AC/DC "Live At Riverplate" 2CD....Yes Another Live One.

Pretty much what you would expect for the "boys" only a little slower, a little less energy and a little less vocal range from Johnson than the last time out.  But what it all boils down to is Angus & Malcolm; and the bros still have the chops. So for me, any AC/DC album is worth the purchase for their guitar playing alone. Still, "River Plate" is pretty much for die hard fans who have them all and want to keep them coming. For newcomers (if there are any of those who still exist) "If You Want Blood" & "AC/DC Live" for the Scott & Johnson era respectively are your best bang for the buck

Rating? 7/10

KISS - "Monster".....Tommy, My Apologies

I have often dogged this current incarnation of the band; mainly for their attempt to copy and rehash the past with a older and different band than the one we all cherish from back in the 70's.  My biggest beef has been with Thayer's early attempts to copy Ace's style and harmonics in his playing.  He is not Ace Frehley, no one except Ace is, so past attempts have always fallen short.  Here Thayer channels Ace's influences and morphs them into his own style.  The result, some of the best guitar solos on any Kiss records since the 70's.  C'mon admit it, who didn't play air guitar to "Strutter" as a teen.  So my apologies for past criticisms, all is forgiven.  No need for a track to track detailing. If the lead guitar solos and riffs on a Kiss record rock, you know the rest of the album will follow. But I will add the song writing and lyrics on this album are surprisingly "good" and even somewhat "adult". A real rock record with a tinge of heavy metal for good measure. I think of a slicker "Creatures Of The Night" with actual guitar solos.  So if you really miss Ace, and consider the band without him a fraud, you need to give this album a chance. Pleasantly surprised and rockin' out!
Rating? 8/10

Aero$mith "Mu$ic From Another Dimen$ion" Review

If I could set the wayback machine to 1976, crank "Toys In The Attic" on vinyl again and ask myself the question "I wonder what Aerosmith will sound like in 2012?". "Music From Another Dimension" would be a  "good"  answer.
Granted,  the album still sounds like Aerosmith, but it just sounds old, contrived, weak, uninspired, digital, sterile, boring, cliched and commercial. Oh...I know what some are thinking and don't even go there!  Guitarists have been rehashing the same Chuck Berry riffs for over 50 years and some still   kick fraggin ass. Not here.   The deal breakers are the power ballads.  Is it just me or do the phrases "return to the old sound" and "duet with Carrie Underwood" seem like an obvious contradiction?    What we actually have is a  slight return to the "old sound".  Just enough 70's Aerosmith to possibly  reel in longtime fans; and then an over abundance of power ballads for the longtime "Jaded" fans.  Power ballads geared more toward iTunes
download rather than pleasing longtime fans who pray for a shimmer of "Back In The Saddle", again.  I won't go into a track by track analysis, you can get  from  other reviews.  I look at the album as a whole and it just disappoints.   Finally, there is an overall vibe these guys just don't care anymore:  don't care about the fans, the music, each other, and what Aerosmith once meant in the world of rock n' roll.  Well, they may care about their PayPal or 401K accounts.
Like a wise man once said, "If something doesn't make sense, it is  about money, someone involved  is literally crazy, or both".  I leave anyone who saw Aerosmith back at Comiskey Park in '76 to figure out which applies here.
Rating? 2/10


                                                                  Not even close!!!!!