Billion Dollar Babies - Die For Diamonds

Billion Dollar Babies - Die For Diamonds
2010, Esmerelda Music Group

I think I just relived my much-maligned childhood. Sweden's Billion Dollar Babies managed to capture the zeitgeist of 1980's hair-metal in 38 minutes of pure rock n roll glee on their latest album, Die For Diamonds, due out September 8, 2010. You'd guess the members of Billion Dollar Babies were raised on a regular diet of Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Journey, Loverboy, Billy Squier, Whitesnake, The Scorpions and perhaps a bit of Ratt from the flamboyant flair and more than competent rock n roll they espouse. Just sit back and take Die For Diamonds in; you could imagine most any of these songs rolling out of the radio or showing up on MTV circa 1985.

Die For Diamonds opens with "Boy's Night Out" featuring a purely 1980's approach to hard rock complete with a horn section. Vocalist Frankie Rich is a dynamic and engaging front man even on CD, able to deliver lyric passages or work up a rasp that even David Coverdale would be proud of. "Boys Night Out" is very catchy and highly familiar although it appears to be an original track. "Highest Mountain" is a big rock tune that's deeply melodic but has enough of an edge to it to feel modern. This transitions into the big open arrangement and vocal triads of "Restless Minds", a great tune that soars. Rich sounds like something of a cross between Steve Perry and Klaus Meine here. Billy Squier fans will love "Lose It", which sounds like it might have been an outtake from one of his mid-1980's recording sessions. The song has an animalistic, urgent feel, and a melody so catchy you'll be humming it for days.

"Key To My Heart" is pure power rock love song, and would have made Billion Dollar Babies the kings of MTV at one time. "Right On Time" is all about the virtues of Friday night out with the perfect girl. There's some classic rock n roll piano work buried in the middle of this song that's worth checking out. You won't be able to help yourself from singing, tapping or even dancing along. Billion Dollar Babies show a bit heavier edge on "Stand Your Ground" and "Nineteen Ninety Four". The former is a solid album cut that would play great in a big stadium, while "Nineteen Ninety Four" is a catchy beast with one thing on its mind. The song isn't much on subtlety but certainly is entertaining. Die For Diamonds closes with "We Don't Live Forever", an energetic rocker reminding listeners that life is short and admonishing them to make the most of every moment.

Billion Dollar Babies may date themselves with their sound, but the songwriting is fresh and sharp and fun. This is a band that's having fun making music, and it shows on Die For Diamonds. If you crave 1980's hard rock/hair metal but want the sound of a band you haven't heard hundreds of times in the past twenty-five years then Billion Dollar Babies will be right up your alley. This is rock n roll at its best.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Billion Dollar Babies at http://www.billiondollarbabies.nu/ or www.myspace.com/bdbabies.   Die For Diamonds drops on September 8, 2010.  You can order digital copies from Amazon.com.  The CD version can be order directly from Billion Dollar Babies on their website.

Review: The New Up - Better Off

The New Up - Better Off
2009, Evil Cherise Publishing

Occasionally a band comes along where no one can agree who they sound alike. The New Up has been compared to such divergent acts as Radiohead, Journey, Lake Trout, The Talking heads and TV On The Radio. These comparisons aren't entirely off the mark, but none of really strike a careful listener as accurate, either. The San Francisco quintet with roots far to the east (Chicago, Illinois and Charlottesville, Virginia) have managed to craft a sound that sounds a little bit like a whole lot of people and a lot like no one else, which is as close to original as it's possible to get in a medium based on eight notes. The New Up's latest EP, Better Off, will be released on August 18, 2009, and is a follow-up to last year's Broken Machine. Where Broken Machine was a musical elucidation of the problems of the world, Better Off is the beginning of transcendence, suggesting changes that might happen on the personal level that will turn things around. Producer Jamieson Durr (Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Handsome Boy Modeling School) brings out the best side of The New Up on Better Off, juxtaposing their Pop tendencies with their harder side in a mix that crosses genres with electrifying results.

Lead vocalist ES Pitcher is a front woman in the tradition of Blondie or Gwen Stefani; a big Rock N Roll voice with lots of layers and a very sensuous side that can draw you in before she belts you away. Pitcher also contributes on guitar. The band is rounded out by Noah Reid (guitar, vocals); Hawk West (flute, automation); Dain Dizazzo (bass) and Drew Bertrand (drums, percussion). Better Off opens with Dear Life, a vibrant guitar rocker that shows off Pitcher's pipes in grand fashion. Dear Life is good enough and hard enough to crawl all over Modern Rock radio playlists, but has enough Pop sensibility to cross over. Better Off slows things down a bit in a post-Grunge tune that rocks and grinds its way to self-realization. B!tch has a new wave sheen to it that fits somewhere between The Replacements and No Doubt; the melody line is straightforward but the arrangement builds in a lot of sonic dissonance that keeps listeners on their toes. Not to mention there's a guitar solo here that would sound right at home on a Scorpions album. F.Y.R.U.F.N. is an acronym we can't fully publish, but let's just saw I'm glad I'm not Roger. The song is dark and vaguely disturbed in sonic aspect. Wait (For Danny G.) is a sprawling memoriam in song that just doesn't fit with the rest of the material here, but is included for obvious reasons.

The New Up is on to something out there in San Francisco. The market for bands like The New Up is a narrow one, and many great bands go unheard by anyone who doesn't happen across their MySpace page, but The New Up just might have the right zeitgeist to make it. Better Off makes a distinct impression, with a sound that's derivative yet original, and a vocalist in ES Pitcher who can break down walls with her sound and presence. Don't be surprised if The New Up is a name you hear a lot more of in the future.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The New Up at http://www.thenewup.com/ or www.myspace.com/thenewup. Better Off will hit shelves on August 18, 2009. Keep checking The New Up’s web site for updated release information.

Review: Denim Road - Denim Road

Denim Road – Denim Road
2008, Denim Road

If you’re looking for a great mix of classic rock, R&B and classic Motown sounds, all wrapped up into something familiar yet refreshing, then follow Denim Road into their home town of Cincinnati, Ohio. A six-piece band with more musical experience than you can shake a stick at; Denim Road melds new sounds out of old, classic ones and captivates audiences along the way. Whether it’s playing covers or original material, Denim Road finds a little bit of magic every time they pick up their instruments. The band formerly known as Soul’d Out has been around for eight years. Guitarist/chief songwriter Jim Zuzow and vocalist George Harp have been the core of the band since its inception and they have surrounded themselves with some seriously talented folks. George Harp was the vocalist for the second incarnation of Starcastle in the early-to-mid 1980’s. Percussionist Craig Ballard has more than four decades under his belt in the music business, getting his start with Cincy favorites Cincinnati Joe & Mad Lydia. Kevin Ross (drums) has done time with I.C. Hot and Warsaw Falcons. Rounding out the band are Gary Grawe (keys/vox); Robbie Lewis (bass/vox) and the inestimable Jim Zuzow on guitar. In 2008, the band finally released their debut CD, Denim Road.

Denim Road are strongly influenced by the Motown sound, from soulful vocals to quasi-STAX style horn arrangements, there’s no doubt to what era and sound Denim Road pay homage. Sweet Soul Revival kicks things off with a Morris Day moment, and then an interesting thing happens. While the style and lead vocals are strongly influenced by Motown, Denim Road’s vocal mix comes across sounding like classic Journey. Listen to the harmony vocals on songs like Ready To Fall, Blue Highway and Follow Your Dream, and then go listen to Journey’s Wheel In The Sky. It’s a bit uncanny how much they sound alike. Probably my favorite song on the CD is the title track, Denim Road. This is classic 1970’s funk/soul at its best. Perfect Heart is also a pleasurable listen, with Latin Jazz guitar styling in an intensely melodic musical setting. Other highlights include Talk To Me and Burbank’s Blues.

Denim Road are a classic cover/party band who have transitioned to writing and performing their own music. Vestiges of the party band live on in their sound, and at times the listener isn’t sure whether the unusual hybrid of styles/sounds is simply Denim Road’s musical identity or left over vestiges of cover songs past. What is clear is that Denim Road has a very unique sound that shows real signs of having melded into something entirely its own. Denim Road is definitely worth a listen.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Denim Road at www.myspace.com/denimroadband or http://www.denimroad.net/. You can purchase a copy of Denim Road at www.cdbaby.com/cd/denimroad.

Review: Bernie Journey - The World In The Eye Of The Beholder

Bernie Journey - The World In The Eye Of The Beholder
2008, J2 Records

Cleveland native and current New York City resident Bernie Journey is a puts himself out there as a George Michael clone doing the sort of dance pop that bridges the gap between pop music and Electronica. The brand of innocuous electronic dance pop that was popular in the late 1980's and early 1990's is what Bernie Journey does best. His second album, The World In The Eye Of The Beholder will be released on January 27, 2009, and is likely to appeal to fans of George Michael and fans of the era of dance pop he's most associated with.

Journey makes every effort to sound like George Michael, from vocal affect and tone down to the style of music presented on The World In The Eye Of The Beholder. Unfortunately for Journey, he just can't carry the shoes of George Michael. I'm not exactly what you'd call a George Michael fan but I respect his talent for catchy pop songs and his ability to deliver them. Bernie Journey is a competent vocalist with a voice that almost lends itself more to pop Bowie comparisons than Michael. The music is campy and upbeat; enjoyable but unlikely to make significant commercial impact in the current business environment. Highlights include A Song For Hope Everlasting, A Better Life and Everything, although I think Journey is at his most musically compelling in jazz oriented pieces such as Just A Dream.

The World In The Eye Of The Beholder is one of those albums that will find favor with a small niche of listeners, and it may qualify as a guilty pleasure for a handful more. There are a handful of compelling songs here, but much of the album is fluff packaged for a dance crowd that isn't really there anymore. Journey is a good vocalist, but can't live up to the hype about him being someone else (Michael). In the end he's good enough as himself, but he just doesn't stand out from the crowd.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Bernie Journey at http://www.berniejourney.com/. You can order The World In The Eye Of The Beholder through Amazon.com.