JOHN NEWMAN
Tribute
This is Schenker's second time working
with a former Rainbow frontman. The first
time out, with vocalist Graham Bonnet (in
1981) turned out to be disappointing.
However the current union with White is
quite interesting, and what's more important: lasting. White's take on the material
gives another angle to Schenker's performance. He's strongly influenced by Deep
Purple/Rainbow (Dio-era) style of
singing, and this adds a lot of color to
BTG's anthemic moments ("To Live For
The King,""Rock N' Symphony") and
hooks already established during
Schenker's years with UFO and MSG. The
material is exceptionally catchy, there's
plenty of melody ("Shine On") in the vocal
and guitar ("Nepture Rising") department.
Schenker, as expected, shines through
and through on BTG. His tone and technique are one of a kind, and there isn't
another player like him that still has the
passion for music from the '70s/'80s New
Wave of British Metal-era. It's gratifying to
see him focused and re-dedicated to music
he knows and understands. After a few
subpar moments in the last 2 decades,
Schenker is back with the instrumental
(Universal/Island)
This youthful blue-eyed-soul singer
has bypassed Simon Cowell's fast-tracking
talent shows and climbed the U.K. charts
the old-fashioned way – by giving
Opportunity his business cards and opening the door every time she knocks. So it's
hard to begrudge him his success. It's also
hard to mistake for hubris the rapid-fire
recitation of rock-and-soul greats that
introduces this album's title cut: Newman
doesn't presume himself worthy of following in his heroes' footsteps so much as he
feels obligated to keep their blazed trails
smoking. Unfortunately, he rains on their
parades instead. The similar-sounding
melodies are short on hooks, the overproduced backing tracks long on bombast,
and vocally he mistakes reach for grasp
and rasp for depth. Come home, Paul
Young. All is forgiven.
--Arsenio Orteza
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Appearing April 7 at Metro
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THE HONEY TREES
Bright Fire
(Team Clermont)
The Honey Trees expertly and carefully trace the space between majestic and
bombastic, crafting cathartic pop imbued
with the triumphant sensibility of worship
music and shimmering dreampop.
"Nightingale" rings from the heavens with
passionate conviction, and "Like A
Thousand Stars" revolves around a buoyant pop motif. Other tracks feature delicate embellishments and subtle touches –
the lingering echo of notes and vacant
space are as important as the blossoming
vocals and spacious, patient arrangements
in "The Seaside" and "Wild Winds."
Delicate, but emboldened with strong,
confident propulsion, this is not wispy or
frail music, but a magical triumph.
– Patrick Conlan
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Collectors Show
The Midwest's Largest Record Show
ROSANNE CASH
The River & The Thread
(Blue Note)
In interviews, Cash has related the fas-
The Honey Trees
fury he's remembered for from his goldenera in the '70s.
Bridge The Gap is a fine record with a
few odd twists that will satisfy most
Schenker/UFO fans. It doesn't break any
new ground, but certainly adds to
Schenker's enduring legacy.
- Mark Kadzielawa
Record & CD
cinating backstories of these 11 songs (14
in the deluxe version) with so much detail
that they almost overshadow the songs
themselves. She also lets on as how, at 58,
she now regards the music of her hit-filled
youth as rather lacking in gravitas. Well,
given the alt-country heaven from which
she's channeling the meditative melodies
of her maturity and the autobiographical
richness of her Deep South lyrics, it's easy
to see (and hear) what she means. Still,
there are a river and a thread running
through her entire impressive oeuvre, and
they're worth listening for--especially
when they unite her with her daddy's oldtime religion and thus unbreak the circle
bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye.
--Arsenio Orteza
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KILL DEVIL HILL
Revolution Rise
(Team Clermont)
Sludgy grooves meet Alice In Chains
harmonies on Kill Devil Hill's sophomore
effort, Revolution Rise. The 11 tracks that
grace the CD are catchy and melodic. Selftitled debut aside, KDH's second effort
sees the band morph into a more cohesive
unit and displays more of what they are
about, or what they can become, without
the curse of the big rock star status hang-
SUNDAY ••MAR. 16
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8:45AM - 4PM
VINYL
& CD’s
LP'S •
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Rock • Alternative • Jazz • Soul
Plus, an expanded Metal selection.
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