Reviews roundup – Lionheart vs. Laura Muccini vs. Dusan Jevtovic vs. Groundstate
LIONHEART
Second Nature
AOR Heaven
A mere thirty years after they broke up, Lionheart reformed last year. Granted, with a new singer but they got through a few of those back in the eighties when their one and only studio album, “Hot Tonight” was released.
That was a good album but being a British melodic rock band in 1984 wasn’t a good thing. So it got lost despite the presence of main men Dennis Stratton (lead guitar/backing vocals, ex-Iron Maiden), Steve Mann (lead guitar/backing vocals, ex-Liar), and Rocky Newton (bass guitar/backing vocals, ex-Wildfire), all of whom are present and correct in this latest incarnation. And they’ve made another good record four decades on.
Of course being a British melodic rock band in 2017 isn’t a good thing! But they’re probably past caring by now. They’ve brought in vocalist Lee Small (Phenomena/Shy) and he does a bang up job on some top quality tunes alongside Clive Edwards (drums ex Wild Horses / UFO). There are songs here as good as anything theyy did back in the day with great melodies and harmonies abounding on the likes of ‘Give Me The Light’ and ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’. There are a couple of odd cover versions with Chris de Burgh’s ‘Don’t Pay The Ferryman’ and forgotten NWOBHM also rans Taurus getting a look in on ‘Every Boy in Town’ but they fit in seamlessly to a thoroughly enjoyable release.
As comebacks go this was an unlikely one. But it’s turned out to be one of the best ones for fans of vintage melodic rock.
LAURA MUCCINI
Inside Me
independent
The PR bumph says “for fans of Regina Spektor, Sia, Vanessa Carlton” and I certainly can’t argue with the first one as it’s her disjointed, dark jazz-pop that is the obvious marker for this release.
She started life as a trained opera singer, working in Bel Canto as a dramatic soprano before life intervened and she became a wife and mother of three. When her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour she returned to music as a form of therapy and this is the raw and visceral response. Albeit a melodic one.
The songs are actually too personal, especially for me, as my wife died of brain cancer a few weeks back, so the emotion was at times just too much to bear, especially on ‘My Prayer of Love’. She does try to find some joy in a couple of places and if you can step back a bit and adjust to her idiosyncratic vocals then you may find songs like ‘Wild Strawberries’ a worthwhile experience.
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St Columba’s Hospice Tribute Fund for Linda Hamilton
http://linda.hamilton.muchloved.com/
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DUSAN JEVTOVIC
No Answer
Moonjune
Some modern jazz fusion now courtesy of guitarist Dusan Jevtovic and pianist Vasil Hadzimanov, along with Asaf Sirkis on drums.
Of course I’m sure there is some kind of fancy new description for this sort of thing that will involve the word post, a hyphen and something or other after it, but it’s basically that mix of jazz and progressive rock that has enthralled and repelled in equal measures for the last forty years or so. For sure, it’s a twenty first century release so there are some new twists in there reflecting the modern world, but there are only so many time changes in the world and John McLaughlin came up with most of them back in the day.
This is a good release though, the two day recording window ensuring there are plenty of off the cuff moments, steering it away from over thinking, which results in some inspired moments especially on the lengthy ‘Frusci’ and ‘The Place With A View’. The musicians seem perfectly in sync with each other and the level of interplay is a jy to behear. This comes highly recommended to fans of instrumental fusion.
GROUNDSTATE
Progress
independent
Lastly, for today, we’re off to Bay Village, Ohio for some nu-metal. Home to Brad Friedel, Villa and Spurs fact fans!
Yes, looks like the nineties are still big in that neck of the woods, a world where guitars are down tuned and the world is full of shit. Well the latter is certainly true and it seems like Connor Smith-Lead Vocals/Bass, Aidan Smith-Guitar and Matt “Doug” Szekely-Drums/Backing Vocals aren’t fans either. Not if the words to tunes like ‘Just Leave’ and ‘Digitalis’ are anything to by. Mind you, they must have been running out of inspiration / depression by the time they got to ‘Jimmy’ which revolves around some lad who’s been barred from the caff for doing a runner.
That aside, if nu-metal with some twenty first century alt-metal touches is your thing, then this is as good as anything else in a mid-afternoon slot at Download.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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