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Sun King Rising Signs & Wonders Review by Gary Hill This is the second album from Sun King Rising, which is basically a project by John Blangero, that I've reviewed. Like the previous one, there is a decent range of sound, but it all fits within a vintage, classic arena. I'm not sure if I prefer one album over the other, but they are both quite effective. This doesn't break a lot of fresh ground, but it's well done and accessible. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024 Volume 2 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review

Bitter Waters Sweetened Blues and jazz merge with some mainstream rock grooving on this number. It's high energy, catchy and a little funky. It's also a lot of fun. There is a cool jazzy instrumental break mid-track with some great bass work. That works out to a new movement that has some almost proggy vibes at play.

No. 6 Magnolia Avenue Percussion gets things going here. The track works out to a cool mainstream rock groove. I really love the horns and the bass work on this tune.

Lanterns On The Levee A slower, bluesy tune, this works well. It gets more powered up at times. There is a familiar melody on the piano mid-track for a short interlude. This has a powerful edge to it and gets pretty intense at the end.

Buried In The Blues Again I love the jazzy funk on the opening of this cut. The whole track has a classy groove to it.

Jubal Takes A Wife There is a good energy and groove to this number. It's another fun one. There is a soulful, blues vibe to it.

She Was A Blonde More mainstream rock oriented, there is still blues rock and even some hints of country in the mix.

One More Story To Tell Piano and vocals get this one underway. The track has a real twang to it, instrumentally and vocally. It's more of a powered up folk rocker or singer-songwriter styled tune.

Low Wine And Cruel Ruin I like this bluesy rocker. It has a real vintage angle to it, feeling like it would have fit well in the 1970s.

Anchorless There is plenty of folk rock in the mix here. It's another mainstream rocker with a vintage texture.

Alabama Nocturne A piano and vocal ballad approach is at the heart of this song.

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