1 LEE AARON C’Mon, Radio ON! (2021) 4:45
2. SHEMEKIA COPELAND Hit ‘Em Back, Single (2021) 4:33
3. MELISSA ETHERIDGE One Way Out, Single (2021) 4:03
4. BLACKBERRY SMOKE Crimson Moon, The Whipporwill (2014) 4:00
5. BLACKBERRY SMOKE All Over The Road, Hear You Georgia (2021) 3:48
6. THE BLACK KEYS Walk With Me, Dream Klean (2021) 5:36
7. NIGHT RANGER Breakout, ATBPO (2021) 4:15
8 LOU GRAMM Angel With A Dirty Face, Ready Or Not (1989) 5:08
9. BRUCE TURGON Walk Thru Fire, Outside Looking In (2005) 3:36
10. DAVE BURN Before You Cry - Nothing Is As It Seems (2021) 3:52
11. SUNBOMB Evil And Divine, Evil And Divine (2021) 4:13
12. VINCE DiCOLA You’re Not AloneTonight, Only Time Will Tell (2021) 4:40
13. BILLY F GIBBONS My Lucky Card, Hardware (2021) 2:39
14. THE JOHN WILLIAMS SYNDICATE Loud And Clear, Out Of Darkness (2021) 3:15
15. FOZZY Sane Single (2021) 3:58
16. CAPERCAILLIE Who Will Have Fun With Me, Beautiful Wasteland (1997) 4:22
17. CLANNAD In A Lifetime, Single (2021) 3:25
18. DAVID MINASIAN Masquerade, Single (2021) 8:10
19. JUSTIN HAYWARD Forever Autumn, Spirits Live (2014) 4:26
20. VINTAGE CARAVAN Sharp Teeth, Monuments (2021) 5:30
21. THE DUST CODA Limbo Man, Mojo Skyline (2021) 4:23
22. MASON HILL Against The Wall, Against The Wall (2021) 4:29
23. ARETHA FRANKLIN Respect, Single (1967) 2:22
24. REFLECTION CLUB Nervesoothers, Still Thick As A Brick (2021) 3:08
25. OUTLAWS Green Grass And High Tides, Outlaws (1975) 9:49
Well, here’s a release that came completely out of nowhere and monopolized my interest for a long time since the day that I received the promo package. ...
...All in all, this is a brilliant album and a must have for all the classic rock fans out there!
The two gentlemen Burn and Small knock out a pound that can be heard, varied and strong with two very good instrumentals and more than a handful of very good songs in their luggage.
....The next song for me is another candidate for favourite song on the album. Understand is the epic of the album which takes me back to 1976 era Led Zeppelin and Achilles Last Stand territory (my all-time favourite Zeppelin song.) The song kicks off with a nice galloping riff which compliments the bass line beautifully. There are plenty of Thin Lizzyesque harmonic leads and the guitar openly steals the show, it is all over the place in a good way and paints the entire picture of the song to the listener. An amazing musical journey which gets straight to the point. The song builds and builds with intensity and reminds me a lot of Uli Jon Roth era Scorpions in places with guitar dive bombs and cries. A true epic with an amazing song ending and the song that sealed the deal for me. My favourite song on this record without a doubt.
You may think the album is as good as done after that amazing song but as blown away as you may be, Dave comes back and gives us one more for the encore. Boat to Samarkand is a beautiful bluesy ballad with soothing guitar hooks and keyboards. It’s a nice comedown after the bombast of the previous song and a perfect way to end the album.
This album is my introduction to Dave Burn and I have truly been taking on an amazing journey courtesy of him. A must listen if you are a fan of 70s and 80s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal bands such as UFO, Thin Lizzy, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Budgie etc it has all these influences and more. I really hope Dave continues this style on with another album I have sure enjoyed it and can’t wait to hear more.
I always get worried when a friend recommends a CD for me to listen to, especially when their friends with the artist. I don't want to listen and disappoint, or worse, lie to a friend. Thankfully with NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS from Dave Burn, friendship is safe...
and I have discovered an amazing and satisfying album from an incredibly talented guitarist.
For his 17th solo album Burn is joined by vocalist Lee Small (Lionheart/Shy) and here the duo create a modern sound with an homage to the classic bands of the 1970's, especially to my ears at least, UFO, Kansas and Deep Purple! Burn's playing has such a Michael Schenker flair to it, expressive and quite emotional..
but heavy and powerful when the song or mood calls for it. Small's voice is anything but small, having a very original feel that is very pleasing and features a little Glenn Hughes in his tones and phrasing. There are so many good songs here that sound nothing alike..
the epic Labyrinth with its progressive feel, the ballad Before You Cry that features such a beautiful solo and the Gary Moore-ish closer, Boat To Samarkand.
Twelve songs... no twelve amazing songs that will make your heart happy and your ears thankful.
... “Nothing Is As It Seems” is full of melodic tunes combines with harsher moments. This balance is very difficult to find and many bands have failed miserably trying to do so. Dave Burn was able to do it with flying colors. Despite the fact that there are moments that the album gets very near some Yngwie Malmsteen stuff as in “Understand.” Just as a reminder Joe Lynn Turner and Yngwie Malmsteen had a partnership some time ago. and feeling is something Yngwie Malmsteen doesn’t have any, if you know what I mean. The tones Dave Burn gets with his guitar are great. That’s the tone of “Nothing Is As It Seems” this mix of melodic vocals with harsher guitars with combined techniques and lots of feeling. In fact, the album is much more Gary Moore than Yngwie Malmsteen as “Boat To Samarkand” shows us. Thanks to Dave Burn. Since I mentioned it, I guess Gary Moore explains much better what we have here. The feeling, the good taste, the well-chosen notes and tones. All here.
... The quality of the production of the album also deserves mention. Quite simply it sounds superb and for a self produced and engineered album it puts to shame a lot of albums I’ve heard of late that have been afforded much bigger budgets. Mastering by Jon Astley (The Who, Clapton, George Harrison, and just about everybody else of note) has also helped in making this special album offering up a lot of quality and variety over its 70 minutes and the slow and melancholic instrumental ‘Boat To Samarkand’ closes the album perfectly.
... Some instrumental tracks such as Hit The Ground Running and Boat to Samarkand where virtuosity and passion in the execution of the six strings stand out.
He reads in his purest form making highs that border the guitar lines in Understand and rhythm guitars riding in the purest NWOBHM style, interspersed with some energetic riffs and others more melancholic, bringing out all their dimensions.
The sound of the album encompasses hard rock and / or heavy metal where the professionalism and string skills of our protagonist show off combined with the mastery of Mr. Small on the mic.
If you like music where the guitar is the star, and bands like UFO, MSG, Paul Raymond Project, this is your album.
...Elsewhere, the acoustic/electric ‘Into The Light’ brings out emotions in both Dave and Lee that are sheer quality. ‘Understand’ is an MSG like epic, while ‘Made Of Stone’ is archetypal British rock; a sort of Priest/Bonnet amalgam that works a treat. ‘Always’ is a paradox; the rapid drums belaying the gentle melodic vocals and guitar.
Throughout the record, Dave is a technical, melodic and skilled player and doesn’t fall into the trap of trying to fit as many notes as possible so that it all becomes a meaningless blur; along with Lee what we get is solid hard rock that may echo some, but remains original. A thoroughly enjoyable heavy rock album delivering a dozen quality songs with strong vocals, great guitar playing and no guitar wankery!...
... ‘Nothing Is As It Seems’ is the first from Dave Burn to feature vocals and with Lee Small he has produced a partnership that is faultless. It’s unbelievable to realise that this album is just the two of them. If you seek perfection, if you want to be enthralled and if you need a masterclass in musicianship, look no further.
Savour the praise and acclaim that is to follow guys, but please don’t let this be a one off, you are so good together. *****
‘We are taken into another world, full of imposing grandeur and dramatic encounters’
Highlights – Right Of Passage, Made Of Stone, Understand.
... For his first foray into featuring vocals on one of his albums, Dave Burn struck gold working with Lee Small, who suits the style of music down to the ground. Here’s hoping they work together again in the not too distant future.
A gem of a melodic hard rock album and don’t let this slip past on your musical radar as there is much to enjoy on here. ****
Please join us this Wednesday May 26th 2021 at 7pm UK time (2pm Eastern 1pm Central and 11am Pacific Time USA/Canada) for our
Spins From The Bins radio show.
There'll be a two part interview with Trev Lukather plus two tracks from his previous band Levara.
Plus we’ve got a show packed full of brand new/latest releases from Blackberry Smoke, Buckcherry, Thunder, Crowne, Don Airey & Friends, Trev Lukather, The Jailbirds, Thousand Thoughts, Vanden Plas, Dave Burn, Nine Skies, Matt Long And The Revenant Ones, Inner Stream and Rhapsody Of Fire There's fantastic blues tracks from Ivy Gold and Rebecca Downes, an ace new instrumental track from John Petrucci, plus older tracks from Steve Lukather, Threshold, At Vance and Within Temptation.
