Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

VARGAS, BOGERT & APPICE – VB&A featuring PAUL SHORTINO

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In April 2011, 80s rockers King Kobra (featuring Carmine Appice and Paul Shortino) released their fifth studio album.  While some praised the disc for containing rousing, anthemic choruses in an old-school rock style, in 21st Century terms what this actually meant was King Kobra peddled out a bunch of songs which were very clichéd and a little embarrassing.  The King Kobra guys were never the most sophisticated songwriters, but for all of the album’s faults, at least they made an attempt at writing their own material.

That’s more than could be said for Appice’s second release of the year.  This collaboration with his old Vanilla Fudge bandmate Tim Bogert and Spanish rock/blues musician Javier Vargas finds the stalwart musicians ploughing through a bunch of cover tunes.  Most of their chosen material is very well known, so that alone means this album often appears inferior.  …And by the time guest vocalist Paul Shortino trudges his way through most of the songs in his usual second division (often unsubtle) style, this album generally becomes destined for failure.

These musicians may have been in the business for decades, but longevity doesn’t always equal effortlessness and, as such, their takes on most of these tunes are bad.  The band almost completely misunderstands what made (and continues to make) Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender’ a genre classic.  Gone is the glammy feel good streak of the original 1978 cut, and in its place, Vargas and co present  a bloated bar-band run through which sounds like mud.  Deep Purple’s ‘Black Night’ works better, with some of Vargas’s lead work hitting the mark during an unexpected bluesy intro.  Once things settle into the main riff, though, it becomes no more a workmanlike rendition, with an uninspired vocal and heavy-handed, ever-so-slightly slow drum part.  A rendition of AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top’ has nothing going for it whatsoever, with the band choosing to play it as faithfully as possible but still managing to lose all of the original’s buoyancy in the process.  Still, at least it’s not quite as bad as Mickey Thomas’s attempt at AC/DC on his 2011 covers disc…

Some things are sacred, and the original version of ‘Parisienne Walkways’ could well fall into such a category. The pairing of the legendary Gary Moore and equally legendary Phil Lynott was magical, with Moore’s soaring guitar work providing the perfect foil for Lynott’s distinctive, charm-filled voice.   Unbelievably, Vargas, Bogert and Appice think they’re worthy of covering such a musical milestone… Vargas’s guitar tones are fine (not a patch on Moore’s mastery of the instrument, but fine nonetheless), but beyond that, it’s horrible.  Shortino sucks the life from the lyrics like the work-a-day vocalist for hire he is and Appice’s rock drumming just has no real class.  There’s no excuse for this.  Excuse me, I may have a bit of sick.

Moving away from the hard rock chops of most of the chosen material, the album includes a couple of left field choices.  While Shortino’s slightly gruff delivery seems reasonably in tune with Rod Stewart’s trademark rasp, there seems to be no other reason for these guys covering ‘Tonight Is The Night’.  The end result isn’t the worst thing on this album, but even so, could only ever be described as okay.  Or at least it could be, had the musical arrangement been approached in a slightly more sophisticated fashion.  The “live in the studio” sound gives the mood of a band rehearsal and Tim Michell’s synth is far, far too loud.  Vargas’s slide guitar work is about the best thing here.  Naturally, it takes more than a bit of slide guitar to rescue something so flawed… Bad it may be, but any attempt at covering Rod Stewart is not quite as misjudged as their attempting to tackle a well known tune by Mike + The Mechanics. Yes, seriously! ‘Over My Shoulder’ loses its well-crafted pop sheen and almost timeless radio appeal.  Someone has decided that the song could be improved with the addition of choppy guitars and an overtly loud drum kit.  Surprisingly, though, Shortino’s vocals are half-decent as he taps into a slightly soulier vibe.  He’s no match for Paul Carrack, obviously, and Mike Rutherford will probably welcome the royalty cheque to top up his millions (even though he’s not likely to earn too much from the twelve copies this album will sell), but nobody with any sense would ever prefer this awkward piece of ham-fistedness over the original.

The only time this collaboration rises above the doldrums is on a cover of Ray Barretto’s 1972 cut ‘Right On’.  Firstly, given Vargas’s musical background and time playing with Santana, he’s more than adept at salsa styles.  Secondly, although the production and general rock posturing is still somewhat stodgy, the addition of horns gives things a lift.  However, although it’s probably the best thing on this release, it’s still not great.  Between them, Vargas, Bogert, Appice and Shortino manage to make Barretta’s once bustling Santana-esque tune sound a bit heavy-handed.  Things are rounded out with takes on Beck, Bogert and Appice’s ‘Lady’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ (in the Vanilla Fudge mould, but still inferior). Neither are particularly inspiring, but at least Bogert and Appice have, at least, some small claim to these tunes.

Since the performances rarely rise above middling and the album comes with awful, awful production, this is only ever going to be of interest to a select few.  While it’s likely Vargas, Bogert and Appice had fun making this record, it’s really not too much fun to listen to. Having said that, as bad as it is, it’s marginally better than Vanilla Fudge’s 2009 collection of Led Zeppelin covers, ‘Out Through The In Door’.

Carmine Appice is supposedly a well respected musician.  In his sixth decade as a recording artist at the time of this album’s release, you have to wonder why he is so respected when so many of his career choices have been questionable.  Oh well… Compared to this, at least some of the praise heaped upon that dodgy King Kobra record seems justified.

August 2011

BLACK BISCUIT – Blueline

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In December 2010 I received an email from Black Biscuit – a band formed by a couple of guys who’ve been playing hockey together and making music since high school.  They’d discovered REAL GONE via my rather negative, overtly opinionated Quakers On Probation review and asked if I’d mind giving their album a similarly honest appraisal.  The lightweight tone of their message suggested they weren’t a completely serious band, and a visit to their MySpace page where they claim that the band was a result of “numerous hockey-related head injuries of the three frontmen” helped confirm my theory.

There’s a difference between being a joke/novelty band and just not taking things seriously, though, as ‘Blueline’ proves.  Granted, there are a couple of songs which were possibly written to amuse, but most of the album is made up of alt-rock tunes, played too slowly and – in some cases – very badly.

‘Surfin’ in Afghanistan’ is their most obvious attempt at writing amusing material. It employs a rudimentary surf rock musical motif, against which a croony vocal tells a tale of surfing disappointment, leading to being tied up by extremists.  Although it’s easy for the listener to understand what Black Biscuit are attempting here, it’s not something you’d listen to more than a couple of times.  ‘Robbie The Robot’ sounds like a bad impersonation of early Soul Asylum, with additional annoying croony vocals thrown in for good measure.   Not that entertaining to start with, and after a couple of spins, once again, it’s hard to imagine anyone coming back for more.   ‘Don’t Touch My Cigarettes’ is an ode to never giving up smoking, delivered in an early J. Geils Band style.  Its simplicity makes it one of the album’s better numbers, but Black Biscuit lack the energy of those they’re attempting to emulate.

Due to a lack of musical sharpness, most of Black Biscuit’s material completely misses the mark.  ‘Gun For Hire’ is sludgy with a tuneless vocal and an even worse guitar solo (although I suspect this was tuneless on purpose).  It’s obvious where the hook is, but the vocal style makes the song unlistenable.  The country rock vibe of ‘Suburbs’ has the feel of a Cowboy Mouth cast-off…but only if that great band got hit on the head and forgot how to write anything melodic.  If there’s anything to be learnt here it’s that three part harmonies shouldn’t be attempted by non-singers.  ‘Say Goodbye’ is better, but Black Biscuit don’t really deserve any credit, since it’s memorable parts are a total rip off  of The Beatles’ ‘No Reply’, twisting it into something which sounds like a bad wedding band along the way (with an appalling lead vocal to boot).

During ‘With You’, Johnny Maxwell breaks into a decent bass solo. However, it’s stuck in the middle of a rather busy number which melds a Minneapolis style alt-rock sound with a slightly garage feel, and as such, that bass work feels a little out of place.  It’s one of the only moments where this album manages to claw its way out of musical despair, and for that, I’m briefly thankful.  Maxwell is clearly the only band member with any real musical ability.

Sadly, the bulk of Black Biscuit’s songs are either middling or forgettable.  Even their fun stuff isn’t too much fun.  Presented with this mish-mash of demo-quality recordings and half-baked ideas, I don’t really know what the band was thinking.  Simply put, ‘Blueline’ is a bad record.  I hope their collective hockey skills fare better than this.

January 2011

THE GREAT AFFAIRS – Happy Ender EP

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The previous album from Murfreesboro, TN’s The Great Affairs (2010’s ‘Ricky Took The Wheels’) wasn’t a cast iron classic, but featured some great rootsy pop/rock tunes nonetheless.  During the first half of 2011, Great Affairs frontman Denny Smith turned his time towards other projects, including work his other band fORMER.   In between recording sessions for a fORMER LP, Smith and co recorded a handful of acoustic based numbers, which are presented on this EP.  While Smith is quick to point out this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of The Great Affairs forever, ‘Happy Endings’ is designed to provide a little closure for the first part of their career.

Whereas ‘Wheels’ showcased a mix of acoustic works and upbeat rock sounds from The Great Affairs’ repertoire, this EP is mellow – it’s six numbers concentrating more on the band’s acoustic rock and alt-country elements.  And since the previous full-length’s strongest parts were often its most laid-back, this release really shows the guys on top form.

‘Sick For Love’ sets the mood for most of the EP with its twin acoustic guitar framework.  Although it’s the solid rhythmic qualities providing the song’s main thrust, the featured solo (also acoustic based) has a timeless air.  These elements, when mixed with Smith’s slightly raspy voice, make this number comparable to The Faces in a rather melancholy mood.  ‘If I Know You’ doesn’t do much to change that said mood – but in honesty, it doesn’t need to.  There’s more of a harmony vocal than before (one which, perhaps, could have been a bit stronger), but the unfussy, Connells-esque arrangement is decent enough. ‘Stay Pretty’ features some top-notch slide acoustic/dobro work, while Matt Andersen’s basslines provide some great musical flourishes.  As is often the case, you’ll have heard similar stuff from various other Americana/acoustic bands, but even so, The Great Affairs more than hold their own here.  The superb arrangement makes it ‘Happy Ender’s best number – and it’s up against some strong competition.

For those looking for something with a more instant chorus, ‘Wild One’ is a track which more than supplies.  With a very memorable hook and vocal harmonies, this number would already be a strong one, but the addition of some electric guitar leads (very much in the country rock mould) really round out the sound.  It’s a shame the vocal seems to have been subjected to autotuning (purely for effect) on a couple of lines, but not to an extent it would spoil an otherwise great track. ‘See The Stars’ features another good mix of acoustic and electric guitar work, this time the electric leads come with a subtle ringing quality.  Musically, it’s great and should please all but the most stubborn fans of this kind of roots rock.  The songwriting doesn’t grab instantly, though, but a few plays in the pleasing melodies on the chorus start to stand out.  In contrast, ‘Bird on a Wire’ is definitely the EP’s rockiest number, since the acoustics are joined by an electric lead throughout.  Patrick Miller’s work is often sympathetic to the softer qualities of the music – his leads occasionally no more than punctuation – but by the track’s end, he can’t hold it in any longer.  During this rock-out moment, the band cut loose a little and Miller turns in a solo which would befit The Black Crowes, The Quireboys and their ilk.  It’s missing the good-time pub-rock piano, but even so, it’s a great number which sounds like it would work well within a live setting.

And so, after two full-length releases, these six songs close the door on the first part of a career.  If you liked ‘Ricky Took The Wheels’, chances are, you’ll really like ‘Happy Ender’.  If this is goodbye – at least for now – those who are likely to miss The Great Affairs have been given a superb parting gift.

 

June 2011

INCUBUS – If Not Now, When?

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Incubus’s fifth full length release ‘Light Grenades’ is often considered sub-par compared to the band’s previous releases.  True, it doesn’t always have the all-round sophistication of which Incubus are often capable, but it has a sense of energy within the songs.  That’s more than can be said for 2011’s ‘If Not Now, When?’, an album so underwhelming it may as well be audio wallpaper.  Its radio friendly sounds are as flat as the monochrome sleeve art.  As for the title, it almost sums up the feeling of actually waiting for Incubus to do something interesting.   Brandon Boyd puts in heartfelt (but ultimately very samey) vocal performances throughout, but the rest of the band do so little with the musical arrangements, half the time you have to ask if there’s a real band present here at all.  The album is approximately halfway through before a guitar puts in a proper appearance.  75% of the material sounds like Boyd has given some studio engineers a bunch of vocal tracks and asked them to create some musical backdrops.  Most of the songs are completely one-paced with no real peaks, and as a result, nothing here maintains interest for very long.

The sense of doubt regarding this album creeps in quickly, since the disc begins with a pedestrian tune which sounds like it ought to be the mellow number closing the first half.  With a rigid drum pattern, the title cut opens the disc with something more akin to Coldplay or Snow Patrol than Incubus.  The lyrics appear to have a religious bent (which doesn’t help the enjoyment especially); and after a minute or so, nothing’s different: the drum maintains its original click-track style, some bass and keyboards flesh out the sound and the song strolls along never really hitting anything resembling a climax.  ‘Promises, Promises’ is slightly better thanks to the presence of a piano, but is still best described as middling alt-pop music.

‘Friends and Lovers’ may boast the sound of a kettle drum, but it’s punctuating an arrangement which is incredibly bland.  Once again, Boyd’s vocal is fine, but the rest of the band kind of tinker sheepishly with their instruments barely making the smallest of rumbles.  By the time Ben Kinney’s bass even becomes audible, he’s just hitting the odd note to help accompany Boyd on the quietest of moments.  ‘Tomorrow’s Food’ doesn’t really rise above new-age plinky-plunkiness.  It could be said that Mike Einzinger’s finger-picked guitar is well played, but after a couple of minutes it gets boring – all style and no substance.  The instrumental jam which makes up the second half of ‘Company of Wolves’ provides a little light at the end of the tunnel, but even then Incubus sound relatively unenthused.  With its acoustic roots, ‘Isadore’ is okay as far as it goes, in as much that Boyd is vocally strong and the band are tight enough, but it’s still half a world away from more traditional Incubus.  Due to it’s general lack of anything resembling a chorus, though, this is just another number which can be forgotten almost as soon as it’s finished.  The band takes the full acoustic route with the short ‘Defiance’, which has an intro which calls to mind a couple of Led Zeppelin’s gentler numbers.  Like most of ‘If Not Now, When?’, it never quite reaches its full potential, but at least it’s short…

It’s only really with ‘Switchblade’s funk edge things improve noticeably, since here, Incubus actually sound like a real band again.  The drumming has a nice offbeat style, the bass lines actually have a presence and the guitar riffs bring a slightly edgy tone.  Despite a huge step in the right direction, it’s still far from classic Incubus, since in truth, a few years earlier, this would have been considered filler.  Despite a reasonable riff a which hits relatively hard coupled with a great vocal, the single release ‘Adolescents’ still a sense of “could try harder”.  There’s the feeling of a ‘Make Yourself’ leftover surrounding this track, but at least the band sound like a band pulling together once again, and not just a bunch of guys backing Boyd’s vocals and lyrics.  Even Einzinger gets an opportunity to play a fairly upfront guitar solo.  It’s a shame they couldn’t have found a better chorus, but at least they sound like they’re actually interested in what they’re doing.

It’s hard to believe we waited almost five years for Incubus to return and this is all we get.  Two half decent songs?  Representing the sound of “alternative” music which sounds like it was written with the shopping mall in mind, ‘If Not Now, When?’ is a seriously dull record.  The idea of a band wanting to record something more commercial is fine, but this release is severely lacking in anything which grabs the attention.  ‘Switchblade’ aside, there’s barely a hint of ‘Nice To Know You’ or ‘Anna Molly’ here, let alone the crunchiness ‘Privilege’ or the brilliant funkiness of ‘The Warmth’.  It has far more in common with Brandon Boyd’s alt-pop solo release ‘The Wild Trapeze’ than anything released under the Incubus name previously.  If you want the Brandon Boyd show, then fine, but there’s so more to Incubus than that…or at least there used to be.

According to Boyd, the band “recorded these songs at the same time as writing them…a process [they]’ve never done before”.  In which case, maybe it’s a process they shouldn’t try again in the future.  Maybe spending some time actually analysing the material after it was written could have given the band a bit more perspective; perhaps they could have looked at these songs and realised how lacking most of them are.

July 2011

JUDAS PRIEST – Sad Wings Of Destiny

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Judas Priest’s debut album, 1974’s ‘Rocka Rolla’ hints at a potentially very talented band, but is ultimately let down by some plodding arrangements and somewhat leaden production values.  Everything about Priest’s second album, ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (issued by Gull Records in 1976) is in a completely different league, right down to the fantastic album artwork (‘Fallen Angels’ painted by Patrick Woodroffe).

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