Cleopatra Records artist: Cactus - Temple Of Blues - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Temple of Blues, from Cactus, and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Bukka White's Parchment Farm really rocks. Using Mayall's basic arrangement, Carmine Appice on drums really drives it hard with Billy Sheehan on bass, Jim McCarty on guitar, Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar and Jim Stapley on vocal and harp. Excellent opener. Willie Dixon's Evil gets a real nice heavy makeover with heavy weight drum work by Appice and great guitar lead by McCarty. Dug Pinnick on bass really sets the groove and Dee Snider on lead vocal is outrageous. Coopper and White's country anthem, No Need To Worry is now a slow blues with excellent vocal and guitar phrasing by Warren Haynes with Jorgen Carlsson on bass and Appice on drums. Cactus original (from their 70's album) Big Mama Boogie (Pts 1&2) is a great track with Appice in his own seat at drums and James Caputo on bass. Stapley on vocal and harp does a real nice job and Pat Travers on slide really winds it out when Appice kicks it in gear. Dixon's You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover really kicks it featuring Stapley, Caputo and Appice and featuring Artie Dillon on guitar. Solid. Little Richard's Long Tall Sally gets that real "Cactus" treatment with a dynamic heavy bottom by Appice and Kenny Aaronson, Mark Stein on lead vocal and Fernando Perdomo on guitars. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Guiltless Glider with Tim Owens and Appice tearing it up. This is a great closer for one of the most fun real blues rock CDs to hit my desk in a long time. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

   

 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE For your convenience, you can click the title of this post above to be taken to a site where this cd can be purchased - Happy Listening

Purple Pyramid Records artist: Prog Collective - Dark Encounters - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dark Encounters, from Prog Collective, a project founded and helmed by Billy Sherwood of Yes note. Opening with Darkest Hour, longtime Billy Idol guitarist, Steve Stevens is featured with soaring guitar riffs over Sherwood's bass, keyboard and drum composition. Atmospheric and intense, this is a strong opener. Steve Morse (Dregs/Deep Purple) adds his own virtuosity to Ominous Signs with a more structured composition allowing more freedom for Sherwood's own exploration. Dark Days is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Bumblefoot (GNR) contributing some real nice guitar and vocals, Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues) on keys, Omar Hakim (Weather Report) on drums and Sherwood on bass. Soft Machine's John Etheridge lays down some nicely phrased guitar lead on The Fifth Hour, paired with Sherwood on bass, keys and drums. Very cool. Another of my favorite tracks, Between Two Worlds features Steve Hillage (Gong) on guitars and Gregg Bissonette on drums and Sherwood on vocal, bass and keys. King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto sits in on drums on For All To See with strong guitar lines by Sherwood who also plays keys and bass. Bonus Tracks include Todd Rundgren's top ten hit, I Saw The Light featuring Rundgren on vocal and Rick Wakeman on keys and an up tempo cover of 10CC's I'm Not In Love featuring Wakeman on keys and Nektar. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

 

“Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE For your convenience, you can click the title of this post above to be taken to a site where this cd can be purchased - Happy Listening

Dark Idol Music Artist: Micki Free - Turquoise Blue - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Turquoise Blue, from Micki Free, and it's a fiery blues based rocker. Opening with Ridin' - 420, Micki Free unleashes his hard driving rocking sound with solid lead vocal and guitar, backed by ken "Mojo Man" Riley on bass, Mark "Muggy Do" Leach on keys, Soaring "Hawk" Lopez on really driving drums and Trish Bowden on backing vocals. His lead work is white hot with plenty of flare for a power opener. Heavy Mercy opens with a great guitar riff and builds with a droning bass line and relentless, soaring, overdriven guitar. A ripping cover of Hendrix's All Along The Watch Tower gives Free a "rock standard" to unleash on and he does a real nice job. Slipping into a blues groove on Spring Fever, Free takes a shuffle approach with stinging guitar riffs over a guitar/keys melody and tight underpinnings by Lopez and Riley. Another slice of the pie, World On Fire, features Andy Vargas on lead vocal and Free and gang in a Latin fused rocker with a strong melody and nicely phrased guitar lead over excellent drums and percussion featuring Cindy Blackman and Karl Perazzo. Wrapping the release is ballad, Blue Memories with an acoustic guitar framework and solid backing vocals by Bowden and overlaid electric guitar lead over the melody making for a solid radio track and closer for the release. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

  “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

Purple Pyramid artists: The Fusion Syndicate - New release review

Now here's something different! I just received the new release from The Fusion Syndicate. This band is made up of jazz, rock and blues superstars and the recording is all you could wish for in this format. Billy Sherwood, writer of all compositions and with a background of top bands as long as your arm played keys, guitars drums, synth and vocals throughout this recording. The opening track, Random Acts Of Science, has strong hints to the Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring Rick Wakeman (Yes) on keys, Jerry Goodman (Flock, Mahavishnu Orchestra) on violin, Nik Turner (Hawkwind) on sax and Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets)on bass. This is a terrific track and one that shows not only the virtuosity of all of the instrumentalists and excellent writing skills of Sherwood, but also brings back into the forefront one of my favorite fusion violin players. This is no lightweight composition and all instrumentation is first class. Next up is Stone Cold Infusion, a funky track featuring Steve Stevens ( Billy Idol, Michael Jackson) blistering guitar work, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) keys, Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel, Alan Parsons) sax, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)bass, and the unmistakable work of Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on drums. There is a lot of hot playing on this track! Molecular Breakdown features David Sancious on keys, Jay Beckenstein (Spyro Gyra) sax, Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai)on bass and Gavin Harrison (Porchpine Tree) on drums. Particle Accelerations features Mr. Larry Coryell with his unmistakable style on guitar, Derek Sherinian (Dream Theaterm Black Country Communion) on keys, Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea)sax and Chester Thompson (Zappa, Genesis, Steve Hackett)on drums. Coryell's playing alone on this track is worth the price of admission. At The Edge Of The Middle is a bit more laid back featuring Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple) on guitars, Jimi Beard (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on piano, Randy Brecker (Brecker Brothers) on trumpet and Percy Jones (Brand X , Soft Machine)on bass. Morse and Brecker both play outstanding riffs on this track. Atom Smashing features John Etheridge (Soft Machine) on guitars, Tony Kaye (Circa, Badger, Yes) on Hammond and synth and Chad Wackerman (Zappa)drums. This is a fairly straightforward track but extremely tight musicianship. In The Spirit Of... features Steve Hillage (Gong, Khan) on guitars, Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) on keys, Theo Travis(soloist) sax, Justin Chancellor (Tool)on bass and Asaf Sirkis (soloist) who is a prime contributor on this track on drums. This is an excellent recording if you are at all interested in progressive J/R Fusion. The casual listener will enjoy smooth sax solos and the serious musician will feel the heat of hypnotic drums, tight bass riffs, ripping guitar solos and intricate key solos along with great composition. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”