The latest disc from Mark Newman is well rooted in classic rock. It would have been quite at home if released in the 1970s. That doesn’t mean that it sounds dated, but rather classic and easily familiar. It’s highly recommended to those who like good bluesy classic rock with other elements.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Until The Morning Comes
A tasty rocker, there’s some blues and some country in the mix here, but overall this is more of a straightforward rocker that’s quite classic in nature.
Don't Get Me Wrong This makes me think of the Band. It’s got that tasty country rock sound to it. Marshall Tucker band also comes to mind. There’s a smoking hot guitar extended solo in a classic and southern rock style at the end.
Taking Pictures A bit mellower, this one has a definite classic rock ballad style to it. There’s another tasty bluesy guitar solo on this track with lots of slide.
Fire On The Water
A cut about the ecological concerns related to the oil industry, this is a killer bluesy jam that sort of straddles the fence between ballad and rocker.
Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl The most purely balladic number we’ve heard, this is also the most purely country oriented piece on show. It’s tasty and a nice change, but not really in line with my personal tastes as much as some of the other music is.
Walls Of Jericho The title track is a bouncy and energized rocker that’s more modern in nature than anything to this point on the disc. There’s still plenty of classic rock and retro textures (particular the organ solo), but it has more of a modern texture than the rest of the material. It also moves out towards jazz.
Vacation While this shares a lot of territory with the rest of the disc, it also has a more mainstream classic rock sound to it. There are also hints of progressive rock. It’s one of the highlights of the disc.
She's The One Here’s a killer classic rock oriented ballad. This is pretty and powerful and another standout on the set.
Medicine Marie Mix the melodic side of Led Zeppelin with Molly Hatchet. Add in some serious blues rock and even some folk and you’ll have a great idea of what this potent piece is all about. It’s got a strong vocal arrangement and some awesome slide guitar.
I Wanna Know A driving number, this hard rocker has plenty of blues and rock and roll built into it.
White Bird This is a cover tune, and it does a great job of both capturing the folk rock magic of the original and bringing it into the blues rock world of Mark Newman. It’s another highlight of the set and has some cool slide guitar.
Under The Sun There’s no big revelations here, but another tasty slab of bluesy hard rock with a real classic sound.
