The Winery Dogs are back after a seven-year pause with their latest full-length studio album Called III. The Winery Dogs comprises Ritchie Kotzen on guitar and vocals, Billy Sheehan on bass, and drummer Mike Portnoy. This power rock trio will not disappoint; if you are a long-time fan, you will love III. However, prepare to be rocked out of your seat if this is your introduction to The Winery Dogs. This power trio has virtuosity, great vocals, and well-written songs. In addition, Jay Ruston did a beautiful job mixing the album.
“Xanadu,” the opening track, starts with a bang. The song brings the trio’s talents together in a joyous sound of a catchy [...]
Tommy DeCarlo is a new name to me on the rock scene. DeCarlo is currently the lead singer of Boston and DECARLO. DeCarlo is releasing his debut album as a solo artist on Frontiers Music Srl called Dancing In The Moonlight. I enjoy hearing Boston on my classic rock playlist and the radio, but I have not kept up with the band’s current material. So DeCarlo’s vocal chops are new to me but are ideally suited for the classic AOR of the ’70s and into the ’80s. Dancing In The Moonlight is a strong debut for DeCarlo and will bring more awareness to his vocal abilities.
“Change Our Fate” opens with a [...]
Max Highstein is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter that calls the hot open spaces of New Mexico home. For his latest album, he has many releases in multiple genres; Highstein pairs his jazzy, new-age sounds with adult-contemporary rock. Also on the offering is a balance of vocal and instrumental songs to keep things eclectic. The album is called Hotcakes, and Ed Willet joins Highstein on cello and Mark Clark on drums. In addition, Judy Mitchell plays accordion, and guitarist Jeff Pevar performs on “First Day Out.” The rest of the sounds are Highstein performing on various instruments but featuring his guitar playing and lead [...]
Vocalist Melanie Marod is releasing a collaboration with Chris Wiser called Stars. Marod is comfortable in many styles; she brings her warm-toned vocals into focus with Wiser’s rock and blues tones. The EP has a strong roots-rock meets blues overtone and was recorded at Downtown Recording Studios in NYC and was mixed and mastered by GRAMMY-nominated Tyler McDiarmid (Gregory Porter, Fred Hersch). The band is Chris Wiser (vocals, guitar), Art Hirahara (keyboard, organ), Sam Bevan (bass, guitar), Brian Fishler (drums), Jim Shaneberger (slide guitar), Mitch Marcus (flute, trombone, trumpet, saxophone), Joe Hettinga (engineer, piano), and Max Lockwood [...]
