billy Who is a whole bunch of fun and quite frenetic with some great guitar. My favourite track is One Last Detail, which has a great riff and groove and reminds me a bit of Budgie.

I know I say this a lot, but if this album had come out 40 years ago it would have sold bunches – but hey ho!

8/10 from The Grooveman.

TOMMY SHAW – Girls With Guns

The problems with Styx are well documented, and especially with Tommy Shaw. He felt he was being pushed more into the background as De Young took more control. Tommy channeled that frustration into collaborations with Damn Yankees and Shaw/Blades, and three solo albums in which this was the first.

On the whole, this is a great pop rock with a couple of Styx style ballads thrown into the mix. The title track and lead off track is a great power pop romp and a great song. Come In And Explain has a big rock and big riff opening and reminds me of Billy Squier. Heads Up is a typical 80’s pop song. Fading Away has very funky Toto groove and feel. Little Girl World is the most Styx sounding song on the album with lots of vocal harmonies.

Not a bad album. It sounds very of it’s time and the Mike Stone production is crystal clear.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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