CDS & WAX

Alien Love Child
Live and Beyond
Favored Nations


Eric Johnson, Grammy winning song writer and guitar master, teams with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Chris Maresh to form the hard rockin', slick jammin' trio, Alien Love Child. The band originated through simple extracurricular jam sessions but soon turned into a cult favorite and they now find themselves with quite a following. Characterized on their website as "Hendrix/Clapton yesteryear in a fast gear format", Alien Love Child jams with fresh enthusiasm. Though no Clapton during his rein with the titans of rock, Cream, Johnson and Alien Love Child do lead listeners into a world of their own on the strength of tight guitar riffs and exceptional back up bass and drums.

The band's ability to change sounds is quite impressive. Clearly evident in the CD, ALC can switch from fast rock, to hard thumpin' beats, to smooth blues in a heartbeat, keeping the album alive and kickin' as it moves through the ten tracks.

Watch out for track number eight, "Elevator Sky Movie". Beginning with an intro, at first eerily reminiscent of The Doors, "The End", the song turns a sudden about-face and spins out an ear inspiring jam for all ages; Johnson's fast fingers really come alive in this track.

Though only together for a short while, should Alien Love Child decide to keep on rollin', they could definitely find a place of their own in the national groove scene. - CD

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Cheddi Nyack
Before You Love Me
Spice Island Records

Cheddi Nyack clearly has a dream. His dream is that he is a crooning pop star, wowing the ladies with his Michael Bolton-esque songs of love and romance. His dream, clearly unbeknownst to him, is shattered by the fact that there is no chance of it ever being 1986 again. See, Before You Love Me, the latest (and perhaps only) album by this mystery singer, is a phenomenon to rival the extinction of the dinosaurs in that it is so astoundingly bad, it may mean the end for our species as well.

There are twelve tracks on Cheddi Nyack's album. They are all, without the slightest variation, power love ballads mined directly from the tender regions of Bryan Adams' brain. They have names like "Part of What You Get For Being You," "One Day-Before You Love Me," and "Serching" [sic]. Cheddi clearly has no other desire than to love the ladies, when he whispers in his little pixy voice "I'll wake you up in the morning, with a kiss." Occasionally, a sax wails truly aspiring Kenny G notes, as has to occur in this music. Nyack's big cover is Richard Marks' "Right Here Waiting" - further proof that Cheddi's desired niche is the 1986 high school dance.

What is so mind-boggling about the entire enterprise is that the album is so bad, even within this genre of musical excrement, that even if you beamed this disk back to a 1986 poster toting Bolton fan, hearing Before You Love Me would force the listener to destroy his stereo, saw off his own ears, and drill a hole in his head to let the demons out.

The delightful cherry on this cake of musicianship is the album art - those who purchase the album get the extra treat of Mr. Nyack, looking stern yet vulnerable in his wifebeater, on the back cover, and a full color ad for the country of Grenada inside.

One can't help but feel bad for someone who attempts his dream so earnestly and yet may cause the end of all civilization because he fails so completely. Luckily, his sponsorship by Grenada should help keep Cheddi off the street and in the studio, crooning away. That's fine for him. You, on the other hand, should simply go to our local house of worship and pray, earnestly, that this album never enters the lives of you or your loved ones. -RB


Paul Pena
New Train
Hybrid

In spirit, he's the great-uncle of Lenny Kravitz. On record, though, Paul Pena takes more getting used to. These ten tracks hail from 1973, and the singer/songwriter/guitarist was then a guileless happy eclectic - which means the overeager Hendrix-inspired digressions or the occasional lyrical groaner ("Savin' up all your smiles/stashin' 'em in my stash pile") might draw some smirks.

Pena's story in itself evokes enough curiosity to sell albums; just one interesting chapter of many would be the convoluted route to this current release. Faulty record-label management wrangling put these recordings for his second album on ice, and for years he lived on little more than the royalties from the Steve Miller Band version of his "Jet Airliner." The original take is here, less streamlined and radio-friendly than the hit single. The famous guitar riff shows up later in the song, this time with a triumphant feeling of a siren's call that's been earned.

Jerry Garcia shows up a couple of times, and his slide adds an extra dimension to the title track. It's in between "Jet Airliner" and the Persuasions collaboration "Gonna Move" - a cluster of songs so good that the withholding of these tracks from public consumption seems like a crime against humanity. Pena can mix the gospel side of soul and blues-based boogie with a sweet blend, similar to (but harder than) Van Morrison circa Moondance. The later tracks of New Train have more space between the great moments, but "A Bit Of All Right" is an amazingly prescient take on blending reggae with pop. Maybe UB40 should pay him some royalties, too. - T.E. Lyons

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