What bands made their presence known to you in 2007? They do Not necessarily have to be 'new' bands, but simply any band that you weren't previously into but discovered this past year?
My greatest finds this year:
UFO. I've had a 'best of' for many years but rarely listened to it. However, I was urged to give it another try and was immediately hooked. And in addition to their classic Schenker era, their recent output since 1995 has been stellar! Great, great band.
Devin Townsend. Our own Electric Wyz turned me on to Devin...and I owe many thanks! His solo work is highly emotional, progressive in the truest sense, and very moving. I did not, however, like any of this other, non-solo stuff.
King's X. I hated the one or two videos I remember from back in the 80s. And, today, I'm not sure why. This trio is amazing....very groove-driven with a Beatles-esque flair. An extensive catalog with really no bad albums.
Richie Kotzen. This guitarist has surfed the musical map doing everything from Shrapnel label guitar shred, to replacing CC Deville in Poison, to jamming with jazz legends on fusion albums, to replacing Paul Gilbert in Mr Big, etc. But his best work, IMO, is his mid 90s+ solo records, which are very blues-funk rock records similar to what Glenn Hughes currently does. And, to top if off, Kotzen has an amazing voice which is similar to Chris Cornell.
Redemption. Great modern prog-metal with an emphasis on songwriting as opposed to shredding....and Rey Alder finally puts down some vocals I can tolerate!
Zakk Wylde / Black Label. Although his BLS records can be a bit one-dimensional, he usually delivers the goods. very heavy stuff....much better than anything he's ever done with Ozzy. But I guess I should have expected that.
The Cult. Similarly to UFO, I had their "best of" but didn't care much for it. As always, 'best ofs' dont necessarily yield a band's best songs! Their most recent album is a barnstormer and is what turmed me on to their back catlog. Great stuff, indeed. And I love the fact that each record is quite different from the preceding album. Ballsy...
I'm surely leaving something off this list...it was a very good year for discovering music!!!
My greatest finds this year:
UFO. I've had a 'best of' for many years but rarely listened to it. However, I was urged to give it another try and was immediately hooked. And in addition to their classic Schenker era, their recent output since 1995 has been stellar! Great, great band.
Devin Townsend. Our own Electric Wyz turned me on to Devin...and I owe many thanks! His solo work is highly emotional, progressive in the truest sense, and very moving. I did not, however, like any of this other, non-solo stuff.
King's X. I hated the one or two videos I remember from back in the 80s. And, today, I'm not sure why. This trio is amazing....very groove-driven with a Beatles-esque flair. An extensive catalog with really no bad albums.
Richie Kotzen. This guitarist has surfed the musical map doing everything from Shrapnel label guitar shred, to replacing CC Deville in Poison, to jamming with jazz legends on fusion albums, to replacing Paul Gilbert in Mr Big, etc. But his best work, IMO, is his mid 90s+ solo records, which are very blues-funk rock records similar to what Glenn Hughes currently does. And, to top if off, Kotzen has an amazing voice which is similar to Chris Cornell.
Redemption. Great modern prog-metal with an emphasis on songwriting as opposed to shredding....and Rey Alder finally puts down some vocals I can tolerate!
Zakk Wylde / Black Label. Although his BLS records can be a bit one-dimensional, he usually delivers the goods. very heavy stuff....much better than anything he's ever done with Ozzy. But I guess I should have expected that.
The Cult. Similarly to UFO, I had their "best of" but didn't care much for it. As always, 'best ofs' dont necessarily yield a band's best songs! Their most recent album is a barnstormer and is what turmed me on to their back catlog. Great stuff, indeed. And I love the fact that each record is quite different from the preceding album. Ballsy...
I'm surely leaving something off this list...it was a very good year for discovering music!!!
