Rawk roundup – California Breed vs. Heart vs. SunStrike

Rawk roundup – California Breed vs. Heart vs. SunStrike
CALIFORNIA BREED
California Breed
Frontiers Records

 

And here comes the 4th Black Country Communion album. No-one seems to have been more upset at the end of BCC than Glenn Hughes. But rather than fester on their demise, he’s done the next best thing and brought in a replacement for Joe Bonamassa in the shape of 23 year old Andrew Watt.

And with Dererk Sherinian having taken the easy way out by joining the Bonamassa touring band, that leaves Hughes and Jason Bonham to push this seventies inspired rock and roll juggernaut onwards and upwards.

It’s a record that follows straight on from BCC, but with some bigger riffs, something that pleases me no end. Across the twelve tracks, the trio pull out all the stops with some tunes as good as anything Hughes has put his name to over the years.

So say hello to ‘Midnight Oil’, ‘The Way’ and ‘All Falls Down’. It was a real shame that BCC finished the way it did, but Hughes and Bonham have responded in fine style. It’s also out as two disc edition with DVD which includes videos for ‘Sweet Tea’ and ‘The Way’, along with a making of the videos thing and an electronic press kit.

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HEART
Magazine
Audio Fidelity

 

Album number three / two from Heart, was the 1978 follow up to their platinum debut. It was mired in controversy as Heart fought to be freed from their Canadian record deal (see picture at the bottom to find out one reason why), hence why the label punted out the record without the bands say so.

Another version eventually emerged, albeit one the band still didn’t care for, and I doubt they give this album a second thought these days. So an odd one for Audio Fidelity to put out, as it will only be the most hardcore Heart fans who will pony up for it.

But there are a couple of great Heart tunes here, and the remastering brings out the best in them. ‘Devil Delight’ and ‘Heartless’ are two lost classics from the Heart canon, although I doubt anyone will want to hear the two live songs the original album was padded out with, especially their version of ‘I’ve Got The Music In Me’.

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SUNSTRIKE
Rock Your World
AOR Heaven

 

Yet another AOR / melodic rock band from Sweden, where everyone is born with a copy of the debut Boston album and a Journey Greatest Hits” clutched in their tiny little palms.

This one sees guitarist Joachim Nordlund and drummer Johan Lindstedt from the band Astral Doors, who were joined initially by singer Christian Hedgren (Twilight Force). They wrote some tunes, hunted for the rest of their band, posted some demos online, and AOR Heaven came a knocking.

And it’s a good one. It’s upbeat, full of melodies and catchy as hell. Hedgren has the perfect voice for these kind of songs, and with a rich, full sound, the band is a delight to listen to.

They hit you with their best shot first, as ‘Power Of The Dreams’ is one of the best AOR tunes you’ll hear all year, but with only a couple of sags on the twelve track album, you’ll find yourself humming ‘Rock Your World’ and ‘Fireball’ (no relation) for a long time to come.

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