Search - Elf :: Carolina Country Ball

Another great album from Elf.

Stargazer | New York | 11/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Elf's follow up to there classic debut album. I must warn you that this is not the same heavy metal style that Dio did later on but this is still an excellent album with amazing vocals.



1.Carolina County Ball- 8.5/10 A good slow song with a great piano solo. Ronnie's vocals are excellent too. Steve Edwards throws in a great bluesy solo too. Ronnie James dio uses a bluesy style of singing and his voice is very appealing on this song. The last part of the song sounds a little too much like late 50's-early 60's rock to me. The second guitar solo is excellent though in the faster part of the song.



2.L.A.59- 10/10 A great classic rock song here with an excellent piano solo again. Another good bluesy guitar solo from Steve Edwards. Ronnie's vocals are very appealing on this track too.



3.Ain't It All Amusing- 10/10 An awesome classic rock track again. Some cheesy lyrics in this but the song is awesome and has some excellent drum work. This song has another excellent guitar solo from Steve Edwards. Ronnie's vocals are excellent on this song too.



4.Happy- 8.5/10 Amazing soft vocals from Ronnie. Another excellent guitar solo and some outstanding piano work from Mickey Lee Soule.



5.Annie New Orleans- 10/10 An excellent hard rock song. This is one of the best tracks on the album. Steve Edwards guitar solo is great and the riff is excellent too. More outstanding piano work too. Ronnie's vocals are powerful and appealing. Gary Driscoll's drumming is excellent too.



6.Rocking Chair Rock 'N' Roll Blues- 10/10 Excellent high pitched soft vocals from Ronnie James Dio whose singing fits this song perfect. When Ronnie sings in a deeper key the song sounds even better. Ronnie's performance is breathtaking and Steve Edwards guitar solo is very soulful. The song turns into a hard rock song shortly after the solo. Ronnie's soulful vocals are excellent in that section of the song too. Steve Edwards second guitar solo is excellent too.



7.Rainbow- 10/10 An excellent song. A real classic song. An excellent song with a lot of southern influences in it. Ronnie's vocals are very powerful and appealing and Mickey Lee Soule's piano work is excellent.



8.Do the Same Thing- 10/10 A great classic rock song. Ronnie's vocals are excellent and the riff is great too. Mickey Lee Soule provides some excellent piano work again. Steve Edward's guitar solo is great too as it reminds me of early Tony Iommi. This song has a great fast upbeat feel to it.



9.Blanche- 4/10 A terrible song. This goes nowhere and the backround music isn't anything special. The only thing that gave this song the 4/10 is that Ronnie sings on it. This is a filler for sure.



This is a great album although I wouldn't call it a metal album. It's like a mix between classic rock mixed with bluesy southern rock and a little bit of early metal thrown in. I think any fan of rock n roll should get this unless you are only interested in very heavy stuff. The whole band is excellent and the songs are fun. The band is



Ronnie Dio- Vocals

Steve Edwards- Guitar

Gary Driscoll- Drums

Craig Gruber- Bass

Mickey Lee Soule- Piano"