babysue.com review of John DeNicola "The Why Because"

March 02, 2020  /  John DeNicola

John DeNicola is one of those guys you've likely been exposed to before, but you probably don't know his name. With the release of The Why Because this talented and prolific man finally steps into the spotlight to offer his debut solo album. If you want to find out what DeNicola has done in the past, visit his website (link above). Rather than focus on past accomplishments here, we'd rather focus on the music at hand. This is a slick, solid album chock full of super polished melodic classic pop. In a perfect world, many of these tracks would be huge hits. But because they bear little resemblance to the kind of schlop pop that currently sells big time in the United States, who knows? Our guess is that this music will develop a cult following consisting of those who are already familiar with DeNicola's music and music label as well as those pop fans out there who just happen to hear about it or stumble upon it. These songs are very reminiscent of radio hits from the 1970s and 1980s when commercial songs began to have a really big sound due to increased access to new technology. But it's the songs themselves that make this record so appealing. John writes cool soaring melodies that could be appreciated by just about anyone who loves pop music. And his vocals are absolutely spot on every time. DeNicola either wrote or co-wrote almost all of these tracks. And each and every one sounds like a potential top ten hit. If you like quality commercial pop, these tracks will likely be right up your alley. Smooth pensive cuts include "You're the Only One," "Everything You," "Butterfly," "I Am Not Willing," and "I've Had the Time of My Life."

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Peter Lewis "The Road To Zion" CD

August 02, 2019  /  John DeNicola

 New Music “The Road To Zion” released July 16, 2019

  Early in his long and winding odyssey, Peter Lewis played a crucial part in the creation of that rare beast, the perfect rock & roll album: Moby Grape, a legendary union of guitars, voices and brotherhood made in a now-distant American age, the psychedelic San Francisco of 1967. Many miles later, Peter has made his best record as a singer, songwriter and spiritual explorer: The Road to Zion, new stories of wanderlust, fortune, trial and committment that still carry the living glow and redemptive power of that great band. The first steps here – the title song's haze of dreamy guitars and gentle vocal assurance – sound as if Peter has just returned from the original trip. But like his best songs for the Grape – "Sitting by the Window" on that first LP; "He" on 1968's Wow; the gorgeous Moby Grape '69 miniature "What's to Choose" – the day-glo-country twang of "Down by the Water" and the jangling march "In This Place" come with a kick inside: the cycle of sorrow and lessons that, in time, lead to light. The circular haunting in "Nobody's Love" is the past in a bracing, present tense – Peter wrote it with Grape-guitar brother Jerry Miller – while the taut explosion of 12-string soloing in "Journey to the Crossroads" brings Peter's guitar gifts to the fore.  Count the years on the way to The Road to Zion, and you find an astonishing statistic: It is only Peter's third solo album. But he never lost the path or mission. "I know we'll meet again, this you can rely on," Peter promises in "The Road to Zion." Relish the searching and ringing guitars here, until the next time.

 

David Fricke

May, 2019