Top ten CDs... with Kevin Bryan - Rock, Power and Blues!

Rock, power and blues all well worth listening to

The vast majority of the CDs here could be loosely pigeonholed as rock albums but that wouldn’t do justice to the varied musical menu on offer.

Ian Gillan’s offering delivers a slightly jazz influenced sound while Taylor Young’s effortlessly melodic set represents a pleasant throwback to music’s golden era in the sixties and early seventies.

Mountain and The Rods  both go about their business with crowd pleasing intensity, contrasting with veteran Dutch bluesman Julian Sas.

The Wishbone Ash goes down memory lane, and there is Bernard Allison, Spirit, Nektar and Jonesy’s contributions.

Ian Gillan Band (Talking Elephant)

Return To The Source

Anthology from the four albums that former Deep Purple vocalist Gillan released on the Angel Air label, blending new material and revamped oldies from Purple.

Taylor Young Band (Hand Drawn Records)

Taylor Young Band (Hand Drawn)

Mercury Transit

Melodic power pop from Texan Taylor Young, channelling the spirit of Tom Petty, The Byrds and Alex Chilton’s cult heroes Big Star.

The Rods (Cherry Red)

Metal Will Never Die

Interesting introduction to The Rods’ brand of hard rock, culled from various live shows between 1981 and 2010. Well worth hearing despite the variable sound quality.

Mountain (Wienerworld)

Eruption-Around The World: 1985 & 2003

Live collection from larger than life singer-guitarist Leslie West and cohorts, capturing performances from two phases of Mountain’s intermittent recording career.

Wishbone Ash (Talking Elephant)

From California To Kawasaki

Live fare from the Andy Powell fronted Wishbone Ash, with new guitarist Mark Abrahams excelling on perennial crowd pleasers such as Phoenix and Blind Eye.

Julian Sas (Cavalier Recordings)

Electroacoustic

Bluesman Julian Sas has been plying his trade for two decades, his “Electroacoustic” dividing between electric and unplugged acoustic versions of same songs.

Bernard Allison (Ruf Records)

Highs and Lows

Melodic Chicago bluesman Luther Allison’s youngest son with harmonica ace Bobby Rush delivering heady fusion of blues, funk, rock and rhythm and blues.

Spirit (Cherry Red)

Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus-Deluxe Edition

Guitarist Randy Califiornia’s talents captured at most compelling during Spirit’s fourth album, expanded by Cherry Red.

Nektar (Cherry Red)

The Other Side

Inventive 2020 set from British prog rock outfit formed in Hamburg in 1969 and always much more popular in Germany than they ever were at home.

Jonesy (Cherry Red)

Waltz for Yesterday

Absorbing 3 CD package exploring recorded output of mellotron wielding prog rockers Jonesy, whose music often prompted comparisons with King Crimson.