Steven Azami Review – Song: Twisted Minds

Overall Impression: “Twisted Minds” is a scorching new release from Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions. This uptempo rocker is highlighted by a driving rhythm section, intelligent songwriting and some blistering guitar work featured in an invigorating solo instrumental section that finds the musicians effortlessly swapping bars. Dranow’s confident baritone is reinforced at times by a female vocal, tossing yet another exciting ingredient into the stew. Hard rock fans with a taste for the psychedelic will absolutely enjoy Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions’ “Twisted Minds”, thanks to its burly riffs and mind bending leads.

Strongest Point(s): Excellent production, decent mix. Incredible energy, this one really cooks. Fantastic song structure and arrangement. Outstanding intro, sets the tone for the track nicely. Great main riff in the verse sections, love the descending bass walk in the choruses. Lead vocal sounds incredible, brilliant delivery and style. The female voice adds an intriguing layer to the overall vocal sound. Solid rock lyrics, nice flow and rhyme scheme with appropriately rebellious and defiant themes. Absolutely loved the solo section, it’s the cherry on top here. All in all, this is a terrific bit of songwriting an exceptionally energetic, fiery track that should become a fan favorite. Amazing work, by all involved!

Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock

Artist target suggestions: Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Tool, UFO, Urge Overkill, Motorhead

About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.

Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Strength

Steven Azami Review – Song: Fool Outta Me

Overall Impression: “Fool Outta Me” is an exciting new release from Utah’s Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions. Somewhat straddling the line between power pop and hard rock, this lively track blends driving rhythms and searing electric guitar with interesting synth elements and an incredibly strong melodic sense. Highlighted by soaring vocal harmonies and a mind-blowing instrumental section that cues a compelling key change, Gary Dranow and The Manic emotions’ “Fool Outta Me” offers up an intriguing arrangement and an expansive, inclusive sound that should appeal to a wide range of pop and rock audiences.

Strongest Point(s): Excellent production, nice mix here. Great straight ahead groove, exciting atmosphere. Fantastic arrangement and instrumentation; love the synth choices, both the bold sawtooth leads and some of the more subtle keyboard sounds employed (especially liked the chimes). Drums and bass sound terrific. The acoustic rhythm guitar adds an organic element that provides a wonderful counter balance to the synth heaviness. Brilliant guitar tone on the lead, amazing solo section leading up to the modulation. Awesome vocal performance and production, some nifty tricks there in the upper register. Solid lyrical content with excellent rhythm and repetition, should have no problem connecting with listeners. Well written and flawlessly executed, this is another amazing track, and one that shows a slightly more “pop” side while still being firmly rooted in rock.

Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Rock, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, New Wave, Electro Rock

Artist target suggestions: The Cars, T. Rex, Todd Rundgren, The Cult, Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne, Gary Numan, The Tubes, Pixies, Spoon, Urge Overkill

About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.

Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Strength

Steven Azami Review – (Made It) Another Day

Overall Impression: Utah-based blues rockers Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions explore the daily trials and tribulations of living with neurodiversity, on their release of “(Made It) Another Day.” This mid-tempo track features a swampy New Orleans-style groove with a wailing slide guitar providing the lead, while Dranow gives a stirring and soulful vocal performance that will surely resonate with listeners. Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions’ “(Made It) Another Day” is an easy recommendation for any and all blues and/or rock fans, thanks to its authentic rootsy sound and cathartic lyrical content.

Strongest Point(s): Excellent production, solid mix. Incredible vibe and atmosphere. Outstanding groove, bass and drums are working well in tandem. Love all the rhythmic shifts throughout the arrangement, makes for a more engaging listening experience. Dobro sounds great, cuts nicely through the mix and plays off the vocal brilliantly. Exceptional vocal performance, great delivery, and expressiveness. Wonderful lyrics, classic blues form, and function. Overall, it’s a terrific bit of songwriting and a tremendous, finished track that should have very little problem finding an audience. Great work, by all involved!

Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Rock, Blues, Blues Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Roots Rock, Southern Rock, Swamp Rock

Artist target suggestions: Little Feat, Ry Cooder, John Spencer’s Blues Explosion, The Radiators, Delaney & Bonnie, The Black Keys, The Dixie Dregs, NRBQ, Taj Mahal

About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.

Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Strength

Zachary Larson Review – The King is Dead

Overall Impression: Rock band Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions has released their new tune The King Is Dead. An Alternative Rock song with a slightly Blues tint, The King Is Dead has a sound that is immediately satisfying for those looking to Rock. It grooves at a feel-good tempo, and keeps the fire burning low before erupting with attitude. The guitars waste no time and instantly find a sweet, crunchy tone that will have aficionados scrunching their faces and nodding in approval. This tune puts love before everything else, referring to it as ‘The King’, and uses a metaphoric story to spread its message. The vocals take on a nasal and bright quality that invokes the image of someone shouting the news while running down the city street. It makes for a unique listen full of character, depth, and no shortage of life. All in all, The King Is Dead rocks hard, has a cool, metaphoric message, and keeps the interest level high with some killer guitar.

Strongest Point(s): The guitar definitely grabs attention right away and does a great job of keeping the listener on the hook. However, there is a sort of unhinged or wild quality to this tune that is very cool. The vocals aim for particular melodies, notes, and rhythms, but the words are what takes precedence. This gives off a very relatable, ‘everyman’ sort of vibe that makes it all the more fun.

Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Rock, Alternative Rock, and Blues Rock will enjoy The King Is Dead by Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions.

Artist target suggestions: Cage The Elephant, Led Zeppelin, The Vines, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimi Hendrix, Beck, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machines, Jack White

About the Reviewer: Zachary Larson is a professional guitarist in New York City. Getting his start in high school rock bands, he has since toured the world as a classical chamber musician, onboard cruise lines, and with several Broadway musicals. His recorded work spans across Classical, Pop, and Experimental music. His arrangements are published through Clear Note Publications. Classically trained, he holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Denver.

Andre Avanessian Review – Something About You

Overall Impression: Having previously reviewed the equally well-written and performed “Destiny Road” by Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions, I can honestly say that I looked forward to delving deeper into the group’s music further, and so here we have “Something About You”, an energetic and charming rocker that captures the spirit of the genre both passionately and effectively. Whilst “Destiny Road” was a sonically and musically more exploratory piece of songwriting that would frequently dip its toes into the world of prog, “Something About You” relishes in its more bombastic sense of personality, dialing energy levels up even further and echoing the classic-rock genres more flamboyant qualities. This is certainly not to say that this is anyway a bad thing of course as it shows a level of versatility amongst the bands writing and performance skills that allows each and every track of theirs to feel distinctly different whilst feeling equally connected to one another regarding their overarching sense of musical identity. Building upon the main thematic foundation planted in “Destiny Road”, the track further explores these ideas in a wonderfully animated fashion, whisking up many a tasty guitar lick, attention-grabbing rhythmic hook, and singalong chorus along the way.

Strongest Point(s): A strong intro needs a strong opening hook to snag its listeners and I think it’s safe to say that the strength of this particular element can often make or break the effectiveness of a track’s intro greatly – “Something About You” certainly doesn’t have this problem. The opening guitar melody and its rising octave movement serve as a great way to draw listeners in by establishing itself as an instantly recognizable and undeniably memorable theme that listeners will easily recognize throughout the track. I also particularly appreciate the way both the instrumentation and general underlying texture of the track are altered to create a strong distinction between the song’s various sections, for example, the guitar tone plays an integral part in helping to create a number of timbrally contrasting flavors throughout, for example, the effectiveness of the clean arpeggio-based progression in the verse sections contrasts brilliantly with the harder overdriven guitars when they enter, helping to inject even more tonal diversity into the track that’s further complimented by the warm textural properties of the underlying synth and thick tonal characteristics provided by the bass.

Target Audience Appeal: This is another enjoyable classic rock-style track and I’m sure fans of the genre will appreciate what it has to offer.

Artist target suggestions: Joe Bonamassa, The Alan Parsons Project, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Camel, Jethro Tull, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson, Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Yardbirds, The Moody Blues

About the Reviewer: Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed “Guitar Nerd” Andre has been continually studying the guitar as well as teaching it, helping students learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.

Andre Avanessian Review – Destiny Road

Overall Impression: Classic rock lovers rejoice, Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions most definitely have you covered! “Destiny Road” is a fantastic blend of blues-based rock styles and prog-inspired explorations, creating a listening experience that is both vividly detailed and distinctly creative. Inspired by a dream that frontman Gary Dranow experienced in 1996, “Destiny Road” has an almost celestial quality to its songwriting, helped in part by the constantly evolving nature of its soundscape and continually intriguing musical elements and their thematically driven undertones, and whether it’d be the sterling performances, fantastically absorbing textures, or alluring lyrical edge, this is a track that’s a joy to get swept up by.

Strongest Point(s): This is an excellent arrangement, one that’s filled with both a great deal of variety and musical maturity. Gary and his fellow musical brethren clearly draw inspiration from many a distinct style and it’s this particular quality that really helps give “Destiny Road” its unique and well-defined sense of character. From the clear energy-infused rock stylings of the soaring lead guitar and rhythm work to the grander nature of the prog-tinted synth work, subtle woodwind flourishes, and philosophically-fueled lyrics, the arrangement always has something new to say to listeners and it allows the experience to be continually intriguing. The performances are also excellent and it’s easy to hear the strong sense of togetherness that the group has. This essential ingredient not only elevates the effectiveness of the songwriting tenfold but instills a level of energy into the music that allows each and every well-phrased melody, vocal hook, and dash of harmonic flair to reach even greater heights.

Target Audience Appeal: I can certainly see lovers of classic rock finding “Destiny Road” to be a worthwhile listening experience.

Artist target suggestions: Joe Bonamassa, The Alan Parsons Project, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Camel, Jethro Tull, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson, Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Yardbirds, The Moody Blues

About the Reviewer: Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed “Guitar Nerd” Andre has been continually studying the guitar as well as teaching it, helping students learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.

“You bring the perfect combination of confidence and good skills playing a creative guitar. Your sound is unique. Good job!!”