Year Of The Phoenix by Marilyn Kirby

The other day a friend of mine sent me a great album to listen to called Year Of The Phoenix by Marilyn Kirby released May 12, 2020.  Marilyn has been in the music scene since the 1960s and this shows that this artist is still strong after all these years.  On this ten-track album, the lineup is Marilyn Kirby on guitar and vocals, John Putnam on guitars, Eric Parker on drums, and James Keanelly on bass, as well as various other musicians on certain tracks.  I enjoyed this album from start to finish with great guitar work and amazing vocals on such tracks as All Over This World, Waitin’ On You, Dirty Little Town, Little Black Suitcase, the title track Year Of The Phoenix and so much more.  I was also impressed with her rendition of the classic Jefferson Airplane hit White Rabbit in which she gave Grace Slicks haunting vocals great justice.   I was quite moved with the performance on this album, as well as great songwriting and a superb recording.  This is an album you will want to add to your music library which you can obtain on CD and digital download from Amazon, Bandcamp, and many other music retailers.  To learn more about this amazing artist, please go to her official website https://marilyn-kirby-music.com/ and I want to thank Mike DeUrso for turning me on this great artist.

Panic by From Ashes To New

Panic is the third studio album by American rock band From Ashes to New. It was released August 28, 2020 on the Better Noise Records label. The lineup is the same as their last album The Future with Danny Case on vocals, Matt Brandyberry on vocals, rap vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar and bass, Lance Dowdle on lead guitar and bass, and Matt Madiro on drums.  I had the privilege to see this band twice and they gave an excellent show.  When I heard that this album was being made, I was looking forward to hearing the tracks.  Prior to the release of this album they released three singles, the title track Panic (originally written as a song just generally about dealing with anxiety and depression, but retroactively was interpreted do being about dealing with COVID-19 pandemic due to the timing of its release), What I Get, and Scars That I’m Hiding.  Other notable tracks are Brick, Blind, Bulletproof, Death Of Me and so much more.   I was quite moved by the performance on this album in addition to great songwriting and a superb recording.  I was glad to add this album on vinyl to my record library.  This is a band that has never disappointed me and I hope to see them live again in the future.  You can own your own copy of this album on Vinyl, CD and digital download from Amazon and many other music retailers as well as their official website https://www.fromashestonew.com/ where you can hear more about the band and their music as well as where they will be performing live in the future.

Darwin2: A Frozen War by Darwin

Following the release of critically acclaimed debut album “Origin Of Species” in early 2019, DarWin is set to release the follow up album Darwin 2: A Frozen War on November 6, 2020. Once more DarWin has assembled a stunning ensemble of musicians. DarWin II: A Frozen War continues the core collaboration with Simon Phillips (drums, Toto/The Who/Jeff Beck), Matt Bissonette (Elton John, David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr) and DarWin. Joining them are powerhouse players Billy Sheehan (bass, Mr Big/ Steve Vai/Winery Dogs), Guthrie Govan (guitar, Aristocrats/Asia/Hans Zimmer/Steven Wilson), Greg Howe (guitar, Michael Jackson/Justin Timberlake), Derek Sherinian (keyboards, Dream Theater/Alice Cooper/Black Country Communion) and more.  This five track album features the songs Nightmare Of My Dreams, Future History, Eternal Life, The title track A Frozen War and Another Year.  This album showcases a magnificent performance, great songwriting and superb recording.  I enjoyed this album from start to finish and looking forward to its release on November 6, 2020 on Vinyl (with additional tracks) CD and digital download from Amazon and many other retailers.

Pioneers Of Space by Hawkestrel

Pioneers of Space is the October 10, 2020 by Hawkestrel, a far-out release by former Hawkwind bass player Alan Davey, comes this brand-new album from the quintessential Hawkwind supergroup featuring  Ginger Baker, Robert Calvert, Nik Turner, Huw Lloyd-Langton, Simon House, Michael Moorcock, Paul Rudolph, Mick Slattery and Bridget Wishart.  The album also features special guest appearances by Todd Rundgren, Mick Taylor, L. Shankar, David Cross, Arthur Brown, Wayne Kramer, Carmine Appice, Larry Wallis, Joel Vandroogenbroeck, Gilli Smith and Adam Hamilton.  This nine track album features originals and covers such as Post Malone’s megahit Circles featuring some stellar guitar work from Hall Of Fame nominee Todd Rundgren, Day Of The Quake, No Doubt, the title track Pioneers Of Space and so much more.  I was quite impressed with the performance on this album as well as great songwriting work and superb recording.  This is an album I highly recommend you adding to your music library.  This album will be available on October 10^th on vinyl ( my biggest love), CD and digital download from Amazon, Bandcamp, Purple Pyramid Records and many other music outlets.