Reviews roundup – Toto vs. Blueminded vs. Made In Waves vs. Balkun Brothers vs. Kevin Serra

Reviews roundup – Toto vs. Blueminded vs. Made In Waves vs. Balkun Brothers vs. Kevin Serra

TOTO
Orphan (single)
Frontiers

The first album from Toto in nine years is out this month, and I was listening to this first single when the news broke about the sad passing of Mike Porcaro, bass playing brother of Toto members, the late Jeff Porcaro, and Steve Porcaro, who died after years of illness with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

It’s a downbeat time, but with Joseph Williams back full-time in the vocalist slot, this song really does rekindle the golden years of Toto. The song itself is very much in that smooth AOR vein which was shot through their greatest moments, with lyrics that talks about kindred spirits and belonging.

It’s a good Toto song, which makes it great by anyone else’s standards, and an exciting foretaste of the album to come.

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BLUEMINDED
same
independent

On the subject of AOR, here’s a newish band from Holland, who sound as though they have more than one Toto album hidden away in their collection.

Blueminded have been on the go for couple of years, and the kingpin is one Jörgen Koenen, who plays guitar and wrote all the songs on his four track EP. It sounds heavily influenced by eighties AOR, with some hints of Night Ranger in their as well. Vocalist Rob Rompen (crazy name, crazy guy) has a warm, smooth voice well suited to the material, and when they hit a height as they do on ‘Call On Me’, then this becomes very good indeed.

If they have a few more songs of that quality up their sleeve, then one of the big AOR companies should definitely come knocking.

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MADE IN WAVES
same
independent

Time for some metal now. Well, I say metal, but it’s that new fangled modern metal thing which bears little resemblance to my beloved metal of yore.

Made In Waves began life as Ghost In The Machine, way back in the noughties, and over the years they’ve opened shows for the likes of Incubus, P.O.D. and The Deftones. They had a reasonable profile in their native Missouri, and have released a couple of EPs, as well as going through a series of line-up changes.

Maybe, founding guitarist Bryan Kay thought the name had went as far as it could, because 2014 saw them change their name, punt out a couple of singles and record this debut album. And it’s pretty much what you would expect. A mix of alt rock and modern metal, heavily influenced by the nu-metal sounds of their youth. It’s well produced and performed, and songs like ‘Deep Blue Dream’ and ‘Earth Island’ are well worth a stream.

http://www.madeinwavesband.com/

 
BALKUN BROTHERS
ReDrova
independent

Not from the Balkans, rather Connecticut, this release sees brothers Steve on vocals and guitar, brother Nick on drums and vocals, and non-brother Caleb Battersby on bass, horn, and vocals playing up a blues storm.

They really are good, and you can tell that these songs have been worked out on the road, somewhere the band spends most of their time. They can switch between classic blues and blues rock with ease, as they power through some really good songs, such as ‘Sally’s Blues’ and ‘Too Damn Long’. The band is tight, and Steve has exactly the right type of voice for the all original songs they’re singing.

If you’re looking for a new band to hitch your wagon to, the Balkun Brothers are just about as good as it gets.

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KEVIN SERRA
Mirage Reflection
independent

All you really need to know about Kevin Serra is that his life changed when at age 14, he saw Joe Satriani live in concert. He got a guitar, was playing his own music within a couple of years, went off to the Guitar Institute in London, and started working as a session guitarist and instructor.

And here he is with a 5 track EP of instrumental widdling, which will be manna to fans of the aforementioned Mr Satriana (the early years). He’s not a stranger to melody, which always helps with this kind of music, and he really stretches out on tunes like ‘Honour The Brave’ and ‘Acid Dream’.

It’s well produced and arranged, with some nice keyboard touches, hither and thither, which help raise this above your bog standard widdle affair. Definitely recommended to fans of the genre.

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