Raef N's Reviews

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1 to 28 of 28
Title: Bad Habits
Artist: Colin James
Label: Elektra/Asylum
Original Release Date: 9/19/1995
Date: 2/20/2008
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent album indeed. Colin James deploys his talents vocally and instrumentally. Blues with a million twists. Definitely a must!

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent album throughout. One of their very best. Catchy funky tunes that rock hard. Get this one.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Behind the Mask
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Original Release Date: 4/10/1990
Date: 2/20/2008

Simply put, Lindsey Buckingham is dearly missed on this album.

Review Date: 2/20/2008

Some very interesting and powerful tunes and others much less. But if you are a Budgie fan, this is a must. All in all a very good album.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: By Your Side (Reis)
Artist: Black Crowes
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Date: 2/20/2008

Repetitive and the melodies are not melodic. Unitone album. Bad Crowes.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Carved In Stone
Artist: Vince Neil
Label: Beyond
Original Release Date: 10/4/2004
Date: 4/21/2009
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

After releasing a fantastic first very hot studio album with guitar virtuoso, Steve Stevens, ex-Motley Crue frontman decides to take his chances with a more electronic feel without Stevens.
A disaster of an outcome. Terrible!
Just stay away.

Review Date: 4/21/2009
Title: Chapter Eleven
Artist: Michael Lee Firkins
Label: Shrapnel
Original Release Date: 11/9/1995
Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

After his terrific self-titled debut, Michael Lee Firkins released Chapter Eleven. After the first release, which was straight instrumental rock in the line of Satriani & Vai with a MLF twist, everyone expected the second one to be similar. MLF showed us with Chapter Eleven his true style; a blend of rock, funk, jazz and country. Excellent pieces from this guitar virtuoso who is a very underrated musician and composer.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Billy Idol without Steve Stevens is useless.
The ex-Generation X singer releases here a much more pop-ish album (and tasteless) than its predecessors and the guitar work is terrible. Stay away from this album.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Damnation
Artist: Opeth
Label: Koch Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2003
Date: 2/20/2008

Great album. Very solid. Psychedelic slow death metal.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Diamond Dave
Artist: David Lee Roth
Label: Magna Carta
Original Release Date: 1/1/2003
Date: 4/21/2009
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Very disappointing Roth album. This is a cover album.
Known to always have had great guitarists fill the parts, this release will leave you feeling empty. The guitarist sucks.

Review Date: 4/21/2009
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

The album that got so many of us to follow punk music. Billy Idol's first band rocks hard with titles such as "Ready Set Go", funny ones like "Kleenex" and soft unforgettable tunes like "Kiss Me Deadly". Definitely a classic album from the Punk era.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Eight of the best rock guitarists (Al Pitrelli, George Lynch, Michael Lee Firkins, Reb Beach, Steve Morse, Brad Gillis, John Petrucci and Andy Timmons) get together to record 5 covers (Train Kept A Rollin', Something, Memphis, Purple Rain, Birdland) and 1 composition by Al Pitrelli.
Even if there were sub-gradings within the 5 stars, this album would rate at the very top.
The guitarists take turns soloing and one of the best part of it all, if you have the Japanese import, is that it tells you by the exact second who plays when.
A fantastic album of fantastic songs played by fantastic musicians. A must.

Review Date: 2/20/2008

Some very interesting tunes (Beach, Gilbert, Wylde, Kotzen) and others extremely messy (Sambora, Skolnick, Gabrels).
These guitarists were told to play whatever they wanted, however they wanted. Some did well and others need to stick to what they usually do, although this is not an experimental album.
Not a very good one.

Review Date: 4/21/2009
Title: Hot in the Shade
Artist: Kiss
Label: Island / Mercury
Original Release Date: 10/17/1989
Date: 2/20/2008

Kiss at their non-musical best.
Their worst.

Review Date: 2/20/2008

The last of the best period for Budgie. An excellent album with lots of even bigger promises. Unfortunately, Tony Bourge (guitarist) decided to part and was replaced on the next album by John Thomas who does not have the same original musicality.
Great tracks on this one. Definitely a must, but not recommended if this is your first Budgie.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent album. Only album with drummer Pete Boot.
"Crash Course in Brain Surgery", included here, was covered by Metallica decades later.
An excellent album, with beautiful rocking compositions, that has unfortunately been overlooked.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

This was, is and will be Joe Satriani at his best.
When this came out, you could immediately feel the maturity in the production, playing and compositions.
Nathan East and Manu Katche delivered a magical rhythm section that made this album a fully musical one as opposed to the others which are a guitar-driven show-off (though excellent ones i admit) where the rhythm section lacks.
If you intend on buying only one Joe Satriani album in your life, this is the best instrumental he released. Joe, go back to Nathan and Manu's rhythm section and the genius of Glyn-johns' production.

Review Date: 4/21/2009

This is Fastball when they didn't yet have a sound or a personality. They sound like a mix of Green Day meets a garage band meets the Fastball we know today.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Moondance
Artist: Van Morrison
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Original Release Date: 1/1/1970
Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 6 member(s) found this review helpful.

I totally disagree with everyone. This CD is much overrated.
Boring album!!!

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

With such titles as "You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk" and "In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand", Budgie showed their ability to write humorous lyrics.
This is a classic Budgie album. The song "Breadfan", covered by Metallica decades later, has the meanest guitar riff.
A must.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: No Exit
Artist: Blondie
Label: Eleven Seven Music
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Date: 3/4/2008

Light and funny as we know Blondie and add to it maturity.
An ok album.

Review Date: 3/4/2008
Title: Normal
Artist: Bumblefoot
Label: Bald Freak Music
Original Release Date: 12/1/2005
Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Although Ron Thal (aka Bumblefoot) is the guitarist of Axel Rose's new g'n'r he knows how to have fun.
He is also a technical wizard and a very creative outspoken lyricist.
If you like Steve Vai & Frank Zappa, multiply by 2 their technical musicality and crazyness and you get Normal.

Review Date: 2/20/2008

Some catchy riffs with new guitarist, John Thomas, but sounding very close to mainstream hard rock. This album lost the Budgie sound and music.
This is straight rock as opposed to the more sophisticated one Budgie got us used to.
One of their weakest albums but still a very good one.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Possibly the freshest album of the past decade with guitar superhero Blues Saraceno doing a great job on vocals.
The Beatles meet Blues' unique sounds.
An undiscovered jewel!!!

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Something to Say
Artist: Richie Kotzen
Label: Spitfire
Original Release Date: 5/9/2000
Date: 2/20/2008
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Funk, Funk, Funk! Hot, Hot, Hot! Rock, Rock, Rock!
The crunchiest, funkiest, grooviest and ballsiest album of all of Richie Kotzen's.
Great rhythm section.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Squawk
Artist: Budgie
Label: Noteworthy
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Date: 2/20/2008

This album started paving the road to what became one of the hardest rocking underrated original bands in the history of rock with many cult-like followers.
A great album. Not the best sounding album but remember this was 1972. It's raw and it rocks!

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Turn Around
Artist: Jonny Lang
Label: A&M
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Date: 2/20/2008
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

If you are expecting the rocker/bluesman, don't get this one.
With Turn Around, Jonny Lang took indeed a very big turn in his music. No more scorching electrifying guitar. You can still see him rip his LP and Tele live though.
A very weak production (very noticeable) for some mediocre pieces.
Jonny Lang needs to get himself a real producer to bring back to life his incredible talents.

Review Date: 2/20/2008
Title: Vapor Trails
Artist: Rush
Label: Wea
Original Release Date: 1/1/2002
Date: 2/20/2008
2 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Worst Rush album ever recorded.
The songs all sound the same from the first to the last. Very un-original, noisy and non-musical.
Impossible to find a melody to remember on there.
Stay away!!!

Review Date: 2/20/2008
1 to 28 of 28