ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 1, 1983 By Steve Newton With the help of such fine session musicians as drummers Steve Gadd and Steve Ferrone, bassists Will Lee and Marcus Miller, keyboardists David Paich and Jorge Dalto, and saxman David Sanborn, George Benson has come up with another tantalizing collection of funk and … Continue reading Album review: George Benson, In Your Eyes (1983)
Category: Album Reviews
Album review: Boston, Walk On (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 1, 1994 By Steve Newton Twenty years ago, I liked Boston. The band's tight harmonies, uplifting melodies, and surging, echo-laden guitars could always put a smile on my teenage face. Heck, even now I'll reminisce about those halcyon mid-'70s rock days by cranking up "More Than a Feeling" … Continue reading Album review: Boston, Walk On (1994)
Album review: Larry Carlton, Friends (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 1, 1983 By Steve Newton One of the reigning monarchs of L.A. session guitarists, Larry Carlton has played with some of the best in the world. And now, on his third self-produced LP Friends, he's gathered some of the best in the world to play with him. Bassist … Continue reading Album review: Larry Carlton, Friends (1983)
Album review: Martin Briley, One Night With a Stranger (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 1, 1983 By Steve Newton Former Ian Hunter Band member Martin Briley comes on strong with his second solo album (his first for Attic Records), One Night With a Stranger. Brimming with catchy pop/rock tunes like "The Salt in My Tears" and "Just a Mile Away", Briley's newest … Continue reading Album review: Martin Briley, One Night With a Stranger (1983)
Album review: Various Artists, Kiss My Ass (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1994 By Steve Newton The first time I ever laid eyes on Kiss--I think it was on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert--I thought the band was just a bunch of Alice Cooper copycats. A short time later, though, I heard Kiss's 1974 debut album and became a huge fan of the … Continue reading Album review: Various Artists, Kiss My Ass (1994)
Album review: Huey Lewis & the News, Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 10, 1994 By Steve Newton Having already embarrassed himself to the utmost degree with the ultra-lame, supersucky, unforgivably bogus "Stuck With You", all-American apple-pie rocker Huey Lewis turns his vacuous eye on a slew of soul and R&B covers from the '50s and '60s. The painful result--thanks to … Continue reading Album review: Huey Lewis & the News, Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994)
Album review: Mick Ronson, Heaven and Hull (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1994 By Steve Newton From his early-'70s glory-and-glitter days as the muscular, platinum-haired axeman in David Bowie's Spiders from Mars to his workmanlike late-'80s club gigs with Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson always proved himself a rock guitarist of the highest order. When Ronson succumbed to cancer on April 29 of … Continue reading Album review: Mick Ronson, Heaven and Hull (1994)
Album review: Ozzy Osbourne, Bark at the Moon (1983)
It looks like Ozzy'll be laughing all the way to the bank when the royalty cheques for his new album Bark at the Moon come rolling in.
Album review: Richard Pryor, Here and Now (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 18, 1983 By Steve Newton Richard Pryor fans with only five bucks in their pocket for entertainment this week would be well advised to shell it out on Pryor's new album Here and Now rather than the movie from which it's culled. Not that the movie isn't funny, but given the … Continue reading Album review: Richard Pryor, Here and Now (1983)
Album review: Saga, Heads or Tales (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 18, 1983 By Steve Newton The heavily keyboarded and strongly percussive sound of Saga is thoroughly impressive on their latest release, Heads or Tales. Whether it's the rocking opener "The Flyer" or the more sedate "Intermission", the musicians are in top form. Guitarist Ian Crichton, bassist Jim Crichton, drummer Steve Negus, … Continue reading Album review: Saga, Heads or Tales (1983)
Album review: The Charlie Daniels Band, A Decade of Hits (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 16, 1983 By Steve Newton If you happen to have a liking for Southern-fried country-rock and haven't already invested in a good cross-section of it, then the Charlie Daniels Band's latest collection would be a damn good place to start. Their foot-stomping, fiddle-riddled hits "The Devil Went Down … Continue reading Album review: The Charlie Daniels Band, A Decade of Hits (1983)
Album review: Goanna, Spirit of Place (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 20, 1983 By Steve Newton A very pleasing album of music that falls somewhere between light rock and heavy folk, Spirit of Place is yet another consistent and commercially potent release from Down Under. Australia's Goanna band takes the best elements of their countrymates' music--the lovely vocal harmonies … Continue reading Album review: Goanna, Spirit of Place (1983)
Album review: Headpins, Line of Fire (1983)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 2, 1983 By Steve Newton If you liked the scorching guitar, howling vocals, and sturdy bass and drums projected on the Headpin's debut album last year, their new one, Line of Fire, should also be enjoyed. But if you were hoping this popular local band might develop a … Continue reading Album review: Headpins, Line of Fire (1983)