From  www.classicrockrevisited.com on Novum:

Procol Harum is celebrating their 50^thanniversary.  Man… that seems odd to type.  That’s a freaking long time!  What is even cooler than that kind of longevity is the fact that this band is still interested and capable of making a solid rock record while pushing their creative boundaries.  On April 21^st, Eagle Records will release Novum, an album that drips with rock, blues and soul.  This is the bands first studio album in 14 years, and this time around, there are many more guitar tracks than perhaps in literally decades for Procol Harum.  One cannot survive on just a Hammond organ alone, you see…

Fifty years ago the band was riding high on the massive and classic hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”  This is one of ‘those’ songs that will live on -even longer than the band entering its sixth decade.  “A Whiter Shade of Pale” is simply timeless.  While Gary Brooker, the band’s founder, is the only original member still in the lineup since 2004, this band has some darn good musicians joining him including bassist Matt Pegg (JETHRO TULL, Ian Brown), drummer Geoff Dunn (Jimmy Page, Dave Stewart, Van Morrison), guitarist Geoff Whitehorn (Roger Chapman, Paul Rodgers, Roger Daltrey) and Hammond organ player Josh Phillips (Pete Townsend and Midge Ure).  Together, they are a true band and a musical force that will continue to give it their all until they have no more to give.  Pete Brown (collaborated with CREAM) takes over most of the lyric writing from long-time lyricist Keith Reid on this latest studio release, while the music was composed by the entire band, giving the compositions a new attitude.

“I Told On You,” “Last Chance Motel” and “Image Of The Beast” are the first three tracks that begin the album (and yes, this latest effort will be released on vinyl), each song more polished and clever than the one before.  The single “Sunday Morning” (released April 7) may be more of what long-term fans want to hear and expect from the symphonic / progressive band… but trust me on this one, the band as a unit makes this release one of the most complete albums by any lineup under this name.  It is a mature, solid, and, for lack of a better word, groovy sort of listening experience.  In other words, it is music made for music’s sake and nothing more.  There is no one left to impress after 50 years.  There is no chance of getting on FM radio in the USA.  There is only the art and the craft of making music and that is what Brooker & Company are concerned about here.

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From  londonnewsonline.co.uk on Golden Days:

5 years ago the Queen guitarist Brian May decided he would produce an album for an exciting new artist he had discovered. That artist was called Kerry Ellis and was well known to musical theatre audiences in London. She went on to be given the title of the ‘First Lady of the West End’ and established herself as one of the most revered musical theatre performers of her generation.

The album May produced was called Anthems and signaled the start of a musical collaboration, which, much to the excitement of their legions of fans has endured and seen them play to packed houses around the world.

The pair has recently gone back into the studio to produce a new 13-track album entitled Golden Days, which perfectly displays May’s musicianship alongside Ellis’ exquisite vocal ability resulting in an record filled with soaring melodies and rocking rhythms.

It’s an eclectic mix with something for all of their different types of fans, from power ballads to classic covers and even a musical theatre standard put in for good measure.

Highlights include a poppy melody written by the partnership called “The Kissing Me Song”, a rousing version of Phil Lynott and Gary Moore’s “Parisienne Walkways” and a song they have performed live on many occasions and which highlights the pair’s devotion to animal rights, John Barry and Don Black’s “Born Free”.

Musical theatre fans will simply adore Ellis’ rendition of “If I Loved You” from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, which is performed with just an acoustic guitar to give a melancholic and heart wrenching sound and there is also an interesting addition to the track list, with the psychedelic “Love In a Rainbow” complete with sitar accompaniment.

This album is another triumph for the team of May and Ellis and is almost guaranteed to be a hit.

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From seaoftranquility.com on Let Me Fly:

The first Mechanics album in some six years and their eighth in a career spanning four decades, Let Me Fly finds Mike Rutherford once again accompanied by dual vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar. The trio first linked up on 2011’s comeback album The Road which was followed by some extensive touring which has continued through 2017 and this summer will see the band supporting none other than Phil Collins at a festival taking place in London’s Hyde Park. And having struck gold back in the 80’s with the smooth and silky voice of Paul Carrack perfectly complementing the raspy style of the late Paul Young you have to say that Rutherford most definitely secured the services of another remarkable pairing with Roachford’s heartfelt soul giving way to Howar’s more theatrical and dramatic tones.

The opening pair of songs sums up the Mechanics doing what they do best, a mellow, laid back title track with a soaring message of hope that is followed by the up-tempo and punchy ‘Are you Ready’; evidencing the yin and the yang of the two vocalists and yet very much working as one. Thirty odd years and eight albums since Rutherford put together the Mechanics to complement his day job the band and its leader are still going strong with the pleading ‘Save the World’ and lead single ‘Don’t Know What Came Over Me’ just a couple of the other highlights across an album that is full of them. Top quality song-writing and some incredible vocals make Let Me Fly another terrific addition to the Mechanics catalogue.

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From progreport.com on InFinite:

Not many bands are able to claim to have 20 albums to their name, and in many cases, if they do, the 20th album certainly might not be very good.  Yet, here we have another Deep Purple album, their 20th to be exact, and for a band that continues to play live as good as they ever have, its no surprise that their new album, ‘inFinite’, is their best in years.  Not since the ‘Purpendicular’ album, their first with then new guitarist Steve Morse in 1996, have the Hall of Fame legends put together such a concise, focused, and brilliantly written group of songs from beginning to end.

The group’s last effort, 2013’s ‘Now What?!’ was indeed solid and their first with veteran producer Bob Ezrin, who returns for this album.  The decision to go with Ezrin again proves to be a fantastic idea, as it is obvious that the producer knew the second time around which buttons to push and how to build on the good from the previous record.  All around the performances are solid, from the heavy booming rhythm section of Roger Glover and Ian Paice to the organ work from keyboardist Don Airey.  But once again it is the genius guitar work of Steve Morse and the never aging vocals of Ian Gillan that make this material soar.  Morse is more understated on this album than before, but his solos are still something to behold, while Gillan sounds as good as ever.

The album opens with the powerful, prototypical Purple rocker, “Time in Bedlam” where the groundwork for the album is laid, while the album’s second track “Hip Boots” is pure groovy roots rock.  But the 3rd track and the lead single from the album “All I Want Is You” is outstanding and one of their best in recent memory. Paice’s perfect timing on the opening slow groove sets the stage for the explosive work from Airey and Morse once the song picks up.

Other highlights include the Bossa Nova groove, progressive track, “The Surprising” which is a haunting and captivating track with a brilliantly placed hook that keeps you tuned in, and the track “Birds of Prey” a track that is Deep Purple at its heaviest, with a tremendous close out layered with Morse’s guitar mastery.

For anyone that thought this band was done, this album is proof it couldn’t be further from the truth.  Not only is ‘inFinite’ a great Deep Purple album, it is one of the best rock albums you’ll hear this year.

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From spillmagazine.com on Open Road:

The Kinks called it a day in 1994, following the release of their much overlooked, but brilliant, album To The Bone. Who would have predicted that Dave Davies, co-founder and the revolutionary guitarist for the band, would be the more prolific of the two. Ray Davies (older brother and co-founder) was known as the main writer. I think all bets were on Ray to produce more solo albums. However, since the split, Ray has released four studio albums (his fifth is due later this month), while Dave has released 12 studio albums (plus three while with the Kinks). Through his website he has also issued a number of live albums. This release, his third is with his son, Russ, titled Open Road, could be his finest solo album yet.

Dave and Russ’s first two albums are more ambient and spiritual, and while interesting, were not the most accessible records in the Davies catalogue. Open Road, however, is much more conventional, and brings Dave back to his acoustic sound. He does not forgo the electric, but he does some nice work with his acoustic guitar. Although Dave has never been known for his singing voice, on this album his weariness and the years of experience in his voice accentuate the music and overall theme of the record.

Russ Davies is not a newcomer to music. Whether known as Russell Davies, or as a member of Abakus or Cinnamon Chasers, he has been producing and remixing music for over fifteen years. He is known mostly for electronic music or deejaying (he remixed a number of Roxy Music tracks for the clubs, with great success), but here he also plays guitar. He lets his dad do what Dave does best, and he plays loud guitar and lets the music grow around it. Yes there is a lot of acoustic throughout, but there is also his trademark gritty electric playing. Russ Davies is a brilliant producer, and if he can get this quality of writing and playing from his dad, they should continue to work together.

Here Dave sings lead vocals. For the most part, he sings about the past and the future. The theme of the album seems to be looking back and wondering what is ahead. The first three songs set the tone — “Path Is Long”, “Open Road”, and finally “I Don’t Want To Grow Up”. Dave’s voice fits the tone beautifully.

This is an album in every sense of the word. The songs are sequenced to set the mood, and it is clearly a concept album about getting older and the fragility of life — you may remember Dave’s health scare in 2004 when he suffered a stroke. The fact that Dave continues to play, write, and perform after such a health setback speaks to his dedication to his art and music.

This is a terrific album. It may not earn new fans, but it should. By rights ‘classic rock radio’ should be all over this album. Fans of Davies’ solo work and The Kinks will enjoy what he has produced here.

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From getreadytorock.me.uk on The Night Siren:

Those who were lucky enough to call themselves Genesis fans back in 1977 would most certainly think that guitarist Steve Hackett had made the worst career decision of his life by leaving the ranks of the Prog Rock masters that year, as the most commercially-successful phase in the band’s life was only just about to begin.

Well, forty years and twenty five (!) solo albums later the Pimlico-born virtuoso has been most certainly vindicated for having made that very decision – a decision which enabled him to both remain commercially relevant and discover, in the process and in his own very words, “just how good I was on my own”.

My introduction to Hackett’s solo work came pretty late in life, with 2009’s “Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth”, and the very things that attracted me to his music then were the same as they are now; variety of style and an amazing sense of balance.

Hackett’s latest musical offering “The Night Siren” is an eleven track album which has been created with these very principles in mind; a continuous need to indulge in new themes and sounds and an amazing compositional skill in blending those ideas in a style of playing that is so very characteristically his.

Not many people are capable of making the sound of Tar sound so inviting to one’s ear, but it is the inclusion of the said instrument in the opening track “Behind The Smoke” that gives the song its distinct oriental character.

The Sitar has been featured in rock compositions since the 60s but very seldom has it operated in themes as uplifting as that of “Martian Sea” while the massive-sounding “Fifty Miles From The North Pole” has been created in the spirit of early Genesis, while featuring a child choir and the sounds of the…didgeridoo.

It is the tribal drumming and the haunting orchestral themes of “El Nino” which stand out for me, as they create a perfect aural representation of this often catastrophic natural phenomenon while the follow up “Other Side Of The Wall” finds Hackett indulging in a dreamy tune that’s perfectly adorned with layers of melodic orchestral melodies and acoustic guitar tunes.

On “Anything But Love”, the maestro combines successfully Flamenco guitar with bass-led rock melodies while “Inca Terra” and “In Another Life” bring two different and pretty distant civilizations closer together, the latter featuring Troy Donockley (Nightwish) on Celtic Uilleann pipes.

The last three compositions of the album are equally varied and impressive with “In The Skeleton Gallery” playing the role of the dark offspring of the bright and melodically-gifted “West To East” while the two and a half minute “The Gift” portrays Hackett as one of the few truly gifted guitarists in the history of rock music who have managed to stand out by following the ‘less is more’ approach in guitar playing.

Hackett’s previous studio album “Wolflight” was one of the highlights of 2015 as far as I am personally concerned – a record which I believed, at the time, he would find very difficult to top. Well, as I am sure you will soon find out for yourselves, the sixty seven year old guitar wizard has done exactly that!

While a surprisingly easy album to get into, “The Night Siren” is nevertheless the kind of record that has many aces kept up its sleeve – an album most willing to let you into its dark secrets, providing that you are willing to offer your valuable time and utmost attention in return. Please do so as this just happens to be one of the best releases so far this year!

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From pastemagazine.com on 50:50 @ 50:

While most people hardly noticed, Fairport Convention, the musical institution that adapted traditional British folk to the electric pulse of rock ‘n’ roll, has reached the half century mark. The obviously titled 50:50@50 marks a celebration of sorts, one that attempts to tie together the various strands of their earlier endeavors and reboot them for the future.

That’s accomplished in ways both apparent and self-congratulatory, as manifest in the live remakes of standards from the Fairport catalog and the shout out to themselves that reaches its crux on “Our Bus Rolls On” (“The time it goes/And comes around/50 years and counting/Here’s to the Fairport family…”). Then again, Fairport has always acknowledged their ardent fans and the band’s own populist edicts, making this particular song their own version of the Dead’s self narrative “Truckin’” —sans the drug busts and accompanying chaos.

If their self-referential ballyhoo seems over the top, it’s also well-deserved. Five decades is a mighty impressive accomplishment for any band, and while numerous members have come and gone over the years, they’ve retained one founder in singer/guitarist Simon Nicol and another player who’s been there nearly since the beginning in bassist Dave Pegg. Fiddler Ric Sanders can claim a 30-year tenure while even the “new” guys — singer/multi-instrumentalist Chris Leslie and veteran drummer Gerry Conway are pushing 20 years at this point. Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny may have had more formidable stints, but their time in the fold pales by comparison.

As far the songs themselves, all of it suits the Fairport formula: mostly giddy fiddle tunes with their usual wry humor (“Eleanor’s Dream,” “The Naked Highwayman”), an occasional tender respite (“Portmeirion,” “John Condon”) and the sturdy folk finesse that is, after all, the band’s signature (“Lord Marlborough,” “Summer by the Cherwell,” “Ye Mariners All”). And while it may have been tempting to revisit some of their better known standards like “Walk Awhile” or “Meet on the Ledge,” it’s to their credit they don’t necessarily depend on past glories.

There’s been plenty of that anyway, thanks to the steady onslaught of reissues and live recordings that have dwarfed the number of new studio albums in recent years. So too, with Chris Leslie taking over the bulk of the singing and songwriting duties, the Fairport sound has managed to find a hint of variety within their core sound. Still, the biggest surprise here is a take on the old gospel standard “Jesus on the Mainline,” featuring a lead vocal by their old Brummie buddy Robert Plant. Sung with the Americana form he adopted for his bluegrass foray with Alison Krauss, both singer and song defy the norm.

Ultimately, while some might complain about the lack of original material offered in deference to so many concert inclusions, Fairport fans can cheer the fact that 50:50@50 is the band’s best effort in at least two decades. Hopefully the next 50 will build from here.

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From www.classicrockrevisited.com on Don’t Let Up:

Night Ranger may be in contention for ‘Best rock album of 2017’ with the release of Don’t Let Up.  This one has that magical ‘something’ that makes it an instant hit for any fan of melodic hard rock.  There are hooks, riffs, melodies, killer solos and strong vocals from start to finish.  There are rockers and ballads and everything in-between.  Night Ranger, to sound cliché, has truly outdone themselves with their latest effort.

Night Ranger has oodles of talent… that has been apparent since the band first broke on the scene in the early 1980s.  For them to still be pumping out killer albums in 2017 is simply amazing.  They have put out a couple of solid records on the Frontiers label, and those discs were good.  This release, however, is great.  It is as solid as any album they have ever done.  I know that is saying a lot, but one listen to the pop hook of “Somehow Someway” and you will agree.  “Running Out of Time” has a special kind of solo that this band loves to throw into a tune.  “Day and Night” is pure classic hard rock with tons of melody and a solo that will have you pumping your fist in the air.  Sure, some tunes are stronger than others, but believe me when I say there is nary a tune on this sucker that sucks.  It is a solid recording from start to finish.

It is time to let your crusty classic rock buds who refuse to listen to anything recorded after 1985 know that Night Ranger is back and rockin’ as strong as ever.  Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy play and sing their asses off.  Brad Gillis is a rock god and a soloing machine while Keri Kelly brings his Alice Cooper vibe to the band and can rival Gillis at times on the guitar firepower.  Eric Levy is the keyboard player…. what do you say about keys in a rock band?  Well, mostly on the ballads he makes his presence known. But Eric is a helluva nice guy that lays down that background layer these other guys dance on top of. These are well crafted songs and, just as important, this band is having fun.  There is no phoning it in, here… these guys are still rockin’ in America and this writer does not see that stopping anytime soon.

Seeing a band that has this kind of muscle, prowess, and songwriting potency coupled with their drive to succeed while continuing their legacy is simply amazing.  Long live the Rangers of the Night!

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