Rock Around the World

Women For Women 2 Hammer&Lace/Mercury Records. NR
An Album In Support of Breast Health Awareness

Given the startling statistics regarding breast cancer, anything done to increase awareness of this affliction is just. I know my mom had a scare there for a minute and that sort of tuned me in to what time it was.

Serious contributions from Artists across the broad spectrum of musical taste have packed this album full of good music. If the awareness raised by these artists converts into proceeds that benefit the fight against Breast Cancer, then I'm down with it.
Internet Listening Pleasure: Send Me A Love, I Shall Believe, Power Of Two, Lumina, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, All Kinds Of People.

Tina Turner Virgin. NR
Wildest Dreams

Trevor Horn's aural imprimatur is the flagship in a fleet of ironclad producers that collectively constitute a sonic armada, guns trained upon radio stations on American shores with a WorldWide tone, the firepower of which is as explosive as 16 inch shells.

Tina does a number on John Waite's "Missing You" that is an altogether different declaration proceeding from Tina's lips.

I remember travelling through Mexico in early 1986 on a 12 day junket with these cats from an International Business Association at Arizona State...There was this one cat...Wolfgang Hoefig that was this teetotalling professional German Tourist who loved 440 Chargers...and Tina Turner. I swear Private Dancer was the only album I heard throughout that awesome trip. Jamie West-Oram, Cy Curnin and The Fixx's backing of Tina on "Better Be Good To Me" and "I Might Have Been Queen" still soar strong on the horizon for me.

Wildest Dreams is as close as it's going to get to the phenomenon of Private Dancer...I would spin the shit out of Sheryl Crow's well crafted "All Kinds Of People"...Tina takes that song, filters it through her persona, and delivers what appears to me the sonic strength of this entire album. Tina gives me quavers everytime I hear that song.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Missing You, Do What You Do, Thief Of Hearts, Confidential, The Difference Between Us, All Kinds Of People.

Eric Johnson Capitol. NR
Venus Isle

Johnson, by his own admission is a confluence of other people's styles, a mixed bag of influences. For some, it doesn't work out that good for them because they never arrive at their own voice. Johnson's voice is loud and clear...and singular.

If Eric Johnson were a martial artist, I would not mess with him...his tao is very singular, but you'd never know which style he's liable to hit you with, first...and the successive shifts in technique would be a drag to mirror, if you had to spar with him. So get ready for the G3 Tour...there'll be a time and place for Johnson to show his hand with Satriani and Vai...Texas will be proud.

"Manhattan" feels like Wes Montgomery, while "Camel's Night Out" is a piece of Beckology. "Song For Lynette" is straight ahead beauty. Hendrix's "May This Be Love" finds a beautiful sequel in the remarkable "When The Sun Meets The Sky".

"S.R.V." is an (respectful) instrumental about one axeman's view of another axeman...very Book Of Five Rings.


Internet Listening Pleasure: S.R.V., Camel's Night Out, Song For Lynette, When The Sun Meets The Sky, Pavilion.

CAKE Capricorn. NR
Fashion Nugget

A sloppy neatness and rumpled sound that works.

I totally dig the vibration in "Italian Leather Sofa"

Sort of a boat made out of sonic debris...and this sucker sails!


Internet Listening Pleasure: Open Book, Race Car Ya-Yas, Stickshifts And Safetybelts, Nugget, She'll Comeback, Italian Leather Sofa.

The Cardigans Mercury. NA
First Band On The Moon

I was doing the soundbytes for this album and my boss at RATW told me that this sound reminded him of Miami Beach, circa 1965. You could go into these lounges and find these boxes that had film of Scandinavian Pop bands performing that you could watch on top of the juke box or what ever for a dime...

This is some extraordinary pop-lounge stuff.

Dig the Black Sabbath cover...


Internet Listening Pleasure: Been It, Lovefool, Losers, Iron Man, Great Divide.

Pet Shop Boys Atlantic. NR
Bilingual

"West End Girls" was a staple in Club Land in the mid 80's.

Here we are in the mid 90's with another Pet Shop Boys album.

"Before" is the first one out the chute to Club Land, but...maybe, say Charlie Clouser souped up "Electricity"...just a thought..


Internet Listening Pleasure: Electricity, Se A Vida E, The Survivors.

Dogstar Zoo. NA
Our Little Visionary

Art, Film and Music are inseparable in my book. I don't really give a flying fuck that Keanu Reeves is in this band...It's almost incidental, because this music rises and falls on its own...Keanu happens to be holding down the bottom.

So for what he's doing in this context...it's all right. Listen to the music like a blind man would.

Dig the Badfinger cover..."Honesty Anyway" reminds me of Icicle Works.

The Ed Stasium Production is dynamite.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Forgive, No Matter What, Breathe Tonight, Honesty Anyway, Enchanted.

Steve Vai Epic. NR
Fire Garden

Steve Vai is a monster. Vai is like an F-14 with the wings trimmed to the triangle, GE's at full afterburn...the way Chuck Sewell used to tickle the tree tops over Old Field, Long Island. We are talking about an AIR superiority fighter.

Anyway, the cat is one of very few people on this planet that can harness the power of Air. Get ready for the G3 Tour...Vai's Rig is going to create a wind...the air is going to move, baby! Vai's work with David Lee Roth on Eat 'Em And Smile really got my attention. Fire Garden will get your attention and hold it all the way through track 18.

I don't know why Vai should be so quick to consider his vocals nugatory. Sure, he's no Ron James Dio, but Vai's vocal tone is right in sync with anything in Mainstream Rock. Check out the tracks after "Deepness" and you'll know what I mean.

"Warm Regards" is Vai's warranty that he can always shutup and play guitar.



Internet Listening Pleasure: There's A fire In The House, The Crying Machine, Dyin' Day, Hand On Heart, Little Alligator, All About Eve, Warm Regards.

Suzanne Vega A&M. NR
nine objects of desire

Suzanne Vega has been one of the long standing voices in Mainstream Rock well before the current nomenclature came along.

Crisp, articulate, soothing and sensual, Vega delivers the words to her songs with a velvety touch.

It is great to have her voice back and to hear melodies for a change, you dig?

Internet Listening Pleasure: Birthday, Headshots, Stockings, Thin Man, No Cheap Thrill, Tombstone.

Sheryl Crow A&M. NR
Sheryl Crow

When Sheryl lets the fury loose in her voice, that's where she's most effective. Check out her voice on "Ordinary Morning" and you'll know what I mean...the outro to that song is very Princely, wouldn't you say?

No Sophomore Jinx here, this album flies.

"Hard To Make A Stand" has got a Rolling Stones vibe to it.

"Everyday Is A Winding Road" feels like a spinner to me. I'd rotate it.

Internet Listening Pleasure: Maybe Angels, A Change, Sweet Rosalyn, Hard To Make A Stand, Everyday Is A Winding Road, Superstar, Ordinary Morning.

RUSH Atlantic. NR
Test For Echo

The Lords of Discipline have returned to the sonic scene with one of the finest albums in their catalogue.

The strength of this Superlative Power Trio has always been their triumviral sonics, a sonic battering ram that has for 20 some odd years continued to breach the sonic barriers in place at the particular time.

Test For Echo perpetuates the sonic standard that is Rush, unmitigated by the the fickle nature of trend.

Rush, nevertheless, remains contemporary with far reaching songs like "Half The World" and "Virtuality", which comments on the pavement of the Information Super Highway.

Knowledge is POWER. Rush has always been about both.


Internet Listening Pleasure: Driven, Half The World, Time And Motion, Dog Years, Virtuality.

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