Reviews roundup – Deep Purple vs. Elvenking vs. Leading Ladies vs. The Sidney Green Street Band

Reviews roundup – Deep Purple vs. Elvenking vs. Leading Ladies vs. The Sidney Green Street Band

 

DEEP PURPLE
The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1
earMusic

I had the misfortune to hear the Deep Purple in concert show on the BBC the day before this arrived. Oh dear. I stopped going to DP live shows a few years back due to the ropy nature of the vocals and if the BBC show is anything to go by, time has not been kind. Bit this is a wee bit better.

I’m guessing there is a touch of the Unleashed In The Studio about this as the bum notes, strained vocals and Seattle styled guitar that was all over the live show are missing from this. Granted, it’s hardly likely to replace “Made In Japan” or indeed the much superior “In Concert 1970-1972” but as a souvenir of the current live show this does the trick. At least there is a still a swathe of newer material on offer so half the set is taken up with post reunion tunes.

Of the old ones it’s my beloved ‘Bloodsucker’ that works best. Of the new stuff ‘Time For Bedlam’ is fine but not as a show opener and it’s ‘Bird Of Prey’ that I enjoyed most in the live setting. Of the musicians it’s Paice and Airey who seem to be at the top of their game. If you just want the live set which was recorded earlier this year at the Hellfest show in France you can only get it on vinyl or MP3. Otherwise you have to buy another copy of “Infinite” with this as a bonus CD.

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ELVENKING
Secrets Of The Magick Grimoire
AFM

Now that’s a proper name for a heavy metal album. “Secrets Of The Magick Grimoire”. It just rolls of your studded tongue.

I’ve always partial to the noise that Elvenking make. Their folk tinged power metal is very enjoyable. But I’ve often found that the songs aren’t as good as the riffs and the performance. That’s still the case but there are more good songs here than I’m in the habit of getting from them.

They’ve continued their move into full blown power metal so there is less hey nonny no than of yore and numbers like ‘Draugen’s Maelstrom’, ‘The Horned Ghost and the Sorcerer’ and ‘At the Court of the Wild Hunt’ are amongst the best they’ve ever produced, especially the latter with a guesting Snowy Shaw (ex-Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Therion, ex everyone). It’s probably their best to date which is good going for a band approaching veteran status.

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LEADING LADIES
Songs from the Stage
Rhino

And…jazzhands! Although Leading Ladies is pushing it a bit as only Beverley Knight is really known to the outside world and even she specialises in touring productions.

She’s joined by Amber Riley (“Dreamgirls”) and Cassidy Janson (“Beautiful”) or as the press bumph would have it “‘Direct from the West End comes a unique union of three celebrated queens of musical theatre”. The good news, though, is the fact that the net has been spread far and wide for tunes, so it’s not all the same Lloyd Webber (Hurrah!) / Sondheim (boo!) songs that normally permeate releases like this.

For sure there are a few recognisable hits. After all, this is being aimed firmly at the Christmas present market, hence jukebox musical numbers like ‘I’m Every Woman’ from “The Bodyguard” and ‘You Make Me Feel Like – A Natural Woman’ from “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” but they also pull in numbers like ‘Falling Slowly’ from “Once” and ‘Raise The Roof’ from “The Wild Party”. But the best is a classic as the version of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ from “Funny Girl” which even predates me is just stunning. A Christmas present worth having.

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THE SIDNEY GREEN STREET BAND
Half Live
independent

It’s been three years or so since I bumped into the worlds leading fat fella from the Maltese Falcon tribute band . Well, actually, no. They’re actually a bunch of seasoned musos who like to play with each other during their down time.

And as they’ve performed with the likes of Ian Hunter, John Cale, Flo & Eddie, Gary “US” Bonds, Dion, Popa Chubby, Kiki Dee, Joe Cocker and many, many more, it’s safe to say that they have the chops. They’re still mining the jam band meets Southern rock meets the Asbury Dukes sound of before so it’s a place fans of Gov’t Mule would probably find comfy.

Thing is, not all of the songs are keepers but when they manage to get the song to match the performance then tunes like ‘Bye Bye Bye’, ‘‘Some Things Ain’t Never Gonna Change’ and the mellow ‘Divine’ just jump with life. A few more like those and a few more Southern riffs and they’ll have it bang on.

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St Columba’s Hospice Tribute Fund for Linda Hamilton
http://linda.hamilton.muchloved.com/
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