6 Reviews Thus Far of BOSTON ROCK AND ROLL ANTHOLOGY CHAPTER #21

 
1)Boston Groupie News / Paul Lovell
2)Ffanzeen  Robert Barry Francos

3)Synic Spins  1/19/21

4)Kenne Highland Pamela Ruby Russell

5)Kenne Highland Heidi Jo Hines

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BOSTON GROUPIE NEWS

FFANZEEN

SYNIC SPINS

 

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BOSTON GROUPIE NEWS

 On Monday, November 2, 2020, 11:24:11 AM EST, Joe Viglione Media, Music Services <demodeal@yahoo.com> wrote:

REVIEW
BLOWFISH, PAUL LOVELL
BOSTON GROUPIE NEWS
http://www.bostongroupienews.com/?fbclid=IwAR2MysHfoxG99PgXKhWC7BhN6YSm5pQtn1zWArSUsW0_Nq_pdzxpaZZu7Tk

Joe Viglione has got his Boston Rock and Roll Anthology Chapter #21 out and in the mail. It comes with a 21 page booklet. There is no one genre uniting this comp. There never was in Joe's compilations. These are ways for new groups to get a song onto an album and a publicity push by the Count to get airplay. It works and has helped many bands in the past.

We appreciated the finely crafted pop of The Complaints' “Downtime” and there's even has some sophisticated soul on it via Kitoto Sunshine Love with songs ”Proud Soul Heritage” and “Love You”. and then some funk with Slapback doing “Guardian Angel”. The Empty Country Band from western Mass and Joe Black bring the metal/hard rock. Pop Gun’s drummer Greg Walsh does well with his own material - “Counting Down to Zero (From 1)” recorded at Wooly Mammoth.

Mad Painter (with Kenne Highland) scores with “The Letter” they prove that their 70s rock party translates into the studio. “Thought About You” by Joe Viglione himself sounds like it was written in the Brill Building in 1963. It has the feel of that era and that feeling is very prominent. That’s an amazing writing and recording job.
The whole Anthology album is posted on Mixcloud.

Kenne Highland At Large    Pamela Ruby Russell

 
Thursday, January 7, 2021
 Listening again to Varulven rock and roll #21; this tyme. Pamela Ruby Russell, my facebook friend! "Space and Tyme" has a Cyndi Lauper-type of vocal (could have been '80s commercial hit) with Brad Hallen of Pastische on bass. sci-fi lyrics too, always catches my interest. Even better is "walk through Fyre", a pop ballade with kind of a Medieval sounde; a good soundtrack for Dungeons and Drag Queens, in case you want to "Be More Flamboyant"! "like" on Facebook: Pamela Ruby Russell's Artist Page"!"  https://www.bostongroupienews.com/Kenne011121.html

Kenne Highland At Large    Heidi Jo Hines
Wednesday, January 13, 2021   https://www.bostongroupienews.com/Kenne011821.html

Kenne Highland at Large

Til Tuesday 12 jan 20. took another listen to Boston rock and roll anthology 21, this tyme Heidi Jo Hines had a cut with a fellow name Nico. www.facebook.com/heidijohines. She is daughter of Denny Laine, whom sang Moody Blues "Go Now" and Jo Jo laine. At the fortieth birthday of an infamous Kinks groupie back in 1996, Kirkland café, I had the distinct pleasure of being Jimi Hendrix playing with the Ronettes as Jody Moore/ JoJo Laine and a young Heidi Jo Hines did "be My Baby". Sober, I can say she inherited her dad's singing voice! "As it is" is great stuff like the Raveonettes channeling doo-wop and girl-group. "Who's foolin' Who" is a bouncy Jewel-like tune but with stronger lead vocals/ double-track harmonies. Everything on this comp is slick and commercial radio "friendly", the more I listen, the more that "I dig a Pygmy!"

Kenne Highland At Large  MAD PAINTER

https://www.bostongroupienews.com/Kenne011821.html

 

Kenne Highland At Large   MAD PAINTER

Monday, January 11, 2021

Saturday 9 was a Mad Painter practice, studio again in two weeks. "Highway Driver" by german '70s group Randy Pie WILL be done, a big Pierre le Coutre favourite from "then". Also, SOUNDING like "then" keyboardist Alex Gitlin has a new toon written THIS year that sounds like 1972 "Limey metal blues"/boogie in a Status Quo vein BUT he and I both agreed his keyboards echo Savoy Brown on Hellbound Train/Street Corner Talking etc. TOO soon to record YET but am excited over this one and stay tuned for more mad painter and LIKE them on facebook!"

REVIEW IN FFANZEEN MAGAZINE

Monday, November 30, 2020
CD Reviews: November 2020
https://ffanzeen.blogspot.com/2020/11/cd-reviews-november-2020.html

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2020
Images from the Internet

CD Reviews: November 2020

Dalia Davis
Keep a Clean Engine
Teal Power Records / daliadavismusic@gmail.com
Davis is a Boston-area veteran singer-songwriter who has released this collection of mostly original multi-genre tunes. When she sings, what she brings up to me is the solo singers from Britain during the 1960s, like Celia Black, Lulu, and a bit of Dusty Springfield. This is especially true for her cover of the standard, “When Sunny Gets Blue,” which is a highlight here, with its lite jazz tones. For some reason, this comes across to me, especially on the bridges. Speaking of which, one of my fave cuts is “Beatles Bridges,” which is exactly what it claims to be, a bunch of bridges from Beatles classics into a bluesy, mostly cohesive song, even though the content is all over the emotional map. She starts of strong with “The Power of One,” sliding into the gospel-tinged “Don’t Give Up the Fight.” The harmony vocals enhance the sounds nicely as they are right up front, often equal to Davis. The title track is a nice, almost Jacque Brel-ish type melody that swirls around the sound, without going dark. Another highlight is the gospel and doo-wop infused “Wash Away.”

 

Jack Phillips
Night and Day
Magnolia Group Records
Jack has a nice musical sound that is somewhere between Billy Joel and Elton John, as in the opening original “I Love New York,” mixed with a bit of New Orleans jazz, especially on the likes of “The Old Grey Hat,” and maybe even some soft Southern Rock with “No One’s Home.” The second half of the CD (aka “the flip side”) is mostly jazz/standard sounding, such as “Let’s Drink to Us” and “Take Them to Manhattan.” A more commercial rockin’ sound is given in “No More Waitin’,” one of the better cuts here. The album concludes with a I-IV-V instrumental that relies on a ragin’ guitar by Caleb Quaye on “Down in the Jungle Room” (assuming that’s a Graceland reference). Phillips’ voice is a bit rough at times, but it is unique and actually works really well with the styles he brings forward, which I would say is a highly boogie, almost Cajun-focused sound, with a deep southern tone. It’s an enjoyable listen, especially when he gets his soft jazz boots on.



Various
The Boston Rock & Roll Anthology Chapter 21
Valrulven / joeviglione.com
Joe Viglione has been putting out compilation albums, generally for bands coming out of the Boston/New England area (although this one is more far reaching), for decades, in various forms, such as his Anthology and The Demos that Got the Deal series. And with this, his documenting rock’n’roll history continues. The 21 tracks start off with heavy rocking duo (guitar and drums) 3D that originated in the 1980s (not to be confused with New York’s 3-D from the same period), with the anti-drug song, “Anything But Peace.” Pamela Ruby Russell’s first cut, “Space and Time,” has almost a hymnal tone with a military-paced back beat that works together beautifully. Her voice is sweet and the overdubbing with itself works, to give it a powerful punch; her second cut shows off her voice even more. Here she has a Judy Collins intonation, which really operates for her. The production is also quite enjoyable, being full without feeling over-kneaded. Working with the likes of Peter Calo and Andy Pratt certainly give her an extra zing. Karmacar – Heidi Jo Hines and Nico’s “As It Is” has a bit of a 1970s New Agey feel to it, though I believe it would have been stronger without the self-overdubbing and just let Heidi’s voice be by itself; their other cut on the CD, “Who’s Foolin’ Who?”, gives a better example of her voice, and is superior of the two, with a catchy melody and improves on the catchy harmonies. On a more esoteric note is the next two cuts – “Downtime” by the Complaints and “Faraday” by Phil DaRosa – which use a bit more electronica to posit their songs, especially the latter, which is kind of long in the tooth at nearly 6 minutes. The former has a mild Beatleseque tone. Kitoto Sunshine Love spreads the smooth ‘70s soul sound in the beautiful “Proud Soul Heritage.” Worth checking out; her second track, “Love You,” is equally as strong and arguably shows off her voice even more than the first cut, which was thoroughly enjoyable. Yeah, I would buy an album by her. Fittingly, Slapback follows with its lite funk “Guardian Angel (Radio Mix)” that is cheerful and fluffy in a good way. Hard rockers Empty County Band have been reviewed on this blog before. Their first track, “Until the End,” is a slow grinder and burner, but the vocals need to be a bit more up front in the mix; “Skeptical” is much stronger all around and a better listen, but both are good. Joe Black leads a guitar-centric metal group that wails with “Blackenstein.” If you like the guitar god sound, this mostly instrumental screamer is for you; for “Monster,” Black is joined on vocals by Jeffrey Baker. This cut is a more traditional rocker that switches between slow burner to a wild ride, which should please any metalhead. The lyrics are a bit silly (especially the chorus), but the guitar makes up for it. Tom Mitch, Jr.’s soulful “Table Scraps” reminds me a bit of Joe Tex, which is a compliment. Harmonious pop rockers Greg Walsh’s New Ghosts presents “Counting Down to Zero (From 1),” which has a late ‘60s sound mixed with early ‘80s echoey production styles. Mad Painter’s exuberant “The Letter” (not to be confused with the Box Tops song) has a bit of a Mod sound mixed with Ian Whitcomb’s bounciness, especially in Alex Gitlan’s vocals. As a note, a personal fave of mine from the Boston scene, my pal Kenne Highland, plays bass. Next up – and rightfully so – is a cut by the man himself, Joe Viglione, with his original “Thought About You.” Backed up by Jay and Scott Couper (who played with Denny Laine in the ‘80s), Joe presents one of the better songs I’ve heard from him in a while (and I like his stuff). It’s light without being sophomoric, and has a harmonious catch that could easily play on the radio and have people singing the chorus with him. Following is Boston musical veteran Dalia Davis, with “Eleven and a Half.” Reminding me of Harriet Shock here, Davis shines in a song about reminiscences. Fire in the Field’s “Bossman,” has a bit of an ‘80s rock sound that works, but somewhat harmless and generic, with harmonies and a cowbell sound. Concluding is “The Ballad of the Rock Star,” by Matty O’. This is a nice way to end, with a smooth Irish rock sound that fits well into the collection. Matty gets a couple of opportunities to show off his voice, which is appealing. Overall? This is a pretty damn decent collection of different styles, from singer-songwriter to heavy metal wailing, and it all works together. You can tell Viglione worked hard on the order of presentation of the songs, and he has a nice flow going so there isn’t an equivalent of a film’s jump cut. Everything flows pretty smoothly, and as a collection, it all meshes well. And if that wasn't enough, there is a really well thought-out glossy booklet that comes with it that is full of artist and song info and nice color pictures. Stunningly done.

MARK ROCKOWER REVIEW in Ffanzeen

  

Rockower
It’s Alright But It’s Never Enough
Mark Rockower Music
Great name for the band; fortunate that the center of it has this appellation. Mark Rockower is on vox, guitar and synthesizer (and songwriting), Derek Hughes plays bass, backed mostly by Jax Bowers on drums. But essentially, this is a two-man outfit, even recording it in Hughes studio (garage? basement?). This harmonious (i.e., overdubs of Rockower’s vocals) almost pop rock has all the hallmark sounds of a demo. Now, to be fair, a demo sound is so much more preferred by us aficionados than the cold, overproduced music mostly found on the radio today. It reminds me of the likes of The Nerves (who originally sang “Hanging on the Telephone”). The amateurishness (of the sound, not the playing ability) is refreshing and enjoyable, starting right off with the upbeat “American Dope.” Each song going forward is a bit different, but the overdubbing is pretty consistent, though I believe it should be used more sparingly, such as on choruses; overdubbing vocals also make it harder to hear the lyrics. “The Other Side” sounds a bit more garage from the late ‘60s, or possibly less formulaic than the early ‘80s. As the CD plays on, it definitely grew on me more. Sure, “Simple Minds” is a bit of filler, but they make up for it with the very next up-beat poppy number, “Lunar Star.” For a miss, like “Vacation Girl,” a synth noise mess, there are others that are worth the listen, like (again) the following cut, “Driving Force” and the title number, which closes out the 10-song disc. Basically, the entire zeitgeist is about American culture in the here and now, which makes it an interesting timepiece. I definitely liked it more on the second listen.  Weirdly, the biggest mistake is not printing the name of the band or CD on the disc proper, rather than just an image. Good way to get the disc lost.   https://ffanzeen.blogspot.com/2021/

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
Boston Rock And Roll Anthology - Chapter #21

 This one was a long time coming, and an unusual but fun one to write. The Boston Rock And Roll Anthology features 21 tracks by almost that many different artists, all coming from the Boston Massachusetts area. This is gonna be a super long one, but to keep it a readable length, I'm not gonna go super deep into each track individually the way I originally thought I would. So to save your eyes, both our time, and my fingers, I'm gonna very briefly get into each track and just spew out the major points: who they sound like, what works for me, and what doesn't work for me. This is gonna be the first post of this kind that I've ever done, so hopefully it works out OK. I'll post it the way it turns out, and we can decide together if it works well or not so maybe I can do more like it in the future...

Anyway, here we go.




1. "Everything But Peace" - 3D

This one has a classic blues-rock feel to it. I think the mixing and cool guitar riffs are the best qualities, as well as the simple but appropriately simple percussion. My one note is that there seems to be one cymbal of some kind that stands out rather jarringly over the rest of the percussion. It gets to be pretty distracting.




2. "Space and Time" - Pamela Ruby Russell

This track is very reminiscent of the 80s power-pop girl groups, such as the Go-Go's and The Bangles. My favorite part of the song is found within the vocal style and harmonies. They shine here. My biggest draw back with the song is that its very simply structured without much variation. It's not very engaging as a first time listen.




3. "As It Is" - Karmacar

This one is very reminiscent of 60s-70s groups where the vocals are kept prominent and the instrumentation is left very simple to leave the voices as the main focus. It reminds me specifically of The Mamas & The Papas, with some minor BeeGees flavors in there. The Brothers Gibb only appear in here because of the falsetto nature of the vocals. The mixing and overall sound work pretty well, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of the slow tempo and falsetto sound.




4. "Downtime" - The Complaints

The vocalist has a very Bryan Adams-like tone about him, that adds a pretty unique flavor to the track. It's mixed and mastered quite beautifully, with a plethora of subtle changes and build-ups sprinkled within the meat and potatoes of the song. All that with a sweet little solo thrown in makes for a really interesting first listen. If I had to nitpick, I would say that maybe he says "Downtime" a bit too much.




5. "Faraday" - Phil daRosa

This one has a very unique and interesting sound to it. It almost makes me think of 00's-10's electro-indie pop rock? Kinda? But again I'm not entirely sure what it sounds like. I really dig the overall tone of the track, as it creates a very mysterious and haunty feel while listening. My big drawbacks with the song, however, include the long drawn-out intro, that seems to last forever. I'm not sure about the percussion style here, either. It feels really sporadic and abrasive, almost random in its placement.




6. "Proud Soul Heritage" - Kitoto Sunshine Love

This one is really fun. It's got some gospel flavors mixed with a folky feel-good base. I love the harmonies, and the backing vocals are really the shining star of this track. My one peeve with this song, and maybe it's just the nature of the genre, but she says "soul" so many times it almost gets annoying.




7. "Guardian Angel" - Slapback

This is a fun one too. The whole song has a really full sound, with many layers to peel back. It reminds me very much of No Doubt, but without the nauseating vocals of Gwen Stefani. I think the vocalist is more reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette with her tone. I think the song as a whole is done extremely well. My biggest issue is that the bridge and outro feel a little lazily done compared to the rest of the song. With a little more time and focus spent on them, the whole song would really shine.




8. "Until The End" - Empty County Band

I love this one. It's got a lot of Seattle grungy punk rock sound to it, with maybe a sprinkling of Faith No More. The best parts of the song are the edgy bass groove, wonderful solos, and its overall surprisingly raw sound. What doesn't work is the way it is mixed and mastered, as it doesn't really fit within the compilation with the other, more highly produced singles.




9. "Blackenstein" - Joe Black

This one was unexpected, but definitely a pleasant surprise. Simply put, it's a hard-rock instrumental. It features some impressive guitar work, and some excellent solos done by the guitar, drums, and even the bass. It all works. My one note is that the transitions between the solos could use some more polishing. It feels a hair disjointed at times.




10. "Table Scraps" - Tom Mich Jr.

This is another unexpected gem from the compilation. It's a bluesy funk-rock number with some hints of gospel and soul. It reminds me a bit of Clarence Carter, actually. The vocals, funky guitar tones, and backing vocals/harmonies are all my favorite elements of the song. If I were to tweak it at all, I would say the ending was a little abrupt. And I was hoping for some kind of solo, maybe a harmonica thrown into the mix. But that's just me being nit-picky again.




11. "Counting Down to Zero (From 1)" - Greg Walsh's New Ghosts

This one reminds me a bit of some kind of strange indie-punk and Motorhead combo. Sounds weird, but actually works quite well. I love the aggressive guitar tone and hard-driving rhythm section. I also love the lyric patterns and harmonies, they created a really unique and engaging sound here. My one comment is that the ending could use some polish. The effect seems to last a bit too long. With the sound of the song, I actually wish there was a more abrupt ending here, believe it or not.




12. "The Letter" - Mad Painter

For a compilation of indie artists from the Boston area, I'm surprised at the lack of Boston-rock sounding artists. This song was the first. Imagine Dropkick Murphys, only without the bagpipes and general ridiculousness. The best parts of this track are that they are not the DKM's, and I especially love their use of keys. I only wish that it were mixed a little better and the keys were turned up.




13. "Monster" - Joe Black

This was another really fun jam. It's kinda bluesy hard rock, with hints of grunge and even metal throughout. It actually reminds me of 80s metal band Krokus. The crescendos and full-band jam during the chorus work especially well, as do the solos. My only gripe is that the vocal harmonies could have used some more polishing.




14. "Skeptical" - Empty County Band

This is another one that sounds fresh out of the Seattle grunge-punk scene. This one, to me, sounded a little more Soundgardeny. I love the tone of the bass, and the hard driving rhythm section. The solo is also particularly special. This one has a similar issue to the previous track I mentioned to sound like Seattle. The raw production quality works great on the track, but it doesn't exactly fit within this compilation.




15. "Walk Thru Fire" - Pamela Ruby Russell

This one sounds kinda celtic-rocky, or if Lacuna Coil, or Kobra and The Lotus weren't metal bands. Its got  a solid, driving bass groove, great percussion, and a wonderfully unique vocal style. There is a ton of sound variety here, with a lot of experimentation. However, there is perhaps too much experimenting here, and I'm not so sure all the different elements blend together that well. There's chimes, horns, different percussive instruments, spanish guitar, woodwinds, etc etc. It's a little much.




16. "Love You" - Kitoto Sunshine Love

This is a nice little gospelly-sounding folk ballad with tremendous vocal work, accompanied by keys and percussion that compliment each other beautifully. My only note is that the mixing could use a little more polishing, as the piano seemed a little too loud at times throughout.




17. "Who's Foolin' Who" - Karmacar

The 60s-70s reminiscent, Mamas & Papas-esque group are back, but they picked up the tempo a bit and dropped the falsetto tones. The harmonies are stronger here, the pacing is better, and overall it's a more enjoyable listen than their previous single from the compilation. My only gripe, and this may sound familiar, is that they say "foolin'/who is foolin'" a few too many times.




18. "I Thought About You" - Joe Viglione

This is a truly fun, vintage sounding rock and roll track, that reminds me a bit of the Animals or the Turtles maybe. It's mixed well, has a nostalgic feel bringing me back to the days of early harmonic rock and roll, with catchy and relatable lyrics. My only note is that the heavy vocal overdubs get a little distracting at times.




19. "Eleven And A Half" - Dalia Davis

This track features a strong female vocal lead, with subtle guitar and keys flowing delicately underneath. It's mixed quite beautifully, I actually love the choice to keep her voice up front and the other song elements subtly playing underneath her. I especially love the harmonies here, in fact my one drawback with this song is that I wish there were more harmonies.




20. "Bossman" - Fire in the Field

This is a cool little rock tune that for whatever reason reminds me of Jet. It's got a bluesy guitar riff, an edgy vocal style, and angsty harmonies in the chorus. It all comes together magically. My only comment on this one is the solo itself. I love that they included a solo, I've kinda been obsessed with guitar solos since Eddie died, but this solo feels a little disjointed to me. It could use a little more polishing.




21. "Ballad of a Rock Star" - Matty O

This final track is a spirited rock and roll jam, and for some reason it reminds me of "The Entertainer" by Billy Joel and "Keep Yourself Alive" by Queen. They don't sound alike at all, but it's something about the vocal patterns during the verses that makes those other songs pop into my brain. It has a very full, layered sound, and a damn-near flawless solo. It's mixed beautifully, too. My biggest draw are the "hoo-hoo"s that came fresh out of "Sympathy for the Devil." I hated the hoo-hoo's when the Stones did it, and I still hate them now.