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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Lord Sonny the Unifier

Final Notice!

Review by Gary Hill

It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to believe that this had been released in the 1970s. It really is set in the same type of territory as a lot of the glam rock of that period. If you liked early 70s Bowie and bands like Mott the Hoople, you will probably love this. If there is one complaint to be made it's that this gets a bit samey, but it's only to a small degree and not that much of a detriment.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
The Starman
This is a cool rocker that has a lot of glam texture built into it. I like all the textures over the top of the arrangement, but the whole tune just works well. Even if you were to strip all those extras out of it, you'd still have a cool tune. This leans toward space rock in some of the later music. There is some funky bass further down the road, too. Of course, this seems to be a tribute to David Bowie in a lot of ways. It really gets quite proggy at times.
All the Signs
A bit harder edged, this still has a lot of David Bowie sound built into it, but perhaps it's closer to Mott the Hoople. There are some psychedelic elements here, and I love the keyboard sounds. Again we're brought into both space rock and prog territory further down the road. The guitar solo is so classic.
Right in Your I
The rhythm section starts the first single from the album. This introduction is the hardest edged thing to this point on this set. It drops to a mellower motif that has some cool bass work and keyboard textures. This is a very 1970s sounding arrangement. The harder edged stuff returns as this continues.
Till We Changes Things
There is a lot of proggy and psychedelic texture here. This is a powerful cut that leans more toward the melodic end of the spectrum. It still manages to rock, but is more of a balladic styled cut in a lot of ways.
Your Sweet Daydreams
I dig the echoey kind of glam meets psychedelia groove on this killer cut. It is particularly strong and rather catchy.
The All New Knownothings
The opening section of this is harder rocking and really makes me think of David Bowie to a large degree. It drops to mostly piano and voice for the first verse. There are some proggy keyboard sounds as this builds outward. Overall, though, this is very much Bowie styled glam with some hints of things like Queen in the mix.
Satellite Eye
This comes in with an almost EDM kind of vibe. The vocals come in over the top of that. While this has a modern edge, the overall sound is still vintage. It has some reggae built into it. There are some definite space rock things going on here, too. This is pretty trippy. It gets more powered up and rocking later, too.
March Forth
Not a huge change, this is another classy piece that combines psychedelia and glam. It's accessible and meaty and gets quite powerful further down the musical road.
Love is on the Line
That glam rock thing is the driving force here. This really sounds a lot like Mott the Hoople. It's a catchy and quite fun rocker.
First in Space
I love the melodic groove on this one. There is plenty of space rock here. It has a lot of glam rock in it, too. It's again not a huge change from a lot of the stuff on this disc. Yet it's a very effective song.
El Ray
The closer comes in with a rather prog rock kind of vibe. It has a soaring, driving kind of melodic rock motif to it.
 
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