Black Oask Arkansas: Black Oak Arkansas

Released in 1971, "Black Oak Arkansas" is the first album released by the southern rockers. Less immediately known than contemporaries such as The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band has been somewhat ignored by the mainstream rock press, and is mostly unknown to those without a strong liking of Southern rock.

The album opens with the folky "Uncle Elijah". Without a trace of distortion or electric guitar, you'd think the band was a fairly mellow act upon hearing this song. I really like the story-telling nature of Southern rock, and this song fits in nicely with similar songs such as The Ballad of Curtis Loew by Lynyrd Skynyrd. A nice folk song from a band that would get increasingly heavy in the next couple of years. "Memories At The Window" is slightly psychedelic, and was clearly written in the days of flower power. Infamous vocalist Jim Dandy delivers one of his strongest vocals, along with some very poetic and introspective lyrics. I love the peaceful vibe of the song, driven home by nice harmonies and great slide work from guitarist Harvey Jett. A little long in the tooth, but a very good song.

The Hills Of Arkansas is another folk-like song. The band at its hillbilly best, it was supposed written during their sojourn on the run from law enforcement in Arkansas for stealing some musical equipment from their high school. I like the combining of folk elements and psychedelic elements, somewhat similar to the Byrds and their blending of country/folk and psych. A great song. "I Could Love You" finally shows the band getting a little gritty. Based on a grooving guitar riff, the song is pretty squelchy and distorted. Jim Dandy moans about giving some loving in one of the most hoary and gritty tones you've ever heard, a great musical talent. The guitar leads may lack technicality, but sound powerful and white-hot.

The highlight for me comes next. "Hot And Nasty is one of the bigger hits from the band. Bassist Pat Daugherty unleashes a mighty groove of a bass-line. Jim Dandy's lyrics reference his love-making ability and reputation several times, a great example of rock stars boosting their own legends. Very primal and sexual, the band certainly had an element of caveman-like charm. "Singing The Blues" is a fairly basic country-blues song. Besides Dandy's Tom Waits-meets-a garbage disposal vocal styling, the song could really have been performed by any bar band around America, very standard-sounding.

"Lord Have Mercy On My Soul" has one of the coolest introductions of any song I have ever heard. Featuring what seems to be an African-American man, he narrates a story of the battle over his soul between God and Satan. The song itself is a Grand Funk-like rollicking rocker with a solid beat. For some reason Dandy reminds me of Joe Cocker here, albeit a strung out or extremely drunk Joe Cocker. I like the introduction more than the song itself, but a funky and cool song, especially lyrically speaking. "When Electricity Came To Arkansas" is one of the coolest titles in rock history. After a very cool bass/washboard introduction, the song heads into some pretty bluesy territory, with Dandy continuing to play the washboard throughout. The song doesn't contain any lyrics, but with guitars this blistering hot and a damn washboard, who needs vocals. A great tune, one of the heaviest Southern rock songs ever recorded.

"Black Oak Arkansas" is a very good introduction to the band, and is sits at the top of their discography as one of their strongest albums. If you like other Southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet, 38. Special, and even Lynyrd Skynyrd, you could do a lot worse than this band and this album.

Rating-8/10

Black Sabbath-Tyr-Review

   Black Sabbath released their fifteenth studio album in 1990. The album marks a difficult period in the band's history, a time of relative decline in terms of popularity and critical and commercial appeal.Nevertheless, many fans of the band quite enjoy this album, me being one of those who sing its praises. Let's take a look.

    Tony Martin continues his role as Sabbath vocalist for the third time in a row, and he sounds very comfortable and confident here. Opener "Anno Mundi" really shows off Martin's vocals, especially in the chorus. The riff is very heavy, chugging alongside Cozy Powell's very bashing drums. Bassist Neil Murray has always been a bit subdued in terms of tone for my tastes, but provides a decent enough bass sound, if a little buried. I love the break-down, with the creepy keyboards and chanting like backing vocals, a great sound. A great start to a massively underrated album. Next, "The Lawmaker" picks up the pace, a very fast song. Showing the growing influence of power metal on Sabbath, the song rolls at Iron Maiden like speeds, one of the fastest songs by the band. Iommi's riff is gorgeous, simple, yet effective and energetic. The lyrics are very focused on the classical religious themes of the band, and seem to concern an entity who controls the mortal world, obviously being Satan. Tony's solo is stellar as usual, and one of his best from the 1990s. A great track, but sadly never played live (as far as I know).

    "Jerusalem" is my pick for the best song on the album, very epic. Somehow poppy despite the very heavy lyrical content, the song really shows off the stellar musicianship of the band.  Cozy's drumming here is mind-blowing, such a powerful force of music, and he is sadly missed. Great leads, heavy drumming, and killer vocals, my only real complaint is that the song is a tad too keyboard heavy. However, you need to understand the time and place in which the album was produced, as nearly every late 80s/early 90s metal band made liberal use of keyboards. Next is "The Sabbath Stones". After a spooky intro a la "The Eternal Idol", a heavy Iommi riff blasts its way in atop smashing drums from Cozy. Tony Martin sounds great on the track, and in my opinion, delivered his strongest vocals during his time in Sabbath during this album. The album closes with a rolling riff that instantly reminds of the song "Black Sabbath" from the band's 1970 debut. Not as epic as Black Sabbath's closing section, but pretty cool sounding with its gallop.

   "The Battle of Tyr" is a short instrumental that sets the tone for the suite of songs to come. A fairly useless movie-soundtrack type, the song would not sound totally out of place in a 1980s fantasy movie. The sounds are fairly dated, but given the time it was recorded, it sounds decent enough. Not much to see here, let's move on. "Odin's Court" reflects the Norse mythology element present through much of the album. Mostly acoustic, the song is very desolate and sparse. Gentle synth washes back up Tony Martin's vocals nicely, a nice "campfire" song. The song quickly transitions into "Valhalla". Much heavier than the previous song, it features a very fast and "bright" riff from Tony Iommi. The song concerns the tale of the Vikings, and ties into the Norse theme of the album. I like the track quite a bit, especially Cozy's insanely heavy drum assault and Tony rapid-fire solo.

   "Feels Good To Me" is most people's pick for worst song on the album. An early 1990s power-ballad, the song is pretty dull and quite out of character for the masters of doom and gloom. A video was made, and the song was clearly an attempt by the band to be commercial. The chorus isn't bad, and Martin's vocals are very strong, but one of the worst Sabbath songs ever put to record in this author's opinion, too sappy. The album closes with "Heaven in Black". While not as commercial as the last song, it still feels somewhat out of character for the band. There is nothing particularly bad about the song, just not a huge fan of the structure, despite a smoking solo from Iommi and some very tasty drums from Cozy Powell.

   'Tyr" is a decent album, not one of the greatest, but my pick for second best of the 1990s for Sabbath. Hardcore fans of the band will find something to like about the album, and it deserves at least one listen.

Rating-7/10

  

   

Queensryche-Queensryche(2013)-Review

    Arising from the drama and legal battles of Queensryche's splinter into two groups with the same name, the "Todd La Torre" fronted version of the band released their self-titled album this June. Well received upon release, the album has garnered much more attention and sales than the universally-panned Frequency Unknown album released by the Geoff Tate-fronted version of the band, also released this year. I will review both albums, but I will start with the self-titled album. Let's take a look.

   The album opens with typical Queensryche flair with the track "X2", an ominous instrumental to set the tone for the album.  Very mechanical sounding, it obviously has the trademark dystopian flair that the band has become known for. "Where Dreams Go To Die" is a great track. Seemingly about a nasty break-up, I really enjoy La Torre's vocals, reminiscent of Geoff Tate, but somehow more accessible and modern. The chorus is infectious, very catchy. Next up is  "Spore", showing how the band tread the line between traditional metal and progressive metal. Very modern-sounding, I love Scott Rockenfield's drumming on the track, a true highlight. Vocals are strong, but La Torre's vocals somewhat lack the charisma and unique character of Geoff Tate, more commercial-sounding. Nonetheless, a pretty solid track that will surely please fans of the band.

   "In This Light" is one of the lighter songs on the album, a little too much for my taste. The song lacks bite, with barely any distortion and it sounds very slickly produced, with symphonic strings and keyboards covering the track. Also, the bass work of Eddie Jackson lies somewhat buried in the mix. Catchy and one of the most accessible songs in years by the band, but a bit too glossy for me. "Redemption" brings back the metal with heavy rap-rock verse riff, but again brings in a very pop-like chorus. An odd mix, it works somehow, but feels a bit disjointed during the transition from verse to chorus. The song does feel dated somewhat, sounding very 1990s in terms of production and style. Not bad at all, but not a classic Queensryche tune.

   "Vindication" is one of the most progressive tracks on the album, with a very unconventional drum-beat, and guitars. Fans of the band will surely love the track, and I can understand the appeal. But the drumming is a little "over the top" is terms of ferocity, Rockenfield bangs the drums a little to hard for me, it becomes a distraction from the vocals and guitars, they feel suffocated by the hopelessly heavy drumming. The chorus is quite cool, very uplifting and almost "power metal" in terms of its very "soaring" vocals. A pretty cool track, I dig it. "Midnight Lullaby" is a short instrumental that sets up the next track. Less than a minute, it is nevertheless a cool little musical sketch, making use of creepy strings and horror-movie-like effects. "A World Without" reminds me of a cross between Alice In Chains and recent Megadeth. The song is a slow-burner, but what a high you get. I really like the build-up to the chorus, and what a great chorus it is. La Torre proves to be a very capable vocalist, hitting some incredible highs. I love the swampy guitars and bass, and the strings add a great element of drama, my favorite track on the album by far.

    "Don't Look Back" is a socially-conscious song about the classic "New World Order/Dystopian" theme of the band's formative years. The most thrash-metal song on the album, it's pretty fast. La Torre hits some Bruce Dickinson-esque highs on the track,very impressive. A little short, most of the songs on the album are in fact very short. A good track, especially the vocals and guitars. "Fallout" is another break-up track. I love the "twin-leads" of guitarists Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren, a very nice touch. The bass and drums also kick ass, a very full and heavy sound. I could use a little more distortion on the guitars, but the band has usually taken the cleaner route in terms of production. The album closes with "Open Road". A pretty dreary song, it reflects the bands gothic overtones, which certainly originate from the band's Pacific-Northwest origins. Excellent drumming and great vocals, but a downer of a closing track, very depressing both lyrically and musically.

  "Queensryche" is a good album, and one of the band's best in years. La Torre is the best possible replacement for Geoff Tate one could imagine, and his addition seems to have revitalized the band. While some of the songs are quite short, I am actually somewhat relieved, given the immense length of some of the band's earlier albums. I look forward to future releases of this version of the band, a very capable and better than expected album.

Rating-7.5/10
  
   

Black Sabbath-13(Bonus Tracks)-Review

   
    Besides the eight tracks included on the standard edition of the album, there are four bonus tracks distributed across various versions of the album. I will be reviewing the tracks individually, and I will assign a score to each song, as I feel they don't represent the album as a whole.

First up is "Methademic". I really don't understand why this song was excluded from the album, but suspect is has to do with the running time. After a beautiful acoustic introduction, the kicks into a drilling Tony riff, very hypnotic. Ozzy sounds great on the track, one of the best vocals on 13. Also, the band has certainly had its share of songs about drugs, it seems natural to included another one on the album, as it ties-together their long discography.

Score-8/10

Next is "Peace of Mind". I cannot fathom why this song was excluded from the standard version of 13, and is actually my favorite song from these sessions. Is is a great song, and features one of the best riffs on the album. The song instantly reminds of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and perhaps that is why it was excluded. Being a super-fan of Geezer Butler, I was very excited to hear his bass work on this track, his strongest on the album in my opinion. So with great bass, vocals, drums, and of course a killer riff, why was the song left off the standard version? Maybe we will never know.

Score-10/10

Third is "Pariah". A great title for a metal song, and a great f-ing song. Tony delivers a very groovy riff, almost like funk metal, but obviously darker and sludgier.   I absolutely love the riff, amazing stuff from Tony, the heaviest song on the album. Ozzy's voice does show signs of not being able to hit the chorus notes, but he just manages. And really, what do you want from someone who is approaching their senior years. The song feels a bit rushed, it could have used a few more production techniques, but still kicks ass.

Score-9/10

   Finally, "Naivete in Black" was included on the "Best Buy" deluxe editions and the Japanese editions of the album. The riff instantly reminds of Tony's 1990s output, and I am willing to bet that the song is more than few years old. While this doesn't make the song bad, it just feels somewhat out of place with the rest of the album. The song is easily the worst bonus track, and feels very demo-like.

Score-7/10

    

Whitesnake-Saints and Sinners-Review

   Released in 1982, Saints and Sinners is Whitesnake's fifth studio album. Nowhere near as well-known as their later 1980s output, the album is nonetheless regarded as one of their best. Let's take a look at an album many consider to be classic.

   The album opens with Coverdale heading into full-on "horn-dog" mode with "Young Blood".  An ode to females just of age, the song is obviously quite shallow, lyrically speaking. However, the song certainly sounds good. Coverdale's vocals on this album had matured since his Deep Purple days, and by 1982, he had clearly become comfortable with filling the role of a rock star on his own. Purple drummer "Ian Paice" sounds fantastic as usual on this track and indeed the whole album, a true highlight. The solo is pretty short, but decent enough. However, those expecting John Sykes-like leads will have to wait until later in the decade. A decent song, if a little shallow and repetitive in terms of the chorus. The bluesy "Rough an' Ready" comes next. Very Purple-like, Ian Paice and Jon Lord add essential ingredients of the Purple sound with their respective keyboards and drums on board Whitesnake. However, former Purple bassist/singer Glenn Hughes is obviously missed, and the song sounds like Deep Purple-lite. Not a bad song, but a fairly standard-sounding blues song that is a little over-processed in terms of production for my taste.

    "Bloody Luxury" is a honky-tonk type song. I have never been a huge fan of the song. The keyboards sound thin and brittle, and the guitar tone quite "blocky". The lyrics are pretty darn goofy, and seem to repeat endlessly. The guitar leads feel anti-climatic, and never reach the virtuosic heights that both John Sykes and Steve Vai would later reach with the band, a true filler song. "Victim of Love" picks up the pace.   The guitars lack grit however, and feel neutered and lifeless in the mix.  Coverdale's vocals dominate the song, and allow little room for any instrument besides the drums to be evenly heard. The solo here is certainly more impressive than previous songs, but is somewhat predictable and quite short. Again, the chorus repeats the same words over and over, very dull.

    "Crying in the Rain" is an earlier version of the song from 1987's Whitesnake. I prefer the 87 version, as it is brighter and has much heavier guitars. But this version is more than decent, and it is interesting to hear an earlier take on the massively well-known later hit. Obviously a very good song.The album also contains an earlier version of 1987's massive Whitesnake hit, "Here I Go Again".  This version uses organs instead of synthesizers and has a few different lyrics, but sounds rawer and purer. I like the soul and clarity in Coverdale's voice, and this version can easily stand beside the 87 version, just very different sounding.

     "Love an' Affection" is another bluesy, horny song. Not bad, but not a huge fan of the guitar sound, very thin and chunky, a far cry away from the very thick, almost organ-like sound of Deep Purple/Rainbow six-string wizard "Ritchie Blackmore". Also, Jon Lord does solo, but only for a very brief amount of time. Whitesnake starts to feel more the David Coverdale show, rather than having a true band dynamic. "Rock an' Roll Angels" is very similar to the previous song. Another bluesy ode to loose women, the song at least doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. It is quite clear how Whitesnake both influenced and was influenced by "hair metal", as most of the album contains lyrical matter entirely devoted to the pursuit of women. While this is loose and fun, it tires. These songs are very filler-like, pretty boring and too similar to each other both lyrically and musically.

     "Dancing Girls" is quite good, and redeems the second half of the album. I love the clavinet keyboards from Jon Lord, very funky, a la Deep Purple. The song is the closest link to Deep Purple, and Lord even gets to let loose on a solo, but is quickly interrupted by Coverdale. For fans of Deep Purple (MK. 3), this album has a Purple-like feel, but suffers from pretty lame guitars, shortened solos, and a lack of Glenn Hughes. However, I do really like this track. The album closes with the title-track. "Saints and Sinners". Atop a funky riff, Coverdale delivers a very gritty and ballsy vocals about the supposedly good and bad elements of society. The song is biting, and is a nice move away from all of the "pillow talk" earlier on the album. Finally, a long solo happens, and duals leads are traded, very nice. A good track.

   "Saints and Sinners" is certainly not bad, but feels like Deep Purple, but at the same time very different from Purple. This causes the listener to feel somewhat "ripped off", given the magic of Deep Purple, especially the Coverdale-fronted "MK.3" line-up, which happens to be this author's famous version of Deep Purple. For people that are casual rock fans, this album will likely entertain you, but I would suggest that Purple maniacs listen with caution, as this album will be a tease for you, as three members of Deep Purple play together.

Rating-6.5/10