ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 1, 2007 By Steve Newton There's nothing sweeter in the world of rock 'n' roll than the sound of John Fogerty railing against warmongers, as he's been doing so successfully ever since Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" blasted onto the radio back in '69. On Revival, his best … Continue reading Album review: John Fogerty, Revival (2007)
Category: Album Reviews
Album review: Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (2007)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 18, 2007 By Steve Newton You may be wondering what Led Zeppelin's grizzled old blues-metal crooner was doing making a collaborative CD with a country-roots superstar. Was Robert Plant hanging out with Alison Krauss so she would play fiddle on the newfangled Cajun version of "Stairway to Heaven" … Continue reading Album review: Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (2007)
Album review: Ozzy Osbourne, Black Rain (2007)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 2007 By Steve Newton If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an Ozzy Osbourne ballad. Let's face it, Ozzy's not a slow-burn kinda guy, he's a "let's go fuckin' crazy!" kinda guy. I don't buy it when, on the new ballad "Lay Your World on Me", Ozzman tenderly croons … Continue reading Album review: Ozzy Osbourne, Black Rain (2007)
Album review: Jesse Malin, Glitter in the Gutter (2007)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 12, 2007 By Steve Newton On his MySpace page, New York City rocker Jesse Malin quips that his music sounds like "mashed potatoes", which makes a bit of sense, I guess. As well as being totally tasty, the music on Glitter in the Gutter, Malin's third CD, is … Continue reading Album review: Jesse Malin, Glitter in the Gutter (2007)
Album review: John Mellencamp, Freedom’s Road (2007)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 15, 2007 By Steve Newton The release of John Mellencamp's latest CD, Freedom's Road, caused quite the media frenzy in the States. He showed up on all the TV talk shows, plugging the disc on hip programs like The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and unhip ones like … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Freedom’s Road (2007)
Album review: The Who, Endless Wire (2006)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 23, 2006 By Steve Newton After witnessing the Who’s thrilling performance at GM Place last month, I had high hopes for its first studio CD in 24 years. Turns out I was misled by that exhilarating concert, though. Endless Wire may kick off with an electro-babble-synth intro similar to … Continue reading Album review: The Who, Endless Wire (2006)
Album review: Dustin Bentall, Streets With No Lights (2006)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 20, 2006 By Steve Newton It's funny, the stuff you remember, like a phone call to Vancouver rocker Barney Bentall in the early '80s. I was a cub reporter for the Straight, new on the local scene, and I rang him at home to get some details for … Continue reading Album review: Dustin Bentall, Streets With No Lights (2006)
Album review: Brian Setzer, Rockabilly Riot Vol. One: A Tribute to Sun Records (2006)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 3, 2005 By Steve Newton Brian Setzer has always shown a propensity for being hip, with it, a real cool cat who's up on the latest scene. That's why, in the early '80s, his trio the Stray Cats was at the forefront of the rockabilly revival. And when … Continue reading Album review: Brian Setzer, Rockabilly Riot Vol. One: A Tribute to Sun Records (2006)
Album review: Alice Cooper, Dirty Diamonds (2005)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 18, 2005 By Steve Newton The shrink-wrap sticker on Dirty Diamonds claims "this is the classic sound of Alice Cooper!", but that's what they said about the '70s shock-rock pioneer's previous CD, 2003's pointless The Eyes of Alice Cooper. The classic sound of Cooper is what he was doing between 1971 … Continue reading Album review: Alice Cooper, Dirty Diamonds (2005)
Album review: Audioslave, Out of Exile (2005)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 14, 2005 By Steve Newton Unless you're the type of rabid music fan who scours the Straight's out-of-town concert listings, itching for stateside road trips, you probably didn't notice that Whitesnake played the Paramount Theatre in Seattle a couple of weeks back. Strangely enough, I wouldn't be surprised … Continue reading Album review: Audioslave, Out of Exile (2005)
Album review: Joe Perry, Joe Perry (2005)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 2, 2005 By Steve Newton Judging by the cover photo on the new Joe Perry solo CD, you might think that Aerosmith's guitar god has gone rockabilly or somethin'. He's pictured shaking his hips in a slick black retro-'50s suit, posing with a big, Brian Setzer-type hollow-body slung … Continue reading Album review: Joe Perry, Joe Perry (2005)
Album review: Ronnie Earl/Duke Robillard, The Duke meets the Earl (2005)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 28, 2005 By Steve Newton Now here's a matchup made in heaven for fans of electric blues guitar. There's some serious jammin' going on in the first-ever studio pairing of the tasty American pickers, both former members of Roomful of Blues. Robillard brings the mastery of technique, while … Continue reading Album review: Ronnie Earl/Duke Robillard, The Duke meets the Earl (2005)
Album review: Glenn Hughes, Soul Mover (2005)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 21, 2005 By Steve Newton Seventies-rock fans who just can't wait for the May 3 reissue on Rhino Records of Deep Purple's 1974 Burn album can get a similar taste of the eight-track era with the new release from Glenn Hughes. As most dino-rock fanatics know, Hughes was … Continue reading Album review: Glenn Hughes, Soul Mover (2005)