Continued from page 42
of“ Changing of the Guard,” which laments the days“ since goodness took it pretty hard, since greed and fear gained the upper hand.” Mallonee’ s self-played, guitar-focused arrangements for each song combine with his lyrics to tell a single story in ways that are both spoken and unspoken. The melancholy sweep of the title cut describes the death of dreams and hard work gone unrewarded in the face of misfortune, and presents it all as a fable for today. There’ s always someone high and mighty who hasn’ t earned his place to benefit from the hardship of others, but the downtrodden can still call upon their fortitude and refuse to give in.“ Trimmed & Burning” speaks to those caught in such lean and harsh times, offering a note of encouragement to continue holding one’ s head up. Mallonee offers these sentiments to others, and presumably to himself. He has stated that he writes to save himself, and to wrestle with deeper truths of life, death, joy, grief and the eternal. These ruminations have sustained a long career. Mallonee’ s early stint with Vigilantes of Love unfolded in parallel with Americana figurehead Uncle Tupelo. Although his star didn’ t ascend alongside Tupelo offshoots, Mallonee’ s vitality as a writer has never faltered and should appeal in particular to fans of Jay Farrar’ s true-roots output with Son Volt.
– Jeff Elbel
7
RITCHIE BLACKMORE ' S RAINBOW Memories In Rock II
( Misntel Hall
Memories in Rock II continues the path that legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’ s rebooted Rainbow took with its predecessor, 2016’ s Memories in Rock— Live in Germany concert DVD / CD. Featuring 19 live audio tracks, over 80 minutes of backstage video footage, plus a brand new studio track, Blackmore & Co. pull out all the stops on Memories in Rock II. There’ s more Rainbow tracks than Deep Purple this time around, although of course“ Woman From Tokyo” and“ Smoke on the Water” are represented here. However, adding deep cuts“ I Surrender” and“ All Night Long” to the setlist was a great move. Plus, singer Ronnie Romero has proven that he is the perfect fit to sing these new renditions. The production is crisp and the crowd response is exuberant, while the DVD interview footage is also enjoyable. New track“ Waiting For A Sign” is a slow-burning, bluesy number with plenty of tasteful guitar licks from Blackmore. However, it takes a few spins to get fully invested in it. Although this version of Rainbow obviously lacks original members besides Blackmore, his band performs with top-notch precision. Presently, it’ s unclear how many more shows Blackmore will continue performing with the new Rainbow, so enjoy this recording while you can.
– Kelley Simms
7
JULIANA HATFIELD Sings Olivia Newton John
( American Laundromat) Juliana Hatfield sends this open love letter to Australian pop queen Olivia Newton- John, covering 13 sparkling gems from ONJ’ s chart-busting‘ 70s-‘ 80s catalog. The production veers toward the punk side of pop, with buzzy guitars augmenting the familiar synthesizer lines in songs like the lusty“ Physical” and euphoric“ Xanadu.” Although these versions are leaner and looser than their finely-honed original counterpart confections, it’ s all in the spirit of fun and a great sugar rush. The former Blake Babies frontwoman could have aimed for irony with songs like the earnest and vulnerable“ I Honestly Love You” and melodramatic Grease soundtrack number“ Hopelessly Devoted to You.” Instead, she fills the songs with obvious affection. If you’ re an ONJ fan, all your favorites are here, including the mysterious and spooky“ Magic” and a revved-up versions of the breathless“ Make a Move on Me” and easy listening hit“ A Little More Love.” A dollar from each sale benefits the Olivia Newton- John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre.
– Jeff Elbel
6
48 illinoisentertainer. com may 2018