The Dead Daisies - Radiance

36 minutes? That's more like an EP

It’s worth getting the vinyl for me!

Roll On is nice.

Going to support my local music store Friday morning…

Have to say that, while the best songs on "Holy Ground" might stand a tad taller in swagger and profile than most any of the songs on "Radiance" individually, the latter is a better album over all in that it is more cohesive from top to bottom and from front to back than its predecessor.

Glenn, Doug and David have truly gelled as a melodic and creative unit, and it shows.

And Brian Tichy? Superlatives fail me, but surely he was always meant to be the drummer for this band?

Say what you want about some of the other band projects that Glenn has been involved with in the more recent eras of his career, (Voodoo Hill, Black Country Communion), in The Dead Daisies Glenn has finally settled into a band that truly suits everything he brings to the table, and the reward for those of us who have followed his career over these many years is nothing short of magnificent.

Contrary to you, David, I quite like Radiance and what Glenn brings to the table. I feel his singing here harkens back to the way he sang on some of his 90s albums. This is a good thing, as it's been missing for a while. For example, Not Human reminds me of Addiction. I also like the groove oriented direction in songs like Born to Fly, Cascade and Not Human. The bass sound is huge.

For future albums, I would like to see some more light and shade as far as dynamics go though. Holy Ground suffered from it and Radiance does too. Doug's guitar sound is almost too overbearing in the long run and Roll On comes as such a breath of fresh air as the last track. And still it's only 36 minutes long. They could easily have thrown in one more Glenn-like song like that, with his voice in the forefront. It would have given the album more diversity and offered a break from all the heavy riffing and somewhat dense (but powerful) production.

I hope Glenn will continue with this band for a few more years and see where they can go from here. Maybe change the producer for the next one and have Doug turn himself down a notch or two.

And yes, by all means, drop the covers live. I think Glenn feels the same way. Having Glenn play uninspired and boring songs like Mexico and Midnight Moses is like having Jeff Beck play Back in Black. Unnecessary and beneath him. And I like AC/DC

Favorite songs? All of them (the sign of a strong album) but if I had to choose, the second half of the album:

Born to Fly

Kiss The Sun

Courageous

Cascade

Not Human

Roll On

You know, David - I totally agree with you where the inclusion of cover songs in their live set is concerned; yawn - not all that interesting at all.

That said, it's not as if Glenn hasn't had cover songs on his solo albums or in his live sets either - "I Just Want to Celebrate" and "Nights in White Satin" come to mind right off the bat in that regard.

At the end of the day, though, what I really like about TDD vis-à-vis what they put out to work with Glenn really comes down to two words; flash and swagger.

Glenn is a white-hot singer, and he needs a band with a bit more vigor to stand up to what he throws down with, especially in a hard rock context, and I've always felt that he was at his best with a strong and truly virtuosic rock guitarist as his main foil, which is why I love seeing him work here with Doug Aldrich. For my tastes, this pairing sort of sits in that sweet pocket that past endeavors with Pat Thrall, Gary Moore and John Norum have displayed.

I'm not saying that "Radiance" is necessarily the best album that Glenn has ever done, but I do feel that, taken as a whole, it is the best Daisies album he's done so far, and I look forward to seeing this outfit grow further...

I should add that I have nothing against BCC. They are a great unit, no question about it, but for me Joe Bonamassa isn't quite the kind of guitar player I really like seeing Glenn with in a rock context. Bonamassa is without a doubt the most brilliant blues / blues-rock guitarist out there today, but as a hard rock player somehow he just doesn't punch all the buttons for me. In BCC he seems more "able" than "brilliant" to me...

In the end it all comes down to personal taste, of course, and in that respect nobody's personal tastes are ever wrong, which is what makes these debates so interesting!

As an aside, I'd add that another guitar player I have long wished that Glenn would work with is Jake E Lee. If ever Glenn wanted to go back to an energetic power trio a-la Trapeze, I'd love to see what that might sound like if he and Jake were to do something together along those lines...

Have been listening back to the BCC albums recently and I much prefer his singing on the DD albums. He often oversings with BCC, particularly on Afterglow, with a shouting vocal style, which is an area where he doesn't shine. There's more restraint on Radiance with a vocal style more in line with his solo albums = win

I'm with David. I feel song writing musically and lyrically Glenn seems to be going through the motions on this album.

Much prefer the first TDD with Glenn. Not Human is a great track, there is almost. Hughes/Thrall feel to it.

Holy Ground is a better album and had overall more positive reviews. Radiance (excellent title song) is a step down and had also some not so good reviews in Europe.

I don’t like the sound that this producer created on these albums (full force and hardly any light and dark). I think when Glenn would have done the production himself, the albums would be much better.

Live it was great: the songs (mainly Holy Ground but also Radiance title song) sounded much better live than studio.

For the near future: I think The Dead Daisies sound is too limited for Glenn. I think next year he will go on to other adventures: BCC V, maybe Burn 50th tour or maybe recording of a new solo record

Quote from willem

Holy Ground is a better album and had overall more positive reviews. Radiance (excellent title song) is a step down and had also some not so good reviews in Europe.

I don’t like the sound that this producer created on these albums (full force and hardly any light and dark). I think when Glenn would have done the production himself, the albums would be much better.

Live it was great: the songs (mainly Holy Ground but also Radiance title song) sounded much better live than studio.

For the near future: I think The Dead Daisies sound is too limited for Glenn. I think next year he will go on to other adventures: BCC V, maybe Burn 50th tour or maybe recording of a new solo record

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After the D.D tour,I would prefer a new Glenn Hughes solo album & tour. On tour Glenn can dip into his solo catalogue along with Trapeze, Hughes/Thrall, Iommi/Hughes, Phenomena, & Gary Moore collaborations.

I've long hoped that someday Glenn might do some sort of concert performance for release as a live album/blu ray with special guests and songs that really celebrate the breadth of his career as a solo artist, band member and collaborator with some of the finest musicians in rock.

I mean, how cool would it be to have a concert with Glenn front and center, augmented with guest performances from players like Pat Thrall, John Norum, Tony Iommi, Joe Bonamassa and Doug Aldrich?!?

The core band could feature Chad Smith, Ed Roth and Soren Anderson, (or something like that), and a duet with special guest David Coverdale on "You Keep on Moving" would be the icing on the cake!

Probably far too expensive a thing to pull off for too little return in this day and age, but it would be one hell of a special release that's for sure!

My favorite Glenn Hughes solo

core band would be, next to Glenn, JJ Marsh on guitar, Ash Sheehan on drums and Lachy Doley on keyboards. Bring it on

I'm not familiar with Ash Sheehan's playing, but I'd be all in on including JJ Marsh and Lachlan Doley too, so let's get them in there!