Dark Passion Play by Nightwish
Dark Passion Play was the 1st of two studio albums featuring Anette Olzon as lead vocalist
After original Nightwish lead singer Tarja Turunen’s departure from the band, none of the band’s fans knew what to expect going forward. Anette Olzon was announced as the new lead singer of the band and the album Dark Passion Play was released in September 2007. The album was a top 5 success all over Europe and topped the charts in five countries. Although a completely different vocalist Olzon blended with the band straight away and did not sound out of place at all.
Favourite track: The album-opening epic “The Poet And The Pendulum”
Magic by Bruce Springsteen
Magic was Bruce Springsteen’s 15th studio album and 8th recorded with the E Street Band
For me, Springsteen is always at his best when recording with the E Street Band. This was the first album he had recorded with them since 2002’s The Rising. Although it doesn’t scale the heights of his masterpiece albums like Darkness On The Edge Of Town or Born To Run, Magic holds its own against the majority of his back catalogue. The album was a top ten success around the world and reached number one in ten countries.
Favourite track: Lead single “Radio Nowhere”
Love And Paranoia by Regurgitator
The majority of Regurgitator’s sixth studio album was recorded in Brazil
Adding a fourth member was an inspired decision and Seja Vogel added both her vocals and keyboards to their sound. The album was 80s influenced and lyrically was loosely based around either romantic love or fear and paranoia as indicated by the album’s title. I really enjoyed this album and although I like the majority of their material, I have a soft spot for this one.
Favourite track: “Romance Of The Damned”
Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
T-Bone Burnett produced the album by the pair and selected the songs they should cover
In what initially appeared like an unlikely pairing, no one was more surprised than me how good this was. Their voices blend amazingly well and T-Bone Burnett’s song choices were inspired and worked amazingly well for both singers. The album won Album Of The Year at the Grammys and performed well on charts around the world.
Favourite track: “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”
Blackbird by Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge pulled out all the stops for their second studio album helping make the band
One Day Remains was a great debut album but Blackbird was truly a creative leap from its predecessor. Four singles were released from the album to varying success yet the album charted reasonably well. The first album was mostly written before lead vocalist Myles Kennedy joined the band so his song-writing contributions are notable on this album and it was all for the better.
Favourite track: Title track “Blackbird” featuring one of the finest guitar solos ever recorded, in my humble opinion
The Slabthrower 