What do you get when you mix in a member of Whitesnake, a Night Ranger, and a key member of the redux version of Journey? The answer is, you get Revolution Saints courtesy of Frontier records.
This “Band” is not likely to tour, after all, Jack Blades, Deen Castronovo, and Doug Aldridge all pretty have their day jobs keeping hair metal alive. But, if you like good old fashioned melodic rock, this band, and their new record Rise, just might be your jam.
Pike & Sutton is a partnership anchored by the powerhouse vocals of Patrice Pike and the guitar mastery of Wayne Sutton. Their collective R&B, Soul and Roots-Rock sensibilities should make this duo one to watch in 2020.
The title track for his new record to be released April 3, features John Paul White, and Elizabeth Cook.
The year is starting to get cranked up in fine style, there a lot of folks in the studio right now laying down the music that will set our ears on fire in the later months, but in the meantime, here are five really good records released this week.
The Wood Brothers – Kingdom in My Mind
Having recently built a new rehearsal space and studio, as the band was testing out different microphone arrangement in different pockets of the room, the inspiration hit them to write a new record. Their brand of skin-tight harmonies along with their own unique blend of Soul, Folk, Blues, and Gospel, sounds even more intimate in the new studio with a live, not over-produced feel floating over all of the songs.
Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman
An Astral Folk supergroup that consists of Anais Mitchell, Eric Johnson of The Fruitbats, and Josh Kaufman from The National, this band paints transatlantic traditional Folk with a contemporary brush. And, it’s never a bad thing to have Justin Vernon lend a vocal hand. This record comes fresh off their appearance at The Newport Folk Festival.
Andy Shauf – The Neon Skyline
Andy Shauf is a storyteller of the highest order. Here, on his latest record since 2016’s The Party, he weaves a narrative across 11 songs detailing the ashes of a lost relationship. Hearing his ex-flame is in town he invites her to The Skyline, his favorite dive bar and chronicles the thoughts, feelings, and the depths of emotions he is feeling over this semi-random encounter. The resulting album appears to be seamless, which must have been a challenge since Andy pared the record down from a starting point of 50 songs.
Black Lips – Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart
Another Athens, Georgia Band, these guys have been around since 1999. Toning down their amped-up Garage Rock vibe just a bit, there is a bit of T Rex and Country Rock Vibe going on with this one.
A Girl Called Eddy – Been Around
Having been on semi-hiatus since 2004 and with her highly excellent eponymous debut record, Erin Moran, doing business as A Girl Called Eddy is back and better than ever. Been Around, her 2020 record could very well be a classic in the making.
With a chocolaty smooth voice that brings to mind a young Chrissie Hynde, the record ebbs and flows with little mini-orchestral marvels. With Daniel Tashian of The Silver Seas twirling the knobs as a producer, different layers and textures are employed on every track. There is a bit of a Sheryl Crowe by way of Mary Chapin Carpenter going on in places, and in others, this girl called Eddy goes low and slow Laura Nyro style. “NY Man,” and “Two Hearts,” are just two of the stand-out tracks on this one. Sure, it’s really early, but this one is the leader in the clubhouse for the album of the year.
We are trying really hard NOT to like this Dripping Springs, Texas band. With their Nudie style outfits and Cosmic Cowboy embracing 70’s Glen Campbell vibe that takes us back in a Honky Tonk time machine, it is almost as if they are trying too hard to be cool. But heck, we don’t care anymore. It is official, we dig this band!
Yet another stellar artist from the good Folks at Easy Eye Sound. This is the first single from Early James’ new record, Singing For My Supper, set to be released into the wild on March 13th.
Beating out some pretty heavy competition, The Hu were recently voted the Rock is the New Roll Mongolian Band of the year and, most definitely one of the more interesting bands to hit our ears in a very long time. This one is from their 2019 soon to be breaking through album, The Gereg.
If Bob Seger was a bad-ass female rocker he probably would sound a lot like Sass Jordan. In 2017 Jordan reissued her second record, the one that jump-started her career, Racine.
Not that version of “Brown Sugar” this version recorded in an empty Gruene Hall is from the first ZZ Top album, ZZ Top’s First Album. The song, a relatively spartan blues number, is made that much more immediate in the intimate setting of an empty dance hall.
It seems natural for the mighty Gregg Allman to cover a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Here, he does more than do the song and his great brethren band justice.
Rock Is The New Roll 