Neal Storme and the Band of Amazing Friends

STRUTTER’ZINE: Neal Storme and the Band of Amazing Friends ‘Ay B Si’ (Independent/USA Import) http://strutter.8m.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS2015-November.html http://www.strutter.co.nr/ Out of Washington comes Neal Storme, a very talented musician, and he has been in the music business for quite a few decades now. However, he has mainly been active as a producer and manager of all kinds of events throughout the USA, but also was a street musician for many years, so therefore it took some time before he would actually release something on his own. Now he released a full length album, with the help of a whole list of guest musicians and I must say it is a very impressive records. Completely in the all-American heartland rock/aor style of the classic 1970s / early 1980s, with bluesy licks, soulful vocals and AOR choruses, sounding like Benny Mardones meets John Melllencamp meets Michael Stanley Band, with strong raw vocal work a la Bruce Springsteen (also musically of course, because Bruce is after all the king of this genre!). Here and there I can also comparisons to Warren Hayes, but most of the 13 songs go directly in the classic heartland rock style. The best songs are the uptempo rockers Hand Me Down World, You Are Not Alone (AORish), Draw the Line (Heartland Rock, Bruce Springsteen meets Michael Stanley, with a lovely guitar solo), Everybody Knows (nice Leonard Cohen cover) and Papa don’t think he’ll make it (strong lyrics!). Definitely a big surprise, this album and highly recommended to fans of mentioned heartland rockacts! - STRUTTER’ZINE

Singer/ songwriter Neal Storme writes story songs about the challenges of the common man, loss, love, social issues, and Marijuana. Reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, he uses colorful turns of a phrase to engage the listener. There is a larger than life dramatic feel to his vocal delivery and the overall depth of the production. The album is mostly populated by American flavored rock with a bit of jazz and reggae. He is joined by a large ensemble of musicians listed below who all add their personal touch to bring his vision to life. This is clearly a man who has made many friends along his musical journey and relishes in sharing his music with his fellow musicians and the world. The album is a far reaching journey through the life, loves and friendships of Neal Storme. It takes courage to expose one’s life and I look forward to hearing more stories from his personal experience. http://365radionetwork.com/album-review-neal-storme-ay-b-si/ - 365 radio

http://www.westsidereview.com/featured/westside-review-featured-artist-neal-storme-and-lets-not-forget-the-band-of-amazing-friendsnt

Picture

Versatility is the name of the game with this artist and large band of great Northwest musicians. Our favorite was the live videos, as they not only showcase Neal’s poetic original music and unique takes on covers, but the live energy of Neal and The Band of Amazing Friends. The varying instruments ranging from keys, guitar, woodwinds, reeds, bass, percussion, mandolin, harmony vocals, and more allow for a broad mixture of influences and genres. Despite the large amounts of instrumentation, the songs are clear and uncluttered, allowing the lyrics to remain the focus. Check out more at http://nealstorme.com or the video below. - West Side review