Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.



MiniReview







Raining Jane “The Good Match” – Eclectic LA-based folk-rock band Raining Jane is back with their latest full-length CD, “The Good Match”. Long time touring partners of Sara Bareilles, and musical collaborators with acoustic rock luminaries like Willy Porter and Jason Mraz, the girls in Raining Jane have a lot to brag about. The songs on this new album span a range of emotions and feature outstanding songwriting, silky smooth harmonies, and unorthodox instrumentation including an occasional sitar, cajon, and glockenspiel. The result: a light folk rock soundtrack best suited for a lazy afternoon. Highlights for me include the polished radio-friendly title track, the buoyant “A World That's Made For Me And You”, and the closing acoustic track “New Year” (which strangely reminds me of Johnny Cash’s rendition of the Nine Inch Nails hit “Hurt”). And be sure to give a listen to their haunting reworking of Pat Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield”. Find out more about Raining Jane here.







Jason Dean “Coffee” [EP] - More acoustic rock goodness this week from singer/songwriter Jason Dean. With the backdrop of Virginia, Dean was inspired at a very early age by Hank Williams Jr, “not just a musician, but an entertainer as well”. Dean’s debut is this five song EP called “Coffee”, produced by himself and Pete Evick (Shinedown, Paramore, Bret Michaels). The songs are southern, bluesy and soulful, like too unlike what Kid Rock did on his last record, with hints of Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Allman Brothers, and Big Head Todd. Highlights include the groovy blues rock of “Only Wanna Be Me”, the Everlast vibe of “These Times”, and the breezy “Narrow Passage Creek”.

Jason Dean – official website.



Surprise of the week

And Dave Mustaine’s (Megadeth) favorite Metallica song is…

Click here to find out



News

35 years in the business and still going strong – Heart is planning a new album to follow up 2010’s “Red Velvet Car”. Can’t say I was a fan of that album, but I hold out hope…details here.



Motorhead is planning an album of cover tunes – should be interesting! Read all about it here.



Despite the death of Brad Delp, and the recent departure of Michael Sweet, Boston insists they are still together and will release the long awaiting album (the first since 2002’s "Corporate America"). Delp will be heard on this record. It is 85% finished according to the band, so that means we can expect it sometime in 2025. Details here.



Don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for these types of lists. Here are the top songs of the 80s, picked by Gibson.com



I admire Lita Ford’s take on aging! Ford says she still feels like the “20-year-old sexy rocker chick” at 51 and rejects plastic surgery, makeovers and working out…she looks fantastic. More here.



Details on Jani Lane’s final recording, “Sin”, done with Liberty n’Justice, a band featuring former Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli, King Kobra’s JK Northrup and Bill Leverty of Firehouse. Lane’s last media activity was an appearance on VH1′s That Metal Show, which was due for broadcast on October 1 but has been brought forward to August 27. Story is here with an update here.



More Jani Lani news: 80s rockers (including Great White, Quiet Riot, LA Guns, Enuff Z'nuff) will be playing a free tribute to the late singer and songwriter. Details on that story here.



Random iPOD song of the week

“Impossible” by Anberlin…one of the finest modern rock songs I’ve heard in a long time.

Kneejerk: Heart - Goo Goo Dolls

Welcome to the latest edition of KNEEJERK, where we preview some new releases and give our short, "kneejerk" reaction...


Heart “Red Velvet Car”

Ann and Nancy Wilson, the real muscle behind Heart, have captivated audiences for decades but haven’t been able to rebound after grunge stomped their brand of high gloss pop rock into the dust. “Red Velvet Car” is not a release that is likely to restore these sisters to the top of the charts, but it doesn’t feel as if they care – sounds like they are just doing what they love. The songs found on this release are more aligned with their less melodious 70s output than the pop perfection that gave their career a second wind in the 80s. Some of the tunes like “There You Go” and “WTF” have a welcoming bluesy guitar sound that revs up your heart, but the record soon flatlines into one disappointing track after another of aimless wandering. Vocally, Ann and Nancy sound terrific, but with no memorable hooks or exciting direction, this is a car best kept in the garage.


Goo Goo Dolls “Something For The Rest Of Us”

I fell in love with the Goo Goo Dolls with the release of 1993’s “Superstar Car Wash” – to this day, it remains my favorite of theirs, and one of my all-time favorite records. But ever since the commercial breakthrough of “Name”, and “Iris” shortly thereafter, this band has never been the same. Instead of trying to be The Replacements, the Goo Goo Dolls now seem content to be a Bon Jovi. Honestly, I’m OK with that - their modern output is more predictable and less energetic, but I have to admit that generally I still like it. What I’m not OK with, however, is the mediocrity that abounds on “Something For The Rest Of Us”. It continues along their recent trajectory, but this time I feel like we’re being served lukewarm leftovers from “Let Love In”, which was pretty tepid to begin with. There are a few sweet morsels, like “Sweetest Lie”, “Nothing Is Real”, and “Still Your Song”, but generally these songs feel uninspired with a lot of style and little substance. Put it this way – most of the songs are as exciting as the cover art.

Classic melodic rock CD of the week

By Stephen Kasenda

HEART "Heart" (1985)

Following a formation change in Heart's camp and the commercial failure of the two albums in early 80s, the Wilson sisters made a strong return with their eponymous album, which was the first on Capitol Records. It spawned 4 successful singles and nailed 5 million sales in the US alone. This is the pinnacle of their entire career and this album sealed the top Billboard 200 spot on late 1985. Musically, Heart began to show a huge pop/AOR influence, leaving most of their 70s hard rock element behind.

Honestly, there's no dull moment inside, especially if you're into AOR, from the heavy rockers of "If Looks Could Kill", "The Wolf", and "Shell Shock", to the passionate power ballads of "What About Love", "Never", and "These Dreams", Heart delivered their affecting performances flawlessly. Ann Wilson's voice is undoubtedly enthralling and magical, but what surprised me is how Nancy took the lead singer role on their number one single, "These Dreams", and her heartwarming voice is so pure. I've read somewhere that she caught a cold fever at that time this song was recorded and you can hear how the illness ironically wrapped her voice with a raspy feel that made her vocal even better.

Unfortunately, the production is quite poor. The volume is very thin and it's hard to hear the bass, but other than that, this album is completely stunning. The songs are nostalgic, beautiful, and after 25 years old, it never gets old and rusty. While I also kinda like their newer releases such as "Brigade" and "Bad Animals", this is definitely their greatest album.

Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.