BERNIE MARSDEN - Shine (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Blues Rock / Melodic Rock

Label -

Track listing:

01. Linin' Track

02. Wedding Day

03. Walk Away

04. Kinda Wish She Would

05. Ladyfriend

06. Trouble

07. Who Do We Think We Are?

08. Bad Blood

09. Shine

10. Dragonfly

11. You Better Run

12. Hoxie Rollin' Time

13. Nw8

### The following review is not my work but I couldn't agree more so I reproduce it here. All credit to the original author ###

Ex Whitesnake guitarist BERNIE MARSDEN new album "Shine" to be released next August 18, explores a wide ranging musical horizon including a cleverly updated bluesy, slick AOR, kick ass boogie, riff driven and twin guitar rock, a steaming bluesy shuffle and a book-ended instrumental.
By his own admission "Shine" includes some stockpiled material, but it’s subtly shaped, polished and nicely sequenced by his former Alaska band member turned producer Rob Kass.

Recorded in studio 3 in Abbey Road (where the Beatles cut ‘Revolver’), "Shine" sparkles with confident songs, sumptuous guitar tones, potent harmonies, magisterial playing and Bernie’s best ever lead vocals.
Producer Rob Kass strikes the prefect balance between the album’s song driven focus and the possibilities that an array of guests – including David Coverdale, Jimmy Copley, Ian Paice, Don Airey Cherry Lee Mewis, Joe Bonamassa and Mark Feltham – and a big studio offers him.
"Shine" is a coherent album that plays to Bernie’s strengths. He’s always been a consummate guitarist and a prodigious songwriter, but a combination of different vocals textures injects the steely arrangements with style and gusto.

Listen for example, to the airy, west coast vocal sweep of Danny Kirwan’s "Dragonfly" – included here as an ode to Peter Green – and the standout title track. The Cream style vocal harmonies are underpinned by Ian Paice’s pounding stick work and topped by Don Airey’s keyboard riffs and Bonamassa’s scintillating solo. All the elements coalesce seamlessly as if building to a naturally defining moment on the track.
But this is such a well paced album that the final four tracks find their sequential place as part of an integral whole, before coming to rest on Bernie’s acoustic instrumental outro.

"Shine" opens with a sledgehammer groove of Leadbelly’s "Linin’ Track" which mirrors the song’s lyrical muscularity, while the hot picking on "Wedding Day" has a lively feel, as part of an enveloping production.
The kick ass boogie and ZZ Top influenced "Kinda Wish She Would" is effectively a counterweight as Bernie’s slightly distorted vocal gives the track an extra bit of edge on a riff driven rocker with huge radio potential.

My absolute favourite is the AOR, keyboard led "Walk Away" (awesome Don Airey) with its '80s keyboard motif, uplifting hook and catchy chorus. It's a sister track to the eco message and vocal tour de force "Who Do We Think We Are", a mid-tempo melodic rocker full of magic.

The guests all make their mark, as Mark Feltham’s lyrical harp line colours the extended groove of "Ladyfriend", as it smolders, sparkles and envelops you.
It sets things up nicely for the percussive reworking of "Trouble" predicated on David Coverdale guttural phrasing. Bernie has never been reticent to explore his back catalogue and he’s rarely bettered himself than on this blast from the past.
Cherry Lee Mewis adds gritty vocal contrast on the laid back blues-rocker "Bad Blood" and just when you think the whole album has run its course on the hook laden "You Better Run", Bernie launches himself into a dirt tone wah-wah inflected Americana shuffle "Hoxie Rollin’ Time", which is surely destined to become a live favourite.

Shine" is a career high for Bernie Marsden. 

It’s an album glued together by his own deeply embedded imprint of harmony driven songs with significant hooks and burning solos. It’s almost as if he’s successfully pursued his own mission statement of cutting a definitive solo album. It may have taken him 40 odd years but it’s been worth the wait.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating - 9/10

The Players

Bernie Marsden - Guitars, Vocals

Ian Paice - Drums

Don Airey - Keyboards 

Joe Bonamassa - Guitar

David Coverdale - Vocals

Jimmy Copley - Drums

Mark Feltham - Vocals, Harmonica

thanks to Pete Feenstra

Giuntini Project - IV (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / Melodic Rock
Label - Escape

Track listing:

01. Perfect Sorrow

02. Born In The Underworld
03. Shadow Of The Stone
04. Cured
05. I Don't Believe In Fortune
06. If The Dream Comes True
07. The Rise And Fall Of Barry Lyndon (Instrumental)
08. Bring On The Night
09. Not The Jealous Kind
10. Saint Or Sinner
11. Your Love Is Killing Me (Japanese bonus track)
12. Last Station: Nightmare (Instrumental)
13. How The Story Ends
14. Truth Never Lies

Since he started the project twenty years ago, guitarist Aldo GIUNTINI has been releasing one consistent album after another, taking his time between them to polish the material and going over every fine detail. Yet it still seam's hard to believe that it has been over six years since part 3 of his Giuntini Project was put out!
One again, as on II and III lead vocals are handled by the one and only Tony Martin (Ex-Black Sabbath, Empire, Mollo/Martin, Rondinelli, Silver Horses, M3, and Solo artist) which bodes well for the projects stability and continuum. 
So how does project IV compare with its predecessors? Pretty darn well to be honest.
The album opens with Perfect Sorrow, a fairly fast tempo ed track that would have fit very well onto the previous album III. Born In The Underworld slows the tempo down a little next, with its dark almost grinding riff. This track would have sat comfortably along side the rest of the tracks on the classic Project II album, a really great song Shadow Of The Stone follows, and proceeds to tell the tale of what happened after the events of The Headless Cross. A slightly more melodic track with a mid tempo ed with a classic Rainbow feel to it, especially during Aldo's guitar solo's. (To my ears anyway!) Another great song.
Cured is up next. Another track that could have fitted well onto Project II, another mid tempo ed track with a kind of grinding riff that is driven by the venom in Tony Martins vocal delivery. One of my favourite songs so far. I Don't Believe In fortune follows, a great up tempo blues track that is quickly followed by If the Dream Comes True which is a great up tempo melodic rocker.
The Rise And Fall Of Barry Lyndon is up next, a four and a half minute instrumental that starts with some grandiose keyboards before the guitars come bursting in. A nice change of pace.
Bring On The Night follows, a great mid tempo ed rocker which sees Tony Martin sharing lead vocals with Liz Vandall for what makes a great duet!
Not the Jealous Kind, slows things down slightly, another favourite track, which sees Tony Martin deliver some great vocals, along with some terrific vocal harmonies.
Saint Or Sinner, sees the guys return to a blistering tempo, that has a few twists and turns along its journey. A great rocker that I imagine would go over really well in a live environment.
the albums second instrumental track is up next, the five minute and twenty second Last Station:Nightmare. A great atmospheric piece that showcases Aldo's ability as an instrumentalist.
How The Story Ends follows. A truly great song which seems to have a Megadeth feel to both its main riffage and the vocal melody. It has a brisk tempo and a bellyful of venom. This is definitely my favourite track on the album!

Truth never Lies closes out the album proper. A fast tempo ed track with a typical and familar Giuntini Project feel to it. Another great song!
Your Love Is Killing Me is included on the Japanese editions of the album as a bonus track. Its a strong song, maybe not as strong as the rest of the album, but a good track non the less, not the usual throw away track.
Theres not a single song that could be classed as a filler here. Aldo's guitar work is precise and toneful, the vocals, as you would expect from Tony Martin, shine. The keyboards add just the right amount of atmosphere and texture in the right place's and the rhythm section stands tall to serve the purpose providing a solid foundation for the songgs to spring from. When you match up musicians to their proper strengths, the outcome usually is compelling and this is the case with "IV".




The line up for the album includes:
Tony Martin: vocals

Aldo Giuntini: guitars
Fulvio Gaslini: bass
Fabiano Rizzi: drums
Roberto Gualdi: drums
Dario Patti: keyboards
Liz Vandall: vocals on 'Bring On The Night'


Very Very Highly Reconmended     Rating 10/10

Snakecharmer - Snakecharmer

Genre - Hard Rock / Blues Rock
Label - Frontier Records

Track listing:

01. My Angel
02. Accident Prone
03. To The Rescue
04. Falling Leaves
05. A Little Rock & Roll
06. Turn Of The Screw
07. Smoking Gun
08. Stand Up
09. Guilty As Charged
10. Nothing To Lose
11. Cover Me In You
12. White Boy Blues (bonus track)

"Six of the UK’s most highly-esteemed and experienced rock musicians have joined forces to create Snakecharmer. Original Whitesnake members Micky Moody and Neil Murray have teamed up with Laurie Wisefield (Wishbone Ash), Harry James (Thunder, Magnum), Adam Wakeman (Ozzy Osbourne) and Chris Ousey (Heartland) to bring you classic twin-guitar based rock as it should be played."
I have to say that I pretty much agree!
With Moody and Murray’s Whitesnake connections, the band toured a little while ago as Monsters Of British Rock, wisely ditching that name for the much improved Snakecharmer, and were initially largely a Whitesnake tribute act, knocking out all the best tunes from the original, and best, era of Whitesnake, before Coverdale shed that classic band in favour of big hair and over production.
With all of the talent on board Snakecharmer inevitably ended recording an album (self-titled) released by Frontiers Records, (something that I wished their previous incarnation as M3 would have done with Tony Martin on vocals!), and let me just say that this is one awesome Classic Hard Rock album full of magic and personality.

Obviously you have an old Whitesnake vibe to some of the tunes here, and that's a good thing when you play bluesy Hard with this class. Sure enough you could imagine Coverdale belting out the likes of "Turn Of The Screw", "Guilty As Charged", "Nothing To Lose" and especially the impressive "Smoking Gun".
It’s not all a ‘snake fest though. Chris Ousey’s vocal style lends itself particularly well to hard AOR, Foreigner-esque tracks like "Accident Prone" and the AOR-tastic "Stand Up".
The absolutley awesome power ballad "Falling Leaves", has that early '80 mysterious atmosphere, and with "To The Rescue" the band goes for a Bad Company style bluesy boogie with charm, same in the the excellent "A Little Rock and Roll", one of the album’s real highlights.
Another great moment is heard in the opening cut "My Angel", combining some ol' Aerosmith guitars with a terrific melodic background instrumentation and jumpin' vocals.


If you are a fan of good traditional bluesey hard rock, (and I am!), then I just can't reconmend this album highly enough.


Rating - 10/10

Silver Horses - Silver Horses (2012)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Blues Rock
Label - 7Hard Records

Track listing -

01. Rub It On Me
02. Run
03. Life And Soul
04. Diamond Sky
05. Secret Service
06. Suddenly Lost
07. Me
08. Silver Horses
09. You re Breaking My Heart (Don t Do It)
10. You
11. Who s Holding On To You

Silver Horses are a brand new 70's style  Hard Rock band featuring the vocal talents of the awesome Tony Martin (ex Black Sabbath / Mollo Martin's Cage / Empire / M3 / Giuntini Project / solo). Tony Martin handled the vocal duties for Black Sabbath during the late 80's and early to mid 90's  on such albums as: The Eternal Idol , Headless Cross , Tyr , Cross Purposes , Forbidden , Cross Purposes Live and The Sabbath Stones.This Anglo-Italian band combine the classic style's of Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake and twist it a little by adding a modern touch. Now first off, are they any good? Well musically the band are as tight as you can get, and the songs are pretty darn strong to boot, well written and well executed, but does Martin's voice really suite the more bluesy direction of this collection of tunes? Well he's covered Dazed and Confused, Stormbringer (Cage albums), and a multitude of Whitesnake classics during his days with Cozy Powell's Hammer and M3, so although this music is a little different to his usual hard rock / metal output, yes his voice suites the songs well, especially on tracks like Suddenly Lost (the albums high point for me), Secret Service and title track Silver Horses, this album does show case Martins versatility really well.
There is plenty of variation here, from the uptempo(Rub It On Me) to the stompers (Secret Service) to the atmospheric ballads (Suddenly Lost) and the quality never drops at all throughout the album.
Now here's to hoping that these guys take this project out on the road, and for the love of god follow it up with another album!

Rating 9/10