THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music (Page 353 of 454)

MOTHER’S FINEST – s/t

August 27, 2021 /

It’s safe to say that there was no band quite like Mother’s Finest at the time. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, they blend funk and soul with a heavy rock groove and guitars. Oddly enough they have had two self titled albums, this one that was released in ’76 on Epic, and one in ’72 on RCA, which after released, the band were dropped.

Led by the amazing voice of Joyce Kennedy, this band and this album grooves hard. I have loved it since the first day I heard it eons ago. Opening track, Fire, is all of their influences rolled into one track. It’s one big groovy monster of a tune, and the vibe carries over into the follow up track, Give You All The Love. It has a killer solo to add to the funk rock groove, and it just keeps going in true southern style. Epic tune! Niggizz Can’t Sing Rock And Roll is the last track on Side 1, and this is the perfect melding of soul and rock – the middle eight just grooves on.

Side 2 and a Montrose style riff announces the arrival of My Baby. The honky tonk piano, and Joyce’s killer vocal just scream Muscle Shoals. Fly With Me is Sly Stone on steroids – the soul is deep in this one. Don’t cha Wanna Love Me is all over the map (and even visits Broadway) before settling into a more conventional groove. Rain closes out the album and is as rock as this album gets. Still an enjoyable listen.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

LAMB OF GOD – As The Palaces Burn

August 27, 2021 /

If there is one band that took the Pantera blueprint and ran with it, then it’s Lamb Of God. I’m not sure how this happened, but this is the only LOG album I have on vinyl. It was part of this years’ RSD releases, and was released as it celebrates its 21st birthday this year.

This is undoubtedly one of modern metal’s masterpieces. Not only is it crushingly heavy, but it grooves hard and there are riffs a plenty. If you are slightly put off by the growly vocals, then so be it, but you are are missing one hell of a metal album. Side 1 alone is just relentless as each track blends into the next. The double guitar attack of Mark Morton and Willie Adler is just epic, with chugga riff after chugga riff relentlessly pounding away at your brain. Drummer Chris Adler is not of this earth, as the speed at which he plays is insane. Produced by the genius that is Devin Townsend, he has managed to capture the sheer brutality of the band without losing any clarity, even at high volume.

I love all of this record but if I’m pushed for favourites I would go for For Your Malice, and the intensity of Blood Junkie. As I mentioned earlier, this is a classic and deservedly gets 10/10 from The Grooveman.

STONE FURY – Burns Like A Star

August 26, 2021 /

Everyone knows Lenny Wolf and Kingdom Come, but before that little adventure there were two albums by Stone Fury put together by Wolf and Bruce Gowdy. This album was received really well and the single, Break Down The Wall, did relatively well on the charts. Another album, Let Them Talk, was released and disappeared without trace.

It’s pretty standard melodic hard rock territory that the band tread, but there are some really good stand out tracks. I Hate To Sleep Alone, which has a killer riff and groove, is high on my list, Don’t Tell Me Why, with its Foreigner Hot Blooded riff would have made a good single, and Tease, which is probably the stand out track on the album as they try to do something a little different which I really like (the riff isn’t too shabby either). As you may know by reading lots of my ramblings, I am a sucker for a riff, and Hold It isn’t anything special, but I really love the riff.

After the failure of said second album, Mr. Wolf high tailed it back to Germany and would reappear in ’87 with Kingdom Come.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ALANIS MORISSETTE – Jagged Little Pill

August 26, 2021 /

A somewhat freak move by the randomizer today, sees the second review by an Ottawa native. For some reason, everyone seems to think that this is Alanis’s first album, but in reality it is her third – the first two being dance pop records. The departure in sound and style is incredible because this album is a nailed on bomb classic and has sold 33 million copies.

Produced by Glen Ballard, and she is joined by a who’s who of the alternative scene at the time, namely Flea, Dave Navarro, Matt Lang, and Benmont Tench, make this album a sonic masterpiece. But the undoubted star of the show is Alanis herself. Very personal first person lyrics, and the vocal delivery is just incredible. You Oughta Know is one of the best songs of the era, and her vocal delivery is so emotive and heartfelt that I never tire of hearing it. She also has the most beautifully soft voice in quieter numbers like Perfect, and Mary Jane, when the emotion and feel is still present in a more laid back manner. I guess it’s the sign of a successful album when every song feels like a personal friend. You feel like you know them that well without playing them yourself as you hear them wherever you go. This is a definite “every home should have one”.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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