Reviews roundup – Todd Rundgren vs. Joe Bonamassa vs. Age of Disclosure vs. Birdseed
TODD RUNDGREN
White Knight
Cleopatra
As you would expect from Todd Rundgren no two albums are ever the same. His last releases were a political rant in musical form (“Global”) and a collaboration with two Norwegian dance and disco producers (“Runddans”).
This one, however, is more like the Todd of old and should definitely appeal to those of a certain vintage. Yes, it still flits across genres willy nilly and sees him working with pan generational musicians as diverse as Robyn and Daryl Hall. But he’s managed to write some memorable and melodic songs which manage to cling on to you, unlike a lot of the music he’s released in recent years.
The album highlight, as I’m sure most people will say, is the Robyn led ‘That Could Have Been Me’, closely followed by the seventies power pop of ‘Let’s Do This’. Granted, there are still a few numbers that will having you shrugging your shoulders as with the Trent Reznor assisted ‘Deaf Ears’. But for the most part he holds on to his own sense of the ridiculous and marries that to an excellent set of songs. And about time too.
JOE BONAMASSA
Live At Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening
Provogue
We’re not short of Joe Bonamassa live albums. In fact, without counting, I reckon he’s into double figures now. There’s even been a previous live acoustic album. So why bother with this one?
Well, mainly, because it’s really good. That’s helped along by the fact that it’s more than “just” an acoustic album. He’s got a nine piece band in tow to flesh out the songs in new and interesting ways. So as weLl as the usual suspects like Reese Wynans on piano and Anton Fig on drums there’s cellist Tina Guo and percussion from Hossam Ramzy, an array of backing singers and some inspired instrumentation from across the globe. A real bonus is that as the years have went by Bonamassa himself has worked hard on his vocals. They were always a weak point out of the studio but it shows his dedication to music that he seems to have worked on those as much as his guaranteed guitar skills.
He’s got a lot of music to choose from so as well as songs you might have guessed like ‘This Train’ you get some wild cards such as album highlight ‘Song Of Yesterday’, a Black Country Communion song that lasts for nine minutes but feels like it’s gone in a flash. And a stunning gospel infused version of the Leon Russell gem, ‘Hummingbird’. For sure some of the workouts overstay their welcome but fans of Bonamassa should rest assured that this is another record they’ll want to add to their collections.
AGE OF DISCLOSURE
To The Universe
Kunz
To Switzerland for some power metal, courtesy of Age of Disclosure.
They seem to be a studio project as the album features no less than four different vocalists. Now that might work when you’re dealing with an Ayreon or an Avantasia but here it makes for a disjointed listening experience.
Because there is some good music on offer here and a decent array of riffs for banging ones head to. Guitarist and songwriter Ben Sollberger certainly has the talent to live up to his Queensryche and Iron Maiden influences on songs like ‘Off The Cross’ and ‘I Am Forever’ but it might all come together better with a sympathetic band pullin git all together.
BIRDSEED
Not Out Of Time
Bird Records
A 10″ single all the way from San Francisco. I’ll have some of that. The terribly named Birdseed formed in 2012 and are made up of singer Kerry Landreth, guitarists Jamie Goodyear and Mason Morfit, bassist Lane Murchison, keyboardist Brian Hetherington, saxophonist Peter Landreth, and drummer Scott Bell.
This is actually a five track compilation of songs that had been previously released as singles but as the band and the songs are new to me it doesn’t really matter. There sound seems to have a lot of jangle going on, although it is more paisley pop than sixties Byrds style jangle. So if you remember the likes of The Three O’Clock, Dream Syndicate, and Rain Parade then you won’t find yourself lost here. Add in some Americana influences and it’s certainly a thought provoking sound.
The highlight is definitely ‘Next Trip Around the Sun’ which is certainly the peak of their songwriting and performance here.
I first played this about a week ago. It was the first time I’d played any music since my wife had died from brain cancer the week before. She’d had 10 rounds of chemo and 30 of radiotherapy for the original cancer. We were two weeks away from the follow up scans and full of hope. And then we found out it had spread to the brain. It was eight weeks from diagnosis to death after 25 years of marriage. It was too soon. I couldn’t watch television, I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. This record arrived while she was in the hospice and without knowing I found something soothing in it.
So I’m typing up my notes today and Googled the band for the first time only to find out that vocalist Kerry Landreth has terminal brain cancer. I don’t know her but I wept for her. I’m finding life too painful to carry on but I hope her family and friends can find a way.
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Linda Hamilton Tribute Fund for St. Columba’s Hospice
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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