Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band

Lay It On Down

Provogue

Lay It On Down is the eighth album by the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, six of which hit No. 1 in the US Blues Chart ( from 1995-onwards).  He is a fiercely ambitious artist, even after awards and platinum album sales- “We’re still breaking new ground”, the modern bluesman maintains.  This ambition is exemplified by the insistence on writing the greatest songs of his career for this album, many of which were written in Nashville and the storytelling does indeed strike the listener.  Shepherd himself insists that each song takes you on a different journey. Diamonds & Gold, Nothing but The Night, Lay it All Down, Hard Lesson Learned and the personal Louisiana Rain would all make strong singles in an expanding repertoire and could win the band a deservedly wider audience.

Interwoven with blues numbers for his long-standing fans, this album is going to be huge.  It’s the quality of the songcraft that elevates this good album to a great one.  The title track Lay it On Down is a melodic song about the beauty you see in someone that they can’t see themselves and crucially letting them know.

The sheer satisfaction of listening to this album is astonishing.  It makes you play it again to catch all the textures on offer.  It would be an absolute certainty to pack for any road trip – I mused absent-mindedly, whilst playing the CD merely on my commute to work.

NE

Cellar Darling

Cellar Darling

This Is The Sound

Nuclear Blast

Swiss outfit Cellar Darling, formed only last summer after musical differences in the folk metallers band Eluveite, create a multifaceted alternative pathway using the reinvention of folk tales for the modern age as their inspiration.  The band is driven by the intelligent and powerful drumming of Merlin Sutter, leaving space for his fellow musicians , Ivo Henzi  (guitars/bass)  and Anna Murphy (vocals/ hurdy gurdy/flute/ keyboards),  to fashion their new musical direction with confidence and panache.

Heavy riffs, an extensive vocal range from sheer power to the ethereal, and compelling percussion, produce an engaging and refreshing encounter. The hurdy gurdy (a stringed instrument that looks as terrifying as a crossbow), gives the sound a timeless feel with its drone-like quality.  It became popular in the Renaissance period, which means “rebirth” in French.  It’s a very apt description for this experienced trio for their debut album “This Is The Sound”.

NE

Earl Grey

Earl Grey

The Times You Cross my Mind

Midsummer Records

Mönchengladbach early twentysomethings Earl Grey are definitely worthy of your ears for this, their third EP The Times You Cross My Mind.  Formed only a couple of years ago they combine punk vocals (in English) with a maturity of melody or aggression on a whim.  Over thirteen minutes and five tracks, they display the confidence and swagger gained from their extensive touring schedules.  From the first bars of 1.37 minute opener Nothing (that is anything but!), to the closing melodic fadeout of the last track Hollow, I enjoyed the energy and musical flair of each post-hardcore track. The strong production of their sound makes you sit up and listen.  Catch them early in their career as they are destined for stardom.

NE

Wintersun - Metal Review

Wintersun

The Forest Seasons

Nuclear Blast Records

My spirit and soul soared at the intensity of the listening experience of the third studio album from Wintersun, a Finnish metal band that is fronted by Jari Mäenpää (vocals, studio guitars, and programming) with Kai Hahto providing an impressive energy on drums especially with his pummelling blast beats.  The whole band was involved in the production of this breath-taking release.  It is the elaborate delivery of the imaginative ideas on this project over four tracks (54 minutes running time) that holds your complete attention. Like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, each track gives a musical expression to a season but the difference here is this is a year seen through a mythical forest and the album demands a listen in its entirety to fully appreciate the genius of  this masterpiece.  Black metal and clean vocals - especially on the last track Loneliness (Winter), intricate mixes, recurring themes, choral and orchestral arrangements  are spliced with the ferocious guitars of Teemu Mäntysaari and new addition  Asim Searah.  The peerless time-signature and tempo changes that feel so much more natural than many other bands help to make this recording one of my top ten albums of all time.  It’s hard to find fault with a release that Mr Mäenpää  calls his first perfect album he’s ever done.  The Forest Seasons could become a present-day classic.

NE