It is officially the summer season and the hits just keep on coming.
Rock is the New Roll’s favorite glamster takes a trip to “Snake City” laying down some Alice Cooper vibes along the way.
The Dead Daisies are out in front of their May 30 release of Lookin’ For Trouble with “Boom Boom.”
And, if that’s not enough , Geoff Palmer lays down some epic pop-punk from his latest E.P. Exit Wounds.
This week, the rock keeps rolling in a sure sign that this summer will be pretty epic when it comes to music. Here is a sampler set of our favorites.
Gypsy Pistoleros – Church of the Pistoleros
The self-proclaimed best flamenco gypsy rock and roll band is back with nary a stylistic change in site. Much as you would expect from a band with Gypsy Lee as lead singer and a guitarist that goes by the name of Shane Pistolero Sparks, the order of the day here is straight-ahead rock and roll that would make Billy Idol, Alice Cooper, and Queen blush.
Come for the Billy Idol snarl of “Dance Naked In The Rain,” but stay for the better than the original “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
Truly an earworm lovers delight, this one is high-octane, smash to the brain, rock and roll like it is meant to be played, loud and proud.
This one is the leader in the clubhouse for rock album of the year.
Billy Idol – Dream Into It
With one listen of “Still Dancing” you will be hot tub time machined all the way back to 1983 and “Rebel Yell” era Billy Idol. With his long-time sidekick Steve Stevens in tow and his signature sneer still firmly implanted, this record is far better than it has a right to be.
The voice is snarly cigarette and whiskey soaked great, the rock is pure 80’s dancing yourself glory, and with guests the likes of Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart to smooth out the rough edges, this record just might be his best record since 1986 and Whiplash Smile.
Just listen to “John Wayne,” the “Eyes Without A Face” ethos of “Dream Into It,” as well as “Too Much Fun” and tell us we are wrong.
Samantha Fish – Paper Doll
The reigning queen of the blues has been pretty much everywhere lately with her solo work, her collaboration with Jesse Dayton, and her partnership with BFF, Joe Bonamassa.
Full of bad-ass bravado, the likes of which we haven’t heard since the latest Beth Hart Record, the opener “I’m Done Runnin,” is a defiant ode to self-reliance, “Can Ya Handle The Heat” could have been a Bonnie Raitt anthem, and “Rusty Razor” kicks out the jams while veering heavily into the rock lane on the blues-rock highway.
Looking for the leader in the clubhouse for the blues album of the year? Your ship has just come in.
Counting Crows – Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!
Forcing us to calibrate our time machine, fantastically, it has been 11 years since the last proper Counting Crows record, Somewhere Under Wonderland, was released. And, this latest record just might be the band’s best effort since 1993’s August And Everything After.
Always a familiar listen, the latest record doesn’t stray far from the Crows template of mid-tempo rhythms coalescing with sharp songwriting, paired with the avuncularly warm vocals of lead singer Adam Duritz.
With multiple spins of this one, the petals of the flower reveal themselves most notably on the Mellencamp-worthy “Elevator Boots,” the REM adjacent “With Love, From A-Z,” and the rare driving anthem rocker “Boxcar.”
Look for this one to be on many of the end-of-year lists, best-of lists.
Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime
Four albums in, and Sunflower Bean seems to have hit that sweet spot of ‘70s meets ‘90s retro glam. Adroitly walking that delicate tightrope between Blondie, the cooler side of ABBA, with some Twigs-adjacent psychedelia thrown in for good measure, this record is a time warp record.
Fully formed, every nuance of this record seems curated with the coolness knobs set to hyper drive. The opener, “Champagne Taste” has a certain Suzi Quatro joie-de-vie to it, “Waiting For The Rain” would have fit in quite nicely on any Jellyfish record, and “Shooting Star,” would be perfect fodder for the b-side of any Cranberries single.
An elegant record for dysfunctional times,
Rock Is The New Roll 