Best of the Week
Dave Martone - Clean
2008 11 tracks (46:11)
An absolute master of rock guitar shows exactly why so many believe he has no peer. Martone has taught and influenced a number of well known contemporary guitar freaks and you can hear them all in his eleven tunes on this album. Now, it is one thing to play an instrument on the highest plain, but can you make it musically relevant? Yes, and every track is worthy of listening to multiple times. Incredibly, he sounds like many different persons given how one sonic style is not played throughout; he is many players in one. It is unfortunate he only has a few albums and plays as an accompanying artist on a few others. For that reason, this is to be enjoyed and savored. A+
Django Django - Glowing In The Dark
2021 18 tracks (1:04:56)
Using a variety of electronic instruments, this new age, electro pop, and art rock group make some of the best smart pop around. A little art and psyche thrown in they just let the creative mixes sell the easy hooks to draw you in. Most of these clock in at around the three minute mark, so you certainly don’t tire of the jig they pitch at you. Many just flow into each other anyway. For comparisons, there is a combination of 10cc, Phish, OMD, and Arcade Fire. Hard to peg but fun to listen to. A
Wolf Hoffman - Headbangers Symphony
2016 11 tracks (48:32)
Hoffman is the band Accept’s long time guitarist, but as a side project he likes to take classical classics and recreate them into heavy metal bangers with symphonic support. The results are excellent, possibly improving the original (sorry Beethoven). The trick redoing any song that has stood the test of time is doing honor to the original while bringing something new to the table. Hoffman does this well and the results are a delight. A
Interesting Finds
Nada Surf - Lucky
2008 11 tracks (42:51)
Considered an alternative rock band, but they know how to make exceptionally tuneful pop tunes without the alternative edge. Death Cab For Cutie would be a comparable band. It’s hard to pick out favorite songs due to its consistent sound. Well done throughout. B+
Gary Hoey - Ballads That Burn
2012 15 tracks (1:04:17)
Another terrific ax man that shows Joe Satriani like compositional and guitar savvy with Buckethead like technically gifted hands. That’s pretty heavy company and he may not quite be as astute as either one, but it’s close enough. This release seems like a mixture of several different recordings because some are clearly studio efforts (“Coasting”), live performances (“Peace Pipe” and “The Deep”) some with vocals (“Fades Away”). Doesn’t matter, the result is very good. B
Minami Deutsch - With Dim Light
2017 6 tracks (40:42)
Described as a Japanese band that plays Krautrock, you wouldn’t know it from the first song (“Concrete Ocean”) that sounds more like a light jazz trio. Whatever. Everything else seems to be on point with hard driving guitars leading rhythmic bass and drum lines. The two adjoining cuts, “Tunnel” and “I’ve Seen a U.F.O” are so similar that one just seems like an extension of the other. Good stuff. B
Dolly Parton - Rockstar
2023 30 tracks (2:21:30)
OMG, this album has some amazing moments. DP signs up some of the greatest icons in rock to do their songs, often with the original performer. All of the songs, many familiar to everyone, were redone from scratch. I’ll be honest, many of the rewrites are fine but unnecessary. “Purple Rain”, “Wrecking Ball” with Miley Cyrus, and even “Stairway to Heaven” turned out better than expected. But the real stars of the album are the eight or so originals written by Dolly and performed with the likes of Kid Rock, Ronnie McDowell, and Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford. Her amazing writing skills and ability to belt out a song makes the album sizzle. Are there some clunkers? Are there moments when her voice isn’t steady or strong enough? Yes, but that’s nitpicking and she is fabulous. It doesn’t warrant a top line rating, but there is enough to make this a worthy album. B
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