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JOHN WAITE | When You Were Mine | (Mercury Records, 1997)

 When You Were Mine / Imaginary Girls / Let's Get Out Of Here / Suicide Life / Just Like A Woman / Bluebird Cafe / 1-95 / Show Me How To Love You / Valentine / Have You Seen Her My Friend? / All I Want For Christmas

John Waite continues on his journey to a more rootsy and naked sound that he started on his previous record "Temple Bar".
In fact this album has a couple of country tinged songs. Not any of my favourites though.
The title track is a simple, up-tempo midwest tune that hits you immediately. "Imaginary Girl" is another tune with the acoustic guitar in the forefront. Also quite simple and catchy.
The ballad "Have You Seen Her My Friend?", which Waite has co-written with the songwriting god Mark Spiro, is just as good as you can expect when Spiro's involved.
Then there's... I have to say that I am not too excited of Mr. Waite's solo-stuff nowadays. I liked him better in Bad English.

Review by: Stefan

BRETT WALKER | Lift Off | (MTM Music, 2000)

Rain In My Heart / Not About To Give In / Everybody Loves To Win / No One Left To Blame / Long Way Down / Far Cry / Don't Mean Much / Walking In My Sleep / It Looks A Lot Like Rain / Fooled Again / It's Coming Back To Me / Travelin Blues

The new album from Mr Walker is a goodie without being excellent. It took me quite a while to really get into it. And just like his last one (which he did with The Railbirds) I suspect I will like this release a lot better in a year or two, even though I have given this enough time to sink in already.
And I can assure you that after a couple of weeks and numerous spins, it starts to grow. So this is not a bad album. On the contrary it is full of fairly well crafted Midwest-flavoured material althrough the CD with highlights such as ”Not About To Give In”, “It Looks A Lot Like Rain”, and the Jeff Paris co-written ”Everybody Loves To Win”.

Review by: Larry

WARRANT | Greatest & Latest | (Deadline / Cleoptra, 1999)

Cherry Pie / The Jones / Downboys / Southern Comfort / Hollywood (So Far So Good) / Uncle Toms Cabin / Sometimes She Cries / 32 Pennies / Heaven / Thin Disguise / I Saw Red / Bad Tattoo / Down Boys (Remix) / Cherry Pie (Remix) / 32 Pennies (Remix) / Down Boys (Razed In Black Remix)

Me going trough a track-by-track description of this release would be pointless. I mean, if you haven't heard most of these songs a thousand times before than I don't know where you've been this past decade! Warrant have re-recorded some of their biggest hits and I must say they've done a fine job on them. I was expecting them to turn them into some grunge garbage like their last two cd's, but they've surprised me and I'm happy to say the new versions of the old songs sound great.

I really like the versions of "I Saw Red" and "Heaven" a lot. I don't know why they didn't remake the song "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinkin' Rich" though. One thing I have noticed is Jani sings all these songs in a lower key. As we all know his voice has lost some substance over the years due to smoking, drinking or whatever - but he still sounds half decent.

Moving on the the "Latest" part of the cd. "The Jones" is an excellent upbeat number with an almost pop chorus. "Southern Comfort" has been floating around on a bootleg for a little while now and is more of an acoustic based blues number. "Bad Tattoo" is an excellent rocking song with a very catchy chorus. I love all three of the new songs! At the end of the cd they have Dance/Retro/Techno/Industrial mixes of: "Down Boys" (two versions of this one), "Cherry Pie" and "32 Pennies." I'm sure a lot of you aren't going to like these tracks, but I personally think they are interesting to listen to. Something drastically different, but you never know, they may get played in some clubs around the world.

So, if you like the old Warrant songs and would like to hear modern day Warrant doing their old hits and more - pick this up! If you don't like Warrant much, why are you reading this review to begin with?

Review by: Rob

WASP | Helldorado | (Snapper Music, 1999)

 Drive By / Helldorado / Don't Cry (Just Suck) / Damnation Angels / Dirty Balls / High On The Flames / Cocaine Cowboys / Can't Die Tonight / Saturday Night Cockfight / Rods To Hell (Helldorado Reprise)

After receiving a 5-track promotional advance CD (thanx Suzan) I was, to my own shocking surprise, thinking WASP kicks butt again! In a rush I ordered a couple of the newly remastered CD versions of their back catalogue. Cool stuff, but not quite the same excitement as when it originally came.
Nevertheless, awaiting their new effort looked as something that could be a total nostalgic and euphoric blast. Could have. In the opening sequence Blackie says "This ain't no joyride", I couldn't have said it better myself.
It seems as Mr. Lawless either ran out of ideas or felt so stressed to come up with a record similar sounding to past glories that he more or less wrote 1 or maybe 2 songs and copied them the album through. Or maybe Chris Holmes thought it would be cool doing the same riffs all the way.
Nah, I'd rather stick with "Inside The Electric Circus", "Wasp" or "The Last Command".

Review by: Stefan

JEFF WATSON | Around The Sun | (Frontiers Records, 2000)

 Glass Revenge / Life Goes On / Around the Sun / Follow / Anna Waits / Tight Rope / Leslie Ann / Man's Best Friend / Moment of Truth / Shadows of Winter / Serenity / Ghost Town / When My Ship Comes In (Bonus Track)

Here we have Night Ranger's guitarist Jeff Watson and his second solo album. This album has been out in the Japan market since the early nineties and I guess it was released in the U.S. a couple years back as well. Now it's out in Europe with an exclusive bonus track "Ship Comes In" and the addition of three other tracks that were previously only available on the U.S. release. So, you get all the tracks on this one!
I wasn't sure how much I would like this release because of having a few different vocalists featured on this album - but it turned out surprisingly good. The tracks that I enjoy most are opener "Glass Revenge" and "Moment of Truth" which are both sung by Sammy Hagar's son Aaron. This is the first time I've heard Aaron sing and I really like his vocal style. Both tracks are quite moody - but very good.
Jeff Watson sings on quite a few of the tracks (after all it is his solo cd!) The tracks that I find least appealing are the ones that Steve Walsh sings. His vocal style has never appealed to me - he gives the songs too much of a classic rock feel. "Mans Best Friend" is the only instrumental on the disc and is a slower track - I really like Jeff's guitar sound on this one.
Longtime Night Ranger fans probably have owned this cd for some time now - but if you don't and you are a Jeff Watson fan or even a Steve Walsh fan - you might want to pick this one up.

Review by: Rob

WESTWORLD | Westworld | (Roadrunner Records, 1999)

Illusions / I Belong / Pigeon Hole / Heart Song / Little Voices / Bring The Water To Me / Love You Insane / Shame / Ivory Towers / Suicide

This is a project that started when Mark Reale of Riot was producing their "Inishmore"-album. His co-producer introduced him to the voice of TNT; Tony Harnell. Soon they started writing material and by recruiting Danger Danger's bass man Bruno Ravel and drummer John O'Reilly (Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult) the album became reality.
I don't know of you like me thought that guys like Mark Reale and Tony Harnell were down for the count a while back already, in any case I'm proven wrong.
Tony has perhaps lost the ability to hit the extremely high notes he did on TNT's "Tell No Tales" (1987), but I think that might be for the better. Reale's guitar playing is driven and melodic. The rhythm section is a tight and solid unit - of course.
Musically it's bit varied, but the platform is melodic hardrock/AOR. Songs like "Illusions" and "I Belong" are of the more hardrock/AORish style while they in "Heart Song" uses string arrangements and gospel vocals - and gets away with it!
"Little Voices has some very nice, tuned down verses to then blossom in a very harmony filled chorus. And this way it goes on, melody and class.
Fans of classic '80's AOR/hardrock with just the right touch of a present production will love this - I do!

Review by: Stefan

JOHN WETTON | Battle Lines | (Blueprint Australia, 1994/97)

 Right Where I Wanted To Be / Battle Lines / Jane / Crime Of Passion / Sand In My Hand / Sea Of Mercy / Hold Me Now / Space And Time / Walking On Air / You're Not The Only One / Battle Lines (Acoustic)

I think this is the third version of Wetton's magnificent solo-album which was originally released in Japan 1993 titled "Voice Mail". Empire released it in '94 titled "Battle Lines", and now this. This version features an acoustic version of the title track, and it also got a different cover art layout, but it is still the same great album. I don't know what it is with this album but it gets better and better every time I listen to it. The songs are great, most of which written by Wetton and Bob Marlette. The musicians are also great, or what do you say about guys like Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, Simon Phillips etc and the crystal clear production signed Ron Nevison couldn't be better. Any specific songs worth a mention? Well, "Jane" is keyboard-heaven maximum, "Sand In My Hand" got a mega atmospheric feeling and "Space And Time", written by Wetton & Jim Peterik (ex-Survivor). Now we're talking pure AOR/FM-rock!!! If you for some reason haven't got this album yet, go ahead buy, for travel through space & time...

Review by: Stefan

ERNIE WHITE | Scenes From America | (Psychoactive, 1997)

 Scenes From America / One More Ride Around The Sun / Love You To Death / Sierra Rose Listen To The Rain / Work No More / Color Of Your Shame / Magnificent Sinner / Chained (Rescue Me) / Whitehouse Lawn / Something To Kill The Pain / Nowhere Girl / Snakebite

Former vocalist of the American AOR-act Aviator, who did one album on RCA in '86 (re-issued on CD by Escape Music Ltd. last year), finally returns to the album scene.
But if you think "AOR" drop those thoughts right away.
Placing what he does nowadays has to be in the same field as John Cougar Mellencamp or perhaps Bruce Springsteen. It is the rootsy, New Jersey sound happening.
It's a lot of acoustic guitars, a really live drum sound and all in all a pretty "naked" production. Still a very alive sound.
Even If I'm musically not that attracted to this sound it is definitely okay. I have to admit that I prefer the Aviator-record from the music style point of view.
On the other hand lyric wise it's far more interesting than "Every Schoolboy Knows" & "Never Let The Rock Stop" for example.
Down to earth stories, as they in this genre many times are.

Review by: Stefan

WHITESNAKE | Restless Heart | (EMI Japan, 1997)

Don't Fade Away / All In The Name Of Love / Restless Heart / Too Many Tears / Crying / Stay With Me / Can't Go On / You're So Fine / Your Precious Love / Take Me Back Again / Woman Trouble Blues / Anything You Want / Can't Stop Now / 01 (Instrumental)

I became a huge Whitesnake fan in 1987, and of course it was because of the album "1987". It was a monster of a record. Although I recall that a lot of the "old" Whitesnake fans didn't receive it with the same enthusiasm as me and another couple of million, new Whitesnake fans.
Their previous bluesy guitar work was replaced with a more straight-ahead heavy metal riffing signed John Sykes. What a guitarplayer!
I cannot understand why David Coverdale kicked him out, it's strange. Not only was he a great guitarplayer. He was/is also a very gifted songwriter and a talented singer.
Maybe he was too talented for Mr. Coverdale?
Any hopes that this record would be something in the style of "1987", "Slip Of The Tongue" (1989) or maybe even the soundtrack tune "The Last Note Of Freedom" from "Days Of Thunder" (1990) are almost immediately wiped away with opener track, "Don't Fade Away", being in a balladry way!? Which on its own aren't a bad song, but the concept with a slow opener for a Whitesnake album doesn't sound right to me.
And it continues more or less in the same veins the whole album through with the addition of a lot of bluesy feelings.
This Japanese version also includes 3 bonustracks. Of which one are an instrumental tune and the other 2 are actually among the rockier tunes on the CD. Not saying that they are any more outstanding than the other ones.
The European has a different cover and is also released under the name "David Coverdale & Whitesnake".
Nevertheless, I personally think it's a pity that Whitesnake's farewell is as lame as it really is, at least for me.

Review by: Stefan

KIP WINGER | Made By Hand | (Domo Records, Inc., 1997)

Another Way / Down Incognito / Under One Condition / Miles Away / Steam / Headed For A Heartbreak / How Far Will We Go / Naked Son / Spell I'm Under / Esay Come Easy Go / Daniel

After selling more than 5 million records with his band Winger, Kip entered the solo-scene last year with the album "This Conversation Seems Like A Dream".
That album showed a new side of Kip's songwriting. The comparisons with the likes of Peter Gabriel and Sting were not way off base.
To promote "This Conversation..." Kip travelled across the world and made more than 60 acoustic gigs.
This is however not an "unplugged" recorded in front of a live audience, it is more of a studio situation.
The songs are mainly performed with only an acoustic guitar and a piano.
Older Winger tunes as "Headed For A Heartbreak", "Under One Condition" and "Miles Away" proves to be really great songs even though that the majestic 80's production isn't there.
Songs delivered with warmth and passion.

Review by: Stefan
KIP WINGER | Songs From The Ocean Floor | (Frontiers Records, 2000)

Cross / Crash the Wall / Sure Was A Wildflower / Two Lovers Stand / Landslide / Faster / Song of Midnight / Free / Only One Word / Broken Open / Resurrection / Everything You Need

I remember when I first heard Kip Winger's debut cd "This Conversation Seems Like A Dream" I could not believe what a drastic difference this cd was compared to his former bands material. After about four spins of the debut I really got into it and have looked forward to hearing more.
Admittedly, this adult contemporary style isn't for everyone - you either love it or you hate it.
On "Songs From The Ocean Floor" we get much of the same style as his debut cd. The songs may even be darker and moodier - but still quite enjoyable. It's an excellent album to listen to in the dark with candles lit. If you are a fan of his debut - you'll enjoy this cd. I think I'm going to have to hear it a few more times before I can decide if I like it more than the first one. My initial impression after only a few spins is - it's not as good, but still good enough.

Review by: Rob

WINTERLAND | Blind | (Independent, 1998)

The Damnation Game / Clearer And Clearer / A Walk On The Sun / Shadows / Everything Counts / Changes / Snow Falling / Ain't Losing My Mind / Missing / The Tables Are Turned / Neverland / Blind

A German outfit with its roots firmly set in the soil of progressive and symphonic rock. With a vocalist sounding as stereo type as Gary Hughes from Ten this isn't that pleasant.
Click here to visit their website for more information.

Review by: Stefan

ZAKK WYLDE & THE BLACK LABEL SOCIETY | Sonic Brew | (Spitfire Records, 1999)

Bored to Tears / The Rose Petalled Garden / Hey You (Batch of Lies) / Born to Lose / Peddlers of Death / Mother Mary / Beneath the Tree / Low Down / T.A.Z. / Lost My Better Half / Black Pearl / World of Trouble / Spoke in the Wheel / The Beginning... at Last

This is Zakk Wylde's latest project and again he reinvents his sound from his previous releases. Zakk's first solo album was under the band name PRIDE AND GLORY and that album was a solid mix of Southern Rock, Acoustic & Piano Ballads and Heavier songs with a darker vibe. In 1996 Zakk released an album entitled "Book of Shadows" which was a stripped back acoustic-based album and one of the best CD's I've heard of this kind.

So, that brings us up to his latest release "Sonic Brew." What is so different about this CD is that it's the heaviest material that I have ever heard from Zakk and it definitely has the overall modern/grunge feel to it. "Bored to Tears" is the first single off the CD and displays the new sound and heavier direction that the music is headed in. "The Rose Petalled Garden" has a guitar intro that reminds me of PANTERA's song "This Love" and has Zakk's trademark artificial harmonics all over the place. The whole album although being heavier still contains amazing guitar riffs that we all know and have come to expect from one of rock n' roll's hottest guitarists of the decade. "Hey You" starts off with some heavy guitars, then slows down with some acoustic guitar work until the chorus hits and it's heavy again. This process continues through the entire song - great song! Overall, the material on the album is a cross between a more "metal" ALICE IN CHAINS meets SOUNDGARDEN. Other highlights include "Beneath the Tree" which is a very mellow song aside from the heavy chorus. The acoustic instrumental "T.A.Z." which reminds me of Richie Kotzen's instrumental entitled "Richie's Acoustic Thang" on the POISON CD "Native Tongue." Lastly, "Spoke in the Wheel" which sounds like it could have been lifted off the "Book of Shadows" CD. It's a southern acoustic ballad that's absolutely incredible. The last mentionable track would be the last song on the CD
"The Beginning...at last" which sounds a lot like SOUNDGARDEN's "Rusty Cage."

If you approach this album with an open mind, I'm sure the end result will be that you are satisfied with this release. If you absolutely can't stand heavy, more modern sounding music - you will want to avoid picking this one up. For fans of acoustic southern rock, I highly recommend you pick up Zakk Wylde's "Book of Shadows" disc, which will be re-released sometime near the end of the summer with bonus tracks! Also, the PRIDE AND GLORY CD is getting a re-release with extra tracks, so look out for both of those in the near future.

Review by: Rob