(Atom Records, CD)
Veteran guitarist/vocalist and Springfield, Vermont, resident John Sullivan has been rocking audiences throughout New England for more than 30 years. Along the way, he's recorded and performed with the likes of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Joe Cocker, Steppenwolf, Rick Derringer, The Ramones, Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band, Badfinger's Joey Molland, James Montgomery and more. He puts his years of experience to work on Many Voices, a 10-track disc released by Ohio-based indie label Atom Records. Here, Sullivan is backed up by members of Green Mountain rock acts Motorplant and Roadkill, including guitarist Tommy Trybulski, bassist Eric Eaves and drummer Andy Hanscom. Album engineer Joe Pod also contributes some strong six-string work.
Many Voices emits several musical vibes: Blaring garage rock, folksy melodies and bottleneck slide riffs run alongside swirling psychedelia and rugged hard rock. And the disc is appropriately titled; Sullivan expertly adapts his voice to each style with confidence and grace. It's thrilling to hear him switch from straight-ahead rock and blues to subdued ballads without sacrificing an ounce of personality.
Highlights include the acid-soaked riffs of "Patience and Faith" and "Day of Reckoning," as well as the back-porch blues of "My Foolish Ways." "'Cause I Said So" is an all-out rocker, while the sitar-like axework and haunting percussion on "India Cries (For George)" is a fine tribute to the late Beatle.
The John Sullivan Band will be performing throughout New England this month; you can catch them at Gusto's in Barre on March 31. For more info, or to purchase a disc, visit http://www.JohnSullivanSite.com [1], or http://www.AtomRecords.com [2].
Links:
[1] http://www.JohnSullivanSite.com
[2] http://www.AtomRecords.com