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November 2024

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September 2024

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August 2024

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[ More Music Reviews ]

Ramos: My Many Sides

Melodic Heavy Rock

3.5/5.0

Website (Label)
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 05.08.2020 | Released: 07.08.2020

Perhaps quite not the proverbial "household name" in the melodic hard rock world, but you do know guitarist Josh Ramos. He was part of the Nineties supergroup The Storm which also featured former Journey members Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith, and Ross Valory. But more recently, until he quit the band for creative reasons, Ramos was the long time guitarist for American rock band Hardline. Now Ramos offers listeners his debut solo album, My Many Sides. The album features various well-known guest vocalists including, among others, Joe Retta, Danny Vaughn, Tony Harnell, Harry Hess, and Tony Mills for his last recorded performance for the song I'm Only Human.

Josh Ramos

If you're thinking or expecting My Many Sides to feature Hardline-like tunes, you can toss that notion out the window with the bath water. My simple description of Ramos' songwriting would be melodic heavier rock with a blues groove and, of course, plenty of his skillfull guitar work. What I did have trouble grasping was the "many sides" of his guitar style. Across the album, to these ears, his guitar work sounded rather similar. But that latent blues groove seemed to rise predominantly. You can hear it within Unbroken, Same Old, Too Good, and I'm Only Human. Alternatively, All Over Now was a fast riff rocker with a definitive bass line. But my personal favorite of all the songs was easily Forefather, a slow burning, bluesy ballad with Ramos' lingering guitar lines and a Gospel feeling in the vocal arrangement. I guess that accounts for a least another of his many sides.

Essentially, I found Josh Ramos' My Many Sides to be an interesting album of melodic heavy, even blues, rock filled with his generous and spry guitar work. Whether I would put it in my regular rotation for a more spins is whole different question. Check it out and support the artist.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Essentially, I found Josh Ramos' My Many Sides to be an interesting album of melodic heavy, even blues, rock filled with his generous and spry guitar work.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]