Stay to the end, and I swear I have something good to say. This is the most depressing stretch of the year (I'll have something to say about that soon), but I'm not incapable of finding something worthwhile.
Erik Gronwall - Black Velvet
I usually don't bother with the people who put out covers upon covers to generate content, but I happened to see this recommended by the algorithm. "Black Velvet" is one of my favorite songs of all time, so much so I wrote my own song that borrowed the title. Hearing a 'moody', rocking version of the song could open up new ways of appreciating and understanding an old favorite...
Or it could remind me of a couple truths about music. The first and foremost of these is that music is a human thing, and the emotional connection we make with music and musicians is very real. It is also really lacking in this version of the song. Erik's voice is great, and I'm sure his performance is technically flawless, but it doesn't give me the same feeling of passion that Alannah Myles did. Her version of the song was gritty and passionate, while Erik's sounds like someone trying to nail the notes without needing Autotune (which he doesn't, I would bet).
Erik's version might be closer to my taste, and it might do everything perfectly, but it's the imperfections that make music what it is. I've been listening to "Black Velvet" for thirty years, and it hits as hard as ever. I'm not going to remember this version a week from now.
MSG - Don't Sell Your Soul
Speaking of Erik Gronwall, he joins forces with Michael Schenker on this track. At least I think he does. To be honest, I didn't recognize his voice the first time I listened to the song. It sits in an uncomfortable place in his range, or the production is highlighting the wrong frequencies of his voice, but he sounds incredibly tired on this song. He sounds just fine on the previously mentioned cover, so maybe Erik realizes Schenker's music is as by-the-numbers as I do. There's not much here to recommend, and I wouldn't even mention it if not for the obvious comparison.
Alter Bridge - Silent Divide
How often does a band get to play the self-titled record card before we get to call them out on it? Weezer does it as a joke at this point (or at least I hope they do), but why would a band with some actual credibility release a self-titled record as their eighth album, when they already have one quasi-eponymous record in "AB III"?
Thankfully, we've had a bit of time since both Myles and Mark have released their own albums, so this return-to-form for Alter Bridge doesn't sound as played out as it could. To be honest, the two of them have put out so much music that I was getting rather tired of hearing them, whether together or apart. The breather has helped, although knowing Myles has already recorded an album with Slash that won't see the light of day for a year-and-a-half is ridiculous.
Alter Bridge is usually good, and this song is too. It is to the point, though, that the machinations and distractions give me more to talk about than the actual music. Not sure that's a good thing.
Dr Smith & The Night Shift - House Call
A sparse arrangement is daring, but it can reveal an artist with massive core strength. To put a vocal front-and-center with little else to carry the proceedings is to dare someone to find fault with what you have accomplished. This first song from Dr Smith & The Night Shift does just that, highlighting the impeccable vocal and the lyric that contemplates the need for human compassion being greater than the need to keep living. To feel seen and heard, to feel cared about, can be the only thing that matters when we are trying to assess if life has been worth the effort. That is the feeling captured by this song, and it's one that resonates all the deeper for being given the space to do so.
It's rare for a song to make such a perfect first impression. This one manages to.
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