Reviews roundup – Shania Twain vs. Joe Bonamassa vs. Sadie Norkin vs. Tas Cru vs. Four Star Revival

Reviews roundup – Shania Twain vs. Joe Bonamassa vs. Sadie Norkin vs. Tas Cru vs. Four Star Revival

SHANIA TWAIN
Still The One: Live From Las Vegas DVD
Eagle Vision

Now I’m a Shania fan and am often to be found spinning one of her tunes on my award winning country music radio show*, so I was lookingforward to this.  And it looks great.

It’s a no expense spared Las Vegas extravaganza, filmed at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, with a a 13-piece live band, backing singers and dancers, along with visual effects and horses.  Yes, horses.  But musically it takes a wee while to warm up.  Thing is, that’s fairly common with Las Vegas shows, where it’s all about playing to the scale of the venue.

But once things get going, it’s a fine show, chock full of all her hits with ‘Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)’,  ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’, ‘Come On Over’ and an array of crowd pleasers present and correct.  It also comes with an hour long documentary telling the story of the creation and staging of the show. Fans will love it.

BUY AT AMAZON

JOE BONAMASSA
Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks DVD
Provogue

If there is a vowel in the month, then it must be time for a new Joe Bonamassa live album, and so mote it be, as “Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks” arrives.

This one sees him paying tribute to the legendary Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf was filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheater on August 31, 2014, and saw him playing to his biggest ever crowd at a 9000 ticket, sold out event.  He’s also put a different band together for this show, so it’s something new even for Bonamassa fanatics.

Now, to be fair, you can’t lose when you’re playing songs like ‘Tiger In Your Tank’,’You Shook Me’, ‘Spoonful’, ‘Evil (Is Going On)’ and other classics from the Muddy Wolf catalogue.  Of course, it just makes you want to go back to the originals, but props to Bonamassa for making sure these songs are still hitting the mainstream market.

He throws in a few of his own, as well as a Lynyrd Skynrd tune and a Jimi Hendrix one, and there’s a bonus DVD with documentaries and some original Muddy Wolf footage.  This is one that fans will treasure.

BUY AT AMAZON

SADIE NORKIN
Creating New Life
independent

Sadie Norkin calls herself a progressive, alternative rock, singer songwriter, which covers a lot of bases.  She cites influences like Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Tori Amos, Pantera, St. Vincent and Alice in Chains.

And what you end up with is a kind of indie-prog.  Musically, it’s off kilter and awash with prog influences.  But vocally and melodically it’s very much indie college rock.  So, it’s an odd mix, but not an unwelcome one.

There is no doubt that she is a talented instrumentalist, and when it is just right, as it is on ‘Puppeteer’, where the guitars go a bit prog metal, then it’s clear to see that hers is a name you shouldn’t just file away.  A talent that could go places.

BUY AT AMAZON

TAS CRU
You Keep The Money
Crustee Tees

I do like the music of Tas Cru, even if he does look like my slightly deranged half-brother on the distaff side.

He can cover just about every style of the blues, but always manages to stay sounding just like himself.  A rare trick, but one he performs with applomb.  So whether he’s shuffling along as he does on the title track, getting a bit mellow on ‘A Month Of Sundays’, or turning into a stand up comedian on ‘Heart Trouble’, he’s always worth listening to.

Musically, he’s no slouch as the instrumental ‘La Belle Poutine’ will attest, and best of all is ‘A Little More Time’, a gospel tinged tribute to the elder statesmen and women who made the blues what it is.  Another excellent offering from Tas Cru.

BUY AT AMAZON

FOUR STAR REVIVAL
Knights Of The Revival
Aztek Records

I’ve never been entirely sure why Jesus gets such a hard time from the metal fraternity.  After all, he did some pretty cool things in his time.  Which is why I’ve always been a bit partial to some Christian metal.

And fair play to vocalist Jack Emrick (Life After Death), guitarist Benny Bodine (WarMinister), bassist Ed Girard (House of Jason) and drummer Eddie Ling (Time Wasted Sleeping), who as Four Star Revival certainly know their way around some great riffs.

It’s very eighties influenced, so you you’ll certainly hear elements of Judas Priest in there, especially on the guitars and solos.  The opening track, ‘Hold On’, is an absolute ripper (hah!).  I could have done with one less ballad (probably ‘Home’, but it’s a quibble. There are some prog metal touches in there as well, as on ‘Shine’, but they mainly stick to the power metal template on a solid as a rock offering.

BUY AT AMAZON