VOODOO HILL
Voodoo Hill
Frontiers Records

THE SIGN
Signs Of Life
Frontiers Records

GLENN HUGHES
Return of Crystal Karma
SPV/Steamhammer

Voodoo Hill is the project of Italian guitarist Dario Mollo and features the amazing Glenn Hughes on vocals. Glenn's voice sounds better than ever! It's amazing just how powerful and soulful this man still sounds, after so many years of abuse! Whereas Glenn's recent solo projects tend to be more on the funk-blues side of hard rock (see review below of his current solo release), Voodoo Hill finds Glenn back to singing power-rock at it's best! The second track, "Disconnected" is unbelievable, it's one of the most powerful vocal performances by Hughes I have probably ever heard. Dario Mollo also shines on this track, with soaring guitar solos and powerful riffs. The following track, "Golden One," is what you may call the ultimate power ballad. This is what Whitesnake should sound like. Other tracks, like "Spun in Lost Wages" (a hard, driving track akin to Rainbow's "Lost In Hollywood"), and "Voodoo Hill" rock hard while other tracks such as "Keep it to Yourself" and "Black Leather" feature Hughes' trademark hard-rockin' funk. Great CD, although I'm not crazy about their version of Purple's "The Gypsy" (great vocal performance from Hughes but the guitar-tone sounds way to thin, obviously missing that Blackmore-ish, rich, Fender-strat tone.)

The Sign also comes courtesy of Frontiers, an indie Italian label that specializes in classic, melodic hard-rock and metal. The Sign features vocalist Terry Brock and guitarist Randy Jackson, who (I believe) were from the 80's prog-rock band Zebra. Also featured is former Rainbow/Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondinelli. The music sounds like Christian rock, and the songs sound very dated, similar to Zebra's music back in the day. Great vocal harmonies are highlighted throughout this disc, but the songs are just way to sappy and cheesy for my taste, sounding quite Michael Boltenish at times. Definitely for the weak-hearted.

Return Of Crystal Karma is the latest solo effort from Glenn Hughes, featuring ten new studio tracks, (the "R.O.C.K" CD.) and a limited edition bonus CD featuring six songs recorded live in South America. This CD is quite a bit better than Glenn's last studio release, and finds him singing flawlessly. With a solid mix of hard-rock, funk and blues, this is the definitive Glenn Hughes record. Highlights include the funky "Midnight Meditation," the soulful "It's Alright," the rock solid tunes "Gone," and "The Other Side of Me." The musicianship throughout is superlative, featuring some awesome fretwork from JJ Marsh, solid drumming from Gary Ferguson, and brilliant bass work from Glenn himself.

The second disc is the live disc which takes us through a trip down memory lane. For those of you unfamiliar with Glenn's past, these six songs should give you a brief history lesson as it features tracks from Glenn's previous bands Black Sabbath ("No Stranger to Love), Trapeze ("Your Love Is Alright"), and Hughes/Thrall ("First Step of Love"). The only thing missing is the Deep Purple track (FYI, Glenn recorded an excellent version of "Burn" as a bonus track on his last solo CD.) Glenn Hughes is without question one of the most underrated vocalists in rock music. This man combines class, funk, and soulful hard rock like no other. A definite must for any fan of rock'n'roll music.

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