Friday, August 11, 2006

Wicked Wisdom (CD)

Who would have thought that a band fronted by actress Jada Pinkett Smith (aka Mrs. Will Smith) could rock this hard and even score a spot on last year's Ozzfest tour?
This is definately a very heavy sounding album, certainly not expected from Mrs. Smith. There are a lot of heavy guitars and machine gun drums that will please the ear of many metalheads. But I think the only problem is that Mrs. Smith seriously needs to work on her vocals a bit. She has a nice growl, but she doesn't use it enough, and most of what she spews just doesn't seem to match the rhythm of the music. She definately needs to learn to synchronise better as what she does now sounds more like she's reading lines off a script rather than actually venting out her aggression.
There's always room for improvement on the next album, so I'll definately be keeping an eye on them. Not a bad first effort, and recommended if your a fan of Kittie.
CD Rating: ***

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Friday, August 04, 2006

Rebel Meets Rebel (CD)

One of the last recordings featuring the late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, with his brother Vinnie Paul on drums, Pantera bassist Rex on bass, and country singer David Alan Coe on vocals/guitar. This was actually recorded before the Damageplan sessions, but only released now. I could only imagine how things could have been if they had released this CD before the Damageplan CD as the mix of country and metal here is a ton of fun to listen to!
Dubbed as a renegade singer (Cole) meets outlaw band (Dime & Vinnie), from start to finish this is a great and fun album to listen to as they forge their country metal style so well with Dime's shredding signature guitar style, Vinnie's heavy drumming and Cole's calm country mannered vocals.
This is highly recommended listening material, and like they mention in the CD, this could indeed be a sign of the times as I've noticed that some of the more memorable albums to come out this year have been by bands that are mixing together coutry music with hard rock/metal sounds; like Fireball Ministry and Scissorfight. Think I'll go and dig up the latest Nashville P*ssy album if I can find it and give it a listen.
CD Rating: ****1/2