Live In Tokyo 2017
There’s something special about live albums, I for one love the energy and rawness that a live album provides, plus if you can’t get to the show, it’s the next best thing, right! Graham Bonnet is one of those names that is on a lot of peoples “to see” list, including mine and this album is as close you can get to the real thing.
Recorded in Tokyo on March 16th 2017, Graham Bonnet is joined by Conrado Pesinato on Guitar, Beth-Ami Heavenstone on Bass, Jimmy Waldo on Keyboards and Mark Benquchea on Drums. What follows is a stunning live album, with Graham Bonnet sounding better than ever.
Performing classics from Rainbow, MSG, Impellitteri plus songs from the bands repertoire as well Graham’s solo career, it really is a treat and a unique chance to enjoy a number of hidden classics from Graham Bonnet’s repertoire from his 40+ year career in the rock ‘n roll business.
Kicking things off with Rainbow’s ‘Eyes of the World’ and what a way to start. You can really feel the energy of the crowd here and hearing Bonnet blast out this Rainbow classic is a real treat. At 69 (at time of recording) he has still got some major pipes! A real hairs standing up on the back of your neck moment. And, this is only the first song.
‘California Air’ is next, what a solid song and the band are just so tight. ‘SOS’ and ‘Night Games’ follow and then the band take somewhat of a more heavy metal turn, with the Imperlitteri song ‘Stand in Line’. This is a real metal outing and is one of the heavier songs on the album, both vocally and musically.
Speaking of metal, Graham also delivers four songs from the Michael Schenker Group’s album Assault Attack. ‘Dancer’ ‘Samarai’ ‘Desert Song’ and the title track of the album, ‘Assault Attack’ and they are all are expertly performed, showing a harder, more rugged side to Graham Bonnet’s voice.
To do a review of this album and not mention the stunning vocal performance on ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ would be a travisty. Graham hits all the notes, he is absolutely flawless. To think as well, this is a live performance, there are not re takes, there are no cuts, it is ‘as is’. To be able to hit all those notes when you’re 12 songs into a very vocally energetic set, is impressive to say the least. Then you take into account his age. What a fantastic vocalist.
To sum this album up, all I have to say is, turn it up loud enough, close your eyes and you could be at the venue. None of the atmosphere is lost in the recording. Graham Bonnet was on my “to see” list but after listening to this album, he’s not just on the list… He’s at the top.
Released by: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Release Date: July 12th 2019
