SweetKenny - "Doo Hickey" Review!!

Let's end the month with an Easter present, that being our 45th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and today, it's of Dafter, Michigan solo guitarist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton's fifth original solo album "Doo Hickey"! Released TODAY (and recorded) through his independent label Waterfall Records, this is Ken's first of at least two scheduled 2013 albums, and it features him on all instruments, save for the guitar, which he shares along with frequent collaborator Scott Schroen on the first 5 tracks. As of this writing, "Doo Hickey" can be purchased for 99¢ a track on CD Baby, Amazon, & iTunes, with physical discs available on CD Baby as well, though note that the full mp3 album cost there is almost double what is is on other sites. As well, the whole EP (which has just 6 songs under 22 minutes in total length) can be streamed on SweetKenny's website, so click here to check it out before buying, and each song title is linked to it's streaming cop! Without any further adieu, let's begin with the album's first song, "Prescription X"!

"Prescription X" starts with an almost surf rock intro, and it in this short song (one of two under 2 minutes long), it feels very condensed, almost like Ken started verses early to fit the shorter runtime. The heavier guitar riffs are good, and Ken's singing (which has a higher tempo Elvis-esque tone here) fits well for the mood of the song, but it all feels very rushed compared to longer later tracks on "Doo Hickey", and I'd like to hear this song even with a minute of extra runtime. Second is "I'm Lost Without You", which has a slower pacing to start, with almost a bluesier hard rock tone, but the structure does feel more natural than on the opening song. I like the groove of this song, which has a laid back mix of styles, and Ken's lower singing fits the mood very well! The spoken word asides add some levity without taking away from the song (which surprised me a bit), and overall, if you like a bluesy take on progressive rock, you'll like "I'm Lost Without You"! I just wish there was more of a solo, and maybe a bit less repetition.

Third is "January Guitar", an initially softer number that definitely seems to call upon Ken's Elvis tribute past vocally, before building out of nowhere into a more aggressive and scratchier chorus, then fading back. The instrumentation is effectively intricate, but the choruses feel too abrupt and jarring for a change to the song's feel otherwise. That said, Ken & Scott's guitar work is very nice, the singing's effective, and it has a floaty essence that's a welcome change, so it works on that level, but I'd liked to have seen the verses and chorus flow in a more natural way. Next is "I Met A Girl", which has a bouncy riff to start and some effective old school-feeling vocals, and it definitely feels like a song from the 1970s in tone! That said, the guitar work does seem somewhat repetitious, and the structure has some messy transitions (though not as obvious as on "Prescription X"), and I would like to hear it a bit longer than it is. The pace and Ken's singing work well though, and this is a solid rocker for what it is!

Second last on "Doo Hickey" is "Alone", which is the EP's shortest track, and it reminds me of a bit heavier and better structured variant of "January Guitar", and it has a nice guitar melody and good melodic rock singing! That said, it's way too short, and it feels like just the first part of a longer song that wasn't completed, but for it's length, it works as a mid-tempo rock original! Now if only it had more of a guitar solo. This album closes with by far it's longest track "It's Like Darkness & Cold Rain", which is also the only purely solo song on the EP. Maintaining a darker slow pace, Ken's Elvis-esque singing flows well with the backing instrumentation, and he gets ample time to show off his guitar skills in the middle of the song, but it feels like this song could have used a heavier interlude or some sort of tempo change to break up the song, which feels overlong at 7 minutes in length. That said, this song shows Ken's multiple instrument skill nicely, and though it's somewhat of a down note to end "Doo Hickey" with, his talent can't be questioned!

So, what's the final word on SweetKenny's newest EP? I liked a lot of it, but there were some things I'd have fixed. On the positive side, Ken Sutton has a nice vocal range that suits the material, whether he's channeling his Elvis influences or employing a grittier side of things, and both his and Scott Schroen's guitar work shows a lot of talent cultivated over decades of experience! The songs show a variance of influences too, so there's a little something for everyone, though myself, I took to "I'm Lost Without You" the most of the 6. There main aspect of "Doo Hickey" that I'd like to see amended on future albums is the song structures, either for repetition, short length, or rushed/messy transitions. Had those been addressed, each song could have really stood out even more, as there's a lot of good in this EP! Also, while this isn't a universally heavy release, Ken shows aspects of it here, and on earlier albums like "Jennifer's Box Of Junk", you can see a lot more as well. Overall, while imperfect, there's a lot to like on "Doo Hickey", and hopefully "Perception" builds on it with even more quality SweetKenny work!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming up next month? Barring a new local metal album release, we'll be looking at Woods of Ypres' 2008 compilation CD "Independent Nature 2002-2007" on the site, as we finally move to reviews of their other albums apart from their main 5! As Woods of Ypres are posthumously nominated for a Juno Award in three weeks, I hope to tie in a review of it before April 20th, but is that indeed coming next? We'll likely bump it to May if something new comes out by April 20th, but what's on the horizon? We'll of course cover many new releases on Tuesday in this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, but note that if a new review is next month, it will NOT be of any albums by Mike Haggith, as it's too soon from our last review of his, though a review of a new Haggith band album is still possible. Stay tuned on or around April 20th for our next CD review, and keep an eye out tomorrow for a new news post, including a possible preview of THIS WEDNESDAY'S first night of the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!

An Upcoming Album Release, Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Updates, And Much More!!

The news keeps on rolling in, and for this 23rd straight day of updates, we have a mix of things, including the latest confirmed band for the next local battle of the bands, the closely nearing deadline for registrations, and a pile of shorter recent news items, but first, here's some information on a new upcoming metal album release, and when we'll be reviewing it on the site!

Dafter, Michigan metal solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton will release his fifth original solo album "Doo Hickey" on March 31st! (Well, his sixth if you count last year's best-of compilation.) As revealed on his various online pages, including the album's page on his website, the album will see Ken teaming up with Detroit-area guitarist Scott Schroen (of The Ugly Radio Rebellion), who he has worked with on past material, but Ken will handle some guitar parts along with all other instruments. Sound-wise, Ken revealed that this will have "the Detroit rock sound", the sound of Sammy Hagar meeting The Doors, and a progressive rock feel, which all sounds intriguing added up! Scheduled to be released through his independent label Waterfall Records in just under two weeks, the full album (which is of EP length with only 6 songs) can be heard for free at this location, but it WILL be available for sale on the 31st through online music sites such as CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon, presumably for 99¢ a track or $5.94 for the full release.

With a streaming copy available online (and with Ken sending me an advance copy), I'll confirm right now that "Doo Hickey" will be the subject of this month's CD review at the SMS! It'll be our first Sault Michigan review since last summer, and as a result, I've tentatively bumped our review of Woods of Ypres' "Independent Nature 2002-2007" to next month, likely close to the Juno Awards for obvious reasons. Stay tuned by March 31st for our review of SweetKenny's newest album, and for more updates soon!

Next up, here's the latest updates for next month's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Firstly, a fifth band has announced their participation in the battle, that being newer local punk trio The Northern Tragedy, as per their Facebook page last week! No strangers to The Rockstar Bar, they were most recently there on February 1st, but how will they do in their first ever battle? Singer/drummer Terrence Gomes is no stranger to local battles of the bands either, as he competed at the Algoma University Battle in 2009 with Creedon & The Animal Detectives, and at last year's Battle For The Blood with the recently-dormant Changing Waves. Can he build on their finishes with The Northern Tragedy next month? They'll join the previously confirmed Bear Hunters, Giwakwa, Haggith, and Suicide Kings on the lineup, along with four or more bands to be announced, but if your band hasn't registered yet, time is ticking, as the deadline to register is TODAY. There are still limited registration forms available at The Algonquin Hotel/Rockstar Bar and The Rad Zone, so if you've been stalling, undecided, or busy, you have limited hours to register your band! For full details on entry fees, sign-up details, and more, click here, and ENTER A.S.A.P. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

Within the next two weeks, full information on the competitors and schedules should be announced, and for attendees, remember that tickets cost $3 a night, $10 for the finals on April 24th, and prizes include studio time, cash, and opening slots at some big summer concerts! Check the above links for more details, and for undecided band members, REGISTER TODAY!!!!!!!

Finally for today, here's NINE recent shorter news stories and updates, which we did on a similar scale in November due to a build-up of smaller news items. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, artist, group, venue, newspaper, or photographer name:

• Local photographer Brian Tremblay is doing another installment of his "So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" photo series, and he's looking for local musicians to be featured. Yes, the series has included hard rock artists in the past, including alumni of Late & Loud, Turner Up, and That's Chester, examples of which you can see at this link. If you're interested in taking part, contact Brian at (705) 942-5419!
• A status on Central Algoma death metal band For All That Is Lost's Facebook page that indicated that they'd split with bassist Ben Deslauriers was posted last week, but as far as I can tell, that has since been quietly retracted. I figured I'd mention it in case anyone read the same, but regardless, it's good to know he hasn't left F.A.T.I.L.!
• Local grunge quartet Haggith have announced that they have new t-shirts available to buy through their online store, and to that end, they're hoping fans will be decked out for their Rockstar Battle of the Bands appearance(s) next month! Plus, they're hyping a special set prepared just for the battle, so visit their store above for more information and to buy some new band merchandise!
• A Facebook group named "Juno Beards" was recently started by local photographer Chris Cartwright, with the aim being to grow your beards out until the Juno Awards on April 20th-21st in honour of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold, as they're of course nominated for Best Metal/Hard Music Album this year, and David was known for growing giant beards during tours and long band activity. Sounds like a great idea, and I'll take part! Hopefully it picks up steam!
• Local progressive rock quartet Machines Dream (featuring ex-Gates of Winter keyboardist Brian Holmes) are the first confirmed opening band for Toronto alternative hard rock quintet The Rabid Whole's headlining date at The Rosie on April 11th! My source is the show's Facebook event page. This may seem a bit odd at first, but Machines Dream are loaded with talent, and they don't play live much, so don't miss them next month, and stay tuned for more show updates!
• Monkey's Uncle bassist Nathan Switzer uploaded a new guitar riff idea onto his personal Soundcloud page three weeks ago, and it's a very cool 25 second technical snippet that calls to mind his older original projects! No word yet on if this is part of a relaunch of his full solo project, but I'll keep you guys posted, and check out the riff sample above!
• I've changed the link for The Rockstar Bar in our Sault Ontario concert venue links, as their old website was closed at some point (I think) last year, though I'm not sure if it was closed intentionally or had an expired domain name. In it's place, I changed the link to their still-active Facebook group, so join up for updates at bar events & concerts!
• This might just be needless speculation, but last week's issue of the Sault This Week newspaper did not have a Hot Spots section, which is generally where bars & concert spots can advertise events, shows, and specials. It has shrunk in recent years, but I hope they haven't axed it permanently (or I just misplaced a page), as it can be a valuable resource for citing concerts and weekend 19+ events, but we'll have to see if it's in today's issue!
• Prolific local metal musician Jonathan Tiberi's solo project The Soviet Space Program has uploaded a new track to their Reverbnation page! Named "Cold Shot", it's a classic metal instrumental, and it mixes some solid riffs and melodies, but it does feel unfinished, Good stuff though, so give it a look at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow, including at least one new show announcement! Thanks everyone!