Reviews roundup – Collin Raye vs. Mo Evans vs. Alvin Stardust vs. Miriam Jones vs. Soto
COLLIN RAYE
Everlasting
Goldenlane
Big in the ninieties country star Collin Raye had a clutch of US country number ones back in the day, and has never stopped working. This latest CD sees him returning to his roots when he was a club singer, working in casinos, and is a collection og big ballads.
Now Mr Raye is a fantastioc singer, and I often spin some of his tunes on my country radio show, but how you view this album will depend on how you feel about easy listening classics with a country twist.
Me, I’m perfectly happen to listen to him croon his way through tunes like ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’, ‘How Am I Supposed To Live Without You’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, but it may be a bit saccharine for some. However, he seems to enjoy singing the songs, something that shines through the recordings, and I’ll certainly be giving it plenty of play.
MO EVANS
Spilled My Love
independent
Time for some rock and roll royalty as we welcome the son of Sam Brown and the grandson of Joe Brown to the music scene.
Growing up surrounded by music, there was an inevitability about him becoming a musician, but he’s taken a side step into the world of the modern singer / songwriter, which is fair enough given his age. To me, the likes of Ed Sheeran remains one of lifes imponderables, but there are a lot of people out there who like that sort of thing, and young Master Evans certainly sings better and writes better songs.
This four track EP is a good introduction to his sound, with the title track and ‘You Wanted Love’ the best of the bunch.
ALVIN STARDUST
Tongue Tied
Conehead
A single taken from his posthumous album, “Alvin”, I said at the time that this was the most commercial track on there, so it remains a good choice.
The album itself is full of dark and melancholy roots music, with a touch of spaghetti western, and if you like this single, then you’ll find the album a real treat. A worthy farewell to Mr Stardust, and one certainly worth listening to.
MIRIAM JONES
Between Green & Gone
Cadiz
A new name to me, but one I’m delighted to make the acquaintance of. Ms Jones is a Canadian roots performer, who sits nicely in the Bonnie Raitt mould with her heartfelt songs and delightfully engaging performance.
Her world view is broad with a childhood spent in Papua New Guinea and Nashville, although it is the latter that is closest to a musical home. She rarely gets out of second gear on songs like ‘Given All’, ‘All Over’ and ‘Missed You’ but she has a way of drawing you into songs that leaves you wanting more.
She’s had a few albums out before but with some well chosen support slots and an upcoming solo tour, this could be the one that makes her much better known, and deservedly so.
SOTO
Inside The Vertigo
earMusic
Jeff Scott Soto has been on the go for a long time now, and has come close to breaking big on a couple of occasions. But weither bad luck or bad choices have get him on the fringes. What with that, and his sometime apparent distaste for the hard rock that made his name, it must be tricky trying to sell his music to genre fans who take their music very seriously.
This time around, he’s back in the world of hard rock for a new album which sees him co-writing with some big names including guitarists Gus G (Firewind, Ozzy), Jason Bieler (Saigon Kick), Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob) and Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger/TSO), all of whom perform on their own tracks.
With that calibre, and with the undeniable quality of his voice, this makes “Inside The Vertigo” a very good listening experience. There are some cracking tunes on offer including ‘The Fall’, ‘Narcissistically Yours’ and a closing epic in the shape of ‘End Of Days’, which is one of the best songs he’s ever recorded.
As he enters his fiftieth year, he can look back on his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman, W.E.T., Axel Rudi Pell and many others, and file this one in the top drawer.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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