SHANGHAI / BLUE
Latest effort from retro-rockers
SHANGHAI, second helping of kicking
the groove-laden, hard hitting
jams out.
Stellar vocals, improved production and
some smokin' twists on the "old skool"
flavor. Looks like recent touring
including shows with national acts
paid off. Even the scary artwork
is of no consequence in this case...Blue looks
good on SHANGHAI. SHANGHAI has arrived.
For openers, just check out the
superb bass work on "Winter Song."
Then have a listen to the blistering
lead guitar passages. Finally...
be prepared to fall victim to the magical
swoon...smooth as silk vocals from lead voice
Jeff Rush, more wild bass gymnastics, and
lush super-vibe lead guitar shreds...all
complementing each other like a rockstar
marriage made in heaven in "Winter Song's"
bombastic climax.
"Lighting Fire!" has a bouncy rhythm and a
mass-appeal lyric, all boldly assaulted with
an invasion of alien droning guitars and
unique arrangement.
"Blue" is thick, punchy,
and full of powerful feel. In the
words of a certain devoted fan, "Blue
is simply great rock music!"
SHANG hears alot of "Led Zeppelin
meets Motley Crue" rants. Whether you
think SHANGHAI deserves to be in the company
of such legendary rock gods or not, the
ending guitar solo in "Fresh Start"
really really does sound like a brand new
offering from exalted axe wizard Jimmy Page,
all wonderfully layered over super-tight
offbeat drums and fiendishly haunting
keyboards.
We also get more tracks this go ' round....
7 instead of the usual EP 5. In "Blue,"
the whole album has a very listenable
arrangement, with an unplugged
acoustic break in dead center.
Lastly there is "Evil Angel," the
closing track. This tune has
an epilogue sequence that is so damn
rhythmic and effervescent, if you don't
find your body moving to this stanza you need
to swiftly check in to the nearest
hospital...you may be in a coma.
So...ahem....all you "classic" hard
rockers, get ready to grind. SHANGHAI
seems to be trampling their
way into a triumph ; an ever-increasing
cyclone of excellence in evolution...
thriving in a genre' that may be an
"older" style...or that may very well be
a style that is becoming immortal.
Don't worry about the scary
graphics the SHANG "spooky boys" like...
just hurry up and grab your
copy of BLUE. If you do you'll
quickly find out why SHANGHAI is
selling cds all over the world.
It brings wonder to envision what type
of images will fill the canvas of
radiowaves and billboard charts in the
future...but it's even a greater glory
to just seriously get off on the
kick-azz rock and roll. The color
"Blue" in this case paints a "fittest"
hard rocking array of purest quality.
C. ALLEN MORGAN
Check out the artist's website:
http://shanghai.150m.com
Track List:
1. Lighting Fire!
2. Winter Song
3. Strip The Dealer
4. Cuts Like A Knife
5. Fresh Start...
6. Mr. Mizery
7. Evil Angel
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
Latest effort from retro-rockers
SHANGHAI, second helping of kicking
the groove-laden, hard hitting
jams out.
Stellar vocals, improved production and
some smokin' twists on the "old skool"
flavor. Looks like recent touring
including shows with national acts
paid off. Even the scary artwork
is of no consequence in this case...Blue looks
good on SHANGHAI. SHANGHAI has arrived.
For openers, just check out the
superb bass work on "Winter Song."
Then have a listen to the blistering
lead guitar passages. Finally...
be prepared to fall victim to the magical
swoon...smooth as silk vocals from lead voice
Jeff Rush, more wild bass gymnastics, and
lush super-vibe lead guitar shreds...all
complementing each other like a rockstar
marriage made in heaven in "Winter Song's"
bombastic climax.
"Lighting Fire!" has a bouncy rhythm and a
mass-appeal lyric, all boldly assaulted with
an invasion of alien droning guitars and
unique arrangement.
"Blue" is thick, punchy,
and full of powerful feel. In the
words of a certain devoted fan, "Blue
is simply great rock music!"
SHANG hears alot of "Led Zeppelin
meets Motley Crue" rants. Whether you
think SHANGHAI deserves to be in the company
of such legendary rock gods or not, the
ending guitar solo in "Fresh Start"
really really does sound like a brand new
offering from exalted axe wizard Jimmy Page,
all wonderfully layered over super-tight
offbeat drums and fiendishly haunting
keyboards.
We also get more tracks this go ' round....
7 instead of the usual EP 5. In "Blue,"
the whole album has a very listenable
arrangement, with an unplugged
acoustic break in dead center.
Lastly there is "Evil Angel," the
closing track. This tune has
an epilogue sequence that is so damn
rhythmic and effervescent, if you don't
find your body moving to this stanza you need
to swiftly check in to the nearest
hospital...you may be in a coma.
So...ahem....all you "classic" hard
rockers, get ready to grind. SHANGHAI
seems to be trampling their
way into a triumph ; an ever-increasing
cyclone of excellence in evolution...
thriving in a genre' that may be an
"older" style...or that may very well be
a style that is becoming immortal.
Don't worry about the scary
graphics the SHANG "spooky boys" like...
just hurry up and grab your
copy of BLUE. If you do you'll
quickly find out why SHANGHAI is
selling cds all over the world.
It brings wonder to envision what type
of images will fill the canvas of
radiowaves and billboard charts in the
future...but it's even a greater glory
to just seriously get off on the
kick-azz rock and roll. The color
"Blue" in this case paints a "fittest"
hard rocking array of purest quality.
C. ALLEN MORGAN
Check out the artist's website:
http://shanghai.150m.com
Track List:
1. Lighting Fire!
2. Winter Song
3. Strip The Dealer
4. Cuts Like A Knife
5. Fresh Start...
6. Mr. Mizery
7. Evil Angel
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
- ROCK: Hard Rock
- ROCK: 80's Rock
- MOOD: PARTY MUSIC