PopEntertainment.com

It's all the entertainment you need!

 

FEATURE STORIES MOVIE REVIEWS MUSIC REVIEWS BOX SET REVIEWS TV SHOWS ON DVD CONTESTS CONCERT PHOTOS

 

  FEATURE STORIES
  INTERVIEWS A TO E
  INTERVIEWS F TO J
  INTERVIEWS K TO O
  INTERVIEWS P TO T
  INTERVIEWS U TO Z
  INTERVIEWS ACTORS
  INTERVIEWS ACTRESSES
  INTERVIEWS BOOKS
  INTERVIEWS DIRECTORS AND SCREENWRITERS
  INTERVIEWS MUSIC
  INTERVIEWS OSCAR NOMINEES
  INTERVIEWS THEATER
  IN MEMORIAM
  REVIEWS
  MOVIE REVIEWS
  MUSIC REVIEWS
  CONCERT REVIEWS
  BOX SET REPORT CARD
  TV SHOWS ON DVD
  MISCELLANEOUS STUFF & NONSENSE
  CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY
  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
  CONTESTS
  LINKS
  MASTHEAD
  EMAIL US

"WILD YEARS-THE MUSIC & MYTH OF TOM WAITS" BY Jay S. Jacobs

AVAILABLE IN BOOK STORES EVERYWHERE!

 

PopEntertainment.com > Reviews > Record Reviews > Soul SirkUS

MUSIC REVIEWS

 

Soul SirkUS-World Play (Soul Sirkus)

Soul Sirkus was a little side project put together by Journey guitarist Neil Schon and Van Halen drummer Michael Anthony and former mouthpiece Sammy Hagar.  When Van Halen was reformed last year and Hagar returned to the fold, Schon soldiered on with the side group to record a CD. The vocal duties were taken over by solo artist Jeff Scott Soto, and the rhythm section included former Thin Lizzy bassist Marco Mendoza and drummer Virgil Donati (of 90s Australian band On the Virg). 

World Play is an old-fashioned hard-rock record that Schon no longer always gets to indulge in Journey.  The first single, "New Position" takes the style and seals it -- blistering guitars, tight drumming, screeching vocals and a molten hook.  The band also rocks out nobly with "Highest Ground" and "My Sanctuary."  It does slow down sometimes; there are the occasional gunslinger rock ballads like "Soul Goes On." 

For air-guitar jams, Schon really pulls out the stops in the previously mentioned "My Sanctuary" and the girl-watching jam "Praise."  The band also gets down and dirty with the killer riff of "Peephole."

World Play was released at about the same time as his recent all-instrumental solo album i on u, and together they make a good companion-piece.  (Ed note: see our review on that CD also on the record reviews page.)   It's nice to see that Schon is keeping busy during the increasingly long patches between recording for his day job.  (5/05)

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright © 2005 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: June 12, 2005.

RETURN TO RECORD REVIEWS MENU

Copyright © 2005 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: June 12, 2005.