SWEET & LYNCH - Only To Rise (2015)

Genre - Hard Rock

Label - Frontiers Music

 

Track listing:

01 - The Wish
02 - Dying Rose
03 - Love Stays
04 - Time Will Tell
05 - Rescue Me
06 - Me Without You
07 - Recover
08 - Divine
09 - September
10 - Strength In Numbers
11 - Hero-Zero
12 - Only To Rise
 

"Only To Rise" is the debut album title, and SWEET & LYNCH is the name of the newest super-group to come together to make some old fashion, ass kickin’ classic US Hard Rock.
This pairing only seems awkward upon first glance, but there's a perfect logic to these guys hooking up.
Michael Sweet himself has stated on record he'd considered Lynch a 'bucket list' musician to work with and, straight outta the Eighties, SWEET & LYNCH was born.
Bringing along with them awesome skin basher Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Whitesnake, Billy Idol) on drums and James LoMenzo (White Lion, Megadeth, Lynch Mob) on bass, the unit's debut "Only to Rise", is, well, pretty durned cool.
"The Wish" rings precisely like you might expect, an amalgam between Stryper and Dokken with a hair more toughening up. As a mid-tempo power jam, Michael Sweet pounces upon the straight-laced lines and for the most part soars overtop George Lynch's steady riffs.
The song is written in the classic verse-chorus hard rock format, hitting Lynch's solo precisely where expected and the tune wraps up nice 'n' tidy as "Like a Dying Rose" struts out from it.
This track carries more Lynch Mob influence as Lynch chucks some bluesy plugs amidst the bobbing bass and floating keyboards. Sweet sounds relaxed as he molds his pitch to fit the lowdown groove of the cut.
The same can be said of the dirtier blues rawker "Rescue Me".
"Love Stays" could've been a predictable power ballad, but there's a heavier swing to this track even as it tails at a leisurely pace. This song is louder and chocked full of George Lynch's peals and rips where he can get away with them, but otherwise, it has far more oomph than meets the eye.
"Me Without You", features a gorgeous intro and threading melody by Lynch to compliment Sweet's harmonious croons. Sounding a bit like the Scorpions as the would-be ballad winds along, "Me Without You"'s biggest strength is the stellar vocal harmonizing aside from George Lynch's stress-free solo.
"Time Will Tell" changes the pace as Lynch and James LoMenzo ride hard upon Brian Tichy's crashing march. Reverberating chords and a determined bass channel thickens up this stout tune that carries an '80s action film verve about it. Accordingly, Michael Sweet reserves his best octaves for this one and the song blazes. The backing vocals are particularly great, one of the most uplifting songs Lynch or Sweet has ever put his name behind.
As much as this album stays in a low-rolling tempo, "Recover" finally steps on the gas with James LoMenzo's bass driving what becomes a Stryper-based rocker with more of a blues base to it. Sweet lets his falsettos fly free with "Recover"'s banging groove and lofting choruses. Appropriately, George Lynch, who delivers mostly tempered solos on the preceding tracks, cuts loose on this one.
Dipping back to mid-tempo, the band jams like beasts on the crawling "Divine". Only on the appositely sugary choruses does this song ease up, and Michael Sweet seizes those opportunities to remind his listeners to avoid letting the sins of the world swamp their lives.
There's classic choruses on "September", hot riffs in "Strength in Numbers" and "Hero-Zero" gimp more than move, but all that's come before them is enough to compensate, and the title track closing the album has enough sweat and hump (including a quick, bitchin' drum solo by Brian Tichy) to call it a good day in this camp.
Whether you get the soundness of this union or come to it with a glaring question mark, Michael Sweet and George Lynch answer their own call and "Only to Rise" is a killer Hard Rock record.

Well worth checking out!

Rating - 9/10

The Players:

 

Michael Sweet (Stryper) – Vocals, Guitar
George Lynch (Lynch Mob) – Guitar
James Lomenzo (ex White Lion, Megadeth) – Bass
Brian Tichy (ex Whitesnake) – Drums

MIKE TRAMP (White Lion) - Museum (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Singer Songwriter / Acoustic Rock

Label -

Track listing:

01. Trust In Yourself

02. New World Coming

03. Down South

04. Better

05. Freedom

06. Commitment

07. And You Were Gone

08. Slave

09. Mother

10. Time For Me To Go

After last year's very well received semi acoustic album Cobblestone Street, White Lion vocalist MIKE TRAMP toured massively thru Europe, USA and did some shows at Down Under.Mike Tramp even found time to record a brand new album entitled "Museum",
"Museum" picks up exactly where his previous disc Cobblestone Street left off. Again, following his new-found, back-to-the-roots direction, most of the songs are built around his acoustic guitar and amazing vocals with thoughtful and introspective lyrics.
Keyboards and electric guitars are used sparingly in order to bring depth to the songs. This singer-songwriter approach sees Tramp at his expressive best: once again he writes about a wide range of subjects.
The opening song "Trust in Yourself" is about corrupt politicians and law-makers and, while it's a good piece, I feel the opening track on his previous album is a lot more powerful as it helped set the mood for the entire disc. This song, on the other hand, is more of a stand-alone tune.

"Down South" picks up the pace with a playful riff while "Better," informed by a subtle keyboard melody, suggests he is 'slowly getting better' after the tumultuous period he went through being away from his wife and children, which most of the songs on Cobblestone Street dealt with.

"Freedom" sounds like a song off of Recovering the Wasted Years. A nice mid-tempo AORish piece, the song basically chronicles his life on tour and how he feels the need to break free every now and then. 

"And You Were Gone" and "Commitment" are both mellow in their flow, highlighting Tramp's unique, easily recognizable vocals while "Slave," which gives the impression it was recorded live in a single take, is a nice rocking track.

Without doubt, the most personal song on Museum is "Mother." Tramp has written about his mother before: fans of his first solo album will remember the lyrics on 'Have You Ever' where he tells his mother she is 'more than God'. Based around a simple acoustic guitar theme in order to draw the focus on Tramp's raspy voice and lyrics, this track basically sums up his feelings. 

The track ends on a hopeful note, when he sings he will make his 'life worth living' and 'make it up'. Ever since Tramp wrote the track '92' on the first Freak of Nature album, I feel there's no one else out there who can give life and meaning to personal lyrics like he can, and this song is another great addition to his catalog.

The album's last track is the beautiful "Time for Me to Go," which is a song that could be on the previous disc given the lyrics detail his difficult relationship with his wife. It's a melodic rock tune that sounds a lot like a Mike Spiro penned song.

"Museum" is another strong solo album by the former White Lion frontman.
Tramp's heart-rending voice is intact and has a feeling that few singers / songwriters can deliver with such expressive musicality.
Lovely record - Recommended.

Rating - 9/10

MIKE TRAMP - Cobblestone Street (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Rock
Label -

Track listing -

01. Cobblestone Street

02. Caught In The Storm
03. New Day
04. Ain't The Life I Asked For
05. Revolution
06. We'll Be Alright
07. Angel Or Devil
08. Find It In Your Heart
09. What Are You Gonna Do
10. Once

*** Please note that the following review is not my own words, but I agree with the sentiments exactly therefore I am reposting it here! ***

"If you're used to the big sounds which defined MIKE TRAMP through his platinum days with White Lion or the heavier Freak Of Nature, then his hew album released today, "Cobblestone Street", will take you by surprise.
According to Tramp, this is the album he always dreamt about doing.
This place, a location oft walked by singer/songwriter types, is where he finds himself today and, bravely it has to be said, has influenced him into making a quite remarkable record.
Recorded by Mike himself together with his good friend - talented Soren Andersen (multi-instrumentalist and co-producer) - in Vesterbro, Copenhagen, not far from the cobblestone streets Mike grew up on, the album is described as a journey akin to viewing a movie of his life, its end providing you with details of just who Mike Tramp is.
It's hard to disagree with him. The lyrics that wrap themselves around a clutch of songs that most listeners will instantly warm to are heartfelt, love letters to a past, possibly even a catharsis in song form: the ten songs that make up "Cobblestone Street" combine to form the finest all-round release of Tramp's career.
The title track, lyrically, appears highly personal to the artist, setting the scene nicely being about his childhood and where he grew up. The album as a whole obviously so, if a little more subtly, but listeners will pick much from the bones of the tracks as they swirl and seduce.
This is a simple, yet simply effective, recording that is easy to listen to yet not easy listening.
So when on "We'll Be Alright" he says that few would appreciate what it's like to walk a thousand miles with him, Tramp is telling you the truth. But in suggesting that you don't get what he's all about, Mike is challenging you to listen more attentively than you've ever needed to in his career.
These beautiful songs draw from his soul, exploring moral confusion in "Angel Or Devil" and being at the mercy of fate in the acoustic White Lion-like "What Are You Gonna Do".
Throughout the album Soren Andersen adds-in just the right musical backing, be it the subdued keys on the title track or the electric guitar solo on "Revolution".
Listen to "Find It In Your Heart" or "New Day" and it's clear Tramp Tramp has not lost his Melodic Rock symphaties, his knack of penning a potential chart topper is intact.
On "Once" Mike's vocal is set to a crackly background bringing to mind an old movie and you can hear the reel of the imaginary film spooling out at the song's end.
"Ain't The Life I Asked For", the album's standout track for me, perhaps sums the record, and where Tramp is today, up perfectly: "This ain't the life that I wanted to live / Now it is what I've become".
This album feels less of a reinvention, more of an acceptance of where he is today, and revels in its honesty.
Since the first note of "Cobblestone Street", I was hooked. This album is in no way hard rock or brash as White Lion, but that's the beauty of it. This is one of those songwriting accomplishments that define an artist's career.
These are deeply personal tunes that take the art of storytelling to the highest levels. 'Now everyone can see, it ain't the way it used to be', Tramp sings on "New Day", a line I find hard to beat to close a review of one of the year's most surprising albums; surprisingly good it has to be noted.
Tramp followers should adore "Cobblestone Street", however, this album shouldn't be the sole possession of old school fans: listeners new to Mike Tramp will find a truly deep, well written, emotional performed recording of amazing tunes.
There simply is not a bad note on this record. It would be absolutely criminal if this is not recognized for a ton of awards this year, and most importantly, true music lovers respect"

Reconmended!

Rating - 9/10

Line Up -
Mike Tramp - vocals, guitar
Søren Andersen - keyboards, drums, guitar, bass, production