Sunday, January 31, 2016

Dorothy Brings back the blues

I've noticed a great trend listening to XM/Sirius Octane.  There are more women in Hard Rock and Metal then ever.  I have already discussed two of them, Halestorm a straight Hard Rock band and In This Moment the Shock and Industrial Metal. Now the ladies are taking on a bluesy style with Dorothy. 

The band Dorothy released their first EP in 2014 and it is a solid collection of five songs. The two songs that were released were After Midnight and Raise Hell. Both are rich with distortion and a roadhouse feel. The video for Raise Hell is very clever and a fun way to promote the band. The stand out track on the EP is Gun In My Hand. No this song isn't sung at the Roadhouse it should come out of the gin joint from way over beyond the wrong side of the tracks. Not quite Janis rough but the closest I have heard in awhile. 

I love the trend in Hard Rock and think it is well overdue. So give Dorothy a listen. I am looking forward to their first full release. 

Till next time, listen to the best:your ears deserve it.

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Sun Storm and Joe Lynn Turner Keeping Arena Rock Alive

I was talking with my friend Spencer about Deep Purple finally going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I asked if all of the members of the band would go in with them.  We both agreed that it is a shame that Jon Lord wasn't alive for this moment, but I said Joe Lynn Turner should go in with them.  Now I know that Spencer knows who Joe Lynn Turner is but most don't which is a shame. After all he only was the one time lead singer for Deep Purple, Rainbow and for Yngwie Malmsteen.

Joe Lynn Turner has a voice everyone who has listened to Arena and Hard Rock will recognize.  The sound of his voice is raspy, strong and tough but tender on the ballads.  I first heard him as the lead singer of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.  He brought the group back to mainstream rock with the songs, Stone Cold, Death Alley Driver, and Street of Dreams.  After Rainbow he sang for Yngwie Malmsteen for a few great CDs,  His final trip to the mainstream charts was back with Blackmoore for a Deep Purple release Slaves and Masters.  Unfortunately the Deep Purple sounded more like Rainbow, which I was fine with but Deep Purple fans weren't.  Then Arena and Hard rock passed out of the mainstream and so did Joe Lynn Turner.

Why do more people not know of this great lead singer?  I think two big reasons.  First he never really fronted his own band, it was Balckmoore or Malmsteen's project that he sang on not his.  The other is he sounds like Ian Gillian and Lou Gramm, they were much more popular bands and Joe Lynn Turner got lost in the shuffle.

Fortunately, Joe Lynn Turner never stopped working and in doing some digging around I found his latest project Sunstorm.  For the past nine years he has been putting out releases with this new line up. The latest Emotional Fire is incredible!  I listened to the first track and I was taken back to my car driving to college. The sound is straight out of the Arena Rock era and the great thing is I haven't heard the songs played to death on radio.

I strongly suggest to all who love the Arena and Hard Rock area pick up this fresh but familiar sound of Joe Lynn Turner and Sun Storm you will be happy you did.

Till next time, listen to the best  - your ears deserve it !