Record Reviews

ASAF AVIDAN / MOJOS ~ LUCKY MAN TELMAVAR 003-2 (Barcode: 7290013013118) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009 2nd album by Israeli singer / songwriter Asaf AvidanFind albums by this artist and his band The MojosFind albums by this artist, recently snatched and singed by SonyFind albums on this label where this album will be released internationally in a few months from now. It was pretty obvious that one of the Majors will sign Avidan, as he obviously is now one of the most original singers in the entire world – a bold statement, but true nevertheless. His debut album left critics and audiences around the world stunned and sold a staggering number of copies, even though it wasn´t quite "easy" music at all. But Avidan´s incredible and completely unique voice and his unusual approach to vocal expression simply make him stand out like a beacon of light in the deep of the night. As good as the debut album was this one surpasses it magnificently, mainly due to the strength of the new material – all penned and composed by Avidan – which is much more mature, developed and diverse than the material on the debut album. Add to this the intelligent and perfectly executed musical arrangements, which involve both acoustic and electric instruments, and you get a monster album, which should satisfy any true music lover regardless of his usual music preferences. There is a bit of everything here: Blues, Rock, shades of Alternative and even shades of Prog, all beautifully amalgamated together, creating an enchanting listening experience. But words are not adequate to truly describe this music, simply get a copy and enjoy! Satisfaction guaranteed! Note: This album was released under two different titles – "Poor BoyFind albums with this title" and "Lucky ManFind albums with this title", with different packaging, but the musical content is identical! Slightly confusing, but a lot of fun!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

WIGWAM ~ LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES AND STARPOISE (50TH ANNIVERSARY EXTENDED EDITION) SVART 160 (Barcode: 6430065585206) ~ FINLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the seventh album by the iconic Finnish Prog band WigwamFind albums by this artist, which featured a new lineup of the group and marked a new period in the band´s career, often referred to as Wigwam Mk. II. Following the departure of keyboardist Jukka GustavsonFind albums by this artist and bassist Pekka PohjolaFind albums by this artist, the two remaining members: vocalist / pianist Jim PembrokeFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie OsterbergFind albums by this artist were joined by guitarist Pekka RechardtFind albums by this artist and bassist Mans GroundstroemFind albums by this artist. On this album the lineup was extended to a quintet with the addition of keyboardist Hessu HietanenFind albums by this artist. The original album, which was recorded in London, presented nine original songs, five composed by Rechardt and three by Pembroke, all featuring lyrics written by Pembroke, who was a British expatriate and could naturally handle the lyrics in English flawlessly, and finally one tune was an instrumental co-composed by all five members of the group. This remastered and expanded edition adds a second CD, which includes five alternate mixes and four live studio rehearsals of the tunes from the album, all previously unissued. The music, although undoubtedly somewhat less strictly Prog oriented, is by all means absolutely brilliant, wonderfully combining the excellent songwriting with perfect performances, full of great instrumental parts. Wigwam were, as it often happened with the capricious Prog fanatics, accused for taking a more commercial path, but the band, which suffered from a dichotomy in its ranks since its inception, was now completely united behind their musical output and quite honestly read well the changing Prog landscape, which pulled many of the classic Prog bands towards a more song oriented direction. Hietanen was a fully integrated member of the band by the time this music was recorded and this changed the entire sound of the group. Although this album is often described as the most commercial of all the Wigwam albums, is not really that different from its predecessor or its successor, and the difference is mostly due to the different sound ambience rather than the music itself. The collected talents of Wigwam´s members still made it one of the best Prog band in Europe and even worldwide, and if not for the fact that they originated from Finland, they would have probably reached to top of the Prog peak. This album was released in the UK and a few other countries, bringing the band some success, but Prog at the time was approaching its global collapse, when the initial creativity of the genre simply dried out. Wigwam released one more excellent album before calling it quits and future efforts to resurrect the band proved to be as futile as those of other Prog band around the globe. The magic was simply gone. This excellently sounding and expanded edition is a must have for Finnish Prog / Wigwam fans all over the globe and SvartFind albums on this label Records, as usual, made a perfect job preparing this reissue. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 11/08/2020Posted: 11/08/2020

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend