THE WINERY DOGS / S/T (2013)

The Winery Dogs is the newest super-band that consists of extraordinary guitarist/singer Richie Kotzen, ex-Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy and Mr.Big's bassist Billy Sheehan. Most of us, when we heard about this brand new project, we asked ourselves : "which will be the result of this new power trio?".

The answer is simple; pure 80's heavy rock stuff with plenty of melodies to die for, top-notch performances, a strong dose of groove and funky elements in a unique Kotzen way and, most of all, good and tight songs. The fact is that with the super-bands I'm a bit cautious of what to expect. But after the first spin of The Winery Dogs' debut release, all my doubts are clear! This is a very good record from start to finish.

The track which opens the album is titled "Elevate". A tune filled up with a strong dose of groove mixed with a Mr. Big vibe in it and there you have a great opener and a taste of what's coming up next! "Desire" and "We Are One" are both funkier tunes that include great riffs and Kotzen's smooth vocal lines. Great just great stuff!! "I'm No Angel" is a killer mid-tempo melodic rock stuff while "You Saved Me" could easily appear in any of Mr. Big's latest releases. One of the album's highlights here is the fantastic bluesier "Damaged"!! The melodies, the musicianship and the performances are all perfectly balanced in this simply awesome song!

All in all, this is a solid release and a very enjoyable ride through this band's world from start to finish! These musicians take this project to a higher level and I'm really expecting more releases from them in the near future! Buy or die!  
Heavy Paradise's Rating : 8,5/10

Track List :
01. Elevate
02. Desire
03. We Are One
04. I'm No Angel
05. The Other Side
06. You Saved Me
07. Not Hopeless
08. One More Time
09. Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11. Criminal (Japanese bonus track)
12. The Dying
13. Regret