BravePicks 2021 - SMITH/KOTZEN's Smith/Kotzen #27
December 4, 2021, 3 years ago
As the world continues to battle a virus, we present the ultimate escape! It is time to celebrate our BravePicks 2021! Heavy metal is the ultimate diversion, so let's let the music do the talking. It is time to unveil our annual BravePicks countdown, where the devout scribes at BraveWords cast their votes at the hits and misses of the year! So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2021 each day in December!
Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2022? and Metal Predictions For 2022. All will be showcased come the New Year!
First up, the best of the best for 2021 begins NOW!
BravePicks 2021
27) SMITH/KOTZEN – Smith/Kotzen (BMG)
Who knew how good this pairing would be? Two talented individuals – Richie Kotzen (Poison, Winery Dogs) and Iron Maiden extraordinaire Adrian Smith teamed up for a solo album showcasing not only their abilities on guitar, but their songwriting acumen as well. Their guitar styles mesh seamlessly in an album that’s bold and graceful with hard rock, but also metallic edge. An outstanding album – it easily earns its way on our countdown.
In our review, scribe Rich Catino wrote: Smith’s soul shines through on “Scars”, as with “Glory Road” with cool clean accenting keys. “Running” has a pounding tribal drum pattern and both harmonize the melody. Digging the bass lines and vibe on “Some People” where the guitars are not as hard, it’s smooth, graceful and lets the leads breath. This one is a tune you can chill out to on a nice summer night with a glass of bourbon and good company. Joining them on the album is Maiden’s Nicko McBrain on drums for the track “Solar Fire” which of course give it that extra kick in its step.
An excerpt of a BraveWords feature: “I had a great time working on that,” exclaims Richie. “One of the things I really love about it, is it plays out, to my ear, like one of those old classic rock ‘n’ roll records that I grew up on. Back in the day, a record would be eight, nine songs. Then when the CD came out, everybody loaded them up with tons of songs. I like the flow of it, and the feel of it, being a classic length album. I’m happy with it all the way around.”
BravePicks 2021 Top 30
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27) SMITH/KOTZEN – Smith/Kotzen (BMG)
28) TODD LA TORRE - Rejoice In The Suffering (Rat Pak)
29) KK’S PRIEST – Sermons Of The Sinner (EX1)
30) ASPHYX - Necroceros (Century Media)
