Streaming and Downloads Available Everywhere CD available at www . kevinleeonline . com |
New EP " LIGHTNING STRIKES " out MAY 6 on SIGUS RECORDS
featuring the single
" Ruby Red Lips "
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KEVIN LEE & THE KINGS Lightning Strikes
( Sigus Records )
Longtime Chicago-based rocker Kevin Lee ’ s new EP gives fans more of what of they ' d expect over a long career carrying a power-pop torch also championed by Cheap Trick , Material Issue , Off Broadway , Pezband , and dozens of other Chicago bands that made their mark . The first single we discovered ( via Apple Music ) is a classic , prototypical Windy City rocker “ Ruby Red Lips ” manuvered by Erik Stommer ' s chugging drums , spot-on harmonies by Patti Prendergast and Michael Kurtz , and ace guitar work from Lee and Kurtz . It ‘ s Midwestern poprock at its best . “ Best is Yet To Come ” is another “ best of " from the EP , buoyed by additional classic harmonies by The Kings and Lee ' s message of overcoming obstacles . The anthemic " Miracle " is Lightning ' s most accessible and radio-ready track , with an infectious early ' 80s melody yolking serious band harmonies and dual guitar work . EP closer " Wind it Up " dabbles in harder brit pop territory , while " Smashed to Pieces " has a power metal blueprint not too far removed from and the early MTV-era . If you love music from Chicago ' s golden age of power pop with a harder edge , Lightning Strikes should be added to your playlist .
- David Gedge
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JACK WHITE Fear Of The Dawn
( Third Man Records )
On April 8th , 2022 , Jack White had himself quite the day . He released his fourth solo album Fear Of The Dawn , he also played a rousing instrumental version of the national anthem at the Detroit Tigers home opener AND that night proposed and got married on stage at a sold-out show at a Masonic Temple . The music on Fear Of the Dawn is similarly hectic . This is the heaviest album of his career full of distorted , condensed webs of electric guitar and wailing vocals . During the recording , White got interested in “ eosophobia ” literally an intense fear of the dawn and most of the lyrical themes reflect this weird affliction . It ’ s another strange detour in a career marked with strange detours . Where the White Stripes reviled in their lo-fi kitsch , Fear Of The Dawn sounds decidedly labored on
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which is not a bad thing . Every track is loaded to the brim with arcane sonic details . He flirts with dub music one second then brushes shoulders with nu-metal the next . Opening track “ Take Me Back ” hits hard with a riff that could become as iconic as “ Five Nation Army .” After the somewhat confusing Boarding House Reach album in 2018 , Jack seems to have corrected course . One thing Jack doesn ’ t get credit for is his knack for marketing . Throughout the 2000s The White Stripes and their eye-catching red and white peppermint color scheme were inescapable . With Fear Of The Dawn and the accompanying “ Supply Chain Issue ” tour , everything is in a blue scale . From his grey-blue hair to the stage lighting to the album artwork everything is presented in swaths of stylish film-noir blue . For an artist that never sits still and with another new solo album coming out this summer , Jack shows no signs of slowing down on Fear Of The Dawn .
- Andy Derer
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FIERCE ATMOSPHERES The Speed of Dreams ( Qumran Records )
Treading the Chicago metal scene for 10 years , progressive / power metal band Fierce Atmospheres has been honing its craft and paying its dues on a national level . Initially formed in 2001 in Austin , Texas , Fierce Atmospheres has released five EPs , a full-length album , contributed to several compilations and tribute CDs while playing many pre-pandemic live shows . On its second full-length album The Speed of Dreams , the quintet has crafted nine tracks with an enduring prog / power metal flavor that walks the same path as edgy-yetmelodic power metal bands such as Firewind , Master Plan , Burning Point , and Iron Fire . Powerhouse vocalist Taran de Pablos is the shining gem of the album , backed by the stellar guitar skills of Eric Gosselin and Sean Coogan , accompanied by a spectacular rhythm section featuring prominent basslines from Lance King and thunderous drum fills and double kick patterns from John Ashe . The standout track “ Fear is a One Way ” captures everything Fierce Atmospheres is about , consisting of huge , hooky vocal harmonies , memorable choruses , and prominent lead guitar harmonies . Each track is well-crafted with a seamless fluidity between the rhythms and harmonies , injecting
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14 illinoisentertainer . com may 2022 |