Date: July 15, 2010 Venue: Piazza Grande – Moon And Stars Town: Locarno (Switzerland)

[voto: 4.5]

Moon And Stars is an event that is held since 2004 in the picturesque Piazza Grande in Locarno, a few dozen meters from Lake Maggiore. Each year, many artists of international status come here and for two weeks Locarno becomes a city of music (and not a single inhabitant of the town collect signatures against these concerts) and this year, the evening with Toto and Earth Wind & Fire co-headlining is undoubtedly the most meaty to me.

"Boogie Wonderland" opens literally the dance with the twelve Earth, Wind & Fire musicians playing wild and ready to rock the crowd. Funky and 70s disco hits follow one another almost without a pause, the set is composed by a compilation of their most famous songs: "September", "Fantasy", "After The Love Has Gone" and "Sing A Song" among others.
One hour and twenty-five minutes of great fun offered by an ensemble of unexceptionable and vocally resounding musicians. Thinking that some of them are now in their sixties is truly incredible.

After a twenty minute break, it comes the moment I eagerly awaited for. I have attended several Toto concerts but I never had the chance to see Joseph Williams with them, the singer of "The Seventh One" (and "Fahrenheit"), the record that made me discover them when I was a boy and that is within my ten desert island cds.
The circumstances, unfortunately, are not happy, since this temporary reunion and the short European tour are organized to honor the historic bass player Mike Porcaro who contracted Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS.
Legendary bassist Nathan East, known for having played with Phil Collins and Eric Clapton among others, has been called to stand in for Mike in this tour.

The band strikes up with the epic and pompous instrumental "Child's Anthem" and we are soon able to catch the excellent shape of the musicians and their desire to become a single entity with the crowd, with Steve Lukather who demands and urge the audience's chorus. After the instrumental introduction, here comes Joseph Williams on stage and since the first vocalizations of "Till The End" the impression is that this will be a great night indeed, his throat is in good shape. The harmony between the various members of the band is palpable and seeing for the first time on stage Steve Porcaro and Joseph Williams was really exciting for me.
Luke is histrionic as always, David Paich is a scene stealer when he does not "hide" behind the keys and a true maestro when he plays, the groove imposed from East and veteran Simon Phillips is pure passion and I should also mention the great voices of the two back-up vocalists Jory Steinberg and Mabvuto Carpenter.
The long instrumental parts performed during the last tours are not played except for a short keyboards solo; maybe because of the short setlist but this time the songs are at the core of the show: "Pamela", "Home Of The Brave", "Georgy Porgy" (with the intro "stolen" from EWF's "Can't Hide Love" and to them dedicated by Luke), "Stop Loving You".
The setlist covers only the first ten years of Toto career, with songs pulled out from the 1978 debut album to the 1988 "The Seventh One"; if I have to complain about something, I have to say that I would have liked a few more songs from Williams' two records even if some classic should have been dropped. "Only The Children", "Straight For The Heart" or "Could This Be Love" would have been perfect for me.

In the next months a DVD should be released with the whole concert held in Copenhagen a few days later, I recommend the purchase to all the fans who could not reach Locarno.

A last thought goes to the great Mike Porcaro, a player who gave Toto so much both on stage and live.

Band:

Joseph Williams - lead vocals
Steve Lukather - guitars, lead vocals
David Paich - keyboards, lead vocals
Steve Porcaro - keyboards
Nathan East - bass, backing vocals
Simon Phillips - drums
Jory Steinberg - lead & backing vocals
Mabvuto Carpenter - lead & backing vocals

Setlist:

01. Child's Anthem
02. Till The End
03. Afraid Of Love
04. Lovers In The Night
05. Pamela
06. Georgy Porgy
07. Somewhere Tonight
08. Keyboards solo
09. Stop Loving You
10. Africa
11. Rosanna
ENCORE
12. Home Of The Brave
13. Hold The Line

Date: July 15, 2010 Venue: Piazza Grande – Moon And Stars Town: Locarno (Switzerland)

[voto: 4.5][EN]

Moon And Stars è una manifestazione che da sei anni si tiene nella caratteristica e centralissima Piazza Grande di Locarno a poche decine di metri dal Lago Maggiore. Ogni anno passano di qui artisti di caratura internazionale e per due settimane Locarno diventa città della musica (senza che nessun abitante della cittadina raccolga firme anti-concerti e proteste varie) e quest'anno, la serata da co-headliner di Toto ed Earth, Wind & Fire è senza dubbio la più succosa, per me.

Le note di "Boogie Wonderland" aprono letteralmente le danze con i dodici musicisti degli Earth, Wind & Fire scatenati e pronti a loro volta a far scatenare la folla. Hit funky e disco anni '70 si susseguono praticamente senza sosta, una compilation delle loro canzoni più famose ha composto il set: "September", "Fantasy", "After The Love Has Gone" e "Sing A Song" tra le altre.
Un'ora e venticinque minuti di grande divertimento prodotto da un ensemble di musicisti ineccepibili e vocalmente strepitosi. Pensare che alcuni di loro sono ormai sulla sessantina è davvero incredibile.

Dopo una ventina di minuti di pausa arriva il momento da me tanto atteso. Ho assistito a diversi concerti dei Toto ma non avevo mai avuto l'occasione di vederli con Joseph Williams al microfono, il cantante di "The Seventh One" (e di "Fahrenheit"), il disco che me li ha fatti scoprire da ragazzino e che rientra nei miei dieci dischi da portare sull'isola deserta.
L'occasione, purtroppo, non è delle più felici, infatti questa temporanea reunion con relativo mini tour europeo sono stati organizzati in onore dello storico bassista Mike Porcaro il quale ha contratto il morbo di Lou Gehrig, tristemente noto anche come SLA.
Al posto di Mike è stato chiamato un altro leggendario bassista, Nathan East, noto per avere suonato con Phil Collins ed Eric Clapton tra gli altri.

La band attacca con lo strumentale epico e pomposo di "Child's Anthem" e già traspare l'ottima forma dei musicisti e la loro voglia di diventare un'unica entità con il pubblico, con il leader Steve Lukather che chiama a gran voce il coro del pubblico. Finita l'introduzione strumentale, ecco salire sul palco Joseph Williams e fin dai primi vocalizzi di "Till The End" l'impressione è che questa sarà veramente una grande serata, la sua ugola pare in ottima forma. La sintonia tra i vari membri della band è palpabile e, per me, vedere per la prima volta sul palco Steve Porcaro e Joseph Williams è emozionante.
Luke è il solito istrione, David Paich mattatore quando esce dal "nascondiglio" delle tastiere ma maestro assoluto quando si cimenta allo strumento, il groove imposto da East e dal veterano Simon Phillips è passione allo stato puro e menzione va pure alle grandi voci dei due coristi Jory Steinberg e Mabvuto Carpenter.
I lunghi momenti strumentali a cui ci avevano abituato nelle ultime tournée non vengono eseguiti a parte un breve solo di tastiere; saranno i tempi "ristretti" ma, questa volta, sono le canzoni ad essere al centro dello show: "Pamela", "Home Of The Brave", "Georgy Porgy" (con tanto di citazione di "Can't Hide Love" degli EWF e loro dedicata da Luke), "Stop Loving You".
La scaletta copre solo i primi dieci anni di carriera dei Toto, con brani che vanno dall'omonimo disco d'esordio del 1978 fino a "The Seventh One" del 1988; se proprio devo lamentarmi di qualcosa, devo dire che avrei preferito qualche canzone in più dai due dischi di Williams anche a discapito, eventualmente, di qualche classico. "Only The Children", "Straight For The Heart" o "Could This Be Love" ci sarebbero state proprio bene.

Nei prossimi mesi dovrebbe uscire il DVD del concerto tenuto a Copenhagen qualche giorno dopo, consiglio l'acquisto a tutti i fan che non hanno potuto raggiungere Locarno.

Un ultimo pensiero va sicuramente a un grande come Mike Porcaro che tanto ha dato sul palco e in studio a una band storica come quella dei Toto.

Band:

Joseph Williams - lead vocals
Steve Lukather - guitars, lead vocals
David Paich - keyboards, lead vocals
Steve Porcaro - keyboards
Nathan East - bass, backing vocals
Simon Phillips - drums
Jory Steinberg - lead & backing vocals
Mabvuto Carpenter - lead & backing vocals

Setlist:

01. Child's Anthem
02. Till The End
03. Afraid Of Love
04. Lovers In The Night
05. Pamela
06. Georgy Porgy
07. Somewhere Tonight
08. Keyboards solo
09. Stop Loving You
10. Africa
11. Rosanna
ENCORE
12. Home Of The Brave
13. Hold The Line

Release date: January 19, 2010 Label: R.E.D. Distribution (U.S.A.) / Powerage Records (Europe) Producer: Joe Barresi, Pearl, Jay Ruston   Style: Hard Rock, Southern Rock, Rock Blues, Classic Rock Related bands: Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, Sass Jordan, Heart

[voto: 4]

Intro
Hard rock corrupted by 70s blues flavor for the band Pearl.

Best tracks
Rock Child, Broken White, Check Out Charlie, My Heart Isn't In It

Notes
Pearl Aday, though unknown to the general public, is surely not unprepared for the world of rock: we are indeed talking about the wife of Scott Ian (guitarist for Anthrax and now also for Pearl) and, at the same time, daughter of Michael Lee Aday, mostly known as Meat Loaf, for which she has toured the world as a backing vocalist for nine years.
In spite of kinship (even if both are not biological), the blonde Pearl is not influenced by the style of any of them.
Since the album cover is easy to guess her love for the 70s and for Janis Joplin (her biological father played drums for Janis Joplin and from her he stole the nickname Pearl for his daughter). So, we are talking about hard blues rock with trace of southern rock (outstanding are the autobiographical "Rock Child" and "Broken White"), sung by a rocker with balls who is not ashamed to show her female side in sweet ballads such as "My Heart Isn’t In It" and "Anything".
Pearl, with her scathing and gritty voice, is rightly the protagonist of the album, but the powerful and precise rhythm section and the two aggressive guitars certainly do not stand in the background.
All together, they create captivating songs that are sure going to be appreciated by anyone who grew up on AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith and all the heroes of the '70s.

Band

• Pearl Aday – vocals
• Marcus Blake – bass
• Jim Wilson – guitars
• Scott Ian – guitars
• Eric Leiderman – drums

Tracklist

• 01. Rock Child   4:20
• 02. Nutbush City Limits   3:29
• 03. Broken White   4:35
• 04. Check Out Charlie (ft. Ted Nugent)  3:22
• 05. Mama   4:09
• 06. My Heart Isn't In It   4:48
• 07. Nobody   5:02
• 08. Worth Defending   4:18
• 09. Love Pyre   2:53
• 10. Whore   2:33
• 11. Anything (ft. Jerry Cantrell)  4:18

Discography

• Little Immaculate White Fox (2010 R.E.D. Distribution / Powerage Records)

Suggested links

• Pearl on myspace
• Pearl Official Site

Release date: January 19, 2010 Label: R.E.D. Distribution (U.S.A.) / Powerage Records (Europe) Producer: Joe Barresi, Pearl, Jay Ruston   Style: Hard Rock, Southern Rock, Rock Blues, Classic Rock Related bands: Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, Sass Jordan, Heart

[voto: 4][EN]

Intro
Hard rock imbastardito di blues dal sapore 70s per la band di Pearl.

Best tracks
Rock Child, Broken White, Check Out Charlie, My Heart Isn't In It

Notes
Pearl Aday, per quanto sconosciuta al grande pubblico, non è certo una sprovveduta nel mondo del rock: stiamo parlando infatti della moglie di Scott Ian, chitarrista di Anthrax e ora anche di Pearl, e figlia di Michael Lee Aday, noto ai più come Meat Loaf, per il quale, per ben nove anni, ha girato il mondo come corista.
A dispetto delle parentele (anche se entrambe non sono biologiche), la bionda Pearl non è influenzata dallo stile di nessuno di essi.
Fin dalla copertina dell'album è intuibile l'amore per i 70s e per una certa Janis Joplin (per cui il papà biologico della Aday suonò la batteria e da cui rubò il nomignolo Pearl per la figlia). Stiamo parlando quindi di un rock blues con venature sudiste e piuttosto hard (strepitose l'autobiografica "Rock Child" e "Broken White"), cantato da una rocker con le palle ma che non si vergogna di mostrare il lato più femminile in dolci ballad quali "My Heart Isn't In It" e "Anything".
Pearl, con la sua voce graffiante e grintosa, è giustamente la protagonista del disco, ma la sezione ritmica possente e precisa e le due aggressive chitarre non sono certo in secondo piano.
Tutto l'insieme crea canzoni coinvolgenti che saranno sicuramente apprezzate da chiunque sia cresciuto a pane ed AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith e tutti gli eroi degli anni '70.

Band

• Pearl Aday – vocals
• Marcus Blake – bass
• Jim Wilson – guitars
• Scott Ian – guitars
• Eric Leiderman – drums

Tracklist

• 01. Rock Child   4:20
• 02. Nutbush City Limits   3:29
• 03. Broken White   4:35
• 04. Check Out Charlie (ft. Ted Nugent)  3:22
• 05. Mama   4:09
• 06. My Heart Isn't In It   4:48
• 07. Nobody   5:02
• 08. Worth Defending   4:18
• 09. Love Pyre   2:53
• 10. Whore   2:33
• 11. Anything (ft. Jerry Cantrell)  4:18

Discography

• Little Immaculate White Fox (2010 R.E.D. Distribution / Powerage Records)

Suggested links

• Pearl on myspace
• Pearl Official Site

Release date: February 26, 2010 Label: Frontiers Records Producer: Brooks Paschal   Style: Rock, AOR Related bands: Rick Springfield, Bad Company, Foreigner

 [voto: 3.75]

Intro
The beautiful voice of Brian Howe is back after a thirteen years pause.

Best tracks
I'm Back, There's This Girl, It Could Have Been You, How It Could Have Been, My Town

Notes
The former lead singer of Bad Company, with the mark who recorded the albums celebrated by the lovers of glossy sounds, to release this second solo album called the young Brooks Paschal, leader of the band Sullivan, to produce, play and write almost the whole album.
The two remained in Guatemala for a week and during this time they wrote the whole "Circus Bar", and both the album name and the photo of the cover come from their favorite bar in the small Central America Country.
These fourteen tracks (thirteen songs plus outro) are the result and they reveal the desire to rock of the British singer. The sound is dirty and more direct compared with the delicate "Tangled In Blue", reissued years later with the name "Touch"; there are good songs and the melody does not lack, indeed, there are many memorable songs.
What is missing are the big arrangement of keyboards and bog hooks, as if he had attempted a modern approach to a more classical genre.
The tracklist also features "How About That" and "Holy Water", originally published by his Bad Company, a choice I do not completely support, without these two songs the album would have probably been smoother and fresh.

Band

• Brian Howe – vocals
• guitars – Brooks Paschal, Dean Aicher, James Paul Wisner, Tyson Shipman, Pat Travers
• bass – Brooks Paschal, Miguel Gonzalez, Wayne Nelson
• drums – Matt Brown
• piano and strings – Luke Davids

Tracklist

• 01. I'm Back   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:23
• 02. Life's Mistery   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:23
• 03. There's This Girl   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:16
• 04. It Could Have Been You   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:02
• 05. I'm Surrounded   (M. Gonzalez, B. Howe) 4:10
• 06. Flying   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:09
• 07. How It Could Have Been   (J. Carlisi, B. Howe) 3:53
• 08. My Town   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:08
• 09. How About That   (B. Howe, T. Thomas) 3:40
• 10. Feels Like Coming Home   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:18
• 11. If You Want Trouble   (M. Gonzalez, B. Howe) 3:28
• 12. What Am I Feeling   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:40
• 13. Holy Water   (B. Howe, T. Thomas) 4:47
• 14. Little George Street (B. Howe) 0:47

Discography

• Ted Nugent "Penetrator" (1984 Atlantic Records)
• Bad Company "Fame And Fortune" (1986 Atlantic Records)
• Bad Company "Dangerous Age" (1988 ATCO)
• Bad Company "Holy Water" (1990 ATCO)
• Bad Company "Here Comes Trouble" (1992 ATCO)
• Bad Company "What You Hear Is What You Get – Live" (1993 Atlantic Records)
• Brian Howe "Tangled In Blue" (1997 Touchwood Records)
• Brian Howe "Touch" (2003 MTM Music)
• Brian Howe "Circus Bar" (2010 Frontiers Records)

Suggested links

• Brian Howe on myspace
• Brian Howe Official Site
• Brian Howe on Facebook

Release date: February 26, 2010 Label: Frontiers Records Producer: Brooks Paschal   Style: Rock, AOR Related bands: Rick Springfield, Bad Company, Foreigner

 [voto: 3.75][EN]

Intro
La bellissima voce di Brian Howe torna a farsi sentire dopo una pausa durata ben tredici anni.

Best tracks
I'm Back, There's This Girl, It Could Have Been You, How It Could Have Been, My Town

Notes
L'ex cantante dei Bad Company, quelli dei dischi celebrati dai rockers amanti dei suoni più patinati, per questo secondo album solista ha chiamato a sé il giovane Brooks Paschal, leader della band Sullivan, per produrre, suonare e scrivere quasi per intero l'album.
I due sono rimasti in Guatemala per una settimana e in questo lasso di  tempo hanno scritto l'intero "Circus Bar", tra l'altro il nome dell'album e la foto della copertina provengono dal loro bar preferito del piccolo Paese del Centro America.
Il risultato sono queste quattordici tracce (tredici canzoni più l'outro) che svelano la voglia di rockare del cantante inglese. Il suono è più sporco e diretto se confrontato con il delicato "Tangled In Blue", ristampato anni dopo con il nome "Touch"; le canzoni ci sono e la melodia non manca, anzi, sono molte le canzoni memorabili.
Quello che manca sono i grandi cori e i tappeti di tastiere, come se avesse tentato un approccio moderno a un genere più classico.
Nella tracklist sono presenti anche "How About That" e "Holy Water", pubblicate originariamente dai suoi Bad Company, scelta che mi lascia qualche dubbio in quanto senza queste due canzoni la scaletta probabilmente sarebbe stata  più snella e fresca.

Band

• Brian Howe – vocals
• guitars – Brooks Paschal, Dean Aicher, James Paul Wisner, Tyson Shipman, Pat Travers
• bass – Brooks Paschal, Miguel Gonzalez, Wayne Nelson
• drums – Matt Brown
• piano and strings – Luke Davids

Tracklist

• 01. I'm Back   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:23
• 02. Life's Mistery   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:23
• 03. There's This Girl   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:16
• 04. It Could Have Been You   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 3:02
• 05. I'm Surrounded   (M. Gonzalez, B. Howe) 4:10
• 06. Flying   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:09
• 07. How It Could Have Been   (J. Carlisi, B. Howe) 3:53
• 08. My Town   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:08
• 09. How About That   (B. Howe, T. Thomas) 3:40
• 10. Feels Like Coming Home   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:18
• 11. If You Want Trouble   (M. Gonzalez, B. Howe) 3:28
• 12. What Am I Feeling   (B. Howe, B. Paschal) 4:40
• 13. Holy Water   (B. Howe, T. Thomas) 4:47
• 14. Little George Street (B. Howe) 0:47

Discography

• Ted Nugent "Penetrator" (1984 Atlantic Records)
• Bad Company "Fame And Fortune" (1986 Atlantic Records)
• Bad Company "Dangerous Age" (1988 ATCO)
• Bad Company "Holy Water" (1990 ATCO)
• Bad Company "Here Comes Trouble" (1992 ATCO)
• Bad Company "What You Hear Is What You Get – Live" (1993 Atlantic Records)
• Brian Howe "Tangled In Blue" (1997 Touchwood Records)
• Brian Howe "Touch" (2003 MTM Music)
• Brian Howe "Circus Bar" (2010 Frontiers Records)

Suggested links

• Brian Howe on myspace
• Brian Howe Official Site
• Brian Howe on Facebook

 [voto: 4.25]

Intro
It’s been some time since Lonestar had a great success in the US charts, not only in the country ones. Now they’re back with a new lead singer and a new record company.

Best tracks
Beat (I Can Feel Your Heart), Live Laugh And Love, Making Memories, The Future

Notes
Cody Collins, the new lead vocalist, is a very good choice, and brings a new wave of bloom; sure, comparing to the past, it is always less about country and more about pop rock. Their harmonies could strike in their hearts (and ears) all the open-minded melodic rockers that don’t necessarily need the presence of distorted guitars (well, all of the people who appreciated the "Lost Highway" album from Bon Jovi).
Dreamy melodies, careful arrangements, superb production, everything is perfectly studied to bring the band back to the top of the hit parade, and every single song is top-notch.
The almost AOR "Making Memories", the driving songs "Live Laugh And Love", "Beat" and "The Future" (co-written by Matt Scannell, the Vertical Horizon leader) and the rock’n’rolling "Y.O.U." and "Party Heard Around The World" are examples of the wide range of genres offered by the band where they use always a common thread: sunny melodies that bring you, since the very first seconds of the CD, directly into the streets of the "American dream".

Band

• Cody Collins – lead vocals
• Michael Britt – lead guitars, background vocals
• Keech Rainwater – drums
• Dean Sams – keyboards, harmonica

Tracklist

• 01. Beat (I Can Feel Your Heart)   (Lonestar) 3:13
• 02. Live, Laugh And Love   (C. Collins, G. Harrison, D. Sams) 4:01
• 03. She Wants What She Wants   (M. Britt, K. Rainwater, D. Sams) 3:23
• 04. You're The Reason Why   (M. Britt, C. Collins, D. Sams) 3:26
• 05. Y.O.U.   (Lonestar) 3:34
• 06. Making Memories   (C. Collins, G. Crowe, D. Sams) 4:44
• 07. The Future   (B. James, M. Scannell) 3:39
• 08. Goodbye Is Goodbye   (C. Collins, G. Crowe, D. Sams) 3:19
• 09. Let Me Love You   (D. Matkosky, C. Wiseman) 3:48
• 10. Party Heard Around The World   (M. Britt, C. Cavanaugh, D. Sams) 3:24

Discography

• Lonestar (1995 BNA Records)
• Crazy Nights (1997 BNA Records)
• Lonely Grill (1999 BNA Records)
• This Christmas Time (2000 BNA Records)
• I'm Already There (2001 BNA Records)
• Let's Be Us Again (2004 BNA Records)
• Coming Home (2005 BNA Records)
• Mountains (2006 BNA Records)
• Party Heard Around The World (2010 Saguaro Road Records)

Suggested links

• Lonestar on myspace http://www.myspace.com/lonestar
• Lonestar Official Site http://www.lonestarnow.com/
• Lonestar on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lonestarnow