CD Reviews - Revolutions Saints, The Shires
I've not bought much new music recently. But here's a round up of the last two CDs that have entered the Furtheron CD tower - which if I did stack them all up would probably be taller than the house by now.
Revolution Saints.
Their début eponymously named offering. Revolution Saints are one of them there supergroups! The line up is Jack Blades on bass and vocals most known for his work with Night Ranger, who I have to admit are a band I know very little about as they never really hit it off on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. Deen Castronovo who is the main vocalist and drummer. Deen is most known for his long stint on the drum stool in Journey. Lastly and what really originally caught my eye Doug Aldrich ex Dio and ex Whitesnake. I've considered the previous two Whitesnake albums almost back to their best like the early line up with Moody and Marsden and the Skykes powered version that created the mega-selling eponymously named album now generally known as 1986. Doug had a hand in a lot of the writing of those latest original Whitesnake albums. When I heard he'd parted company with Whitesnake I was saddened, the latest Whitesnake offering being a rehash of a bunch of songs from Coverdale's time in Deep Purple Mark III and IV seems to confirm my fears about who was driving the new material. So seeing Doug was in them I tuned in on Spotify to have a listen... and then bought the CD whilst browsing in a good old fashion independent record shop in Whitstable!
This is brilliant if you like Journey/Whitesnake AOR type rock. I'd best describe it as the best, and most Journey like album never recorded by Journey! Also it has some great Whitesnake songs on it - which will never be Whitesnake songs now. It kicks off with a rocker Back on My Trail and as the guitar riff and drums clash together you are waiting for Dave ... sorry Deen to come in on the vocal. And yes we're cruising across the States on an interstate, top down, girl beside us, beer or coke in hand... you get the picture. It is a great rocker... I wonder how different it would be with Mr Coverdale singing... ;-) Stop it!
Next is another rocker - so you get the picture here, and my favourite off the album Turn Back Time and blimely - this is Journey but a little tighter and rockier and less over production. Deen and Jack share vocal ping pong on this. There's a little video taster lower down in this post. You'll soon be pumping you fist and singing with the chorus... oh just me then.
Loads more rock and some great ballads like Don't Walk Away - piano intro... phones on torch in the air... go on... the drums and guitar crash in just before the sing along bit. It may be a little formula but it is supremely executed. The final song is another great ballad "in the name of the father"... oh yes and two other members of Journey pop in to add spice to a couple of tracks. Good album all round.
The Shires - Brave
A new duo from the UK take on USA country and do a reasonable stab at it. Nowhere near the heart breaking quality as the sadly now defunct The Civil Wars but if you like them try this out. We kick off with Tonight an uptempo country rock toe tapper. I have to say the thing you have to keep saying is... hang on these guys are English? They just got to play the Grand Old Oprey which is testament to the fact finally we can show we can do country. A couple of the songs tell that tale in the lyrics like Nashville Grey Skies and Made In England. Statelines is doing good airplay on Radio 2 at the moment so if you've not heard them start here...
Revolution Saints.
Their début eponymously named offering. Revolution Saints are one of them there supergroups! The line up is Jack Blades on bass and vocals most known for his work with Night Ranger, who I have to admit are a band I know very little about as they never really hit it off on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. Deen Castronovo who is the main vocalist and drummer. Deen is most known for his long stint on the drum stool in Journey. Lastly and what really originally caught my eye Doug Aldrich ex Dio and ex Whitesnake. I've considered the previous two Whitesnake albums almost back to their best like the early line up with Moody and Marsden and the Skykes powered version that created the mega-selling eponymously named album now generally known as 1986. Doug had a hand in a lot of the writing of those latest original Whitesnake albums. When I heard he'd parted company with Whitesnake I was saddened, the latest Whitesnake offering being a rehash of a bunch of songs from Coverdale's time in Deep Purple Mark III and IV seems to confirm my fears about who was driving the new material. So seeing Doug was in them I tuned in on Spotify to have a listen... and then bought the CD whilst browsing in a good old fashion independent record shop in Whitstable!
This is brilliant if you like Journey/Whitesnake AOR type rock. I'd best describe it as the best, and most Journey like album never recorded by Journey! Also it has some great Whitesnake songs on it - which will never be Whitesnake songs now. It kicks off with a rocker Back on My Trail and as the guitar riff and drums clash together you are waiting for Dave ... sorry Deen to come in on the vocal. And yes we're cruising across the States on an interstate, top down, girl beside us, beer or coke in hand... you get the picture. It is a great rocker... I wonder how different it would be with Mr Coverdale singing... ;-) Stop it!
Next is another rocker - so you get the picture here, and my favourite off the album Turn Back Time and blimely - this is Journey but a little tighter and rockier and less over production. Deen and Jack share vocal ping pong on this. There's a little video taster lower down in this post. You'll soon be pumping you fist and singing with the chorus... oh just me then.
Loads more rock and some great ballads like Don't Walk Away - piano intro... phones on torch in the air... go on... the drums and guitar crash in just before the sing along bit. It may be a little formula but it is supremely executed. The final song is another great ballad "in the name of the father"... oh yes and two other members of Journey pop in to add spice to a couple of tracks. Good album all round.
The Shires - Brave
A new duo from the UK take on USA country and do a reasonable stab at it. Nowhere near the heart breaking quality as the sadly now defunct The Civil Wars but if you like them try this out. We kick off with Tonight an uptempo country rock toe tapper. I have to say the thing you have to keep saying is... hang on these guys are English? They just got to play the Grand Old Oprey which is testament to the fact finally we can show we can do country. A couple of the songs tell that tale in the lyrics like Nashville Grey Skies and Made In England. Statelines is doing good airplay on Radio 2 at the moment so if you've not heard them start here...
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