2014 CD Reviews - Four Leftover 2013 Releases

[TageRyche]

Here we are, just about exactly halfway through the 2014 calendar year. And while most attention is focused on music being released now, I thought I would take a brief look at a few of the albums released in 2013 that I hadn't gotten around to buying before the new year started. With CDs from Julie Roberts, Paul Rodgers, The Winery Dogs and Black Star Riders, you can see that the music selected crosses a variety of musical genres from country music to the classic Memphis sounds as interpreted by a legendary classic rock singer and some balls out contemporary rock and roll.

Lets dive right into this mixed bag and see what we find:

Julie Roberts

Good Wine & Bad Decisions

Sun Records - 2013

http://www.julieroberts.com

The legendary Sun Records hasn't released a full album of original material in decades, so it was quite the surprise that the label re-entered the new music fray with the vastly unappreciated Julie Roberts - no relation to this article's author.

The singer's fourth full length album features Roberts as a co-writer on nine of the album's 14 tracks. Unfortunately, despite Roberts having a voice that is sweet, smooth and sensuous when called upon, the material isn't always up to the level of her talent. The album doesn't really start its engine until the song "Gasoline & Matches," about a completely mismatched couple. The plaintive ballad "Old Strings" works wonderfully as well.

Being a country album, you can expect to find a strong religious aspect to at least some of the tracks. Normally, this works against a song in my book, but the song "Arms of Jesus" is one that saw the performance push the spiritual overtones and lyrics to the background. I could just sit back and ENJOY the song as a whole. The woman done wrong song "If I Were You" is superb. On "Old Habit", the line in the chorus "I'm just an old habit you can't break" resonated strongly. As for the song "Daddy Doesn't Pray", you can go one of two ways with the lyrics and foolishly I thought the song was going in what turned out to be the wrong direction. Instead, it was a kind of eulogy. On the initial listen to this track I was kind of annoyed to be wrong but extra time with the song had me enjoying the simple and honest declarative lyrics, making it a winner.

Roberts covers the Steve Earle written song "I'm Not Getting Any Better At Goodbyes" and much like the other songs I haven't mentioned here, it just kind of falls flat.

There's a number of good songs here, but as with her previous releases, Roberts' voice outshines the material and leaves you with something less than a full serving of musical enjoyment.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

Paul Rodgers

The Royal Sessions

Pie Records / 429 Records - 2013

http://www.paulrodgers.com

Paul Rodgers has long established his classic rock credentials as the front man for legendary bands Bad Company, Free, The Firm and Queen. But his solo material has long paid tribute to his first love, the R&B, blues and soul music he first heard via the vinyl 45's of his younger years. I still love his Muddy Waters tribute CD.

This time around, Rodgers pays tribute to the Memphis sound and it isn't just a bunch of thrown together tracks either. Instead, he's backed up by a who's who of the legends or descendants of the Memphis scene including the Reverend Charles Hodges Sr., Leroy Hodges Jr., Lester Snell and Michael Toles to name just a few.

Recorded live at Royal Studios in south Memphis on analogue tape, Rodgers et al. rocket through an astounding mix of songs including Sam & Dave's "I Thank You"and two slow burning tracks from Albert King in "Down Don't Bother Me" and "Born Under a Bad Sign.

While "Walk On By" was flat and dragged on for an interminable 7 minutes, the rest of the material was quite educational to me. Rodgers interprets the lyrics with his own vocal ability but manages to also stay true to the original recordings. The material shines throughout and makes you want to listen to this disc over and over, while also seeking out the original source material.

By the way, proceeds from the album are being donated to local musical education programs in Memphis.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

The Winery Dogs

S/T

Loud & Proud Records - 2013  

http://www.thewinerydogs.com

The latest rock trio formed out of top of the line musicians from other bands is The Winery Dogs. You've got drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater/Adrenaline Mob), bassist Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth/Mr. Big) and guitarist-vocalist Richie Kotzen (solo career/Poison) gelling together in about as seamlessly as you could hope to have happen.

The band co-wrote all the music together while Kotzen handled on the lyrics save one song that Portnoy wrote the words for. They also produced the album themselves.

And what a collection of tunes this album features! The opening cut "Elevate" showcases my favorite set of lyrics in the entire set with "It's a little known fact, I see everything black and I don't want to face it."

The majority of the tracks are speedy, up tempo tracks that show just how much the band can rock. On "Desire", Kotzen sounds like a grittier version of singer Glenn Hughes. And while the credentials of Portnoy and Sheehan are so easily identifiable, it is Kotzen who really makes the music work. His gritty, bluesy voice and sweet guitar work are so overlooked, it has become ridiculous to think of how much more acclaim he deserves. His solo albums are flat out amazing and his guitar solos on "Damaged" and "Six Feet Deeper" (an overall piece of musical perfection) are superb. I didn't much care for the song "Time Machine," but the solo on that track is quite outstanding.

On "The Other Side", the way the music was layered in from the beginning of the song to build up the tempo was hugely entertaining. While the first verse of the vocals was a bit fuzzy in the mix, the band's powerful boot stomping outro on the song made things that much more enjoyable. The album closer "Regret" is a sublime number that sounds as if it was taken directly from a 70's rock radio playlist.

All in all, what you get with The Winery Dogs is one of the finest debut albums of 2013. They take hold of the rock trio banner and not only fly it high but reinvigorate it and approach new heights.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Black Star Riders

All Hell Breaks Loose

Nuclear Blast Records - 2013

http://www.blackstarriders.com

Though Thin Lizzy has been a touring outfit for a number of years, since the death of legendary bassist Phil Lynott, they haven't really released any new material. But instead of treading on the Thin Lizzy hallowed ground, they formed Black Star Riders and released All Hell Breaks Loose.

I don't know if Hell breaking loose is quite what you have here, but I'll tell you what, the band sure does know how to kick some major musical ass.  They eschew ballad type material for the most part and instead turn in one of the better "debut" albums you could possibly hope to hear. And though there are obviously some Thin Lizzy influences in the sound of the music, they stand on their own quite nicely.

Singer Ricky Warwick's vocals came off as a bit understated to me as the title track opened the disc. But as the album unfurled its sonic tapestry, you realize that instead of an abundance of over the top vocal histrionics, Warwick's performance serves the material instead of separating himself from the rest of the band. It is a smooth blending of all the talents involved.

With Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson on guitars, it was unsurprising to discover songs like "Bound For Glory", "Kissin' The Ground" and the outstanding "Valley of the Stones" feature electrifying solo work inside the framework of ballsy rockers.

Okay, I didn't care for "Someday Salvation", but forget that nitpick. I loved the Celtic music inspired opening to "Kingdom of the Lost". It gave the song a more epic feel to go with the galloping pace. The set closes out with "Blues Ain't So Bad" which had me visualizing the band in a smoky bar performing this as the closing number of their final set of the evening.

Thin Lizzy may not be putting out new music, but their members have once again proved worth with the musical descendent, Black Star Riders. All Hell Breaks Loose firmly establishes a beachhead for the band and I'm looking forward to what they come up with next.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars