Tag: Matt Sorum
1 Johnny Crash – Unfinished Business (Release Year – 2008)
Sixteen years is a long time to wait for an album to be released, but that is how long I waited for Johnny Crash’s second album “Unfinished Business” to finally see the light of day. I guess the question is was it worth the wait, that is where the answer gets tricky. If any of you read or participate in HRH Forums you may know that Johnny Crash’s debut album “Neighbourhood Threat” is one of my top 5 all time albums. It has great songs from start to end but the biggest thing for me is after listening to it for the past 18 years it still does not sound dated to me. “Hey Kid”, “Crack of Dawn”, & “Ax To The Wax” all sound as great today as they did in 1990 when I first bought the cassette.
Unfortunately that is what is missing off “Unfinished Business” now don’t get me wrong there are some good songs and there are some o.k. songs but there are no great songs and as much as I hate to say it the album sounds very dated. “Damnnation Alley” and “Mama Don’t Care” try to capture the in your face balls to the wall feeling of the debut while they come close in the end just can’t pull it off. “Mama Don’t Care” could definitely be a better song but instead of letting it end the last minute and half is a senseless and useless outro that kills all the momentum of the song. “In The Groove” shows the guys stretching a little bit more with the acoustic intro and could have easily been a good stripper song back in the day but not in ’08. “Rock-n-Roll Suicide” is another attempt at trying to recreate the energy of the debut but it to falls a little short.
It’s not often that I say this but in this instant the best song off of “Unfinished Business” is a ballad “When It Gets Hard”. Vicki James Wright really gets to stretch his vocals on this song, it has a real bluesy feel and a backup choir that really helps fill the song out.
I don’t know if it was the fact that Dizzy Reed replaced August Worchell on lead guitar or because the band was still morning the loss of bassist Andy Rogers who died from a heroin overdose, but something is definitely missing off this album. To answer the question was it worth the wait? Yes and No I love the fact that I got to hear some new Johnny Crash songs, I just wished the songs were a little better than they are.
You can pick up Unfinished Business at SunCity Records. For more information on Johnny Crash, check out their myspace page.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Damnation Alley
- Monkey See Monkey Do
- Mama Don’t Care
- Renegade
- In The Groove
- Rock’n’Roll Suicide
- Summer Daze
- Ditch The Bitch
- When It gets Hard
- Livin Above The Law
- No Parole
Johnny Crash is:
Vicki James Wright – lead vocals
J.J. Bolt – guitar
Christopher Stewart – guitar
Dizzy Reed – keyboards
Andy Rogers – bass
Matt Sorum – drums
0 Sammy Hagar’s Cosmic Universal Fashion Gets November Release Date
Sammy Hagar is the first signing to new Roadrunner imprint Loud & Proud, which will focus on established artists. His label debut, “Cosmic Universal Fashion,” will arrive Nov. 18.
The album’s title track was written online by Hagar with an Iraqi rock fan named Steven Lost. The cut and its accompanying video, an homage to Van Halen’s text-heavy 1992 clip for “Right Now,” can be samples on Hagar’s Web site.
“‘Cosmic Universal Fashion‘ is not about supporting left or right, blue or red, but rather an attempt to appeal to people on a personal level to get involved,” says Hagar.
The album also includes the song “Loud,” featuring the Cult’s Billy Duffy and Matt Sorum along with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, and a cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right To Party.”
Hagar was most recently signed to Rhino, which issued his 2006 album “Livin’ It Up.” The set has sold 52,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Here is the track list for “Cosmic Universal Fashion“:
“Cosmic Universal Fashion”
“Psycho Vertigo”
“Peephole”
“LOUD”
“Fight for Your Right To Party”
“Switch on the Light”
“When the Sun Don’t Shine”
“24365”
“I’m on a Roll”
“Dreams/Cabo”
You can watch the video for “Cosmic Universal Fashion” below!
6 Velvet Revolver – Libertad (Release Year-2007)
The new Velvet Revolver is here! With the new release “Libertad”, hopefully people will treat this as a Velvet Revolver disc and stop the comparisons to Guns ‘N Roses.
The major question people are asking is, has the band gone into a sophomore slump, or does “Libertad” surpass the debut release “Contraband”.
I have listened to “Contraband” quite a bit, and believe “Libertad” surpasses the first disc, and has more potential for hits than its predecessor. “Libertad” however is a grower. I didn’t get into it completely on the first listen. Some of the songs definitely get better with repeated listening.
The first single seems like an odd choice to me. There are more infectious songs that “She Builds Quick” machines on this disc.
She Builds Quick Machines
I actually think the opening cut, “Let it Roll” is a better song. It is a heavier track with superb guitar work and a great bass groove. “She Mine” is another song that is really growing on me.
My early favorite off of this disc is “Get Out the Door“. This is song is quite infectious, and has an awesome beat. “Pill, Demons & Etc.” is also very catchy. Slash’s playing on this track is excellent. I am betting that “American Man” is going to get a lot of radio airplay before the end of 2007. I like this song a lot.
“The Last Fight” almost has a Tom Petty style about it. This song is about as close to “Fall to Pieces” as you are going to get on “Libertad“. This song has radio hit written all over it.
I will admit that there are a couple of songs that I didn’t care for. The Album closer “Gravedancer” sounds closer to the Rolling Stones, and this country flavored rock doesn’t work for me. The song “Spay” was a little too noisy for my tastes.
The cover of the Jeff Lynne penned ELO track, “Can’t Get it Out of My Head” seems out of place too.
The music on this disc is probably more like STP than Guns ‘N Roses. “Libertad” should bring Velvet Revolver continued success well into 2008. It is another solid offering by these hard rock veterans!
You can find more info on Velvet Revolver at the band’s myspace page or at their website here.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Let It Roll
2. She Mine
3. Get Out The Door
4. She Builds Quick Machines
5. The Last Fight
6. Pills, Demons & Etc.
7. American Man
8. Mary Mary Listen
9. Just Sixteen
10. Can’t Get It Out Of My Head
11. For A Brother
12. Spay
13. Gravedancer
14. Re-Evolution
Velvet Revolver is:
Scott Weiland – Vocals
Slash – Guitars
Dave Kushner – Rhythm Guitar
Matt Sorum – Drums
Duff McKagan – Bass
