Mungo Jerry - Somelight (2022)

 Some Light is the latest Mungo Jerry album, and it is packed with a dozen life-affirming songs. It is a tour-de-force, triumphant celebration of life.

Overall, it is so good that it seems to contain much, much more than the dozen brilliantly crafted songs therein. You could even call it a concept album, if that’s not too cheesy a thing to say. It is arguably the best MJ album ever released.

Ray Dorset and Mungo Jerry are two sides of the same gold sovereign.

Music moves elementally through Ray Dorset, and it is hard to say who is in control on this album. The musician Ray Dorset? Or the Mungo Jerry Muse that has driven this irrepressible force of nature to produce his music for more than six decades.

This hypnotising album is a musical gem. Ray’s band grooves in harmonious sync, amid a framework of the highest production values.

Some Light was conceived, composed and recorded during the darkest days of the 2020/21 Pandemic and light itself is the energy that shines through this astonishing output.

Ray squared up to the modern plague by producing this truly classic Mungo Jerry collection. Some Light is his plea to humanity to stop destroying the planet and going against Nature, a cause he has been crusading since the late 1960s.

But have we left it too late? Some Light poses that question in a beautifully crafted way. The title tips a wink at the inclusion of uniquely ‘light’ Mungo Jerry songs. They defiantly and cheerfully proclaim the endurance of the human spirit in these strange times. ~Mick O’Hanlon

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Mudlow Bad Turn (2022)

 Mudlow play the soundtrack to the dark worries...

when you can't sleep at night!

There's trouble everyday!

The dread of a flat tire

on a country two-lane road

at ten o'clock at night,

where you can still be seen.

Somebody's at the back door,

there's a lady at the bar you used to know, and she's strapped,

...and a jukebox plays a Mudlow album.

~Rick Saunders.

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Alex Grenier - Spicy Galaxy (2022)

 Sur la scène jazz, il est tout simplement impossible d’ignorer Alex Grenier. Le guitariste angévin s’est fait un nom à travers une discographie solide, des collaborations mémorables et des prestations scéniques légendaires dans les quatre coins du monde, à un tel point qu’il est devenu une référence en la matière. Son cinquième album nommé Spicy Galaxy est là pour rappeler son héritage et son talent hors normes.

Ici, Alex Grenier compte explorer les recoins 70’s tout au long de ces neuf titres bien groovy. Spicy Galaxy compte nous remuer comme il se doit avec cette fusion entre jazz et blues qui fait effet sur « Bouce » qui ouvre le disque mais encore sur les entraînants « Mojo » et « Harlem » où il nous gratifie de solos de guitare réjouissants.

Les talents de compositeur d’Alex Grenier ne sont plus à discuter par les temps qui courent et ce Spicy Galaxy ne fait ps exception. Que ce soit sur « Sund’ » ou bien encore sur « Double Six » et « Bee Cool », le guitariste angévin reste sur ses gardes en faisant la distinction entre improvisations bien senties et mélodies groovy spontanées qui continuent de faire mouche avec « Bel Horizon » et « French Touch ». Toujours aussi séduisant et instinctif, la musique d’Alex Grenier ne fait jamais défaut.

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Sarayasign Throne Of Gold (2022)

TRAVEL THROUGH TIME

Like our stories from the land of SARAYA, that take place in different times but are still connected.

Our own story (the band) began over 25 years ago…

For three decades we have been a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough waiting patiently in the shadows, planning, preparing and like Pandoras Box, almost lost and forgotten, waiting in silence to be revealed.

Transcending time and space, fate brought us back together and here we are, over three decades later, ready to take on the world, and let you inside our.

Like a lost treasure in the Swedish melodic hard rock scene, with some of the most outstanding musical visionaries and craftsmen the scene has to offer comes a beautifully crafted trajectory that reaches beyond traditional melodic hardrock. Introducing cinematic soundscapes and with the mesmerizing stories that take place in the land of SARAYA, SARAYASIGN brings something new and fresh to the table.

With stellar guitar riffs and haunting melodies and arrangements from our childhood dreams merged with our own twist of cinematic hardrock, we offer something old and something new.

Listeners will be in for a treat.

BIOGRAPHY

In a cinematic experience, music can propel narrative swiftly forward or slow it down. It often lifts mere dialogue into the realm of pure poetry. It’s the communicating link between the screen and the audience, reaching out and enveloping all into one single experience. That’s what we try to do through our storytelling concept and our music.

Like the exampled album “Operation: Mindcrime”, our songs are stories, and they are all drawn from the fictional world of SARAYA.

Through the eyes and words of the storyteller comes a compelling story that started out as a fantasy for creator Jesper Lindbergh almost 25 years and later due to various reasons stored away as his personal notes in hope someday a chance for them to be realized would emerge.

Now, over two decades later, they are all dusted off and reforged into a series of tales, ready to take listener on a unique journey as SARYASIGN was formed and these stories could finally be unfolded.

The initial story will be told over the course of four albums and Throne Of Gold is the beginning.

SARAYASIGN is a cinematic melodic hard rock band, and we took all that we learned to love about movies and poured it all into the mix of this concept. With guitar driven roots from the late 70’s, and the cinematic experience of the 21:st century, layered with strings and storytelling driven, melody-focused songs with an edge, the listener will be in for a treat.

LINE-UP

Stefan Nykvist: Lead and backing vocals

Daniel Lykkeklev: Bass

Daniel Blohm: Lead guitar

Andreas Axelsson-Hofgren: Keyboards

Jesper Lindbergh: Drums, Rhythm guitar, Loops & Soundscapes

SARAYASIGN is a melodic hard rock oriented band from Sweden, headquartered in Örebro, with members from Örebro, Stockholm and Sölvesborg.

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Michael Schenker Group - Universal (2022)

 In just over a week Michael Schenker’s new album will be upon us. Schenker of course is a legend, and whether you saw him back in the 80’s or rather more recently, then you’ll know that his relationship with the guitar is unsurpassed. There are few who have influenced as many, few with the kind of songs behind him he has, and few that thirty years after what some might call his peak is still producing the kind of material he is. Indeed after some great outings in recent years with Michael Schenker Fest albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019), the new official Michael Schenker Group album ‘Universal’ (the follow up to 2021’s ‘Immortal’) is all rather wonderful, keeping up the quality of recent years.

Interestingly although Ronnie Romero features on vocals here and is scheduled for the US dates later in the year it’s notable that Robin McAuley stepped in to cover most of the European dates on the 50th Anniversary Universal Tour earlier in the year. If I’m honest whist Ronnie is a real talent (and his work with Rainbow and Vandenberg is wonderful) and of course a young face looks great on tour he’s only part of a wonderful line up that includes Michael Kiske (Helloween) and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), drummers Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow) and Bodo Schopf (Eloy), as well as legendary bassists Bob Daisley (Black Sabbath), Barry Sparks (Malmsteen, Dokken) and Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Zakk Wylde), with Tom Carey as a very special guest. Part of me of course wants to hear what McAuley sounds like singing these new songs after his wonderful recent solo vocals and with ‘Black Swan’.

Working again with producer Michael Voss seems to be at last part of the magic here “Michael Voss is happy to wait until I have worked out an idea and takes the time to really get to know the song, simultaneously developing ideas for the vocals,” Schenker describes the fruitful collaboration which has one cog intermesh with the other. “Then we work out the drums, bass and some keyboard parts together. He always has plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.”

If you’ve enjoyed Schenker’s recent output as I have then you’ll love this. In fact if you like the albums I’ve name-checked so far then like me you light even find this edges the others. Opening with the brooding ‘Emergency’ and the more melodic build of ‘Under Attack’ there’s a defined retro sound that pitches you nicely into the mid-eighties. And after that intro we find ourselves face to face with what some are even citing as one of Schenker’s most important tracks in recent years…

“The rock anthem ‘A King Has Gone’ and its intro ‘Calling Baal’ both have a special significance: The track, sung by Helloween frontman Michael Kiske, is a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, in particular to his performance on the 1976 hard rock classic Rainbow Rising. For this reason, Schenker has brought together an original Rainbow rhythm section consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley, additionally enlisting keyboardist Tony Carey, who also played on Rainbow Rising, for a terrific Moog synth intro – a direct reference to the iconic intro of the 1976 album opener ‘Tarot Woman’. The impressive result ‘Calling Baal’/‘A King Has Gone’ is already considered to be one of the most important and successful songs in Schenker’s career to date, both musically and lyrically.”

Indeed it’s hard not to be impressed even just at the sentiment let alone the reassembling of the musicians who made such a wonderful album, but the song itself and its preceding intro have a wonderful passion and the sort of keyboard and guitar interplay that made albums like ‘Rising’ timeless. It’s a wonderful tribute.

‘The Universe’ has the hard act of following that and rather go full pelt we instead land in a soft ballad that sees Gary Barden and Ronnie Romero share a duet ‘Long Long Road’ has an initial feel of Thunderstruck with the smooth vocal driving it forward majestically. And if your love the vocals of Ralph Scheepers then you’re in for a real treat with ‘Wrecking Ball’ a real highlight here and the most driven offering so far – this one will sizzle live!

The final four might even edge it – first ‘Yesterday is Dead’ comes as a nice gritty headbanger before ‘London Calling (No not the Clash song – imagine that!) pays homage to the 80’s UK rock bands that put Hard Rock in the mainstream, it’s a great song and very reminiscent of Scorpions. ‘Sad is the Song’ that follows is more statuesque and definitely gives off a Rainbow vibe especially in the verses which are vaguely Eastern and the guitar work. The final word goes to the red hot fretwork of ‘Au Revoir’ the paciest fretwork offering here and another of the best. As they say, it’s a nice way to say see you later…

The album features two bonus tracks: ‘Turn Off the World’ which with that opening guitar is actually one of my favourites on the album a stomping mid-tempo rocker that comes with a message and is hard to see how it only made it as a bonus cut. The second bonus ‘Fighter’ is a mid-tempo rocker that would be worth inclusion just for the solo! There’s no slowing Michael down these days and here’s yet another treat for fans.

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Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos (2022)

 Diamond Star Halos is the brand new album from Def Leppard, their first since their chart topping self-titled Def Leppard record in 2015. Written by the band over the past two years it features 15 tracks including the anthemic, stadium-ready singles “Kick” and “Fire It Up”, with guest vocals from Alison Krauss on “This Guitar” and “Lifeless”. The album title references T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” with nods to T.Rex, David Bowie and Mott The Hoople across the album, which mixes the sound of their classic spirit with modern fire. The 1CD features a black & white cover with colour logo, packaged in a jewel case.

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Wax & Boogie - Make Up Your Mind (Feat. Drew Davies) (2022)

 Over the years, Wax & Boogie have been gaining recognition and have become one of the best bands of the blues, rhythm and blues and boogie-woogie scene.

Ster Wax and David Giorcelli have been able to capture the true spirit of African-American traditional music in an exceptional way and turned it into their own means of expression. They master the language of black music in a rich and varied way. Ster and David surf easily and confidently on the different waves of the genre.

Besides what has been mentioned, Kansas City, Texas blues and 50s R&B are present in all the work of the couple, with the constant influence of Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, Otis Spann, Esther Phillips, Big Maybelle, Big Joe Turner, Johnny Otis, Amos Milburn and Wynona Carr, among many other great names of the forties and fifties.

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