The Winery Dogs, featuring Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, Talas), Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Adrenaline Mob) are a musical force to be reckoned with.
This all-star power trio’s self titled debut album features a heavy dose of hard rock rhythms blended with blues, jazz and a ’70s classic hard rock groove that will knock your socks off! All kick and no kitsch! The opening song “Elevate” is Mr. Big-ish with a catchy chorus and melodic hooks. This is a great tune and I love the arrangement because it features some mini solos and really showcases the musicianship of Billy on bass, Richie on guitar and lead vocals and Mike on the drums.
“Desire” has some back and forth vocal/guitar mimicking and on this one, ’60s wah meets ’80s hair metal distortion in a blues riff. Fantastic! I like the way the vocals blend with the instruments throughout the album. It’s quite harmonious and, in my opinion, it makes the musical intricacies more noticeable. “Time Machine” is another standout track. It’s heavy and has an almost tribal wane with tempo changes throughout the song. The bluesy “Regret” has a big sound. The song includes piano and it makes for a nice finish as the last track on the CD.
There is a terrific flow to this album from beginning to end. This is absolutely one of the best produced albums of the year. A top notch production with top notch musicians simply cannot be ignored!
