From rockandbluesmuse.com on In Search Of Mona Lisa:

Carlos Santana is a legend of the electric guitar and his signature Latin blues sound has been a constant presence on the global music scene for over 50 years. Santana is also one of the most spiritual, philosophical, and intuitive musicians around and both his music and his spoken words exist on many different levels. On January 25th, 2019, he released a new EP on Concord Records called ‘In Search of Mona Lisa’ that is yet another fine example of how deep into the rabbit hole Carlos goes in pursuit of his inspirations.

The set contains three new songs that try to express the near-mystical experience Santana personally had when he recently set eyes on Leonardo Da Vinci’s mysterious beauty for the first time at the Louvre Museum in Paris. “I heard her say to me, ‘Hi,’ he relates, ‘It was stunning, and I didn’t know what to say back, so I just said, ‘Hi.’ And then she said, ‘Do you remember me? When we were lovers in another time?’ It was the most incredible occurrence, and in a way, it was kind of perfect that I had never been to the Louvre before, because this might not have happened at another time. I had to be who I am now, knowing that God is everywhere and that He was saying, ‘I love you,’ by sending me this message of inspiration and visualization.”

Months later, this experience came crashing back to Carlos Santana when he woke up from a dream with the lyrics for two of the tracks presented here, “In Search of Mona Lisa” and “Do You Remember Me” fully written in his mind. This had never happened to him before and he knew the songs would become significant in his life. Santana tracked the songs with an ultra-talented crew that included producers Rick Rubin and Narada Michael Walden, bass icon Ron Carter, his wife drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, percussionist Karl Perazzo, and singers Andy Vargas and Ray Greene and the sessions yielded some of the most compelling new music Carlos has dropped in a long time.

The opening track, “Do You Remember Me,” is especially impressive because it was captured live in one take. Carlos Santana delivers five minutes of some of the most impassioned guitar playing he’s put to wax since the 70s over a lilting Afro-Cuban groove before the vocals finally hit and the combination is deeply soulful and human in the most beautiful way. “Miles Davis and Bob Dylan always said that the first take is the best, and I have to agree,” Santana says. “You can hear the innocence in the music. That’s a nutrient that’s missing on this planet right now.”

The title track, “In Search of Mona Lisa,” is a minor key Bo Diddley-type pocket that positively cooks. It’s not the kind of feel you’d expect from Santana but it makes perfect sense the first time you hear it. His wah-soaked tones are to die for and he deals out the kind of stinging phrases that make Santana one of the world’s most identifiable guitarists.

“Lovers From Another Time” is the track featuring Ron Carter’s basslines as well as Cindy and Walden both drumming on it. It’s more symphonic and elegant than the other songs on the EP but never stops being 100% Santana underneath.

Overall, In Search of Mona Lisa is a hypnotic and enchanting bit of new music that spiritually documents a profound moment in the life of one of the planet’s finest musicians and offers ample proof that Santana is nowhere close to being finished chasing the muse that’s driven him for so long. That’s good news for all of us.

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From getreadytorock.me.uk on At The Edge Of Light:

I mentioned in my 2015 GRTR! review of Steve Hackett’s ‘Wolflight’ album how his star has been in the ascendency as a result of his wonderful live shows showcasing the Genesis back catalogue.

Such has been the success of this venture, it seems to have re-ignited and enhanced his creative and playing skills, as both the aforementioned ‘Wolflight’ and the subsequent ‘The Night Siren’ were a real step-up in quality from previous recent outings.

‘At The Edge Of Light’ is Hackett’s twenty sixth studio album (!) about which the pre-release publicity emphasises Steve’s world music preferences. Surely this wasn’t to be Hackett’s ‘Graceland’ moment?

Not so. ‘World’ sounds abound but they all come under the umbrella of Hackett’s progressive rock roots to create an album so diverse and so damn good it rendered me speechless if I’m honest – I just sat and looked at the speakers and mouthed the word “wow”…

I think most fans will regard this as the album Steve Hackett always threatened to make. It’s as if he’s distilled every high point from previous albums, infused them with a variety of sounds from around the world and topped it off with some of his finest ever guitar work – to stunning effect.

Eighteen months in gestation, the album is a reflection of Steve’s world view in all its wonder and horror and features all the usual suspects – Roger King (keys, etc.), Jonas Reingold (bass), Gary O’Toole (drums), Rob Townsend (saxes, clarinet, etc.) and brother John on flute – but also the likes of Nick D’Virgilio (drums), Sheema Mukherjee (sitar), Malik Mansurov (tar) and sister-in-law Amanda Lehmann (vocals). Musicians’ musicians every one of them.

The world music shows its hand in opener ‘Fallen Walls And Pedestals’ with its middle eastern vibe and pounding drums a great counterpoint to ‘that’ guitar.

‘Beasts In Our Time’ has one of those pastoral acoustic openings that Hackett does so well only to segué into an anthemic orchestral riff which has a distinct King Crimson ‘Epitaph’ vibe and electric soloing of the highest order – prog with all its ducks in a row.

The middle-eastern theme recurs in ‘Under The Eye Of The Sun’ together with outstanding bass work from Jonas Reingold and we visit the southern USA on ‘Underground Railway’ with Steve’s dobro sounding like a National Steel on a great riff – the station where blues meets prog…

For me, the zenith of this album comes on the eleven minutes of Hackett heaven of ‘Those Golden Wings’, which constantly shifts between gentle, orchestral backed vocals to a real ear-worm of a riff, to a Carmina Burana-esque choral section to be finally resolved with a three minute guitar solo which, and I’m going to be controversial here, tops ‘Firth Of Fifth’. There, I’ve said it. Absolutely gob-smacking.

North African rhythms and an Indian flavour dominate ‘Shadow And Flame’ and Hackett allows us to draw breath with the light relief of ‘Hungry Years’ before the malevolent triptych of war and peace ‘Descent’ (think Holst’s ‘Mars, The Bringer Of War’), ‘Conflict’ and ‘Peace’ bring the album to a close.

In his long and distinguished career at the forefront of everything that’s good about progressive rock, Steve Hackett has consistently delivered albums of the highest calibre in a genre blessed with the finest musicians.

With ‘At The Edge Of Light’ he’s taken even his exceptional abilities to another level.

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From getreadytorock.me.uk on Survivor Blues:

Walter Trout doesn’t do things the easy way, especially when it comes to searching for conceptual meanings for his albums.

He’s an old school blues-rock talent for whom the notion of an album is a sacrosanct canvas on which to explore meaning, imagination, deep emotion and always the blues.

Over the years he given us titles such as ‘Prisoner Of A Dream’, ‘Go The Distance’,  ‘Common Ground’, ‘The Outsider’, ‘Battle Scars’ and We’re all In This Together’, and now comes ‘Survivor Blues’, an album title that encompasses both his band members and the enduring quality of the blues legacy that the post war blues master left us.

Having given the project its context, he invites his band to ignite blues history with an insider’s approach that gives the dozen blues songs their vibrant arrangements and lyrical veracity and punch.

‘Survivor Blues’ finds him on a mission to uncover lesser known blues covers and to strike a balance between the past and its relevance in contemporary times.

The songs he’s chosen gives the album a substance that frequently mirrors his own career efforts, in as much as he’s always been drawn to wide ranging subject matter to nail his brand of riff-driven blues.

And what better way to kick things off than Jimmy Dawkins’s ‘Me My Guitar And The Blues’, which is a distant lyrical cousin to Trout’s own ‘For My Guitar.’ He pours so much raw gut emotion into both his vocals and layers of big toned guitar that you wonder how he’s going to be able to follow such an impressive opening.

His guitar resonates and sparkles, his voice holds steady through the deepest of emotions and the band leans into a groove that is a template for the album as a whole.

The fact that many of us will have to look up the origins of some of the songs gives you an idea of Trout’s research, which is exemplified by the gnawing intensity of the guitar driven ‘Red Sun’.

The slide-led Sunnyland Slim’s ‘Be Careful How You Vote’ taps into contemporary events with a timeless message, as he gives his band plenty of room to stretch out, before he fires off a blistering solo that says more than words could ever convey.

There’s a sense of balance too as he teams up spectacularly with Sugaray Rayford on Luther Johnson’s soulful and funky ‘Woman Don’t Lie’.

The latter track serves to make Hound Dog Taylor’s ‘Sadie’ feel like a pause for breath, before Trout meticulously builds things up again with an ascending guitar line and supporting organ from Skip Edwards, while his second solo seals the deal.

Having explored the full dynamic possibilities of the latter, he counts the band into a rocking version of BB King’s ‘Please Love Me’ as they rejoice in their live in the studio environment.

With the exception of his former mentor John Mayall, he’s mostly gone back to Chicago blues masters for the majority of his blues covers choices. There’s Magic Sam’s ‘Out Of Bad Luck’ for example, which bristles with fiery intensity as the narrator takes umbrage with the cards that life has dealt him. And having delivered his lines passionately, Trout pours all he has left into his guitar playing with a trademark attack, albeit a sudden fade robs the track of its symmetry.

He colours John Mayall’s enduringly poignant ‘Nature’ Disappearing’ with a country inflected blues harp and a light percussive touch that he matches with his own whispered vocal and delicate jazzy restraint.

It’s an outstanding track on which everything falls into place feather light. His intricate solo is a good example of the light and shade of the album and the way the musical arrangements increasingly mirror the lyrical meaning and feel.

The band serves up further intensity, as Walter substitutes a big toned solo for slide on Elmore James’s ‘Something Inside Of Me’ and the band relights the fuse on a rip-roaring version of Otis Rush’s’ ‘It Takes Time’, as they push that extra bit harder to match Walter’s incendiary attack.

Walter Trout may have had to relearn how to play guitar following his fight back from liver disease, but here he’s back to his imperious best.

He revisits the powerful river metaphor he used so tellingly on his own ‘The Bottom Of The River’, as he teams up mellifluously with special guest Robbie Krieger on slide guitar, on Mississippi Fred McDowell ’Goin Down To the River’.

He digs deep for one final extended defining solo on ‘God’s Word’ to wrap up the latest in a recent batch of soul stirring albums that go a long way to explaining his own durability in the blues/rock world.

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From americansongwriter.com on Fool:

No one can accuse Joe Jackson of being predictable. His 40-year career finds him hopscotching from punky pop to big band jazz/blues, classical, prog and even a swinging tribute to Duke Ellington, the latter with guests as varied as the Roots’ ?uestlove and Iggy Pop. His previous 2015 release found him recording four songs in four different cities with four different bands. So calling this follow-up a return to form is somewhat misleading, since Jackson never had much of an identifiable style, at least after his first three albums.

It is, however, a back-to-basics, eight-track collection with songs built around the somewhat vague concept of “comedy and tragedy.” The sessions were recorded with his touring band after the end of a long tour, which provides a sense of continuity purposefully missing from his last studio set. For the 40^th anniversary tour behind it, Jackson promises to feature tracks from one album released during each of the past four decades, a nice change from the norm of playing his first disc in its entirety.

Musically, Fool is thought-provoking pop/rock focusing on Jackson’ piano, voice, lyrics and the tight, tensile arrangements of a band clearly in tune with his approach. From the opening “Big Black Cloud,” where Jackson rails against middle-class life (“Get on the treadmill and run, run, run”), to the Elvis Costello-styled title track that shifts into a middle-Eastern section with sitar and even a short bass solo, Jackson is never less than eclectic and often unpredictable, even with this relatively standard pop/rock palette. There are strains of his biggest hit Night and Day in “Strange Land,” a ballad that seems to question his position as an artist (“Is this a strange land/ or am I a stranger?”) with a more ornate, structured and darker slant. He questions whether rushing around the world isn’t “wasting all our time” as “Dave” spends his days working the same job in the song of that name.

A few rockers like the breathless “Fabulously Absolute” are reminiscent of Jackson’s older angry man persona with driving drums, stinging guitar and irate words sung from the viewpoint of a bully who knows he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the world (“I’m just somebody to deplore/Someone who doesn’t know the score.”) The closing “Alchemy” is a Latin-tinged ballad boasting one of Jackson’s prettiest piano melodies and an intriguing yet subtle concept that connects a magician’s profession with the world’s socio-political situation.

Forty years is a long time to hang around in the pop music world. And even if Joe Jackson is no longer the mega-star of the ‘80s, it’s clear from the consistently innovative, often challenging Fool that he is far from a faded has-been. On the contrary, it’s good enough to suggest his best might still be ahead of him.

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From crypticrock.com on Other People’s Stuff:

A true-blue American Singer-Songwriter, Mellencamp is probably best known for his radio-smashing work in the ‘80s, such as the classic, radio-friendly mega-hits “Small Town,” “Hurts So Good,” “Jack & Diane,” and “Cherry Bomb,” among many, many countless others. In total, he has amassed some 20+ Top 40 hits over the past forty-odd years, been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008 by friend Billy Joel. Furthermore, as one of the creators of Farm Aid, along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, Mellencamp has taken what he is known for – painting musical pictures of small-town America – and put his money where his mouth is to support farm families in an effort to save the American farmlands. My friends, it has not been a bad little career!

For Other People’s Stuff, Mellencamp ventures into compilation territory, bringing together 10 tracks that have not previously appeared alongside one another. Some come from studio albums, while others are rarities that initially appeared on tribute albums, Documentaries or, in one instance, was first performed at The White House for President Barack Obama. While the majority of the tracks appear to be remastered and remixed for inclusion, a few are identical to their originals – and most of them are actually not, ahem, other people’s stuff.

To prove this fact, Other People’s Stuff opens with “To The River,” which is most definitely a piece of Mr. Mellencamp’s own personal ‘baggage.’ If you have ever wondered what any of Human Wheels would sound like updated for 2018, well, behold “To The River,” which originally appeared on the 1993 album. Here, the track appears to be remastered and remixed, allowing the band and their instrumentation to shine in bolder, melodic glory, all while highlighting Mellencamp’s stellar storytelling and kicking off this compilation with a warm kiss of nostalgia.

You would never know that “Gambling Bar Room Blues” is not an original Mellencamp offering thanks to this smoky, bluesy retelling of the 1932 Jimmie Rodgers’ classic. Next, fiddle opens the bittersweet jam of “Teardrops Will Fall,” originally from 2003’s Trouble No More. Here, a warm, upbeat caress of sound belies the lyrical confessions of heartbroken sadness. If you’re a fan, you already know the track – and will love this remastered version, which is a subtle and respectful update to an already wonderfully-authored classic.

He goes funky for the folksy percussion of “In My Time of Dying,” which originally appeared on 1997’s Rough Harvest. With Mellencamp’s vocals lower in the mix here, the band are allowed to shine – from the phenomenal percussion that anchors the entire track to the sweeping melodies of the fiddle. This flows perfectly into a more recent original reference, “Mobile Blue,” which represents Sad Clowns & Hillbillies. There’s no retelling here: this is the version of the song that appears on the 2017 collection – and that’s okay. It was great then and it’s just as great a year later, a sultry stroll through Mellencamp’s gritty, yet soulful American storytelling.

In a world that seemingly looks to muddy every new musical composition with ridiculous effects, Mellencamp stays fully true to his minimalist vision on the powerful “Eyes on the Prize,” the collection’s first video/single. Originally performed at The White House in 2010, consider this a protest song, one that looks to make bold statements through its simplicity. Think about it and check out the video, which explores timely, hot button issues.

That signature gritty storytelling encompasses “Dark As A Dungeon,” which originally appeared in the 2017 National Geographic Channel Documentary From the Ashes. A true glance at Americana, the song mirrors the Documentary, which explores the legacy of America’s coal-mining industry. Not another entry into the “war on coal,” both “Dark As A Dungeon” and From the Ashes look toward the humanity of the situation and not the environmental implications.

To seek a respite from this emotional heft, Mellencamp and his gang go funky for the toe-tappin’ “Stones in My Passway,” which originally appeared on 2003’s Trouble No More. Then, this is followed by the lament of “Wreck of the Old 97,” a classic Folk song, one which Mellencamp initially recorded for 2004’s compilation of Folk ballads, The Rose and the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad.

Stretching his wings and going slightly left of center, Mellencamp ends with a 1968 classic Stevie Wonder hit, “I Don’t Know Why I Love You.” The raw confessional is perfectly-suited to Mellencamp’s gritty stomp, placing his own spin onto the track while maintaining a smoother vocal performance and echoing the sultry smoothness of the great Wonder himself. It closes the collection out with a bang, capping off an album that is truly an anthology of now unburied treasures.

Despite the nature of the anthology, Other People’s Stuff is cohesive; these are songs that fit one another perfectly, all individual pieces of the great American songbook belonging to Mr. Mellencamp. The brilliance here is in how well each track fits the others and in how flawlessly Other People’s Stuff fits into the recent Mellencamp oeuvre – this could easily be the follow-up to 2017’s Sad Clowns & Hillbillies.

Okay, so, in a sense, it is exactly that, but as an anthology that includes several covers, Other People’s Stuff rises above the typical compilation package that blindly mashes material together to try and buy an artist some time while keeping their name fresh. Mellencamp doesn’t need to buy himself anything – he is a known, beloved, as well as treasured commodity, and clearly there’s a reason for that. Enjoying rummaging through Other People’s Stuff, Cryptic Rock give John Mellencamp’s latest 5 of 5 stars.

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From pastemagazine.com on The Prophet Speaks:

No doubt about it: Van Morrison’s on a roll. Following a spate of recent albums released this year and last—Roll With the Punches, Versatile and You’re Driving Me Crazy, the latter of which was released barely seven months ago—Van the Man has been revisiting his roots with set after set of jumping jazz, blustery blues and classic R&B standards.

Yet, the question is…why does he continue to plod such well trod terrain?

There’s no denying Morrison’s devotion to the form. Indeed, his earliest efforts, even while with his band Them, were a natural evolution from the seminal sounds that defined rock’s original roots. With his gruff vocals and natural sway, the so-called Belfast Cowboy revisited the music with an authenticity and eagerness that’s never deserted him throughout his 50 plus year career. Here again, his enthusiasm is infectious, from the effusive shout-out of “Got To Go Where the Love Is,” one of half a dozen songs Morrison contributes to this 14 song set, to the easy, seemingly effortless swing and sass of “Dimples,” “Laughin’ and Clownin’” and “Greenwich Mean Time.” Clearly Van’s still got his groove, and his devotion to form is evident throughout. Indeed, his effortless sway on “I Love the Life I Live” seems to bear out the sentiments expressed in the title.

Likewise, with 40 albums under his belt, Morrison might be forgiven for repeating himself. And given his crack backing band, one might also excuse him for not wanting to mess with a proven formula. By mining such masters as John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke, he negates any risk that the material might lapse. Given the ebullience he expresses on a song such as “Gotta Get You Off My Mind,” he seems clearly aware that he’s hedging his bets and feeling secure in such safe terrain.

If any further evidence of redundancy is needed, consider the fact that the title track itself is a redo of one of Morrison’s own earlier compositions.

On the other hand, Morrison is of an age where most artists are considered venerable old masters, and if indeed he is favoring more familiar realms, then he’s obviously earned the right to do so. Unlike, say, Robert Plant as one example, he’s not inclined to venture towards experimental extremes. Besides, these are hardly rote performances. His stutter and scat on “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” gives the song a distinct new twist. Likewise, his playing on sax and harp is as assured as always, adding to his credence and conviction. The backing band, including his current foil Joey DeFrancesco, is polished and professional, giving Morrison room to play with his phrasing and weave his way through the melodies.

The Prophet Speaks becomes a matter of his own personal preference. The rural backwoods Morrison of Tupelo Honey, Morrison, the celestial traveler of Astral Weeks and Morrison, the Celtic crooner that shared his ancient hymns throughout the ‘80s have clearly succumbed to his new persona as a timeless troubadour of a distinctly vintage variety. The prophet is speaking loud and clear and letting us know, he’s happy with the place where he’s arrived.

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