I had intended to write a review of David Bowie's new CD a few weeks ago but I needed time to absorb the disc and then I bought a few new ones and started in with them and then the next thing ya know the whole dang month has gone by. So here are some capsule reviews of what I've been listening to recently.
ANTHRAX-ANTHEMS
It's not as horrible as you've heard or as great as you've heard. People unfamiliar with the band are praising it, long time fans are mostly dismissing it. I stand in the middle. If you take it as face value this is an entertaining EP of cover tunes, if you are looking for more it is hollow and lacking in personality. Both are correct (at least change the Oi! chant in AC/DC's "TNT" to a NOT! chant. Come on guys!). While the songs are played with reverence to the original material, and clearly show off the band as a unit, the trademark humor is gone and there's nary a thrash riff to be found. "Anthems" is being marketed as a thank you to fans and fun project for the band, but what it really is is an attempt to keep the name out there and alive until the next new release, a way to plug the current tour and a cash grab by the label.
2 1/2 out of 5 Daves
DAVID BOWIE-THE NEXT DAY
This is far beyond the comeback album Bowie fans have been waiting for, it is the culmination of his career. It's almost too much Bowie for one person to handle at one time. Every era seems to be represented here, from the "Ziggy" and "Diamond Dogs" to "Earthling", "Hours", "Let's Dance" and "Heroes" all shoved into a blender and poured out as the rich creamy nectar of Bowie. Okay, that was weird but you get the idea. D.B. has been away for ten years and this sounds like the best of all the albums he would have made in that time. On a record this eclectic it's hard to pick a favorite or a misfire. It's just a good compelling listen all the way through. The year's first "Top Ten" contender.
5 out of 5 Daves
RIVAL SONS-HEAD DOWN
Rival Sons are a relatively new band from California (their first self financed digital only release came in 2009) that have had quite a bit of success in Europe but are just now making waves here in the U.S. Their sound is classic, mixing elements of Free, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Uriah Heep and early Who to form a fresh yet familiar sound. But these guys are no nostalgia act or mere tribute to a bygone era. This is a living, breathing rock and roll entity deserving our attention. It's not perfect, mind you. The vocals have a tendency to go a bit high for no reason, and some of the songs go on a bit too long with no real ending or resolution. But these complaints are minor. It's big, pure, heartfelt rock and roll music in the truest sense of the term. Give 'em a listen or three. And turn it up LOUD for maximum effect.
4 out of 5 Daves
SON VOLT-HONKY TONK
Have you ever wondered what Jay Farrar would sound like leading a western swing band? Me neither, but that's the question "Honky Tonk" attempts to answer. Overall, this record is a near miss. There are some good songs, no doubt, but it doesn't quite live up to its own potential. The instrumentation and arrangements are all there but these songs fall flat. Even in the slowest traditional honky tonk ballad there is a swing, a groove, an electricity to the song that is just missing here. I can't tell if the band is trying too hard or not trying hard enough. Again, not a total failure but probably more for hardcore fans than the rest of us.
3 out of 5 Daves
And that's the new stuff for now. Happy listening!
*****BONUS REVIEW*****
IRON MAIDEN-MAIDEN ENGLAND '88
This is exactly what it says it is. A DVD and CD of the band's 1988 "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" tour. The audio portion is previously unreleased so it's nice to have that gap filled in for us completists. It's also interesting to note how fast these songs were being played at the time and how much the band TORE IT UP on stage during the height of the Maiden's most popular line up. A great listen. As for the DVD we get the full concert (originally released in '89) with the previously unavailable encore section, the original documentary "12 Wasted Years" (I wore out my copy as a lad), some promo videos and part 3 of the ongoing "History Of Iron Maiden" documentary. Essential package for fans of one of the top metal bands in history. Up, as always, The Irons!
5 out of 5 Daves
