JOHN EMMS MUSIC REVIEWS

Finally musicians who actually play.

This is what it’s all about. Forget lip-syncing and backing tracks up the gazoo.

Re-Machined has never left my vehicle since I recieved it. It’s the 40th year anniversary of Deep Purple’s Machine Head and this cover to cover smokes on the water if u don’t mind the pun. 

I think I re-bought MH 4 times now including the vinyl.

Joe Bonamassa, Jimmy Barnes and Arlan Schierbaum simply own Lazy. Schierbaum’s distorted organ intro would make Jon Lord smile while  Barnes rips his lungs out and Bonamassa is fluid, original and of course fiery on his extended solos.

Glenn Hughes puts a nice vocal spin on Maybe I’m a Leo which also features a superb guitar solo by Luis Maldonado and the heavy sticks of Chad Smith. The Flaming Lips version of Smoke On the Water is brutal, but the Kings of  Chaos featuring Joe Elliot and the mighty Steve Stevens who rips an inventive solo stays true to the original.

 Iron Maiden’s Space Truckin’ is almost straight up while Metallica’s When a Blind Man Cries is quite different and totally engaging.  Purchase it for your X-mas List.

Is there anything better than hearing Billy Cox, the  late Gary Moore, and the late Mitch Mitchell perform Red House, Hey Joe, and Stone Free. No way, If that was enough check out Moore and his band rip Foxey Lady and Manic Depression.

Intelligent, surprising and above all sounding amazing Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra is not a rock album.

What it does represent is an extremely accomplished work broken into 3 seperate movements of 16, 19 and 10 minutes and featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with guests like Steve Morse, Joe Bonamassa and Bruce Dickinson to name but three.  Lord’s organ work and the conducting of the orchestra by Paul Mann is often stunning in it’s scope  

JOHN EMMS  is veteran music journalist and radio host http://emms.podbean.com/ john is also a songwriter/guitarist with THE SHAFTMEN www.theshaftmen.com

Serena Ryder’s new album Harmony has enough singles and radio ready sincere pop songs to bring her an international audience.

This new album is a monster!

The album may catch her alt/roots fans by surprise with it’s programmed drums and catchy pop mix from Joe Zook (Katy Perry) but it works because Ryder sings with substance and conviction.

On the opening What I Wouldn’t Do the “Woah Oh” vocal hook mid way through will bowl you over.

Fall, the next song sounds like the best song Adele has yet to release and I swear the song For You sounds as good as Shirley Bassey did at her sixties “Goldfinger” peak

Elsewhere Call Me has a gorgeous vocal against a nice acoustic guitar that sounds like a it could have been written by Stevie Nicks circa 1977.  Yup, it’s another big track folks.

It does not stop. The piano ballad Please Baby Please shows incredible depth and could bring you to tears.

 If that was not enough this record lyrically is very strong revealing all sides of Ryder’s

personality and outlook in this crazy world. 

Producers Jerrod Bettis and Jon Levine really work hard at making this album perfect but still retain the sincerity of Ryder’s killer vocal work.   

It’s a commerical sounding disc no doubt, and as  long as we don’t see Ryder out there with multiple backing tracks and no band this album will go down good live.

Elsewhere Stompa has guitar hook that rivals Jack White while Ryder nails the vocal to the floor. Not to be outdone Heavy Love  absolutely implodes with vitality.

If  both of these tracks don’t go to the top of the US Billboard charts something is seriously wrong.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist. John also hosts his own roots, rock, and blues radio show here http://emms.podbean.com/ and has a blast fronting original blues with THE SHAFTMEN www.theshaftmen.com

Coldplay Live proves one thing.

Under the spectacle , Coldplay is the real thing folks.

In fact this four piece has learned the art of being cerebral and accessible.

And folks, that is all over their first concert film and live CD.

Beneath all the extra production, loops of keyboards and gigantic walls of delay is one of the world’s most musicially ambitious acts

Coldplay’s 2011 tour on this dvd/cd was seen by over 3 million people in 25 countries in the world.

That is staggering!

All along, when I watch the film I’m thinking it would be nice to see this band in front of 500 people without all the pyrotechnics and lasers. Why?

Because the songs are so damn good and the band’s dynamics and feel is gorgeous.  The live versions of songs like Yellow, Fix You, God Put A Smile on My Face, and Clocks breathe and erupt with emotion. 

This is a band at the top of their game and more importantly growing.

Dumb as it sounds this band is a family on this tour.

The included interview segments from director Paul Dugdale are sublime and  prove beyond any doubt Coldplay is the real thing.  In fact, Dugdale’s film gives you an inside view without being over the top.

On the big side the Glastonbury take on Viva La Vida is a monster as is the  LED wristband take of Charlie Brown.

Emotional and and as dynamic as the band itself this film opens the heart and mind.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist. John hosts his own worldwide radio program here  http://emms.podbean.com/

John also has fun as the songwriter/guitarist with Canada’s blues rockers  THE SHAFTMEN www.theshaftmen.com

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When Shania Twain starts her run in Las Vegas will she live up to her potential that brought her from the young lady that I used to slip out and watch at the Escapade Hotel in Timmins to global stardom?

Folks,  it’s a safe bet you can never count out Shania Twain.

If any person can rise to the occasion and fans are hoping she does.

It will be Twain.

Having said that I honestly think Shania has never done what she is capable of doing on an artistic level.

For example it’s fair to say Twain is not driven to really showcase her emotions on the level of someone like Adele or kick the door down and work as hard as Bruce Springsteen.

During the last 8 years fans believe Twain could have written new songs and done a tour.

 Twain could have  reflected on her life from her camping trips as a teenager, to her son Eja, to her divorce with Mutt Lange, to being in love with  her new husband Frederic Thiebaud.

What I’m saying is there is no shortage of topics on the songwriting side of things. 

I have never thought of Twain as a country artist. It’s all about crossover appeal. Even in the early days.

Heck, when I could sneak off between my own sets with our band to see friend David Hartt Longshot were rockin’ Canadian rock bands like Toronto, Loverboy or doing hits like Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing.

Up and Come On Over remain to this day excellent albums. But they are pop albums. I still think Shania’s The Woman In Me released back in 1995 is her most country album.

I think country music fans would eat up an album that good in 2013.

Those albums were made when Twain was working hard. She had the fire in her belly and she ruled as  the sexy and fun loving woman of pop music.

Shania,  will be a perfectionist on every detail of her new Vegas show Still The One.

Let’s face it, to be as entertaining as Celine Dion or Elton John is no easy task but as Twain has proved in the past don’t bet against her.

Especially in Las Vegas.

Besides any woman who enjoys a good game of hockey, played some hard bars in Timmins can always be counted on when the chips are down.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist. John hosts his own radio show here http://emms.podbean.com/ and you can check John’s music on Apple Itunes solo https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/close-another-door/id392307439 or rockin the blues with THE SHAFTMEN https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/paycheque-blues/id365389443

Glass Tiger’s new compilation Then Now Next proves this band not only got it right the first time but may indeed have a new life.

One listen to the remastered muscle of a track like Animal Heart, the sheer gorgeous pop of I’m Still Searching or the majestic ambience of  Thin Red Line are potent reminders.

The trick of course is what can the band do now.

Three new tracks are offered. Al Connelly/Alan Frew’s Stand Up (Give Yourself a Hand) has a Beatle-esque chord progression,  gorgeous guitar work and an organic lead vocal by Frew that lifts the song to an elevated status.

Elsewhere, I Take It Back is a new single aimed at a Don’t Forget Me audience, while Love Is On The Way features another stellar vocal by Frew and is one hell of a pop/rock track that any other act would kill for.

The Thin Red Line two CD Anniversary Package has a fantastic booklet and added demo’s, mixes and the sort but the remastered cd proves this band had more going on then being Much Music video darlings.

Elsewhere Frew’s tracks from his solo work Healing Hands and So Blind are above average tracks included on the compilation

Both releases show Glass Tiger to indeed be inspired.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, radio host http://emms.podbean.com/ and has fun as a vocalist/songwriter www.theshaftmen.com

Deanna Bogart’s latest album Pianoland is packed with musicality and chops that feel natural and confident.

From the short cover romp of  Death Ray Boogie to the superb strident title track and over to the stunning covers of James Taylor’s  Close Your Eyes and Over The Rainbow Bogart lets the listener in on a variety of emotional traffic from her hands and her heart.

Elsewhere the opening original In The Rain has an extensive solo that kills while Willie Dixon’s I Love the Life I Love swings gently with purpose and feel.

Everything here just feels right, so that’s never wrong

JOHN EMMS is veteran music jouralist, songwriter, radio host  http://emms.podbean.com/ JOHN and his blues rocking friends are here www.theshaftmen.com