New Music
High Water I Provogue
Crowes become Magpies in a magically powerful musical transformation It’s amazing what a slight change in chemistry will yield. The debut album from The Magpie Salute features the talents of no less than three of the original Black Crowes: guitarists Rich Robinson and Marc Ford plus Sven Pipien on bass. New to the equation are vocalist John Hogg, drummer Joe Magistro and keys man Matt Slocum. The result is an album that has the guts and energy of the Crowes but a new sophistication and breadth in both the writing and the performances. It adds up to a tour de force debut that doesn’t so much grab the listener’s attention but holds it in a life-affirming embrace over the course of 12 well-crafted tracks. To say there’s something for everyone here somehow does a disservice to how seamlessly classic influences have been woven together with a fresh, empowered vision of modern rock. Witness For The Wind, a huge track that slingshots the listener from the opening lyrical acoustic refrain straight into some of the gutsiest riffage we’ve heard in a while – which has the force and swing of Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. Elsewhere we find the light and shade that makes High Water I such a satisfying listen. There’s hits-the-spot slide work and Stones-worthy boogie on Take It All but on closing track Open Up we find a richness and breadth of vision in the writing and harmony vocals that plays like a latter-day reply to CSN’s Wooden Ships. There’s even a touch of bluegrass-meets-Bolan on the freewheeling Hand In Hand. It’s affecting stuff, beautifully produced and performed with to-the-hilt commitment. It’s a real pleasure when seasoned players find fresh conviction and marry their years of craft to a new wellspring of energy. That’s definitely the case here and we urge you to give it a listen. [JD] Standout track: Witness For The Wind For fans of: Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Dylan
Roger Daltrey As Long As I Have You Polydor
The voice of the ‘orrible ‘oo in solo mode How do you differentiate between a Roger Daltrey solo album and a Who release? That voice is still there at centre stage, but the choice of songs – from a couple of self-penned outings to covers like the rockier take on Stevie Wonder’s You Haven’t Done Nothing – earmarks it as something entirely different. Who fans need not despair, though, as Pete Townshend makes his presence felt here with his six-string contribution on seven of the album’s 11 tracks. “This is a return to the very beginning to the time before Pete started writing our songs,” Daltrey says, expressing nostalgia for the pre-Who cover band days and, from that point of view alone, the album is a raging success. [DM] Standout track: Get On Out Of The Rain For fans of: The Who, Joe Cocker
Paul Rodgers Free Spirit Quarto Valley Records
Celebrating 50 years of The Voice at the Royal Albert Hall The last night of a UK tour that marked half a century since he, Simon Kirke and the late Andy Fraser and Paul Kossoff started Free in their teens, Paul Rodgers pays tribute in the finest way possible. As well as the singalong favourites of Wishing Well and My Brother Jake the likes of Love
You So and Travelin’ In Style that were never performed by the band during their short lifespan demonstrate that they were every bit as vital to the much the lauded British blues movement as the big names. Backed ably by Deborah Bonham’s guitarist Peter Bullick who soars on the leads of Woman and Mr
Big, everything from the swaying cascade of Ride On A Pony to the joyous All Right Now fill the historic venue with the grand scale it deserves. [AR] Standout track: All Right Now For fans of: Free, Bad Company
Tremonti A Dying Machine Napalm Records
Alter Bridge guitarist indulges in a fourth outing of metallic muscle When not packing out arenas with Alter Bridge or putting his signature over state-of-the-art guitars and gear, Mark Tremonti has established a credible solo career. While last effort Dust had big anthems and riffs that could have stolen the show for his day job, his fourth album focuses on his love for razor-sharp metal to shape a futuristic Blade Runneresque concept based around sentient artificial beings and coexistence – with accompanying novel expected soon. Though there’s still room for a ballad in the power grab worthy The First The
Last this is a far cry from bandmate Myles Kennedy’s stripped down Year
Of The Tiger, with A Dying Machine an accomplished exercise in precision riffing and fiendishly complex playing that’s worthy of both the legends of the genre and indeed the story’s mechanical protagonists. The opening Bringer Of
War and Throw Them To The Lions see riffs gallop atop propulsive drums, while Tremonti’s understated vocals soar on the title track and Make It Hurt. Another outstanding exercise in performance and awesome songwriting from one of the world’s finest players. [AR] Standout track: Throw Them To The Lions For fans of: Alter Bridge, Metallica
John Mellencamp Plain Spoken Universal
Integral CD and DVD experience from legendary performer With a music career exceeding 35 years and a mantlepiece burdened with the weight of too many awards to mention, this live CD and DVD package sees another turn of the page for the legendary songwriter and performer. Recorded at the Chicago Theatre in October 2016 the package includes songs from Mellencamp’s latest studio recording, Sad Clowns And Hillbillies as well as many favourites from his illustrious back catalogue like Small Town, Pop
Singer and Cherry Bomb. It has to be said that the heart of the matter is really in the accompanying DVD with an optional commentary from Mellencamp, offering additional insight into the man and his music. Fans will rejoice. [DM] Standout track: Stones In My Passway For fans of: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen
Bullet For My Valentine Gravity Spinefarm
Welsh arena metallers make drastic dive into the electronic deep end While last album Venom was a return to the style that had seen them become Britain’s biggest metal export since Iron Maiden after the misstep of Temper Temper, Bullet For My Valentine have now taken an even more drastic U-turn on their sixth album. Gravity sees the twin lead work of Matt Tuck and Paget largely abandoned for the polished electronic pop sound that other metal luminaries In Flames and Bring Me The Horizon have so heavily embraced. Don’t Need You delivers some of the grit meets melodic nous that they’ve made their hallmark while the downtuned, convulsive rhythms of Under Me is the most successful application of their new ideal. However, while heavy music is reliant on bands breaking the rules to set new boundaries for others to follow, the rejection of the chest-beating, guitar hero worship is so severe that you must ask whether this is brave exploration or another foolhardy blunder. [AR] Standout track: Don’t Need You For fans of: Linkin Park, Bring Me The Horizon