I was hoping with the release and success of The Black Keys El Camino combined with the new Van Halen A Different Kind Of Truth (Interscope) that there would be a continued resurgence and new presence of guitar rock on radio. Not to be though, albums like this takes the genre two steps back.

First things first, Van Halen as a band had a great many things going for it but just as many going against it. Eddie Van Halen is an amazing guitar technician, arguably the best ever. He’s just never played with any emotion; he’s fast and can do stunts but he’s a cold, soulless player.

Sammy Hagar was the better vocalist and as a songwriter gave the band the credit needed to separate them from the pack. Here though David Lee Roth is back and so is that teenaged approach to music, which is fine unless you’re doing it as an old guy, as Van Halen is now.

It’s self produced, which is the first sign of trouble. When you have gigantic egos as Eddie and David possess, it doesn’t make sense to give the keys to the inmates. Ultimately A Different Kind Of Truth amounts to nothing more than a tool to promote their new tour.

“Outta Space” and “The Trouble With Never” have potential but that’s only because they sound vaguely familiar.

Ok, some call him Sir Paul, some the Cute Beatle, others Grandpa but today I’m gonna call Paul McCartney ‘sentimental’. His latest Kisses On The Bottom (Universal) is an album of standards that he heard his musician father play at home, growing up as a young boy in England.

At first glance, it’s kinda like the five Great American Songbook albums Rod Steward stuffed down our throats. In reality though he does give them an honest reading. He doesn’t hide behind a huge orchestra and actually gets kinda hip when needed on stuff like my favorite from the album “It’s Only A Paper Moon.”

I appreciate the fact that these are all pretty well stripped down jazzy arrangements but in return they show the age in McCartney’s voice, at times straining to hit notes.

This isn’t singing usual McCartney pop like “My Love,” these songs were written back in the day for serious vocalists, not for cotton candy singers. If you thought Van Halen was old, McCartney is pushing 80 and touring like he’s 25. That being said, for the most part McCartney is in stride and you wonder why he hasn’t done an album like this in the past. It’s his prettiest singing since his “The Girl Is Mine” duet with Michael Jackson.

Produced by vet Tommy LiPuma and jazz great Diana Krall, they used Krall’s top notch band and recorded live in the studio in one or two takes with no overdubs. Also a first, McCartney does not play an instrument on the albums 14 tracks.

Standouts include “Get Yourself Another Fool”, “My Very Good Friend The Milkman,” “The Glory Of Love” and “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.”

Peter Mac is a pretty lucky guy. Lucky in that he’s been successful in everything musically that he dabbles in. He’s written and performed many commercials, has a growing list of students of whom he’s teaching the guitar to, performs with Streetlife around the area and at Bucks games at The Bradley Center and makes pretty amazing cd’s. His latest being Soul Burn (Mac Lab.)

Here are 14 original instrumental tracks driven by Mac’s unique playing style and imagination. This is not a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani kinda record, the most common misunderstanding. Not that those guys don’t make vital records, what makes these more inviting is that a Mac record is a study in diversity.

Here he shows his ability to touch on different styles of playing the guitar, be it his acoustic dexterity of “Fate’s Hands” or electronic complexity on “Song For Leonard.”

Moods as well, his playing can have a calming effect especially on the easy melodic “Geneva” and “I’m Here.” Though that doesn’t mean he can’t play face smash heavy guitar music and he demonstrates that on arguably my favorite track on the album “Voodoo Moon.”

The album was produced by Mac, who obviously plays all guitars as well as bass and keyboards, while Brian Dale handled drums. The cd was mixed by Dave Vartanian (Kenny Wayne Shepard, Live, Crash Test Dummies) and has the pacing that keeps the listeners interested.

Ok all you Rolling Stones fanatics listen up, this is pretty cool. The band has authorized an on-line archive that offers up live shows, apparel and memorabilia.

It’s at www.stonesarchivestore.com and is definitely worth a visit.

As of this writing they offer two pretty decent concerts, mixed from the original masters, in their entirety to download in either the flac or mp3 formats. The Brussels Affair is a show recorded on Oct 17, 1973 in Belgium, two months after the release of their Goats Head Soup album, which has the band playing stuff like “Dancing With Mr. D” and “Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” which haven’t previously been released live.

Also, Hampton Coliseum Live 1981 is a full show recorded December 18th 1981, in support of the Tattoo You album and pretty much marked an end of an era for the Stones.

It was the last time the band toured without a horn section, background singers and all the other nonsense. Standouts include Keith Richards “Little T&A,” as well as “Hang Fire.”

Van Halen (MATC TImes)

(Anonymous )