Reviews roundup – Alan Simon vs. Gus G vs. Joan Baez vs. Marshall Lawrence vs. Magick Touch

Reviews roundup – Alan Simon vs. Gus G vs. Joan Baez vs. Marshall Lawrence vs. Magick Touch

 

ALAN SIMON
Big Bang
Babaika

He’s a busy fella, is Alan Simon. He’s had a best of and the latest installment of his Excalibur rock opera (Part 4 if you’re keeping count) out recently. And now he’s punted out another progressive rock concept album, this one detailing the theoretical Big Bang.

It’s his interpretation of the creation of the universe which is about as prog rock as you can get. As usual there are a few special guests with Alan Stivell, John Helliwell of Supertramp and Michael Sadler of Saga all putting in appearances. It’s actually a largely instrumental piece which covers rock, classical, Celtic, folk and all points in-between, with a rich orchestral feel to the proceedings.

It is a record that need to be consumed in its entirety but ‘Solarius’ featuring the aforementioned Alan Stivell is the one that sticks in my head, while someone looking for an easy route into the world of Alan Simon might want consider ‘Fools’, which has Michael Sadler on vocals Apparently this is the is now the soundtrack of the city of space in Toulouse and there’s a live concert version planned as well. He doesn’t do rubbish, does Alan Simon, and this is another gem.

 

GUS G
Fearless
AFM

Solo album number three from the Dorian Gray like Gus G, best known for his stint in the Ozzy Osbourne band and his work with power metallers Firewind.

Here he seems to be trying to combine these with the help of uber producer Dennis Ward, who also sings, plays bass and co-writes. Which makes it just as much his album as anyone elses. It’s a power trio format with drummer Will Hunt (Evanescence, Black
Label Society) and it’s good. Not great, mind, but good.

For your bucks you’re getting nine vocal tracks (including a surprise rattle through the Dire Straits hit “Money For Nothing”) and three instrumentals to sate the shredders out there who just want to hear him rip. The riff on ‘Mr Manson’ makes for a standout track and the mid-tempo power of ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ makes for a highlight as well, but the album seems split 50/50 between memorable and well, not memorable.

The production is great, as you would expect, and the guitar work is faultless, but some of the songs don’t live up to the presentation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I heard this, but it’s not something that’s going to be on repeat play for long.

 

 

JOAN BAEZ
Whistle Down The Wind
Proper

Joan Baez, eh? I never got it. As a young ‘un, growing up in the seventies, I always found the pitch of her voice aggravating.

But time has mellowed me, and her voice, so this 25th album from Ms Baez is at least listenable. Her first record in ten years sees her teaming up with award winning producer Joe Henry and sees her taking a look at the world today. Odd to relate, it hasn’t got any better in the fifty years since Ms Baez and her contemporaries decided to make the world a better place through the medium of song. But there you go.

She reckons this will be her final album and it’s a fairly predictable wander through the type of songs that you would expect on a Joan Baez album. Say hello to Tom Waits, Josh Ritter and Mary Chapin Carpenter. So ruminations on war, mortality and just how rotten the world is. It’s all set to a very low key, almost lo-fi sound which suits the material and her more mature voice, albeit there is a sameness to the proceedings. In case you were wondering, politicians are corrupt, war is bad, shooting people equally so. The best of the bunch is the song I was least familiar with, ‘ I Wish The Wars Were All Over’ by Tim Eriksen, which will have me searching the internet for his 2001 album.

While it’s diverting to hear a set of more modern protest songs you can’t help but feel it’s still the same old song and dance.

 

MARSHALL LAWRENCE
Feeling Fine
independent

Well now. This is a good one. Blues rock from Canada, with an emphasis on the rock. Just the way I like it.

It’s the fifth album from Marshall Lawrence, with his debut coming out about 15 years back, and sees him taking on a fine set of original material in the company of a fine band. That’s bassist Zach Daniel Robertson, Allan Beveridge (drums) and keyboard player Andrew Glover, if you’re keeping track.

The material ranges from the main body of blues rock into touches of country blues on ‘Ida Mae’, a strong and melodic ballad on ‘Help Me Find My Way Home’ and some really excellent slide guitar work on ‘Keep On Walking’.

It all sounds great, he has a very listenable voice and there isn’t a bum track on offer. So, blues fans, what are you waiting for? Recommended.

 

MAGICK TOUCH
Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire
Edged Circle Productions

Is there likely to be a more heavy metal title this year than “Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire”? I suspect not, it’s that \m/

Their “Electrick Sorcery” a couple of years back was a real treat and the Bergen, Norway metallers haven’t disappointed this time out either. They’re still basically mining the seventies rawk world. You know more “Sin After Sin” than “Killing Machine” – that’s “Hell Bent For Leather” for any colonials tuning in). But whereas there were a couple of fillers last time out, that’s not the case here. No, from the opening ‘Under The Gun’ to the closing title track, this is Grade A plutonium. Or rather polonium given the inclusion of a tune called ‘Polonium Blues’. Either one will kill you, mind, so play safe kids.

The production values have gone up, so their power trio blast seems to start inside your brain, and with songs as good as ‘Electrick Sorcery’, the lighter in the air moment that is ‘Believe In Magick’ and the rifftastic ‘The Great Escape’, Magick Touch are ready to take on the world (hah! see wot I dun). Fantastic.

 

 

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