Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

David Belle The Beginning Review by Gary Hill I don't know if I have ever heard an album that sounds more like the cover looks like it would than this one does. The brand of bluesy hard rock here just fits that cover image so well. This is intriguing music that is creative and rather unique from the pack. That said, it does suffer a times from becoming a little samey. Then again, these days so many people listen to just a song or two at a time from an artist rather than a full album at once. This would work better for that type of listener. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024 Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review

Free This bluesy rocker has a classic sound built into it. It's a solid tune.

All Together As One I dig the rather subdued, nearly spoken blues rocking groove of this song. It just oozes cool.

Connection While this isn't a big change, it has some increased intensity and a more involved arrangement. This is another classy piece of music.

Don't You Worry I dig the prominent bass on this. Beyond that, the formula is starting to wear a little thin. This is a solid song, but there just isn't enough to allow it to stand apart from the rest on the disc.

Wanna Take A Ride Harmonica and a bluesy psychedelic cool are great additions to this. I can make out some hints of something like The Doors to some degree. This isn't a paradigm shift, but it's enough of a change to make this stand tall. There is a good balance between more stripped back slower sections and more rocking ones. I really love the bass work on this track, too. This might be my favorite song on the whole album.

Follow Me Down This is more along the lines of much of the rest of the disc. It's quirky, bluesy a solid rock.

This Old Love A bouncy more mainstream rocking number, this has some country in the mix. It has enough variety to keep it from getting lost. The slide guitar is great, and the female backing vocals are a nice touch, as well.

Innocent One Mellow, tentative music serves as the backdrop for a nearly spoken vocal line. Some echoey, cool, slow moving rock sound is on the menu as this continues. It gets more energy and intensity as it continues. This is an unusual track that gets into some pretty hard rocking zones at times. There are both psychedelic leanings and some almost Led Zeppelin like moments at play.

Got a Good Feeling I really like the energy and groove of this song. It's not a huge change, but the guitar really helps to elevate it.

Wanna Take A Ride (Extended) When this says "extended," it means it. The original version was around three-and-a-half minutes long. This version is about ten minutes longer. The thing is, the song works well in this format. In fact, it works so well, that it's hard to believe it is as long as it is.

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