This year I thought I would post my Best of Lists a little early. When I think back to the last 12 months of music it was the year of massive reissues of bands like R.E.M/STP/Whitesnake with 2 Reissues!!/Sloan/Def Leppard/Skid Row and the list goes on and on.
BUT …
Some bands and artists put out some new cool quality stuff so hopefully, you may check out some of these acts and artists to see what I dug in the year 2019. Feel free to post your picks in the comments below!
Here we GO!
1-Tom Keifer-RISE: Well looky, looky here. Is it 1989? No way folk’s it’s 2019 and who saw this coming? Tom Keifer shakes it and doesn’t break it as he delivers a solid blast of CinderRock over 11 tracks that fuse all the old school elements of Cinderella while cementing a future in a really cool current sound that I hope the Keiferband will continue to follow. My favorite release this year, Congrats Tom! You have no idea who the Hell I am but I dig your album.
2-Big Wreck- …but for the sun: Guitar wizard Ian Thornley is back in a big way Folk’s as he cranked up the amps and cuts loose over the 12 tracks on this album. Ian’s singing/guitaring and writing on this album is phenomenal as well as the two other fellas who helped him out on this as well! Kudos to Dave MacMillian and Chuck Keepling. Locomotive is one unbelievable track!
3-Rival Sons- Feral Roots: Rival Sons basically took over crap rock radio in Thunder Bay with the single Do Your Worst and on this album, the band, and producer Dave Cobb stepped up and kicked down the walls on this opus. Big Loud Fuzz Guitar Rock! How about the drums on Back In The Woods!
4-Carl Dixon- Unbroken: You want a straight-ahead hard rock album with a throwback sound to the roaring ’80s with some fantastic catchy driven rock. Than Unbroken is for you! 11 songs in the Hard Rock AOR spectrum that are pure Gold! Carl’s the definition of Rock n Roll survivor!
5-Jared James Nichols-Black Magic: Jared showed up one night this past April here in Thunder Bay opening for John5 and sizzled mine and Tbone’s brains into mush! JJN is a must-see live as he nails that heavy blues power trio format to a T. This guy is that good live and Black Magic is a stellar album that features all the fine trimmings that Mr. Nichols possess. Watch for this dude in 2020!
6-Page 38-Burning The Midnight Oil: These 4 young fella’s hail from my hometown Thunder Bay and this 5 song EP kicks serious ass. Page 38 came across my radar when they opened for and kicked to the curb ‘Cranky’ Anvil back in May of this year. I quickly scooped up the EP from iTunes as you should do as well! Love the tune Mama June! Click the video below and support our local Boy’s.
‘At Mama Junes, back door liquor store
She got what you want, couldn’t ask for more
Knock three times, 20 under the door, forget what you know
At Mama Junes, back door liquor store ‘
7-Whitesnake- Flesh and Blood: An album I had zero interest in until Ladano and John Snow got into my noggin about how good it was. They were right. Coverdale wrote a batch of tunes with Reb Beach and together they slid out 14 good rock tracks especially Hey You (You Make Me Rock) Plus add the two reissues this year of Slide It In and Slip of the Tongue. Cov has been one busy dude! All hail the old guy!
8-Sammy Hagar & The Circle- The Space Between: Speaking of an old guy. Crazy to think that Sammy is 71 and has been doing the Rock thing for 5 Decades! That’s longevity in the truest sense. Sammy with his good pal Micheal Anthony along with Vic Johnson and a drummer whose last name is Bonham released a pretty decent rock record in 2019. Concept album none the less about Greed and Corruption. Trust Fund Baby is a great track and as well the production on this album is old school sounding. No Polish and that’s a good thing.
9-Motley Crue- The Dirt: Never been big on soundtracks but The Dirt soundtrack interested me for some reason or maybe I was bored that week it came out. Dunno but when Tricky Sixx and Tommy muster up some new songs with Bob Rock I’m onboard. 4 new songs 3 of which are originals are ok but the cover tune of Madonna? Ummm. Whatever, still though when you dump a bunch of tracks off the first two albums (Too Fast For Love and Shout At The Devil) the sucker in me will always bite!
10-Sean Kelly-Touch Me: All round Great Canadian Fella Sean Kelly when not playing guitar/singing/songwriting in a bunch of bands (Coney Hatch/Alan Frew/Lee Aaron to name but a few) reactivated his old band Crash Kelly and put out a doozie of a track titled Touch Me which is a Glam Rockers delight. Think Cheap Trick mashed up with The Sweet. This is Ear Candy. I think we need a full album, Mr. Kelly!
Check back here in a couple of days for another Best OF list with a twist!
Heard em all dude after each blog post you did. Lol. Except Crash Kelly.
I agree on Keifer, “Rise” is one hell of an album and JJN is one hell of a guitarist and singer.
And the Whitesnake album is a welcome return to form. Plus Feral Roots rocked.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yeah Pete I know you stream this stuff as soon as I post it! We are in synch with most of my list.
Two albums that I have yet to purchase are the latest Alterbridge and Headstones. The deluxe editions kinda took over at one point!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The deluxe editions are great revisits. I thought you would have a deluxe list as well.. is that the second list? Lol.
Alter Bridge is coming up in my next 2019 post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice look forward to the AB post. I thought about a deluxe edition best of. I may do one over the holidays but i dunno we will see. Now that you planted that seed.. haha..
LikeLiked by 1 person
What can I say
Us music lovers have addictive personalities
Special Holiday Deluxe Post on Deluxe Editions
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alright Man I will do it! I will get it done by the New Year! Damn You Pete! hahaha
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is like a Charlton Heston moment at the end of Planet Of The Apes. Haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
BAHAHAHA! Damn Stinking Apes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK you threw me with the Dirt. That’ll be on a different kind of list of mine this year.
I think we are only in danger of sharing 2 albums in 2019.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are in Danger hahaha
The Dirt I like those tunes except the cover song. Good to hear something new and I liked the running order of the album. (The Dirt)
Look forward to your lists buddy so I can see some DANGER! LOL
LikeLike
I was working on my post yesterday and we have 3 in common which will be great for our readers as not too many repeats. Some of those I still need to check out. Great job Deke!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John! For myself it was nice to see some Can Con on here! Look forward to seeing what you have on your list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just finished and will post December 26th.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool a Boxing Day Read! Thats awesome John! Look forward to it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only one I know here is the Whitesnake. Good solid effort from Cov. I’ll need to check out the Kiefer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you would like the Keifer album Scott.
Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Great read love these lists! So many new names I’ll have to check out. Great post, sir!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Pal! Hope you do check out some of these artists/bands. Let me know what ya think!
Thanks for reading..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Smashin’ list, Deke. I know a few of these quite well… Kiefer, Big Wreck, Rival Sons… of those, Big Wreck is knocking on the door of my own top 10.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Mr J!
Cool to see BW knocking on the door of J’s Top 10! Hopefully it crack that tough Top 10! It would be cool to see!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve nearly finalised the list. Rival Sons shouting to get in also…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everyone’s a screamer J haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Cranky’ Anvil? – I was wandering about getting tickets to see them next year. Not one to bother about?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I reviewed the show back in May. I don’t want to sway you one way or another but I won’t pay to go see them again. Pretty unprofessional Lips was that night. Reiner as I mentioned in my review is worth the dough to see drum. He’s a beast on the old stuff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reiner is the only reason I was going to bother tbh. It seems a bit rude not to go see them when they’re only going to be 8 miles from here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go then for Robb. Lips will dig the Brit crowd more anyways than the 90-100 people that seen him here. lol
Reiner did like a 5 minute drum solo which was crazy good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice list fella. I will check out the Kiefer. The Rival Sons was a proper return to form I thought. I like that page 38 track too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice Joe! Page 38 is on itunes and they have a few vids on youtube as well!
Rival Sons was a great album. Whatever thy put out they are ususlaly in my Top 5.
Love Kiefers voice/songwriting/guitaring. He’s the deal!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember you saying Big Wreck’s was a good one when it came out – nice to see it in the top 10, they’ve always got such great guitar tones!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually if you check out Youtube Geoff ,BW has been posting live clips from this album filmed from Nashvoille a few months back. The tone is even crazier live. You know its Thornley when you hear him thats for sure.
I think the number 2 spot helped as well as hearing a good 7-8 tracks played live when they hit Tbay last month!
by the way -35 this morning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My goodness, that’s brisk!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You gave me the heads up on Big Wreck. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries CB!
LikeLiked by 1 person