2 Inspirations

British Heavy Metal legends, Saxon, return with a second ‘deep dish’ serving of the inspirations which have fed their immensely successful 40+ year career. Whether unveiling a sensational take on The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s “The Faith Healer” (in the process showing the direct lineage from teenage turntables to international glory), getting feral with The Animal’s “We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, letting loose a high-octane take on Alice Cooper’s “From The Inside”, or laying down a ferocious tribute to KISS’ “Detroit Rock City”, More Inspirations is a joyous trip into the sounds which galvanized the Barnsley boys and continue to get spun on home stereos and tour buses.

Sista Monica Parker is an award winning soul, blues and gospel singer, songwriter, speaker, recording artist and producer. She is known as the "blues lioness" at major festivals internationally. She is a force of nature with a deep, rich contralto vocal range, dynamic and showstopping stage performances. She connects with her audiences and pulls them in to her emotional space. Now residing on the west coast, Monica was born in Gary, Indiana. Her musical influences growing up in the mid west between Chicago and Detroit were artists such as Mavis Staples, Sam Cooke, Aretha, James Brown and Buddy Guy. At the age of seven, she like so many others, started her singing career in the Baptist and C.O.G.I.C Churchs.

Praised for his “smooth, rich and sweet sound and impeccable virtuosity”, guitarist Thibaut Garcia releases his second album on Erato, a recital of works composed and inspired by Johann Sebastian S Bach.
“Bach has been part of my life as a musician since the very start,” he says. Taking Bach’s mighty Chaconne as his centrepiece, he ranges wide: from Gounod’s much-loved ‘Ave Maria’ and Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No 5 to music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Alexandre Tansman and the contemporary Serbian-American composer Dušan Bogdanović.

I through-listened to this CD, although I did take a few breaks for a mince pie and a cup of tea. I consider this to be a ‘concept’ album, so popular with progressive rock enthusiasts in the 1970s. By this, I mean an album where the sum is greater than the several parts.

British heavy metal legends Saxon release a brilliant cover album with the appropriate name Inspirations. Eleven brand new tracks that deliver superb rock classics that influenced Biff Byford & his band. From the melodic paperback writer from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix Stone Free, Saxon show their love and appreciation with their tribute, which are sometimes rough but always loyal to the original song. Constant focus was on the idea of the old school in which they worked with Marshall Cabs, Marshall Amps and a real drums. The whole thing was produced by Biff Byford with Jacky Lehmann, who accompanied and mixed the recordings.

Arild Brøter provided an interesting musical solo project released under the band moniker Pymlico. From dreamy soundscapes to quirky circus music, from odd rhythms to big symphonic passages. This instrumental CD contains a wide range of styles, but always focusing on the good melodies.